Good Stuff for Writers, 9/15
from Modern Love, Audubon, Business Insider, and more
Hi writer friends,
It’s been a tough past week in Oregon and all over the western United States as widespread wildfires continue to burn. I left Portland on Friday, but my friends who are still there say they haven’t been able to go outside in days. I’m going to talk to you more tomorrow about what I’m trying to focus on in this time (year?) of crisis. But right now I’d just like to admit that IT’S REALLY HARD TO FOCUS ON ANYTHING. Other than refreshing the air quality maps and doom scrolling through orange squares on Instagram.
I’m sure many of you are experiencing this lack of focus because ya know… 2020.
Also when it’s your job to witness what’s happening in the world and help other people make sense of it, it’s easy to let it all in and feel saturated with ickiness. I’m trying to avoid that. I’m trying to feel my feelings without feeling ALL of it, all of the time. But yeah. I’m having my moments.
So as always, I’m so grateful for this community, and for the energy I feel when I get to connect with all of you. I hope that wherever you’re at you’re staying safe and healthy and remembering to turn off the news—even when you’re also trying to write about it.
Now let’s get to some good stuff.
Image description: Laptop and notebook on my desk next to a candle and mug. Orange wall behind them.
Funds, Education, and Miscellany
This package of 12 writing courses is a ridiculously good deal. For $99 you get $2,000 worth of resources on making more money as a freelance writer. Sale ends tomorrow! (And by purchasing through my affiliate link, you’re helping to support this newsletter.)
Today is the last day to register for the Society of Environmental Journalists upcoming virtual conference, which starts tomorrow!
The Boston Globe is still accepting applications for their Spotlight Fellowship which includes up to $100,000 (!!!) to pursue an investigative project.
The Wall Street Journal is hiring interns for Summer 2021.
The Open Notebook is now accepting applications for the Buroughs Wellcome Fund Fellowship for early-career science writers.
This episode about “objectivity” on Scene on Radio digs into the history of how “objective journalism can reinforce racist ideas.” It kinda blew my mind, and I think every journalist should have a listen.
IT IS POSSIBLE to make 10K a month as a freelance writer. (And people have a lot to say about it.)
Oh and please meet Bruce because this tweet was the highlight of my week:
What I’m Reading
Accomplishment is awarded the moment the finishing is done. But being out there takes a long time, and if it is only done for the sake of accomplishment, then it feels like an even longer, more painful time. Our society offers up so much as reward, and yet rewards so little for the so-much of life. — Out There, On Not Finishing, Longreads
A History of Punctuation, Aeon
Going Postal: A psychoanalytical reading of social media and the death drive,
Editors Who Want Your Pitches
That’s all for today, friends. Stay hydrated out there. And if you found this issue useful, it would mean a lot if you clicked the heart up top or shared it with a writer friend!