Edible Chicago’s Post

Hey hey, all! H-Environment Roundtables is looking for new editors! The goal of the roundtables is to foster conversation between authors and reviewers. The three editors each pick 3-4 books to feature each year. Interested? More info: https://lnkd.in/gGpEcpxg #environmentalhistory

📕 Three years ago, I published my second book, "Ambition Factor: Rewriting the Story of a Working Mothers." This book was possible thanks to the Birdhaus Writers community during a challenging period following COVID and the closure of the Birdhaus co-working space. Reflecting on the impact of this work, I am grateful that I persevered and continued to develop it. I could have easily abandoned the project, as my life was undergoing a major professional transition, and my energy was at an all-time low. I had all the excuses to stop the project. Now, three years later, I not only take pride in this achievement but also in how that experience has enabled me to support other writers. Writing and publishing "Ambition Factor" solidified the expertise I gained from my first book, "Next 9," and helped shape the Birdhaus Writing method. I founded Birdhaus Writing and Publishing, dedicating my time to assist fellow professionals facing similar challenges in planning, writing, and publishing their books. 💡 It is now time to evolve once more and take Birdhaus Writing and Publishing to the next level—perhaps even publish another book. #ambitionfactor #birdhauswriters #publishing ambitionfactor.ch birdhaus.ch

Writers OFTEN avoid writing a first draft of their book or essay because they assume they have to be an "expert." If they're also neurodiverse, the hurdle grows to gargantuan heights: they must have the most rigorously researched and utterly original information — all before they plunk a first sentence down on the page. This creates a very specific kind of writer's block, but here's the good news: - This is totally normal (and can be a sign of a GREAT idea) and - It's completely workable. The best thing you can do when feeling stuck around an idea is to take even the smallest steps to lessen the space between you, your questions and your ideas. As an editor, I often create a container where writers can get some much-needed breathing room through "Email an Editor." Still think you have to be an expert to write a first draft? Don't take my word for it! Read the words of my friend Susan Tweit who talks about coming from a family of academics and the pressures to be an "expert"... https://lnkd.in/gw7MKFSY

Great stories have taught me more about human beings than those close to me. That's why I strive as a storyteller to peel back the layers and reveal the characters' deepest selves. When I watched Good Will Hunting for the first time... I realized what we show on the outside and who we really are within could be two ends of the spectrum. Experiences shape us and shape our characters. We go through many moments, but not every moment is equal and has an equal impact. There are only a few moments each one of us could point at for the kind of person we are today. The same is true for the characters we create in our stories. So, if you want to understand deeply: • what drives our characters • how that broken character got broken • how that broken character eventually heals They'll point towards those half a dozen moments in their lives. **Spoiler Alert: If you've not watched Good Will Hunting, please stop reading. In Good Will Hunting, Will's childhood was filled with abandonment and abuse. He was an orphan and had to go through multiple foster homes where he was • abused, • stabbed, and • cigarette bud burned He was a genius and deserved a way better life than what he was living. His friends (including Chuckie, played by Ben Affleck) knew it. Sean (Robin Williams) knew it. Everyone around him had a sense of what was going on with Will, except Will, who was subconsciously blaming himself for his unhappy upbringing. This self-loathing turned into a form of self-sabotage. Sometimes, one incident is enough to discover who your character really is; other times, you need more—but you need to look for those defining moments. --- I created a 5-Day (Free) Email Course for Beginner Screenwriters. Join the sparkling community of 191+ writers, creatives, and filmmakers in the link below.

𝘈 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘧é. 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩, 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳. "𝘞𝘩𝘺?" 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. "𝘐'𝘮 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢," 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. "𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱." 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. "𝘗𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘢. 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬-𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳-𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘭, 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢. 𝘌𝘢𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴." This serves as a metaphor for the book's central theme: misplaced commas can alter meanings and lead to confusion, and punctuation is important in avoiding these misunderstandings. "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss is funny and passionate, pointing out the error of our ways! As I continue my writing journey, I have come to respect the editing process. The editing process reveals these critical punctuation mistakes. And why let bad punctuation get in the way of a good story? Are you a writer? Then this one is for you! #bookrecommendation #lovetoread #writer #learntowrite #language #grammar ______ I'm an avid reader, and I post book recommendations every Sunday; click the bell 🔔 on my profile to receive post notifications. 🙌🏽

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Me: "I'll just send a quick article pitch" The quick pitch: ☎️ Getting in touch with my marine biologist contacts to see what as-yet-unpublished studies or new conservation initiatives they have in the pipeline 👀 Looking through journal newswires and pre-prints to find gems for a story 💡 Once I've got an idea, deciding which publication it might be best for 📚 Reading a few issues of said publication to gauge if this story could actually be a good fit and, if so, which section it could work for 🔍 Searching old issues and the website archive to see if they've already featured something too similar 🕵️♂️ Researching who the correct editor is and finding their contact details 🐦 Check out their social profiles - have they shared any tips on what they're looking for right now or the types of stories that work/don't work for them? ✅ Checking their submission guidelines 📝 Writing the pitch!!! 🎣 Making sure I've covered key points e.g. why would they be interested, why now, and why should I write it? 📨 Sending my pitch ⌛ Waiting for a response 👋 Sending a gentle nudge (if appropriate/relevant) if I haven't had a response before I try the story elsewhere 🔄 If it was a no / no response, starting from point 3 (thinking of a publication that might be interested) and trying again It can be fairly exhausting before you've even got the commission 😴 (and sometimes you have a great story that you just can't place at all! What goes on behind the scenes in your business that people don't realise? #ScienceWriter #FreelanceWriter #ScienceJournalist - Fin - 🦈 Hi! I'm Mel and I write about the ocean. Want me to write for you too? Cool! Get in touch 💙

We had a great evening at the D&AD Trend Report event on Tuesday. As with every design industry showcase, the conversation turned to the increasing importance of ‘narrative’ and ‘storytelling’. So my advice for all the agencies out there who understand the value of storytelling but haven’t quite cracked the 'how' of it: Hire writers. Not ‘strategists that can write a bit’. Writers. Novelists. Screenwriters. Poets. Polemicists. Journalists. People who know how to stir emotions and close arguments. Who understand how narrative actually works. Real storytellers. At Reed Words we have a whole team of them, if you’re interested.

As a ghostwriter, I have the privilege of working with brilliant scientists to transform their complex research into engaging narratives for everyone to enjoy. One of my most intriguing projects involved an African wildlife researcher who had incredible stories but struggled to share the fascinating details. You see, his true love was business and he wanted to write a book of business tips. He didn't think his experience in wildlife research was relevant to that, as fascinating as it was. I made it work by using stories about animal behavior as metaphors for business strategies. For instance, a wildebeest's caution around crocodiles became a metaphor for careful business management. As a ghostwriter, that's the kind of challenge I really enjoy. #ScienceCommunication #Ghostwriting #Storytelling

Hello struggling writers!!! Don’t worry I am not selling any course that will put a power jack to your career and fly you to multiple 6- figure fairyland overnight 🤪 But to share a real story. A story you’d be able to relate, evaluate and self- reflect. And Im sure if not overnight, it will lead you towards your goals, at your pace. “The big grown snake plant s captured eyes of everyone who saw it. No one noticed the small tin, how the plant must be in it, sqeezing it roots, and yet trying to survive. It was taken care of… water, fertilized, and indirect sunlight, just how it needed. Its long healthy green leaves seem happy, uncomplaining, so its life in the tin continued for 3 long years. 😔 Out of nowhere, just for decorative purpose, I thought to repot it in a clay pot to vibe with the scheme of my small garden. I had an extra pot so I repotted it and from here the magic began! After a week or so, i noticed it developing some unusual stem. Later, the stem had buds… the flower buds… my snake plant was blooming. The rare bloom that I’ve only seen in the posts in gardening groups but not Live. I wanted to see it eagerly. Today, when I was watering my plants, I was notied how beautiful it is. One thing clicked my mind! I didn’t fertilize it, didn’t changed its watering schedule or place. The only thing I did was, I changed its environment. Though the tin had no issue and my plant survived, it wasn’t the environment in which it could bloom. So my fellow writers, if you aren’t blooming despite your hardwork, try changing the environment around you. I hope you bloom soon! To your fullest, in the best possible ways 🥰” ps: picture of my blooming snake plant #copywriting #emotions #learningenvironment #growth