-
Only 11 percent of motorcycle riders are women, according to this MSN Autos blog post, but that number is growing every year. Between 2003 and 2009, there was a 45 percent increase in chicks on bikes — and not in…
-
The Nouveau Commonplace
I learned a few months ago that the word “commonplace” has an older meaning than the current definition of something being so common it’s no longer interesting. It’s the kind of word you’d think hipsters would use more often than…
-
What I Learned from HowStuffWorks.com: Research and Documentation
I do lots of work for lots of different outlets, but there are a few publications (online and print) that I work with regularly. One of those is HowStuffWorks.com, which is part of the Discovery network. I’ve been writing for…
-
Automotive Art at the Museum
Sometimes I get to write articles with fascinating story lines, long-ish word counts, and fantastic pictures. Like this one for the New York Times Autos section, on the Allure of the Automobile at Portland Art Museum. The cars themselves were…
-
To Holiday or Not to Holiday
I am writing this at my desk, in my office, on Memorial Day, an official holiday in the United States. Yet here I am at my desk. Most people are camping this weekend — or as a friend of a…
-
Are You Smarter than a Sixth Grader?
Having spent time with 81 sixth-graders in three writing classes today, I can say I am indeed smarter — in most cases. But Miss Guttag’s classes had some great questions when I visited her at school. Just about every year…
-
30 Things I Have Done to Avoid Working on This Novel
-
On the In-Person Q&A
A few months ago, my friends Kristin and Ali (founder of Indigo Editing) asked if I would be available to answer questions about the freelance life. I said sure. Ali mentioned that I was requested by someone, which was flattering.…
-
Freelance Tip #2: Twitter
Though Twitter has only been around a couple of years, it’s spawned a little industry of books on how to effectively use it — and a big group of Twitter haters. I use Twitter and have for a long time,…
-
Freelance Tip #1: Lunch
Basically, you have two options for lunch as a freelancer: eat in or go out. Let’s explore the options for and implications of each. Eat In Do not eat at your desk. That is for people with “regular” jobs who…