8 Weeks of writing/working/commiserating/thriving together

Reflections on Write Up

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Last week, we wrapped up 8 weeks of Write Up., my new group program for writers ready to step up their careers. I’m still basking in the afterglow.

Seven writers joined us via Zoom from all over the world, from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to Spain to Mexico, to take their writing careers to the next level. We had incredibly accomplished people - translators, marketing executives. copywriters, ghostwriters, and journalists - ready for their own unique next step. Some wanted to focus on writing stories that mattered to them, some wanted a juicy, national byline, or to quit a corporate job to write full-time.

I started Write Up because I have often found work life as a freelance writer LONELY. When you work for yourself, there’s no handbook, no promotions (besides the ones you give yourself), no work wife, and no boss to check in with and debrief (or rather, that boss is you). I wish I had Write Up when I was starting out, a hive mind of smart, ambitious, thoughtful, generous fellow freelancers in the same boat to offer wisdom, solidarity, advice, and enthusiastic cheerleading.

So I made it!

I’m no stranger to vulnerable work - I wrote two memoirs about struggling with an eating disorder, after all! But something about creating Write Up felt wildly, newly vulnerable. Perhaps it is positioning myself as an expert. Anyway, I did it anyway, and I’m so glad I did. The good things often require walking through scary feels, which for me spanned the spectrum from mild cringe to full-fledged, night-terror fear.

I wasn’t sure if anyone would join. And if they did join, how it would go. Imposter syndrome. Good fashioned insecurity. All the rest.

Reader, it was amazing. I learned a lot. This cohort of people inspired and challenged me and each other.

The group had some big wins. Here are just a handful from the past eight weeks:

• A pitch for a feature story accepted in The LA Times (woohoo!)

• A “maybe” from a NY Times editor (writers know that a not no is a huge deal!)

• A new regular, lucrative e-commerce writing assignment

• A big raise on a longterm editing project

• An interview with a very juicy corporate client

• New clarity on big career goals

We also had little wins along the way, like asking for more money for an assignment (magic words: “Is there any wiggle room?”) or making Insta friends with editors we wanted to write for.

AND we had some moments of existential dread. After all, we’re writers. Sometimes the rejections feel like trash and the words are coming slowly and we wish we were…accountants, or marine biologists. But those moments, too, are possible to navigate when surrounded by writers who absolutely get it. Alone, they suck a lot more profoundly.

We also had a crew of rockstar guest teachers. Hannah Selinger taught us about pitching and establishing authority in a particular niche. Lauren Magenta showed us how to use a social media presence to plant seeds and tell our story. Irene Malatesta walked us through the world of corporate content and gave us a LinkedIn tutorial. Sally Eckus shared tons of experience and wisdom about agents, publishing, and books. If only I could bottle the brilliance! (We sort of did!).

I’m taking a pause for the summer to write, work, and focus on some other projects - and to spend a lot of time in the pool with my kids, especially Simone who seems to be half fish. But if you’re curious about Write Up, please shoot me an email and I’ll add you to the waitlist for fall.

If you’re having a moment of existential dread, here’s your reminder that you are not alone.

If you are celebrating a success, I’m toasting you.

If you’re feeling stuck, that’s part of it, too. And you don’t have to stay stuck.

If you’re putting words on a page, that’s (way more than) half the battle.

Happy June! Happy summer!

xo,

Hannah

PS: Food friends - please lmk if you’re heading the Fancy Food Show at the end of the month and want to say hi!

Our mighty Write Up cohort welcomed the fabulous Lauren Magenta here: