Why every writer needs to be a voracious reader
When I was falling in love with writing as a 17-year-old and enrolled in a mentorship program at the Toronto Public Library, author M.T. Kelly told me, “Dave, writing is reading, reading is writing. You have be as much a bookworm as you are a word nerd.” Those words stayed with me for decades but I worry that too many other writers don’t follow that same advice. I’ve met dozens of writers who don’t read articles beyond the newsletters pushed into their inbox weekly, or the social posts flooding their feeds. That has to change. For any writer, whether creative or journalistic, reading is critical to being a strong writer. We learn from what pulls us into a story, from the phrases that ignite a fire in our brain. When we come across le mot juste, as Baudelaire said, we know we’ll somehow find a way to bring those words into our own writing. Writers have to read a lot. I’m not talking a book a week but at least a couple longreads over that period, maybe a short story collection every month. Read heady complex stuff, read funny poetry, read books you might not even think you’ll like. And it’s fine if you don’t. Forward-thinking writers also learn from what not to do. The more I expanded my reading range, venturing beyond John Irving books to non-fiction and poetry, the more I found beautiful expression I never would’ve spotted in my usual favourites. When we go out of our comfort zooms, we’ll strengthen our writing skills and level up in ways that might have seemed unimaginable before.
Why you should ask upfront for half the fee for major projects
When I endured the frustration of not getting paid due to a bankrupt client, I realized I didn’t take my own advice: ask for half a project before you submit the first draft.
Read my latest clips for BBC News, Agriculture Dive
This winter has been busy, due in part to working with several new clients such as Agriculture Dive and ForesightDK.
My four-part Medium series breaks down how to write tight
A year ago, I decided to dabble in writing on Medium, where I saw many fellow writers turn to a a blogging platform. Once I found my footing and niche (writing advice), I launched a four-part series on how to hone the craft. I could’ve waxed poetic on this topic for more than four posts, but I wanted to practice what I preached and keep the tips tight and succinct. In the first post, I look at getting rid of redundancies, and in the second post I advise writers to avoid those pointless hedgers and qualifiers. In the third part, I reveal the scourge of the run-on sentence and the importance of varying sentence length to create natural rhythms and cadences. And in the final post, I outline the best ways to avoid dropping cliches in your work. Give them a read and let me know what you think on Medium (if you’re a member) or via my Twitter feed. Stay tuned to this space for more posts on becoming a better writer. Remember, if you want to get coached by an experienced prose and non-fiction writer, you can learn more about my courses here.
The top 3 podcasts for freelance journalists
It’s time to learn about the best podcasts for dishing out advice to freelance journalists!
6 lessons I learned after 6 years of working as a full-time freelance writer
Learning to say no. Hustling non-stop. Negotiating like a boss. These are some of the takeaways from my past six years of excelling as a freelance journalist.
How freelance writers can better manage the scourge of rejection
Your pitches will be rejected. No one bats 1000. So how will you recover from that feeling and rebound to freelance another day?
On the hustle of freelancing
A question I often get is: How do you hustle to get those freelance gigs? Isn’t it nerve-wracking to not know where your next cheque is coming from?