The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber

Today we are talking about goals. I’ve talked again and again about being aware of your potential obstacles when setting a goal. There are going to be challenges and so it’s important to plan on how to deal with those challenges.

When we’ve created an internal obstacle, we also have the power to shift it.

It’s about changing your perspective, shifting your narrative, and managing your mindset.

In this episode, I’ll teach you how you can shift your “but” to “and” and see how that one switch could really change things that will point you where your next action step is.

WCP 1: What’s your problem? WCP 20: Setting freelance writer goals WCP 32: Setting freelance writer goals, Vol. II WCP 45: Setting freelance writer goals, Volume III WCP 59: Setting freelance writer goals, Vol. IV WCP 97: Setting freelance writer goals, Vol. V: Celebrations

Episode Quotes

“If it is not outside of your comfort zone, it is probably not much of a goal.”

“Changing your perspective to what happens next, that is what helps you get started.”

“With a close mindset there are limited possibilities.”

“The best solution is to do an honest solution.”

Listen to Learn

00:17 – Planning how to deal with challenges

02:20 – Rewriting your narrative – “You as the protagonist”

04:20 – Examples of changing your “but” to “and”

12:05 – Ways to start to gain more awareness

Join the waitlist for the next session of my small group coaching program AND get special access to an early bird bonus: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com

Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my small group coaching program, Freelance Writer Bootcamp, have used these proven pitching processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Condé Nast Traveler, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more.

We cover all the external skills to improve your pitch acceptance rate, and the internal mindset work to keep you from getting in your own way.

Writers on the waitlist will be the first to hear when Bootcamp applications open up for early bird enrollment in the next session.

Click here to join the small group waitlist: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com

More info and complete shownotes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast151

On Monday mornings I used to be cranky and anxious. It’s not a great combo any time, and not a great foundation for the week ahead.

Then I created a ritual to help me transition ... and I actually look forward to that time when I get to look at my writing projects from a totally different perspective.

Creating a ritual or two in your writing life can provide structure, meaning, and momentum.

This episode is in memory of the patron puppy saint of the Writing Coach Podcast, Mishka.

🔗 You might also like to listen to ...

WCP 244: Freelance feast or famine

WCP 231 Archives: Writing through grief

WCP 43: Bridge thoughts

WCP 15: How Nelson Mandela taught me to write faster

Writing Coach Podcast Greatest Hits Playlist on Spotify

🔗 Mentioned on this episode ...

Essential books for writers

Laura Feasey on Instagram

Yolisa Qunta on Instagram

Mishka on Instagram

Twyla Tharp’s “The Creative Habit”

🎁 Download my free guide on how to pitch freelance article ideas, “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.”

www.rebeccalweber.com/howtopitch

⭐ Support the Writing Coach Podcast by reviewing on Apple Podcasts, 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: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com

🔥 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: www.rebeccalweber.com/coach

📝 More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast245

Establishing company policies might sound like it would create distance from freelance clients, but it does the opposite, especially with your ideal clients.

Clear boundaries set a framework for clear expectations and positive work relationships and self care. If you know what you will and won’t do, it leads to better communication.

On the other hand, a lack of boundaries breeds feelings and behavior that tend to be regressive and that distances us from clients. I have a friend who’s a solopreneur with an online retail business. He does everything: designed the website, selects merchandise for sale, goes to the post office to ship something, replies to customer service messages, etc., without any outsourcing.

A customer asked him for something that he didn’t want to do. He wanted to say not but hesitated, as he thought the customer would perceive it as a personal slight. But saying, “It’s company policy” breathes some air into the situation. It’s not personal, it’s not about the client.

Many freelancers feel put on the spot with certain requests. They didn't realize they had a boundary or limitation until the other person crosses it, and then they feel compelled to say yes.

As a freelancer, you may not think of yourself as a company, even if you are incorporated. It’s useful to think of work boundaries as company policies that your inner entrepreneur created for you. If somebody makes a request, you can say no on behalf of yourself as an individual, or on behalf of the writing business.

In this week’s episode of the Writing Coach Podcast, we look at what policies you might consider, how to set them up, why to have them, and what to do if you notice that you're not actually following your own policies.

SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST WITH OTHER WRITERS Subscribe and write a review of the Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts.

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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE ... Guide on how to pitch freelance articles WCP Episode 11: Money and negotiation blocks Deep work by Cal Newport WCP Bonus: Boost your bottom line as a freelance writer

WORK WITH ME: JOIN THE BOOTCAMP WAITLIST

Join the waitlist for the next session of my small group coaching program, and you’ll be the first to hear when applications open AND get special access to an early bird bonus: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com

Break into your dream publications and get paid well while covering stories that matter. Alumni of my small group coaching program, Freelance Writer Bootcamp, have used these proven pitching processes to break into the New York Times, the Guardian, Bustle, Fodor’s, Condé Nast Traveler, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and many more.

Writers on the waitlist will be the first to hear when Bootcamp applications open up for early bird enrollment in the next session.

Click here to join the small group waitlist: www.FreelanceWriterBootcamp.com

More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast148

Can—or should—journalists strive to be truly objective and unbiased when covering heated issues like climate change? Is it sometimes a moral imperative to speak out and advocate for justice? As a freelancer, does the act of choosing to pitch a particular story because we think it’s relevant and should be heard imply bias before we even begin reporting?

MENTIONED ON THIS EPISODE:

WCP57 Finding story ideas you can’t Google at live events WCP45 Listener Q&A, Vol. III

DOWNLOAD MY FREE GUIDE ON HOW TO PITCH: Check out my blueprint for writing queries that editors find irresistible. Click here to download a copy of the free e-guide, “5 Proven Steps to Writing Queries that Sell.”

Running out of reasons to avoid pitching? I’ve got you covered with 100 reasons why you shouldn’t pitch today. Many of these can be adapted to be reasons why you should not write anything else today, like the article you were assigned last week, or your book proposal, or your novel.

You’ll probably recognize a few of these reasons—ones you already believe to be true. Those seem real, immutable. Pick another one that you’ve never used as a reason not to write a pitch.

I want you to experience how quickly we can take something we’ve never believed to be true, and with a little attention, can create all kinds of supporting evidence to make it real. Something we can solidly believe in. Solid like a block that we can’t pass.

Once you see how easy it is to create a synthetic writer’s block, you’ll also see more readily that you have the option not to buy into and believe the other stories you’re telling yourself that prevent you from the work you really want to be doing.

To see the full list of 100 reasons why not to pitch today, click here.

Click here to schedule a free mini writer coaching session with me.