Don’t Be One of Them — I was leaving my house to visit a friend when she phoned to tell me that she was having a bad migraine. “Could you stop by the deli and pick up a Coke for me on the way over?” she asked. “Sure,” I said. I know that she’s often plagued…

And I’m keeping it that way — I’m 67. I’m semi-retired. I have enough money to live on for the rest of my life, if I remain frugal. And I don’t know a damn thing about crypto. For decades, I invested my money in stocks and bonds. Mostly mutual funds. …

Here’s What You Need to Know — I’m a writer, but I’m also writing coach and editor-for-hire who works with writers to help them improve and publish their work. One of the best markets I’ve found for my clients who write personal essays is Chicken Soup for the Soul. This popular anthology series publishes stories on a…

This free website will tell you — Who Pays Writers? is an anonymous, free, crowdsourced list of which publications pay freelance writers and how much. Who Pays Writers? An anonymous, crowdsourced list of which publications pay freelance writers, and how much.whopayswriters.com Each listing contains information about how much a particular publication pays per word, whether the publication is print or digital, the rights purchased by the publication, and whether or not the publication…

How to Enjoy Working with the Public — If you work with the public, you’re stressed. Demanding bosses. Unreasonable customers. Reduced staffing. The workload is tough and getting tougher. What can we do to keep our spirits up? Play Challenging Customer Bingo! It’s simple. Create Bingo cards that include all of the annoying things that happen during a…

Mazel tov! Good luck! Now, Listen Up! — Dear Tony Stubblebine: You’re in charge of Medium now. And according to this recent post, you really want to listen to us, the loyal but disgruntled writers of Medium. Why? Because you want to improve this place. Great start! Thanks for listening! You say you want feedback. So? …

What You Need to Know to Get the Best Room and Have the Best Time — My pal Jared works at a hotel. At the front desk. As a night auditor. He’s also put in time in both maintenance and laundry. When I asked him for some insider advice, here’s what he told me: THIRD PARTY RESERVATIONS Hotels hate third-party. They view dealing with third-party outfits…

Don’t be humble — hustle! — I’m a writer, but I’m also an editor-for-hire and writing coach. And? I believe in promoting my work. I’m not modest or humble. I’m good at my job and I’m proud of it. I’ve gotten many of my best clients from Medium. So a while back I decided to step…

And I’m enjoying it! — I’m not the only person to decide that being stuck at home during a pandemic was finally the right time to sort through all the stuff I’d accumulated over the decades and get rid of the things I no longer needed. I’ve managed to jettison books I was never going…