Technically, I’ve completed my single-item bucket list. I’ve written at least one complete story, taken characters on a journey from beginning to end. My first “book” began coming to life when I was in college. It’s about being in college (shockingly) and what it means to find optimism at that stage of life. It’s a great story, but it’s not done. It’s still in the “shitty first draft” phase Anne Lamont talks about in Bird by Bird. The voice is wrong and I’m just realizing that the story...

There are three key elements in my professional life that I credit for my continued success as a marketer and content creator. Not only do they help me do my job well, but they enhance my value when working with a team. This may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how hard these skills are for some to master. This is what works for me: time management, multitasking, and staying organized.

I figured most of this out while working from home over the last 11 years, as my titles...

When I began thinking about my career, way back when, I had very specific ideas. I was going to study journalism, but not become a newspaper reporter. I’d take a few extra classes in layout and design, and land a cushy job writing features, or doing layout for a glossy magazine. I had my eye on something edgy for a while, but shifted to more high-brow pursuits when it came time to actually look for a job.

In reality, this is not how my career started at all, nor have I ever worked for a...

As a freelance writer you pretty much have two options — One: write within a niche, sticking to an industry, or within a specific area within multiple industries, or Two: market yourself for anything and write about it all. In order to do the second, you must adapt quickly when given a job writing about something you know nothing about.

Based on my experience as a content creator, I fit into the second category. I’ve broken into new industries numerous times. I’ve had to write, in detail,...