Robyn Petrik

If you want your writing to pack a punch, there are specific words to watch out for. These words tend to be lazy and ambiguous, taking up space without adding clarity to your piece. It can be difficult to catch these words while writing a first draft, but fortunately, they’re easy to spot while editing. Removing them will shorten your word count and make your writing more powerful to the reader.

Maybe you dreamt of what life would be like as a full-time freelance writer or perhaps your friends and family think you have loads of free time during the day. There are a lot of lofty and picturesque expectations out there, so real life doesn’t always stand up to the real thing. Here’s a look at an honest day in the life of a freelance writer.

Freelance writing is often a roller coaster ride of busy periods and dry spells. If you’d like to even out those highs and lows, cold pitching is a great place to start. Send out cold pitches consistently, even during your busy periods, and you’ll have a fairly steady stream of clients wanting to work with you. Not sure how to write a cold pitch though? We’re going to look at the anatomy of a cold pitch as well as some examples that will attract more freelance writing jobs.

I’m willing to place a bet that you’ve either already written for free or have considered it before. Whether or not you should write for exposure is hotly contested on the Internet and you’ll find that some writers stand firm with ‘absolutely not.’ However, I don’t believe there’s an easy answer to the question of writing only for exposure as payment. Obviously, ‘exposure’ isn’t going to pay your rent (trust me, I’ve tried), but are there situations when it could be beneficial to you?

A quick but polite “No thanks,” from a magazine editor. A short and rude “No way,” from a popular blog. Crickets on your short story submission. Rejections will stack up quickly during your writing career. While rejection letters may feel like the equivalent of Bobby sticking a ‘Kick me!’ sign on your back in grade school, they’re a non-negotiable part of being a writer. Even if you’re tempted to never pick up a pen again after your latest rejection letter, there’s still a place for your work o

No matter how long you’ve been a freelance writer, I’m willing to bet all the Oreos in my cupboard that you’d like to become a better writer. It’s a natural (and necessary) instinct to want to increase your writing skill level. After all, better writing means landing better clients, and better clients mean better money. Now we’re talking! So how do you become a better writer? Here are some different ways that have proven to be successful. So, take a look and give one or more a try.

Named after the beautiful trees found here, Maple Grove Park offers a quick spot for relaxing in the middle of the city. Maple Grove takes up just one city block in Kerrisdale and offers a variety of things to enjoy. Most noticeably, there are half a dozen massive tree stumps throughout the park. They’ve been purposefully retained since 1913 as a reminder of the temperate rainforest that used to cover the area.

When pictures of Redwood Park’s famous fairy houses showed up on my Instagram feed, I knew I had to visit it for the Explore Your Parks series. I quickly learned that this park, located near Highway 15 and 16th Avenue in Surrey, also has quite a bit of history behind it. Redwood Park was originally property that belonged to one of Surrey’s early pioneers, David Brown. He gifted the property in 1893 to his sons, David and Peter, for their 21st birthday.

With so much going on in the Lower Mainland, it can be easy to overlook the abundance of parks we have. So we’re kicking off a new series called Explore Your Parks, where I head out to a new park every month and let you know what it has to offer. First up, I visited Rocky Point Park in Port Moody. Located at the east end of the Burrard Inlet, this park pretty much has it all. One of the first highlights is the recreational pier to stroll down which gives you lovely views of the inlet. If you sp

What do you get when you combine a fantastic family event and a worthwhile local Edmonton cause? You get an event you won’t want to miss, that’s for sure! On Sunday, May 3rd, Sportball Edmonton will be hosting a fundraising carnival called Kids Standing Up for Kids, with all proceeds going to the Stollery Children’s Hospital. The Stollery is well loved and respected in Edmonton for the impact they have on children’s lives and their dedication to improving outcomes.

Brian Flowers may have gotten some doubtful looks when he was in the planning stages of his local business idea back in 2012, but now that his board game cafe has been open for a year, he mostly sees faces of awe and excitement. Table Top Cafe opened on Oct. 26, 2013, but Flowers said getting the café ready to go came with initial challenges. “There are so many ways different situations could have gone that would have ended my little dream before [Table Top] was even open, but becoming an entre

If you go through the intersection of 100 Avenue and 112 Street, you’ll see a ghost bicycle leaning against a light post on the southwest corner, a heartfelt memorial to an Edmonton cyclist who was recently struck by a garbage truck and killed. Painted all white, a ghost bike is a memorial placed at a site where a cyclist was killed on the street. Ghost bikes were first created in St. Louis, Missouri, back in 2003, and to date, ghost bikes have been placed in over 200 cities or locations worldw

Everyone from Obama to Justin Timberlake to everyday fans is reeling from the sudden passing of Prince. He’s been a staple in pop culture for so long now that it’s hard to believe he’s not here anymore. Prince’s career began in the 1980’s and he carved a niche for himself even at a time when artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson were ruling the charts. While he did stay out of the spotlight for a little while, he returned strong with unforgettable performances at the Grammys in 2004

Out of the four guys who make up the band Truslow, two of them grew up here in Columbus and they have a lot of love for the city. “Columbus is a very unique city in the sense that it embraces creativity and original ideas very well,” says James Truslow to The Lantern. He loves how the city embraces all kinds of art and encourages local musicians to go after their dreams.

Walk the Moon are no strangers here in Columbus, having played tons of local shows and built an incredible fan base. So when Walk the Moon announced that they’d have to cancel the rest of their Work This Body tour due to a family illness, it’s no surprise that everyone has responded with love and understanding. The band shared that Nick’s father is battling Early-Onset Alzheimer’s and that Nick needs to spend time with his family right now. Alzheimer’s is an incredibly difficult disease to wat

We’re all trying to eat a little better. But live a little and indulge in these sinful Super Bowl snacks this coming Sunday. Even if your team isn’t playing, Super Bowl Sunday is always the best Sunday of the year. It’s the perfect day to hang out with your friends, yell at the refs, and place a ridiculous amount of prop bets. More importantly, it’s one of the best days of the year to stuff your face full of food. We came up with a list of healthy Super Bowl snacks, for those who want to stick

If you’re one of many still committed to your New Year’s resolutions, here are some healthy Super Bowl snacks to help curve that temptation when the Big Game starts. Whether you’re cheering for the Broncos or the Panthers in Super Bowl 50, there’s one thing we can all easily agree on: you’ve got to have good food for snacking on all day long. Traditional food for the Super Bowl comes at pretty high cost though: absurd amounts of calories and fat in everything. Between just the wings and the di

Looking to cut down on the amount of meat you consume, or just want to make the vegetarian in your family smile? Joining the Meatless Monday trend is your answer! Try any one of these easy vegetarian meals for a Meatless Monday dinner. They’re so flavourful that you won’t even miss the meat!