Have Too Much to Do? This 1 Tip Has Helped Me Tremendously
Have Too Much to Do? This 1 Tip Has Helped Me Tremendously
Plus the usual links & some announcements!
Hey and happy May!
Have Too Much to Do? This 1 Tip Has Helped Me Tremendously
This past month, it seems I’ve been busier with assignments and other life things. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the opportunities, all (or most) of which are good ones!
But it can also be overwhelming. Some days, I feel like I’m never going to get everything done. To some degree, I don’t. I have endless articles I want to read and share, pitches to send, tweets to tweet, money to make, ideas to produce, etc. And I probably always will.
My main advice is to take it one step at a time. This might look like:
You’d rather watch a TV show? That’s fine! Do work while the commercials are on.
You have a spurt of motivation around dinner, or another time you don’t typically work? Do a few minutes of work then.
Your article is due on May 5? Start the article on May 3 at the latest. Give yourself time to finish writing it, editing it, etc before the deadline.
You have two articles to write tomorrow? Set up the outlines the night before. Then, the next day, baby steps. Write the intro. Add the links. Etc.
You need to pitch a month’s worth of story assignments? Focus on one or two publications today/right now.
Your inbox is overfilled? Address the ones that require a quick and easy response first.
Have more ideas/tips/suggestions on this topic? We’d love to hear! Respond to this newsletter or comment on it :)
Announcements
I have three pieces of news to share with you today!
In the fall, I’ll start grad school to be a clinical mental health counselor! Yay! But don’t worry, I’ll still be writing/coaching/etc on the side, both while I’m in school and as a therapist :)
Please support my writer friend/colleague Sydni, a mother who’s battling breast cancer right now. Her GoFundMe is here!
If you want to promote your services/products, advertise an expert or brand you’re working with, etc, I’m going to start posting one paid ad in each of these monthly newsletters! The cost varies by word count and where you want the ad placed. All the details for you and me to have are in this form. FWIW, this newsletter has over 800 subscribers and an open rate average of around 43 percent!
Writing/Freelancing Tips
Considering space vs. time when it comes to taking on more work
Pitch Calls
GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:
If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.
Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!
Who Pays Writers can be a helpful site to get an idea of how much publications pay.
Pitch calls:
julia sullivan on Twitter: "It's my first week as @SELFmagazine's associate health director and am looking for writers who can turn dry, medical jargon-heavy health content into voicey, human-oriented (maybe even funny/witty at times) stories. Intro me with clips/pitches: Julia_Sullivan@condenast.com" / Twitter
Sandra Gutierrez on Twitter: "Attention all science writers: Still looking for freelance pitches for @PopSciDIY! If you're the czar of productivity hacks or are obsessed about something and you'd love to teach it to people, it can probably be a DIY story. Pitch it to sandra@popsci.com!" / Twitter
Laura Jane Turner on Twitter: "Hello! Reminder that my inbox is open for TV feature pitches. We are usually looking for timely ideas hooked on the latest TV releases — think explainers or hot takes (we rarely commission reviews or interviews). If it’s a show you’re passionate about, I want to hear about why." / Twitter
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Writer Jobs
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Writing/Freelancing Resources
Encouragement
My Articles + Updates
My Medium article on grief that I shared last month was boosted on Medium! (Here’s what “boosted on Medium” means!) While I primarily wrote it for myself, it’s nice to have it validated on this scale :)
Two pitches of mine were accepted by big pubs! I can’t wait to share them when they’re live :)
I started writing for the beauty section of Well+Good! One article is on how hair gel can trap pollen, and the other is on whether you can reuse makeup after using it on a pimple or cold sore.
Many people appreciated my HuffPost article on disenfranchised grief, which meant a lot to me!
Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help
Don’t forget about my approved pitches document and Medium guide and coaching/editing services and Writing Checklist Set!
More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls
Feedback from you: (1) For the newsletter // (2) For the resource set
This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, and my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3 :) A huge thanks to donors!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)