Deciding between two equal opportunities
Oh, hi friends!
A friend reminded me of a saying I used to spout all the time. (But what don’t I spout all the time?!)
I like to use it when deciding between two options that, on the surface, seemed equal. Like if you’re considering a lateral career move. This also works if you’re trying to decide what to do over the weekend.
Always make the more interesting choice.
Hmmm. Right?
Don’t blame me if the interesting choice turns out not to be the “right” one.
I can only promise it’ll be interesting.
"In the space of a pitch, you have to tell a good story and write in the voice you will write the piece in. If you just describe the facts and don’t give us a sense of you as a writer, the pitch isn’t going to stand out.”
How to break into The California Sunday Magazine. The editor-in-chief annotates a story pitch that turned into a feature—more helpful than most books about journalism. I can’t tell you how often I used to pitch editors in that “I hope you’re doing well. Have you heard about TK? Blah blah blah,” voice. Write the pitch like you’d write the story. This is applicable everywhere. Showing your authentic self works.
Btw, the lead story on California Sunday right now is about a farmer just outside my hometown—who happens to be the biggest farmer in the United States. In the first few grafs, I learned that the 99 is the deadliest highway in the country, and the reason the San Joaquin Valley is so flat is because “the hillocks that existed back in Yokut Indian days were flattened by a hunk of metal called the Fresno Scraper.” WHAT?! I love excellent reporting.
How to break up with your cell phone. “So, we should probably talk…”
Instead of sports drinks, German Olympians drink nonalcoholic beer. Fascinating NYT story by my friend Ben Crair!
Really enjoying Clever, a new site targeting millennials from the Architectural Digest brand. Smart smart smart.
Fun graphic by Scott Kirkwood on a year in the life of a freelance writer. Makes me want to break down my own “best/worst months” and figure out my slowest payment of 2017. Probably five months or so?
"I’m your freelance check and I’m here to save your life." A large part of me died reading this. Not died laughing. Just died.
Relationships words that aren’t translatable into English. For those ineffable feelings like “the happiness of meeting again after a long time.” (The word you’re seeking is the French retrouvailles.) (h/t John Fitzgerald)
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Thanks, as always, for reading.
Love, Kara