Home of The Creative Nonfiction Podcast

Pete Croatto’s Freelancing Tweet Storm

I love tweet storms.

I put Brian Koppelman’s tweet storm in order, and now I present to you Pete Croatto, a former guest of the #CNF Podcast, as he drops some serious freelance bombs.

Enjoy! FYI: RLRT means real-life retweet…

RLRT: “Not writing for shit rates” is very different than “not writing for free.” Divide the hours spent on project by the fee you got. 1/x

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

If you would have made more money working retail, you probably shouldn’t have taken the gig. Or you should ask for more next time. 2/x

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

Of course, there are times when you should take a gig purely for fun. I do that. But don’t forget that this is a business. Get paid. 3/x

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

And get paid appropriately. One reason I don’t write as many movie reviews: after expenses and time, I was making $5/hr. Not good. 4/x

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

If you do a little leg work, you can find places that pay you appropriately for your passion. And if you prove your mettle, you can. 5/x

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

That’s all I have. The bottom line: believe in yourself, your ability, and look out for your interests. You’re worth it. FIN

— Pete Croatto (@PeteCroatto) December 21, 2016

A Page a Day

Written by Brendan O’Meara

So you want to write a book.

Great.

First, write one page today.

Just one.

If you want to write more, don’t stop, but don’t say ‘I plan on writing ten pages, twenty pages, or 1,000 words or 5,000 words.’ One page.

Then tomorrow write one more page.

In December 2017, you’ll look back and see nearly 400 pages of prose—your prose.

The the other option is to sit in your chair in December 2017 and wonder what your book would have looked like had you just done one page a day last year.

What can you live with?

Eighteen Pounds and 800+ Pages of Inspiration: Seth Godin’s “What Does It Sounds Like When You Change Your Mind?”

Written by Brendan O’Meara

Seth Godin is a hero of mine.

I understand he, like everyone, has flaws. I read his blog every day, and I’d be disappointed if even one blog post didn’t land in my inbox each morning. I know I’m not alone.

But as he writes in the opening of What Does It Sound Like When You Change Your Mind? in a “post” titled “Is It Selfish?”:

I wrote this book for me.

Day after day, year after year, my blog shows up. And I’m delighted if people read it, thrilled if it resonates with you.

But the truth is, even if you didn’t read my blog, even if no one read my blog, I’d still write it.

It’s through that daily practice that people tuned in. It’s antithetical. He doesn’t hustle. He shows up; and we do.

It’s his generosity of spirit that feeds the soul, just like Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings. She too started her wonderful blog not to gain an income or gain followers, but in being true to her own self, she writes about what nourishes her own mind.

She’d probably write the blog even if no one was reading, but through consistent production and thoughtful curation, Popova and Godin have legions of people who deeply hunger to be part of their minds.

To that I raise both hands.

In the spirit of Godin, who would write the blog if no one was reading, I too wish to do the same.

Godin writes:

Writing a blog post about moving forward is a great way to persuade oneself to move forward. Writing a blog post about the past, the future, the things we miss—this is how I work to keep myself on track.

Seeing a blog post a year or two after I’ve written it is a bit of a jolt, a chance to remember a moment in time, and mostly, an opportunity to push forward. Again.

So I plan to use my blog as a daily practice to improve 1% Better (s.o. to Joe Ferraro)—I’d love for you to join me (see monthly book recommendation newsletter and podcast. Phew.)

I won’t invade your inbox. If you like this blog, merely bookmark it and check it at your leisure. I’ll be here. I hope you will too.

Episode 31—Jen Miller on Freelancing, Tenacity, Running, and Swinging Her “Where’s My Money Bat” (It’s a Thing)

Written by Brendan O’Meara

“Good ideas still find homes.” —Jen Miller

“When it gets too easy, I need to challenge myself and make it harder again.” —Jen Miller

What’s this? Three weeks in a row? It’s happening, folks, and thanks for hanging in while I get my feet back under me after the big, cross-country move.

What better way to follow up that sentence than by talking about Jen Miller (@ByJenAMiller), a runner who wrote the engaging, funny, and raw memoir Running: A Love Story (Seal Press, 2016). It’s about running, love, and control and we talk about that and much more.

We also chat about freelancing and some of the more granular details of the business that I think will benefit any freelancer, novice or expert.

Lots of good stuff here. Please go and subscribe to the podcast. Share it with a friend or two or three. I’m trying my hardest to keep it consistent and hopefully it can keep growing.

Thanks for listening!

View on Zencastr

Episode 30—I read my Pushcart Prize-Nominated Essay “That Pickoff Play”

This great issue of Chautauqua Americana published a ton of great essays.

By Brendan O’Meara

We made it to Episode 30 of the #CNF Podcast! It’s been hit and miss since I started it over three years ago, but the aim is to be more consistent as that’s the only way for it to reach more readers and writers. So go subscribe, if you haven’t already.

I heard somewhere that a podcast has an average run of about seven episodes, yet here we are at Episode 30 of the #CNF Podcast.

That’s on account of the people I hear from who derive some value and entertainment from the interviews. For that I say, Thank you so much. And let’s keep this thing going, let’s try and reach more writers and more readers.

So Episode 30 is a little different than the typical interview format. For this milestone episode—if you’ll indulge me—I chose to read an essay I had published this year in Chautauqua Americana, a literary journal run by Philip and Jill Gerard.

They were gracious enough to nominate this essay for a Pushcart Prize, so without further ado, here’s me reading my essay “That Pickoff Play”.

Episode 29—Pete Croatto, 10 Years a Freelancer (and counting)

Written by Brendan O’Meara

Pete Croatto stopped by #CNF HQ to talk about freelancing. What prompted this? This blog post right here where Pete talks about ten of the things he learned in his first ten years as a freelancer.

There are so many gems in this episode whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned vet.

I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening. Oh, and while I have your attention, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to my monthly newsletter.

Become a Patron!

Episode 18—Mary Pilon on her book “The Monopolists,” Endnotes as Amazing Maps, and Batman as a Superhero (or not)

Mary Pilon everybody! (photo credit Danielle Lurie)

Written by Brendan O’Meara

“I can’t write about today unless I really go into the rabbit hole with what came before.” —Mary Pilon

“You do compete with Candy Crush as a journalist.” —Mary Pilon

Whoops, never published the companion blog post with Mary Pilon back on Episode No. 18.

Mary joins me on the podcast to talk shop. This was a fun one and I hope I can snag her for Part 2 since I was only able to ask about half the questions I had written down.

Mary is the product of a radio deejay (father) and a psychologist (mother) which prompted her to say, “I grew up in a house where I know more about how to make a mix tape than to take the SATs.”

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we made mix tapes instead of take the bloody SAT? I took the test four times and got no higher than 1080. That’s another story.

Mary is another kick-ass woman I’ve been lucky enough to speak to. There’s Eva Holland, Sarah Einstein, Maggie Messitt, Carrie Hagen, Sheri Booker and more.

Moving on, be sure to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes (can’t get it in the Google Store yet for some reason). By following me on Twitter you can stream it in your feed when I tweet it out. Same for Facebook.

Also, my newsletter is changing. I’m going to a monthly format where I send out a bunch of cool stuff from the month that was or the month ahead: book recommendations, blog posts, podcasts, just a bunch of cool stuff to keep you busy for a month. There’s several ways to subscribe all over my website.

I have big ambitions for the newsletter and the podcast so please subscribe to both. It’s my collection plate.

My longterm goal is to do the type of storytelling I love through Kindle Singles, but first I need to build an army through the newsletter and the podcast so that I can support myself by publishing my own brand of compelling true stories thus bypassing gate keepers. If you like Six Weeks in Saratoga and my other longer features, then you’ll want to stay tuned.

Please share the podcast with people you think will enjoy it. By all means “like” it on Twitter, but retweeting helps extend the reach, so please consider that as well.

If this sounds like begging, frankly, I don’t care!

Thank you for listening and reading!

Your buddy,

Brendan

Episode 28—Sarah Shotland Takes Us to Prison

Sarah Shotland's essay "On Visiting Prison Again" won Proximity Magazine's personal essay contest. — Sarah Shotland’s essay “On Visiting Prison Again” won Proximity Magazine’s personal essay contest.

By Brendan O’Meara

I mean, don’t take my word for it, let Paul Lisicky, judge of Proximity Magazine’s personal essay contest tell you about Sarah’s essay:

This is a piece by a writer who’s willing to be lost a little while. As readers, we encounter a mind at work: thinking, perceiving, questioning, bewildered. We’re invited into the speaker’s contradictions—her wish to be seen and known, her wish to be invisible—and get a window into an aspect of the American prison system that’s rarely represented, especially with such nuance and intimacy.

Here’s the link to her winning essay.

Sarah talks about how she deals with self-doubt and how teaching breaks her free of it.

She’s the author of Junkette and does great work with Words without Walls.

Please subscribe to the podcast, leave a review and even subscribe to my newsletter. If you think this episode will help somebody out, please share it.

Thanks for listening!

Ship it already

By Brendan O’Meara

Just ship it.

I shipped my latest book to the River Teeth Nonfiction Book Contest today. $27 for a chance at $1,000 and publication.

I also have a list of six agents that may be a good fit for it. [In a spreadsheet with name/email/books repped/date queried/date of reply]

I also sent it to a small publisher.

It’s not perfect. It never will be.

But it’s pretty damn good. The title rules: The Tools of Ignorance: A Memoir of My Father and Baseball

And shipping it feels REAL good.

Trust me. Nothing is better than the time between you ship and you hear that reply. Accept when they choose to publish.

But that’s another post.

Komparisons Kill

By Brendan O’Meara

Short one for Saturday. And this one I will most certainly revisit.

Comparisons are toxic.

I’ve written a little blurb about this for a literary journal that published an essay of mine. This topic strikes deep because I fell prey to this for a significant chunk of years. All it does is foster bitterness.

The quicker you embrace your path as distinctly yours, the freer you’ll be. All you can control is your effort. Maybe you’re not where you want to be. Maybe you look at so-and-so in your field and wonder why you’re not there. I know. I’ve done it.

Stop that now. I’m speaking from experience. And Marie Forleo articulates better than I can.

Before you watch the video, I’d ask you to subscribe to my newsletter and subscribe to the #CNF Podcast. It helps me to keep going on this path.

Enjoy.