Welcome to One More Question, the newsletter for freelance writers who want to stay inspired and make it work.
Today’s issue is a special freebie, but if you’d like round-ups of writing opportunities delivered to your inbox every week, plus lots of extras like my big list of editor contacts and monthly pitch feedback from me—consider upgrading for just $5/month.
Hiya writer friends,
I’m back in Portland and the winter rain has begun. The trees are half-full of red and yellow leaves and the rest of them are floating in sidewalk puddles. We’re in that brief period of bright fall colors before the rain washes it all away and we’re left with the gray of winter.
I really love this time of year.
This year is different, of course. I still love the start of rain. But now there’s the impending doom of a winter spent in lockdown. All the bars and restaurants that just built outdoor seating with portable heat lamps are shutting down again. It’s a scary time for small businesses. It’s a scary time for all of us who fear the isolation we’re entering.
But I’m finding some peace in this next season. Time is moving in strange ways these days, and I’m trying to remember to pay attention to the details, even when they seem repetitive. The details are the story! So I’m trying to remember to write them down. Are you? I’d love to hear how you’re doing with your writing and with life in general. Hit respond to this email and tell me.
And now, let’s get to some good stuff:
Education, Inspiration, Etc.
Learn how to navigate legal issues freelancers face with this Wednesday event through The Writer’s Co-Op.
The Pulitzer Center’s new Rainforest Journalism Fund will support 200 reporting projects on climate change in the next year.
Ever wonder who gets the lucky job of writing guide books all over the world? This seminar from Dream of Travel Writing could get you started.
More books! More books! Dive into this list of Top 100 reads of the year, which includes Eva Holland’s Nerve. (Eva and I did a Q&A about fear and writing earlier this year!)
Poynter’s class on personal essay writing starts in January.
What I’m Reading
It’s hopeful — the kind of ending to a song where you know the answer was yes, just by how it is sung. It is the rigorous truth-telling that the two excel in: One cannot be redeemed without a clear articulation of why redemption is needed. And that’s the part that some other singers might gloss over. But Welch and Rawlings, as writers, dig their hands into the mess of a life that is worthwhile despite its messiness. [The New York Times]
A conversation about “The Glorious American Essay.” [LitHub]
More and more writers are starting newsletters on Substack. Is the platform solving problems in media or just creating new ones? [Columbia Journalism Review]
Editors Who Want Your Pitches
That’s all for today friends. I’ll be back in your inbox soon—sooner if you’re a paid subscriber!
Stay inspired,
Britany