20 articles in this topic
Freelance invoice sat unpaid because the portal wanted a form I had already sent — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2021, which is where this piece actually started — not with a…
Rate-card pushback worked when I sent the clause, not a vibe — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2024, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a…
I wrote down the tribal steps before a teammate's last day — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2023, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a…
The hiring panel asked for a live trace of a decision, not a polished portfolio — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2022, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis…
I turned down a staff contract that wanted training rights on my notes — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2020, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck,…
Portfolio reviews moved toward live production traces — I outline on index cards, then ignore half of them from a Chennai balcony at 5 a.m. before the heat arrived in 2024, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with an editor who asked 'what…
Remote work tooling budgets shifted back to security training — I still write first drafts longhand from a borrowed desk at a Lisbon newsroom in 2020, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a 2,400-word feature that lost most readers at…
Freelance rate cards updated after AI clause disputes — I keep a cheap reporter notebook in the bag pocket that used to hold chargers from the quiet stacks of the Brooklyn Public Library in 2022, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a…
Newsroom union contracts added AI consultation language — I reread yesterday's ending before I make coffee from a Berlin courtyard office that smelled like toner in 2023, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a launch we shipped on a…
Hiring freezes taught editors to publish apprenticeship notes — I time first drafts with a kitchen timer I bought in Osaka from a night bus between Accra and Kumasi in 2021, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a headline test that 'won'…
Building authority without credentialism — I outline on index cards, then ignore half of them from a Chennai balcony at 5 a.m. before the heat arrived in 2018, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with an editor who asked 'what changed in the…
Portfolio careers for writers — I still write first drafts longhand from a borrowed desk at a Lisbon newsroom in 2023, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a 2,400-word feature that lost most readers at paragraph three. I had been…
Side projects that become publications — I send a messy voice memo to myself on the walk home from a Toronto coworking loft with bad coffee and good light in 2019, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a syndication deal that looked…
Managing editors as coaches — I keep a cheap reporter notebook in the bag pocket that used to hold chargers from the quiet stacks of the Brooklyn Public Library in 2025, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a comments thread that taught…
Leaving toxic platforms gracefully — I keep a 'killed darlings' file that is longer than some issues from a Manchester spare room that doubled as an edit bay in 2021, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a search spike from a bad…
Salary transparency in media jobs — I ask one skeptical friend to read before any colleague does from a Mexico City rooftop after the rain in 2022, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a subscriber who mailed a marked-up printout with…
Conference talks from published essays — I reread yesterday's ending before I make coffee from a Berlin courtyard office that smelled like toner in 2017, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a launch we shipped on a Friday and spent…
Networking for introverted authors — I print the piece and mark it with a red pen like it's 2009 from the back table of a Nairobi cafe that let me stay for hours in 2020, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a workshop where nobody could…
Negotiating syndication and reuse rights — I time first drafts with a kitchen timer I bought in Osaka from a night bus between Accra and Kumasi in 2024, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a headline test that 'won' clicks and wrecked…
Sabbaticals for creative renewal — I start from the sentence I am avoiding and work outward from an overnight ferry where the Wi-Fi died on purpose in 2023, which is where this piece actually started — not with a thesis deck, but with a draft I loved that did not survive a…