It used to be a painful exercise when I had to write a note to our son’s teachers to let them know we would be taking our son out of school for a family vacation. The guilt would sink in and I would start to think we were bad parents for not putting enough focus on his education. I would write and re-write these emails and would get a knot in my stomach after hitting send as I wondered what his teachers must be thinking of us for prioritizing a trip over the classroom. But as we’ve traveled more and I’ve gotten more practice writing these types of emails, I’ve come to a few basic conclusions:

By the time our TGV train from Paris Gare de Lyon rolled into Marseille’s Saint-Charles station in early July 2023, there were no signs of protests or police in riot gear. In fact, my family’s first moments in Marseille were spent outside the train station soaking in the sun and perfectly clear blue sky. We could smell the sea as we snapped photos of Notre-Dame de la Garde Basilica perched high above the city off in the distance.

It was an interesting moment. I scanned the city for the first time and took in this spectacular panorama—so much beauty. Yet the closer we looked, the clearer the picture became.

You can send what you think is a strong pitch and receive a "No thanks" or no response at all. You could also submit what you might not feel is your strongest story idea and have that turn into an amazing writing gig.

There are no guarantees when pitching a story idea to a publication, but there are a few steps that could help you improve your chances of landing that writing assignment - and then making the most of that opportunity.

It is obviously important to have strong writing skills when you make a living as a writer, but that's just not enough. By developing strong working relationships with your editors, you improve your chances of getting recurring work and more referrals, you could make the writing/editing process much more enjoyable, and you might actually learn a thing or two to help you become an even stronger writer.

Here are 10 tips on how to work well with editors.

A few months ago I found some of my old class notes from when I taught English for two universities. Here is some of what I used to share with students when we discussed habits for being an effective writer/communicator:

Recently I was assigned to write an "In Memoriam" story about a woman who passed late last year due to pancreatic cancer. While speaking with her husband for more than an hour, I heard a lot about how wonderful of a wife, mother, friend, and member of the community she was and how much he misses her. And then this widower told me something I think about frequently:

He said that now that she's gone, he now realizes how much he under-appreciated her while she was alive.

How incredibly sad.

Over the last 20+ years, I've interviewed everyone from Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and NBA Hall of Famers to high school athletes, CEOs, and small business owners. I’ve conducted interviews in a variety of settings, too – in MMA gyms, on golf courses, in ballrooms, in people’s homes, in parking lots, on the grass at Wrigley Field during batting practice, just to name a few.

While not all of these experiences were great (some I’d like to forget), these interactions have helped me learn quite a bit about how to prepare for an interview, how to read the person I’m interviewing, and how to maximize the time I have while interviewing someone. So I’d like to share a few of those lessons here:

I did something recently that I haven’t done in many years. Take a vacation without my laptop in tow. And I couldn’t be happier with my decision.

One of my 2023 goals has been to reach out to as many writers and editors here in Chicago (and even a few outside the city) to get a better view of the writing and editing landscape. Where are people finding work? How much should I be charging? What professional organizations are worth joining? What certifications should I be pursuing? Etc.

Here’s some of what I’ve learned from these networking meetings:

I never imagined my goodbye two weeks earlier would be the last words I'd say to him in person before he died. 

While I've been fortunate to secure several writing and editing assignments since launching my business a few months ago, there have admittedly been some "why did I decide to start a business?" moments, especially during the last few weeks.

A few months ago, our 6-year-old son decided it was time to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. Up to that point, he hadn’t shown any interest in two-wheel riding. But when a cool, new green bike from REI arrived at home for his birthday, and the thoughts of riding alongside his buddies during the summer started dancing around in his head, he was ready to get rid of that extra support.