Writing

Divining The Key

April 14, 2017 by Terra Osterling

This spring marks five years of freelance writing. It was a slow start. I spent those first months reading and researching, while meeting my nephew’s school bus. Over the following two years, I cultivated business relationships and my time slowly began to fill with freelance work; I was ramping up… [Read More]

Filed Under: Business of Freelance Writing, Literary Journalism Examples, Publishing, Storytelling, Uncategorized, Writing Tagged With: Contraception, Divining the Key, Rochester Business Journal

Summit Thoughts

November 30, 2016 by Terra Osterling

I am not below ground. I am far up above in the sky, on a peak of rock. On the peak of me. Getting here was not guaranteed. Climbing over rocks and logs, feet moving over loose stone, knotty roots, and slick pine needles. A push from behind is needed… [Read More]

Filed Under: Adirondacks, Experiences, Inspiration, Lessons from Faith, Nature, Poetry

Sticky Stories: Notes from a Trade Show

March 10, 2016 by Terra Osterling

One week ago today, I stretched way out of my comfort zone by participating as a vendor at the annual Women of Focus Trade Show. The one day event was the culmination of four months of expending time and money to prepare for my first big trade show. Why would… [Read More]

Filed Under: Business of Freelance Writing, Outside my comfort zone, Storytelling Tagged With: Creative Process, Sticky notes, Storytelling on post it notes, Women of Focus Trade Show

Controlling Substance

November 6, 2015 by Terra Osterling

I quit you because we didn’t agree, At the gut level. Life was fine enough, and I was strong and resolved; You were close by, every day, But, I didn’t “need” you. Truly. Your Cousin Sugar still comes by, Ours a sweet, warm, pedestrian relationship. You, I knew, could slay… [Read More]

Filed Under: Inspiration, Motivation, Poetry Tagged With: caffeine, Coffee, Controlling Substance, High Test

What have I been doing?

June 5, 2015 by Terra Osterling

Has it really been almost five months since my last post? What have I been doing?, you ask. Not writing blog posts, clearly. The short answer is just that I’ve been working: getting new writing work, maintaining recurring projects, and logging off at the end of the week to leave… [Read More]

Filed Under: Business of Freelance Writing, Writing Tagged With: accountability, Time tracking

The Write Stuff

September 23, 2014 by Terra Osterling

I don’t remember what it was like to write without a computer. To have to erase, leaving ‘crumbs’, and rewrite. Or, to crumple the page and start over. To cross out and to pencil in a new line squeezed above or snaked down the margin. Do you? I suppose I… [Read More]

Filed Under: How I got "here", Writing Tagged With: Bic Stic, Dixon Ticonderoga, Kaypro II, Mac II Performa, typing