The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber

Rebecca L. Weber coaches with the sustainable strategies, mindset shifts, and creative skills development she uses to help independent writers around the world. If you’ve got what it takes to make it as a freelance writer, but struggle with confidence, imposter syndrome, overwhelm, procrastination, time management, writer’s block, improving your craft, marketing, pitching, underearning, pursuing meaning in your work, or getting in your own way, this is the writing podcast for you. Learn, grow, and succeed as a freelancer by identifying the wants and needs of your editors, your readers, and yourself. Rebecca draws on her experience as a journalist covering social justice, the environment, international development, the arts, and travel for publications like CNN, the New York Times, Dwell, and Ebony.com. Download a free guide on how to pitch at www.rebeccalweber.com/5-proven-steps

WCP247 Coach me 01/02/2024

WCP246 First Tuesday: Write that pitch 10/03/2023

WCP245 Archives: 🐶 Monday mornings on the mountain with Mishka 09/19/2023

WCP244 Freelance feast or famine 09/12/2023

WCP243 Gift of specificity 09/05/2023

WCP242 Miss that exit 08/29/2023

WCP241 Archives: Internal and external accountability 08/22/2023

WCP240 Time distortion 08/15/2023

WCP239 You set your freelance writing rates 08/08/2023

WCP239 You set your freelance writing rates Freelance writers often have a hard time setting rates, or feeling great about them after we’ve signed a contract. It can feel challenging when: You have a sense that there’s a correct rate to charge, but you don’t know what it is You don’t know how much you need to earn this year, so can’t break down this project accordingly You believe that the client sets the rates Spoiler alert: It is *always* possible for a potential client, a freelance colleague, or a well-meaning friend/family member in another field, to think or say: “You are charging too much” OR “You aren’t charging enough.” Ideally YOU won’t be the one telling yourself either of these things. This episode we uncover some of the common reasons freelancers struggle with setting their rates, including the most common issue that affects high- and low-earners alike, and how to take control. 🔗 Mentioned in this episode: 🎁 Download my , “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.” ⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast with a review on , sharing a link on your website or in your newsletter, or in your next social media post. Let other writers know why you listen. ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more. Apply now for the next session: 🔥 Work with me 1:1 Private coaching is for the writer who wants a personalized agenda and transformative breakthroughs. You’ll experience new clarity about what’s been holding you back and choose new patterns of thinking and behavior to propel you forward toward your writing goals. Apply for private writer coaching: 📝 More info and complete show notes: /episode/index/show/writingcoachpodcast/id/27690318

WCP238 Accountability hit 08/01/2023

WCP237 ⚡ Archives: Lights out 07/25/2023

WCP236 Judge me 07/19/2023

WCP235 Expectations on the road 07/11/2023

WCP234 Answer the question 07/04/2023

WCP233 Fun with numbers 06/27/2023

WCP233 Fun with numbers As a writing coach, I’ve heard countless writers complain about their numbers. Or, more accurately, I’ve lost count. Often somebody will hook into a goal number (daily word count, annual income, how many likes on a post) that disappoints–whether they hit that number or not. And many others don’t identify a goal number from the outset, but then lament that whatever number they’re looking at is “not enough” (or possibly “too much”). Using numbers against ourselves in this way is largely counterproductive, both for achieving goals and for enjoying our writing lives. I recently noticed that more than listeners have downloaded a quarter million episodes of the Writing Coach Podcast. 250k is a data point that doesn’t actually mean much in practical terms. It’s a fairly arbitrary number … as are so many of our writing metrics. Even hitting the number of words you wanted for a writing session doesn’t necessarily mean that those words are brilliant, concise, or bloated. Choosing to celebrate with little #podcakes is a lot more fun than not having cake. Having fun is valuable in its own right. And when we are in a playful state of mind, we’re far more able to step out of restrictive thought habits that shut down our creativity, energy, and motivation. Some of the very same games that you’ve naturally developed through playfulness with words can be applied to numbers. On this week’s episode, explore a few ways you can bring a little more fun to your own numbers. 🎉 This week marks a big celebration for the Writing Coach Podcast: 250,000+ downloads! If you’ve enjoyed an episode (or a couple hundred), please help another writer by sharing the Writing Coach Podcast. Recommend a fave episode or share a takeaway: + Leave a review on + Include it in a “best podcast” or + Shout out with a screenshot or link on social media (tag me on Instagram stories and I’ll do the same) + Share a link in your newsletter: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast 🔗 You may also like … ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more. Apply now for the next session: 📝 More info and complete show notes: /episode/index/show/writingcoachpodcast/id/27271731

WCP232 Podcast power with Steph Fuccio 06/06/2023

WCP231 Archives: Writing through grief 05/16/2023

WCP230 Co-writing, experiments, and timing 05/09/2023

WCP229 Do good work with Raul Hernandez Ochoa 05/02/2023

WCP228 Archives: Anti-racist reporting 04/25/2023

WCP228 Archives: Anti-racist reporting Black lives matter, today and every day. This is not always reflected in the media. Today we look at how an anti-racist approach to reporting helps us get closer to the real truth of what is happening in the stories you cover. An anti-racist approach works both in stories that explicitly cover racism, as well as so-called softer stories where you may not have initially identified a racial angle. This process will require you to confront biases in society as well as within yourself. In No Name in the Street, James Baldwin wrote, “Well, if one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class. One goes to the unprotected—those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most!—and listens to their testimony.” Listening is the foundation of good reporting, and anti-racist journalism that challenges the status quo. Get quiet enough in your own head to listen to your own responses to what’s happening. Ask yourself how you’ve chosen the people you’re interviewing (see Baldwin above if you don’t like your answers). Listen closely to what the people you’re talking to have to say. 🔗 Mentioned on this episode … Apply to work with me: 🎁 Download my , “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.” ⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast by leaving a review and/or rating on or . Let other writers know why you listen. ❤️ Share the podcast with other writers via your newsletter, blog post, article, or on social media. ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more. Apply now for the next session: 🔥 Work with me 1:1 Private coaching is for the writer who wants a personalized agenda and transformative breakthroughs. You’ll experience new clarity about what’s been holding you back and choose new patterns of thinking and behavior to propel you forward toward your writing goals. Apply for private writer coaching: 📝 More info and complete show notes: /episode/index/show/writingcoachpodcast/id/26610702

WCP227 You spelled/spelt it wrong 04/18/2023

WCP226 Exhume your lede 04/11/2023

WCP225 Seasonal eval 04/04/2023

WCP225 Seasonal eval Every three months marks a turn of seasons, and a refresh of the financial quarter. It’s the perfect time for an evaluation. Pausing to review and reflect on what’s actually happened allows you to plan from a more grounded place. 🔗 You might also like … When done properly, self evaluation will give you precise insights into exactly what you need to change, providing momentum and a clear answer to “What should I do now?” Episode 50 shares three questions that can be used to uplevel nearly any aspect of your freelancing. The better you are at identifying the reasons why you are and aren’t getting the work you want, the more growth and control you’ll have over your freelance writing life. Sometimes resistance to evaluation comes from a place of entitlement, or a sense that you have a right to a certain assignment. This episode looks at the impact of evaluating yourself routinely, and how unrecognized entitlement can interfere with the process. As freelancers, we get to set our own schedules, and match the days and hours that best suit hours with clients that are sympatico. Few, if any, assigning editors strictly work 9-5, Monday to Friday, and take off all public holidays. Episode 209 will help you reframe when to pitch. This perspective in this episode has resulted in numerous listeners landing assignments that they otherwise would have delayed pitching. South Africa’s electricity crisis has greatly worsened, and is expected to do more so in July. This episode is all about freelancing when things you might have taken for granted–like 24/7 electricity and wifi–aren’t available. I respond to the seasons that change with the earth’s shifting weather and daylight hours. Here are some thoughts about the correlation between seasons and financial quarters. 🎁 Download my , “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.” ⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast by writing a review on or . Let other writers know why you listen. ❤️ Share the podcast with other writers via your social media accounts or email newsletter, or leave a comment on my or feeds. 🎧 in your favorite podcast app. 📸 Follow me on Instagram ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more. Apply now for the next session: 🔥 Work with me 1:1 Private coaching is for the writer who wants a personalized agenda and transformative breakthroughs. You’ll experience new clarity about what’s been holding you back and choose new patterns of thinking and behavior to propel you forward toward your writing goals. Apply for private writer coaching: 📝 More info and complete show notes: /episode/index/show/writingcoachpodcast/id/26428851

WCP224 Archives: Best and worst clients 03/28/2023

WCP223 Cut and paste pitching 03/21/2023

WCP Bonus Why apply? 03/17/2023

WCP222 🍦 Have a taste 03/14/2023

WCP221 Vulnerability 03/07/2023

WCP220 Archives: Don’t pay your dues 02/28/2023

WCP220 Archives: Don’t pay your dues Some freelancers say they’re writing for low paying, low circulating, low quality, or otherwise low satisfaction publications because they need to pay their dues. If working this way was a sure route to high paying, high circulating, high quality, highly meaningful work, I’d be all for it. But it’s not. Those publications aren’t suddenly going to become lucrative and prestigious. And editors at their dream pubs aren’t going to make assignments because they’ve taken low paying gigs somewhere else. The freelancer thinks: “I’ve got to do these stories somewhere that doesn’t pay much because I won’t get the assignment otherwise.” Unfortunately, this kind of thinking leads to more of the same after the articles are published. Instead of being proud of the new clips, the freelancer thinks: “I only got the assignment because I did it for free.” We all have limited time and energy. Don’t spend yours on pitching places you don’t really want to write for because of some imaginary dues that nobody is collecting. Look out for where you’re holding yourself back instead of growing forward. Don’t argue for why you should play small or for why you can’t do the things you really want to do. In this episode we look at the reality that you do know your potential. Recognize it, remind yourself of it, argue for it. Develop and pitch stories that matter to you and to the publications you want to write for. 🔗 You might also like … ✏️ Work with me in Freelance Writer Bootcamp Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my group coaching program have used the proven Freelance writer Bootcamp processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Ms., Nat Geo Travel, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more. Apply now for the next session: 🎁 Download my , “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.” ⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast by leaving a review and/or rating on or . Let other writers know why you listen. 📝 More info and complete show notes: /episode/index/show/writingcoachpodcast/id/25996149

WCP219 You can’t include it all 02/21/2023

The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber

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