People before protons: How to pitch a science story
by Monte Stewart Tim Lougheed has been guarding his secret for years. If he has his way, editors will never pry it out of him. “To other people, I will call myself a science writer,” he said. “If I’m selling a story, I will never use that term.” And Lougheed is adamant that he will […]
WEBINAR: Pitching for Success – Sell That Story!
You have the story. You know you can write it and deliver it. But how to get the editor’s attention—and a green light to proceed? CFG Founding Member Sandra Phinney will take you on a journey down the freelance “pitching for success” path in Pitching for Success – Sell That Story. This workshop will cover: today’s most […]
The Born Freelancer on Going from 9-to-5 to Freelance During a Crisis
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. Extreme conditions bring about extreme changes. In many cases, it is the only way to survive. Today I’d like to talk […]
The Born Freelancer Asks, How You Doin’
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. In my last column I talked about how, in many ways, freelancers are equipped for this crisis and its requirements (such as working […]
The Born Freelancer on the COVID-19 Crisis
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. It seems to me we freelancers are in a unique position during this crisis. Unique, in this case, being both good and bad. […]
The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #43 — Tom Hawthorn
by Monte Stewart Award-winning journalist Tom Hawthorn has spent most of his career as a freelancer. He is well-known for contributing obituaries to The Globe and Mail, but also writes about living people for other media outlets. During the 1990s, he served as a staff reporter with two daily newspapers. He has also authored a […]
The Born Freelancer on “It’s All Been Done Before”
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. A young freelance writer I know was lamenting the other day how hard it was for her to come up with anything original. “It’s […]
The Born Freelancer on Preparing Your Creative Estate
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. As an old year ends and a new one begins, my thoughts are alternately joyful and ever-so-slightly melancholic. Joyful, in that the new year […]
The Born Freelancer on Not Sharing Unmerited Credit
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. Earlier this year I wrote about protecting your ideas while still participating in the rough and tumble world of freelancing. One of the […]
The Born Freelancer on Clients Who Are Slow to Pay
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. A couple regular clients of mine recently have been slow to pay. This is a familiar scenario most freelancers will repeatedly face throughout […]



