Writers' Rough Drafts

Debbie Greig is a blogger, contracts lawyer, and professional triathlete in Scotland. She shares why it’s important to be brutally honest when blogging and how writing after major events can help you decompress, reflect, and learn. You can find Debbie on her website WeTriAndRun.wordpress.com or on Facebook @WeTriAndRun. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode39 for links and resources. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

Abdi Nor Iftin is a journalist, translator, and author living in Maine. But his writing journey didn’t start there. Abdi’s recent book, Call Me American, chronicles his life growing up in the African country of Somalia, and the transition from the peaceful pastoral place it was to the war-torn area it became. One of the escapes he found early on was learning English through American movies, which eventually led him to master the language well enough to become a legit secret war correspondent for outlets like National Public Radio and others.

After fleeing to Kenya to further escape the violence and military recruitment, he earned a green card to the U.S. through the Diversity Visa Lottery. Here, he was interviewed on This American Life about the program and his life as a refugee, and the conversation touched so many people that he eventually came to write about it in his memoir, which debuted earlier this year. When he isn’t touring parts of the U.S. as a respected and published author, Abdi works with the Somali refugee program in Maine, serving as a translator, to help others find similar opportunities to what he’s been able to find through his own storytelling and writing career.

Rand Fishkin is the former co-founder and CEO of Moz.com and is currently the founder of SparkToro. In this episode, Rand shares his best practices on writing for your audience and creating content with better searchability without “keyword stuffing.” You can find Rand on his website, Sparktoro.com, or on Twitter @randfish. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode37 for links and resources. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

Amy Clover is a writer, fitness personality, motivational speaker, and mental health advocate who runs Strong Inside Out. In this episode, she shares her journey to being vulnerable with her readers, creating a brand that’s true to herself, and why it’s okay to not write when you don’t feel inspired. You can find Amy on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @stronginsideout or on her website, StrongInsideOut.com. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode36 for links and resources. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

Yi Shun Lai is an author, a copy and content writer, an editor, and a writing coach and teacher based out of Southern California. In this episode, she shares the details on crafting her own creative space, coming up with witty product copy, and working with first-time writers as an editor. For more of Yi Shun’s writing, visit her website, TheGoodDirt.org, or check out her Twitter account on @gooddirt. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode35 for links and resources mentioned in this episode. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

In this week’s episode, Elisa interviews Sara De Lille, a freelance and content writer based in Mexico City who is also a regular improv comedy performer. Sara tells her story about how she got started in the comedy world, and Elisa and Sara talk about the parallels between improv and writing, and how writers can apply these tips to their career. Find Sara on her website at LetsRiot.tv, follow her @SDeLille on Instagram, and check out @SaraDeLille for her Medium page. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode34 for links and resources mentioned in this episode. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

In this week’s episode, Elisa interviews Hillary Weiss, a brand voice strategist, copywriter, and all-around word badass. Hillary shares how she got started as a copywriter, why writing fan fiction was so influential for her, and the best way to develop your brand voice. Find Hillary on her website at HillaryWeiss.com, follow her @HCWeiss on Twitter, Instagram, and Medium, or @HillaryWeissWriting on Facebook. Want more? Visit craftyourcontent.com/episode33 for links and resources mentioned in this episode. Sponsored by Coworker.com.

Jesse Lawler is a self-experimental, jack of all trades.  He is a location independent entrepreneur who runs an entire software developing company from his offices in Los Angeles and Saigon. Jesse worked for years at the Hollywood Grind as a screenwriter and producer on a half dozen movies. He spends much of his spare time writing and hosting a podcast over on his passion project site, Smart Drug Smarts. Jesse has built a fiercely engaged fan base of bio-hackers and personal optimization themes.

Poornima Vijayashanker is the founder of Femgineer.com, an education tech startup focused on helping professionals in tech level up in their careers, and tech entrepreneurs build products and companies.

From a young age, Poornima was interested in many fields, not only on computers, software, and programming. She took apart her first computer at age of 14, and was writing histories and speaking since she tried her mother's typewriter at age of 10. She has found a fantastic way to combine all of her skills and interests to create unique products and messages. She graduated with dual degrees in electrical engineer and computer science, but she is also a writer and and active YouTuber,  to communicate her experiences and motivate others to pursue tech, learning and entrepreneurship.

This week's episode is a little different. I have masterminded with my close friend Jenny Blake since 2009 on all things life, business, writing, creativity, systems, and more. Our calls, usually at least an hour long, sometimes two, are absolutely a pivotal piece to the success of both our businesses and writing careers. This weekend, we decided we should turn on the mic and talk about our systems and processes, since we are constantly sharing tips, tools, and tricks we've found to make things easier.

This is a long one!

But worth it.  :)