Notes from a Hired Pen: How a technology skeptic became a technology writer

Readers!

Let’s do a check in, shall we?

Since that man was re-elected, I’ve done a series of posts about what I’m doing as a writer to deal with all this — in ways I can help other people, ways to help myself and, because this is a newsletter about the business of freelance writing, also how I’m trying to recession proof my business.

For that last part, it’s meant putting aside non-paying projects (like my novel and learning Italian deep sigh) to do a full on marketing sprint. April has been a busy one on that front, and I anticipate sharing the statistics about and from that push next week.

But I also had a bit of a revelation while working on this. Last week, I was chatting with a friend who mentioned one of his clients technology clients might be looking for another writer. He gave me the editor’s name, email address, and told me to say in the email my friend recommended me. Score.

This friend is also the person responsible for me getting into technology writing in the first place. Ten years ago, he was editor of a business to business (B2B) technology magazine. He enjoyed my writing about running, and said I should write for him, to which I said…c’mon. What did I know about ERP systems, data centers, SBOMBs and digital transformation? Absolutely nothing. But he convinced me to give it a try, because he guessed that my ability to put together informative, comprehensive and digestible stories would transfer into his field.

He was right. Now, technology writing makes up a big chunk of my income, in writing for technology publications, and about technology in other fields (i.e. I write often about technology for a magazine for community bankers). It’s also my most marketable skill right now because that work inevitably lead me to covering AI. I’m still surprised sometimes that I write about these topics because I consider myself a technology skeptic, but that skepticism also comes in handy when evaluating topics and sources. I have a very strong bullshit meter, which has served me well here.

I touched on this before, but I say this again because I talk to a lot of freelancers who feel that their work won’t transfer over into other kinds of writing, whether that’s in consumer publications on a different subject matter, or making the leap over to another kind of field, like for B2B publications. A big part of my marketing push has been telling editors that my skills here will be applicable to their publication (because who isn’t doing stories about technology and AI right now?)

When I get into this next week, I don’t want you thinking that you can’t possibly make the same leap. Because I bet you, like my former editor and now friend did on me, can.

Oh and the editor my friend referred me to? Got back to me right away. It’s looking promising.

If you just can’t wait until the next newsletter to know about my letter of introduction (LOI) strategy, I discuss all of this in my ebooks, which are still yes for sale!

 

What I’m Reading

• Matilda by Roald Dahl, read by Kate Winslet. I somehow missed this kids books (and the subsequent movies and musicals), so listening to it read by Kate Winslet was a nice introduction. I certainly identify with a little girl who read a lot and beyond her age, but wow the grown ups are so mean in this book! And the way Dahl writes about people who are not skinny is uncomfortable at times. But I’ll once again say that listening to kids books as audiobooks remains a real treat. It’s more of a performance than a reading.
• Q: A Voyage Around the Queen by Craig Brown. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years and lived to 96, so of course a book about her would tend to run long — this one comes in 640 pages. But it’s not really about her. Instead, Brown writes about what surrounded her in terms of politics, society, culture and people. Its an interesting way to view a person who has been so fixed in the brains of so many people for decades. I especially liked a list of dreams people have had about her, and reminiscences of famous people who met her and found themselves stunned to be in her presence. My one note is that Brown really really does not like Prince Harry, and seems to take personal offense that he used a ghost writer for his memoir Spare. Celebrities should use ghost writers! Let the professionals do their jobs to get your stories out, there’s nothing wrong in it.

What I’m Watching

• The Chelsea Detective (series 3) The most traditional British murder show: detective with some quirks solves a murder per episode, with each episode being and hour and a half, in a three episode series (plus a Christmas episode from 2024). I do like that they include people with disabilities, including the main detective, who has dyslexia, and the forensics officer, who is hearing impaired, and they don’t make a big deal about it.
• The Accountant. I finally watched this 2016 about a murderous, genius accountant played by Ben Affleck. A sequel coming out last weekend was the prompt. And you know what? It was as goofy and fun as people said. I don’t think I’ll pay to see the sequel in the theaters, but I sure will stream it.

 

Nail Polish of the Week

$elf Made by OPI. I was feeling green given that everything around me is blooming (also achoo). This sage-like color was right for late April.

 

Until next time!

Jen A. Miller (she/her)

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