Dana Sitar's Blog, page 32

"Off the Record"

Interviewing subjects, this phrase comes up a lot, and it puts a journalist in a weird spot. While I will always write in the best interest of my subjects, nothing is ever, truly, "off the record". Even though I won't print information that they don't want made public, that information is still in my mind, and it affects my impression of them — and, inevitably, how I'll write about them.

Subjects must understand this, so it always surprises me that they still tell me things with this...

This Week in Words | Reflecting on Accomplishments

This week flew by faster than I could follow it. It's one of those weeks where you look back and wonder not only Where did it go? but What have I done with it? Did I sleep, drink, travel, read, socialize, and comedy-showcase this week away?

I didn't. This is the uneasy feeling of being completely in charge of yourself. It's a symptom of having no one to set your schedule, name your priorities, assign your projects — or praise your accomplishments. With no clock to punch, the days can kind of b...

Finding Your Market as a Self-Publisher

Self-publishing updates:

-The Hart Compound Blog Tour page is live! – Check it out for the growing schedule, details about the book, and how to schedule me for a stop by your blog.

-The Hart Compound will be released April 1, 2012 in both ebook and POD formats.

Finding Your Market

My greatest mistake in publishing Welcome to the Shit Show was not understanding the market for the book — or, rather, not understanding the lack of a market for the book. I did that thing where I wrote what I wanted...

25 Reasons You Should Read My Blog

While reading Robert Lee Brewer's recent post "25 Ways to Increase Blog Traffic," I found myself at each step asking How do I already do this for my blog — and how can I improve? In an effort to share the Writer's Digest editor's tips with you and, at the same time, better analyze my efforts, I've decided to look at each one individually. (Be sure to check out Robert's original post for a plethora of simple advice for improving your blog!)

1. Post consistently. You can count on 4 posts a week ...

Falling in Love with Myself

To keep the mushy vibes going in honor of Valentine's Day, here's an excerpt from my upcoming release The Hart Compound. This story is a look inside my mind as I fell in love with beauty, and a new life, and, ultimately, with myself. Becoming Edie Writing a New Story If you want to become Edie [...]

This Week in Words | Getting Creative

We're just back to Berkeley after Stefan's audition for America's Got Talent in San Francisco. What a bizarre experience. We didn't have to wait in the massive line all day, because he was selected for a private audition, so that made it a much more pleasant thing than it might have been. The people around [...]

A Little Bit of a Love Story

A few unique romances to warm your heart this Valentine's Day weekend. Tascia + Brett "The first time we met face-to-face, the only thing I said to him was 'We need to go the emergency room.'" When Tascia was 14 years old, she was expelled from high school, and subsequently grounded indefinitely by her parents. [...]

You Don't Have Free Time

Trying to hack it on my own, I have quickly realized that, to a freelancer or solopreneur, what feels like "free" time is really just time between projects. Even if you have left your schedule uncharacteristically wide open, locked yourself inside the house, unplugged your modem, and turned off your phone, you are still connected [...]

5 Valuable Lessons I Learned From Crappy Day Jobs

I may have cast aside the workaday life to be a writer, but I can't deny the value of the minimum wage jobs I worked for 8 years through high school and college before I knew that I would do that. With encouragement from a Wisconsin Lutheran upbringing that demanded loyalty and work ethic, I [...]

This Week in Words | Irresponsibilities

Deadlines and day-jobs and debt — oh my! Deadlines aren't actually a bad thing. The fact that I'm facing deadlines means I have assignments. But, I lean strongly towards procrastination when I'm given a deadline, so I always find myself staring them right in the face. C'est la vie. Oh, and this week has been [...]