An incredible virtual conference starts tomorrow. @indiejournalists.bsky.social supports BIPOC writers, but welcomes allies too. Learn what 40+ top editors are looking for and how to thrive as a freelancer!

Feb 27–28, 2025. $79. 10% discount: HONEY10. Recordings available. theiij.com.

Needs-based scholarship opp: we're accepting applications from #journalists and emerging writers from backgrounds underrepresented in the media. Deadline midnight on 2/19 for our six-week online #travelwriting class starting 2/25.

www.writelikeahoneybadger.com/scholarships

Not all heroes wear capes... #journalism #media #writing

Registration opened for the fall @travelclassics.bsky.social conference. Interested? Apply immediately, as it usually sells out in a day or two. Another avenue: a scholarship honoring one of our former instructors, which includes the fee, accommodation & $350 towards airfare. bit.ly/travelclassics

#Writingtip 1.10: Paint a vivid picture with quantitative specifics. For example, Seattle averages 39°F degrees in winter: cold to a Floridian, but laughable to someone from Anchorage. Don't leave the interpretation up to reader's qualitative viewpoint! #journalism #creativenonfiction #memoir

Charge into 2025! Last call for our online course Pitch Like a Honey Badger, which demystifies pitching #journalism and #creativenonfiction! This four-week workshop starts January 7th (enrollment open until day 10). Discover how to query like the world's most ferocious animal! bit.ly/badgerpitch

#Writingtip 1.9: Select words for tone, connotation or rhythmic punch. For example: does "street sweeper" capture the vibe better than "sanitary engineer?" Would "azure" beat "blue"? Have you head-checked "outstanding pizza" instead of detailing *why* it's so great? #journalism #narrativenonfiction

#Writingtip 1.8: #Journalism is about applying your knowledge, skills and curiosity to works that entertain and inform others.
Don't just spin the yarns you *want* to tell, shape that material into articles that readers *need.* Serve your audience! #narrativenonfiction #pitching

Catch our founder @amandacastleman.bsky.social talking #travelwriting with @charukesi.bsky.social, @jenrosesmith.bsky.social & our host Meera Dattani! The free webinar will be on 12/5/24, from 7am PST/10am EST. #writingtips #narrativenonfiction #journalism #pitching

bit.ly/travelmediaw...

#Writingtip 1.6: Avoid an attack of the unnecessary initial-caps when writing about food. In most style guides, menu items don't count as proper names, so you can lower-cap 'em. Otherwise it can go a bit A.A. Milne with The Portentous Pooh-Bear-style Capitalizations. #NarrativeNonfiction #Journalism

#Writingtip 1.6: Unless some other logic dominates, many stylists prefer series to flow short to long, similar to classic rhetoric's "tricolon crescendo" (rising isocolon). I.e; Jake the tabby stole arugula & cranberries from the salad. #narrativenonfiction #journalism

literarydevices.net/tricolon

#Writingtip 1.5: Ever wonder how writers devise similes like "the average banana is one-tenth as tall as Danny DeVito?" Here's one spot where the magic happens:
www.themeasureofthings.com! #journalism #narrativenonfiction #creativenonfiction

#Writingtip 1.3: As Chip Scanlan says, a story should represent the tip of an iceberg: most of the material should remain submerged in your notebook. Check out his classic advice column pubbed @poynterinstitute.bsky.social! #journalism #narrativenonfiction

www.poynter.org/reporting-ed...

#Writing tip 1.2: Strong verbs create action, save space and reveal the players. Use passives VERY sparingly for rhetorical effect or to emphasize oppression or victimization. Choose that voice only for its meaning or music! #journalism #writingtips #creativenonfiction