Blog Tour: My Writing Process

Happy Monday!

I'm kicking the week off with a post that's a little out of the norm when it comes to this blog. Meaning, this post isn't about food. This post is all about writing, which is the number one reason why I started this little blog in the first place.

Bianca from Confessions of a Chocoholic invited me to join the “My Writing Process” Blog Tour. Throughout this tour, bloggers share how and what they write, then invite several other bloggers to do the same. (It's almost like a chain letter...remember those?). I've met Bianca at several blogger events over the years, and she is just so sweet, enthusiastic, and hilarious - and she knows how to bake some delicious chocolate-filled treats!

Participants in the blog tour answer the same four questions below. Fellow writers/bloggers: feel free to play along in the comments section!

What am I working on?
As of right now, I am working on a new restaurant review for The Boston Globe as well as an article for Parenting New Hampshire magazine. No, I am not a parent, but I wrote for this magazine in my home state several times after I graduated college, and I recently rekindled my connection there. The article I am working on for them is all about dairy-free treats in New Hampshire - just in time for summer!

I also freelance for The Culinary Guild of New England, and I've been working on some larger-scale projects for them recently, along with managing their email marketing campaigns. This job is so much fun for me, basically because everything revolves around food, but also because I get to continue writing marketing copy. I did a lot of this at Eversave (my former "day job"), and I loved it - so being able to continue doing that on top of food writing has been great.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I think one notable difference is that I am vegetarian, and a lot of my blogger peeps are omnivores (or vegans). I'm also big on eating and cooking delicious food that doesn't cost a fortune, which I hope is something that my readers find useful and valuable. My background also may be slightly different as I started out writing for newspapers, and my first newspaper job got me into blogging. (After I graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in journalism, I landed a food writing job with my hometown newspaper, The Nashua Telegraph. They eventually created a food blog for me, called Live Free or Dine). That's really how I got into blogging, and eventually - when I moved to Massachusetts - I decided to start my own blog.

Why do I write what I do?
I'm not sure if many of you know this, but I originally went to college to become a music critic (I minored in music theory). I had big dreams of becoming a writer for Rolling Stone. But about two years into college, I realized food just came so much more naturally to me - I've always been a big eater! So, I started doing some freelance food writing in college to get a feel for it, and I loved it.

How does your writing process work?
When I'm writing an article for, say, the Globe, it can take me days. I usually do a "dry-run" for a rough draft, then the next day I'll edit it, then I send it to Z for final edits, and then I clean-up the final draft. It's quite the process, but I can never write an article once and be happy with it right away. It takes me lots of proofreading, revising, and coffee. ;)

When it comes to the blog, I'm a little less hard on myself. One reason why I really enjoy blogging is because I can write however I wish, with no word count, etc. required. This is my place to write about whatever I want, whenever I want, and it's really nice to have that flexibility.

Next Monday, May 12th, two of my blogger friends will be participating in this “My Writing Process” Blog Tour. Here's a little more information about them:

Kerrie from Urban Foodie Finds - I've met Kerrie at quite a few blogger events over the years, and I am always so delighted to see her. We recently had dinner together at Orta, and I also spent the night chatting with her at Beat Hotel a few months ago. In addition to her food blog that focuses mainly on restaurant reviews, Kerrie is also one of the co-founders of Blog and Tweet Boston. Blog and Tweet Boston puts on great (and fun!) networking events for bloggers on a monthly basis. Definitely check them out if you're a local blogger.

Lisa from The Vegan Pact - I met Lisa at a cooking class she taught last year, and I instantly was drawn to her passion for cooking. Since then, we have talked quite a bit on and offline about catering, vegan food, blogging...we have a good amount in common! Lisa's blog focuses a lot on healthy, delicious vegan food made with real ingredients - you won't see much tofu on her blog, or anything with hard-to-pronounce ingredients.

What's your writing process?

How to be a Vegetarian Food Writer

Food writing is not an easy profession to get into (let alone stay in). So it's not surprising that 9 out of 10 people I meet ask: "How can you be a food writer and not eat meat?"

[Source]

When I first started out food writing almost a decade ago, my dream was to be the next Jeffrey Steingarten, Anthony Bourdain, or any of the other famous writers who had no dietary restrictions. However, a few years into food writing professionally, I decided to cut meat out of my diet. I feared this decision would deter some editors from hiring me, but I was determined to continue being successful in my chosen career. Thankfully, I didn't skip a beat once I stopped eating meat (yay rhymes!). It wasn't until I was a vegetarian/occasional pescatarian that I was able to leave the corporate world and pursue food writing, blogging, and cooking full-time. 

So, why am I telling you all of this? I thought it would be valuable to share my experience with others out there - whether you're vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, whatever. The point is, if you want to be a food writer, blogger, or even a cook, do not let your food choices deter you from going after what you love.

Here are some things that have made me successful so far in the food writing and blogging professions:

Be persistent. Even omnivores need to email, call, and/or stalk editors multiple times over several days/weeks/months in order to get a reply. Most times, it's a no - they don't want your story - but sometimes, you get a yes, and that yes goes a long, long way in the writing world.

Find your niche. I still struggle with this sometimes. This tip is more relevant to blogging than food writing, but it's extremely important if you want to stand out in the blogging world. There are hundreds of thousands of vegetarian and vegan food blogs out there already - focus on what makes you different, and what value you can bring to your audience.

No shame. I've been to numerous dinners with editors, publishers, and fellow writers who are initially shocked that I don't eat meat. Every time they pass me a plate of those steak tips, charcuterie, or duck breast, I kindly decline. I know they'll realize I'm a credible food writer when they read my work; I don't need to choke down a piece of meat in front of them to prove that.

Don't hide anything. I make it clear on my blog, and even in my resume, that I am vegetarian. I want potential editors to know this before they hire me and send me to a steakhouse to review. Making my vegetarianism obvious has never jeopardized a potential working relationship, or a writing job. And if that was a reason why someone wouldn't hire me, I wouldn't want to work with them anyway.

Be open-minded. Preaching to your readers why eating your way is the best way will not make anyone want to read your work, nor will it encourage an editor to run your story. When I go out to eat for restaurant reviews, I tend to bring along an omnivore friend or colleague to get their opinions on that chicken and waffle dish the restaurant is known for. This way, my readers are getting an idea of what the restaurant has to offer, without me only mentioning the vegetarian-friendly dishes (although, on this blog, I tend to stick to the vegetarian dishes...because it's my blog).

Most importantly, you need to know how to write to be a published a food writer. And if you can write - and you can write well - few editors are going to care what your dietary restrictions are.