be an xojane editor

Truth or Dare: Please Help Me With My Writer's Block

I'll do weird stuff for your entertainment!
in
Fun, be an xojane editor, daisygate, say something nice on the internet day, writer's block, writing

Feb 24, 2012 at 3:00pm | 168 comments

job

I Don't Have the Privilege of Being Fabulously Unique

Erica Jong recently commented on the phenomenon of not paying writers for content, which she seems to think is getting worse. "Authors are blogging everywhere for free,” she said, “and it’s not a good development. They are starving.”
in
Issues, job, money, writing

Jun 28, 2012 at 6:00pm | 130 comments

nanowrimo

50k in 30 Days -- Totally Doable, Right?

One time, I wrote 50k about laying pipe. Yeah, I thought I was funny.
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Fun, nanowrimo, writing, noveling, novels, creative writing, doing foolish things, taking risks, the accountability of doing things in public

Nov 1, 2012 at 11:30am | 107 comments

branding

How To Build A Personal Brand, Day Two In Which We Keep Building Your Empire, Tweet By Tweet

So you registered a Tumblr and Twitter with your unique handle? Great. Let's keep building your empire.
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Entertainment, branding, business, blogs, writing, career

Mar 14, 2013 at 10:00am | 96 comments

diaries

I Found My Teenaged Journal And It Is The Worst

At least there was no Willow/Madmartigan erotica in this one. God knows where that ended up.
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Issues, diaries, teen angst, library, nerds aren't always awesome, writing

Jun 5, 2013 at 3:00pm | 91 comments

being alone

I'm Afraid of Being Lonely

Eating Brussels sprouts alone and listening to Adele is not the healthiest thing.
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Relationships, being alone, emotions, forever alone, sara benincasa, the office, writing

Mar 23, 2012 at 2:00pm | 72 comments

memoirs

How People React When You Tell Them Your Memoir Is About Getting Into Gang Bangs As a Female Swinger

Although I had kind of become numb to what I was writing about, I was still aware that other people would be at least a little shocked. Abortion. Gangbang. Orgy. These are words that get people’s attention.
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Issues, memoirs, writing, gang bangs, abortion

May 16, 2013 at 3:30pm | 70 comments

dating

I'm Just A Girl Who Cain't Say No (To Hangouts)

I'm a confirmed extrovert who desperately needs some tips on becoming an introvert for the sake of my sanity (and everyone else's).
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Relationships, dating, extroversion, FOMO, i am bad at priorities, introversion, time management, writing

Aug 8, 2012 at 4:00pm | 68 comments

writing

This Is The Writing Advice That Changed My Life -- And The Way That I Write -- Forever

Whenever people ask for advice before writing something for xoJane, here is what I tell them.
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Entertainment, writing

Apr 3, 2013 at 11:00am | 61 comments

feminism

Stop Writing About Girly Stuff, Girl Writers!

We are sick of hearing about your breakups!
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Issues, feminism, gender bias, salon, the outsiders, writing

May 31, 2012 at 3:00pm | 61 comments

insecurity

I'm An Open Book To You; Why Confessional Blogging?

There seems to be something about the way brains are organized that puts the handy mental thesaurus on the same shelf as the box of self-doubt you reach for when you have to top the bowl of "why did I think writing for a living was a good idea?" that you're having for dinner.
in
Relationships, insecurity, living in public, living in the futorz, living the dream, meta, the writer-reader relationship, this is what social media has done to us, writing, y'all know more about me than some family members

Mar 30, 2012 at 3:00pm | 60 comments

branding

How To Build A Personal Brand, Day Three: Let's Get You Some Press!

Don't read what they say about you. Count the column inches. Cuba Gooding Jr. told me that once. SHOW ME THE MONEY!
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Entertainment, branding, writing, blogs, fame, today show, media

Mar 15, 2013 at 11:00am | 55 comments

etiquette

HOW TO: Write A Damn Thank You Note

Dear All You Readers...
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DIY, etiquette, letters, netiquette, relationships, social graces, thank you notes, writing

Aug 3, 2012 at 10:30am | 51 comments

advice

BEAUTY 911: "How do I Break into the Industry?"

I'm hardly a veteran in the biz, but I can tell you how I got where I am today.
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Beauty, advice, beauty biz, college, writing

Jun 27, 2012 at 9:30am | 39 comments

guns

Speaking Up About Gun Culture Made People Want To Hurt Me

I was unnerved that some people didn’t just disagree with me: they wanted my very existence, my very humanity, erased, as painfully as possible, starting with my vagina.
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Issues, guns, writing, trolls, internet, death threats

Jan 16, 2013 at 12:30pm | 38 comments

death

My Godfather Died and I Didn't Get A Chance To Say Goodbye

At the beginning of the week, my father and I were making plans to see my godfather in May. By Thursday night, we were scrabbling for a way to get up to Springfield, Oregon in time, and on Friday morning, he was dead.
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Family Drama, death, dying, family, legacies, writing

Mar 12, 2012 at 4:00pm | 33 comments

wikipedia

Is Wikipedia's "American Women Novelists" Category Horribly Sexist? Some People Seem To Think So

My first reaction to this was “My stars! I am offended! I shall retweet this to remind myself to read it later and prepare to flame with righteous outrage!”
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Issues, wikipedia, novelists, writing, sexism, gender, nobody kneejerk now

Apr 26, 2013 at 3:00pm | 33 comments

career

When My Hands Start Looking Ragged, I Know I'm Killing It At Work

When my hands look like they've been digging for diamonds, then I know something good is about to happen.
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Fun, career, writing, working

Feb 15, 2013 at 10:30am | 21 comments

behind the scenes

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Scrivener

Really, writers have come up with a lot of creative ways to make writing more difficult than it needs to be and software designers are more than happy to oblige us.
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Fun, behind the scenes, writing, writing tools

Mar 23, 2012 at 6:00pm | 16 comments

travel

I Wrote From a Conflict Zone

When the going got too tough, I realized I wanted to get going.
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It Happened To Me, travel, war, writing

Apr 16, 2012 at 5:00pm | 11 comments

footnoting

Love Me, Love My Footnotes

My use of footnotes appears to have sparked quite a rebellion amongst the commentariat, which seems to be evenly split on whether they are excellent or an offense against nature. As a natural response, I got a tattoo.
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Fun, footnoting, I am a crochety curmudgeon, tattoos, writing

Dec 22, 2011 at 5:00pm | 0 comments

fun

I Was a Teenage Slam Poet

Or how a poetry reading saved my life.
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Relationships, Fun, mentors, poetry, writing

Oct 11, 2011 at 1:00pm | 0 comments