Kristen Hall-Geisler

Category: The Wingback

  • Obvious Freelance Lesson: Honesty Is the Best Policy

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    I’ve been freelance writing and editing since 2006, and it’s gone pretty well. I’ve had lots of happy clients, one unhappy one, and a reasonably steady income from an ever-evolving roster of publications. I’m pretty good at the whole freelancing thing. But every so often, I need to have a basic lesson pounded into my…

  • How I Improved My Productivity in Two Easy Steps

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    You may think that headline is clickbait-y, but I did indeed improve my productivity this week in two easy steps. One of the steps was free, and one was not. The free one, actually, was harder. Here they are, in numbered list form so you can follow along: What have I completed this week? I…

  • A Bullet Journal Journey to Page-Chomping Freedom

    A Bullet Journal Journey to Page-Chomping Freedom

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    When I was a kid, probably about eight years old, I got my first hardcover journal. I think it was for my birthday, though it could have come in an Easter basket. We were a gift-giving family, so sometimes after decades have passed, I don’t remember precisely what holiday was the occasion for a gift.…

  • I, a Design-Challenged Person, Have Made a New Logo

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    I have not been happy with my previous attempt at a logo. It had too many words because I am a word person, so that’s what I added. It was two shades of gray, light and dark, because that seemed trustworthy and professional. It was boring and looked like this: I am trustworthy and professional,…

  • Freelancing Is Like Baking

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    or, a study in forced metaphors and The Great British Baking Show For a little less than a year and a half, I contracted with TechCrunch to write nearly a dozen posts a month on automotive technology. As of July 31, 2017, that contract came to an end. This is how things work in the freelance…

  • Take the Wheel: Now Bigger and Better

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    The revised edition of Take the Wheel: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self will be out in November! Here’s a quick tour of the changes: All told, the changes and updates add a couple dozen pages to the book. It’ll be getting fresh, fly cover! And a new, lower price! It’ll…

  • My Shitty Mantra

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    Mr. HG and I had both had long, stressful workweeks, and a non-rainy Sunday was in the forecast. A couple hours under the trees with the dog would be the mind-cleansing, soul-restoring excursion we needed. It was true — our minds were cleansed by exhaustion and our souls were restored by surviving. It was a…

  • Learning? Let Lynda and Your Library Help!

    Learning? Let Lynda and Your Library Help!

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    This post brought to you by the letter L. I’ve self-published a book (Take the Wheel: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self), and I work in publishing, so I feel pretty confident about publishing Lightning in a Throttle: Three Early Electric Vehicle Victories this summer. I’ve got lots of friends…

  • Business Launch for International Women’s Day

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    On International Women’s Day 2017, I participated in A Day Without Women. Organizers meant it to be a general strike, but it supposed a lot of privilege on the part of the strikers. There were millions of women who couldn’t take a day off. Being freelance, I worked extra hours early in the week so…

  • The Bottom Line Is Not Just a Figure of Speech

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    I’ve been a freelance writer and editor years longer than I’ve had proper accounting software. (A quick hat tip to Freshbooks for making the switch from home-brewed spreadsheets to software not so painful.) The basics are easy (invoice! expense! bam!), and I have a brilliant freelance-friendly tax accountant. But I’m still learning a lot about…