Or, why collecting them can be good for your career and self-esteem When I was first starting out in publishing, there were several peers whose progression I kept a close eye on. These were my first professional nemeses. Technically, this habit of collecting and tracking nemeses started before I was…

It makes more sense than you might think. “This author finds herself compelled to share the most curious of news.” So states Lady Whistledown, in her sing-songy soprano voiceover, in the first episode of Netflix’s runaway Regency romp, Bridgerton. The non de plume-protected author is reading from her own astoundingly…

But here’s how to make it work for you if Facebook and other companies get their way in setting the ‘new normal’ — On May 21, Facebook became the first of the big tech companies to announce it would allow many of its employees to work from home permanently. Yes, permanently. Bye, bye Menlo Park enclave. “It’s clear that Covid has changed a lot about our lives, and that certainly includes the way…

Lesson 1: I will never write morning pages — If the breathless admiration of productivity enthusiasts everywhere is the worm, then the early bird definitely gets it. As someone who exists firmly on the night-owl end of the spectrum, I’ve been internalizing this message for a long time. Even as a kid, I would prefer to spend Saturday mornings…

Book clubs kind of suck. But we can reclaim them — I (almost) hate to admit it, but I hate book clubs. I don’t want to hate them; I don’t want to be the grumpy-cat-of-a-human who stomps all over a beloved (by Oprah!) cultural tradition. But sometimes the truth is unavoidable. …

Does that mean I should change how I live my life? — Most days, you can find me sitting at my desk in my house in front of a laptop. Piled on a back corner of the desk, you’ll see a stack of books towering at odd angles like a Jenga game in its early stages. …

And no, it doesn’t involve giving your email to a dubious ‘expert’ — Hi. I’m a former editor who now spends most of her time freelance writing. I would like to humbly offer a suggestion for becoming a better writer and getting more work. It is alarmingly simple, but not to be discounted: Re-read your own work. I’m not talking about proofreading a…

Sometime in the past few weeks, my Instagram feed became a veritable who’s who of home chefs and artisanal ingredients and tasteful lighting and Millennial pink tableware and perfectly crumpled linen napkins and expert plating. I’ve witnessed people’s triumphs hand-cutting pasta for the first time, removing a perfect loaf of…

Some people are built for full-time jobs. They thrive on a corporate structure, enjoy the validation of career advancement through title changes and raises, prefer to have their benefits arranged for them, and feel most comfortable with stability. Others grow itchy in that same scenario. They feel stymied by the…