: What I do for work. Not for fun, because so often it is so very… not fun.
Author’s Note: I wrote this for myself, but you can adopt it, if you want. This past year has been sobering for a lot of people. A lot of us, particularly in the United States, have been forced to take a good look at the way we participate in society. Many of us, particularly in […]
Hey guys! Remember my zany (and extremely sporadic) Sunday Blog Series, V Reviews Books and/or Movies in 20 Words or Less? No??? That’s cool. (I kind of forgot about it too.) Here’s what I think about the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens I have always loved JJ Abrams. But that doesn’t mean I love EVERYTHING he […]
I violently agree with this statement. However, I will add a caveat, because clarity is–above all–my jam. *”There is no such thing as a stupid question, provided you’re asking a question with a genuine desire to learn.” It’s not stupid to ask for clarification, ever, if you’re not 100% sure. It is stupid to ask […]
One of the questions I get asked most often, by those who read my blog, is: “Veronica, why in the H do you hate Hemingway so much?” The answer to this question is as complex as my love of awkwardness. I hate him because I respect him. Also, because I feel like he probably never […]
If you google the phrase “what to wear to a job interview,” you’ll get pages and pages of helpful links. If you click on the images tab, you’ll see that some helpful folks over on Pinterest have even put together entire boards (usually for women, since let’s be honest: guys don’t have quite as many […]
When I was in high school, I was one of the few lucky students to take part in an experimental “school within a school” program. Not unlike different major programs in college, my school district decided it might be a good idea to give 11-12th graders career-centric, college curriculum inspired experience in the field of […]
In my last article, titled “Be the Batman,” I talked about how important it is to bring swagger—and a little bit of superhero branding—to your prospective employee / career “persona.” Now, I’m going to tell you something you really, really don’t want to hear. Are you ready? There’s no way Clark Kent would have gotten […]
What is a “Career Persona,” and why do you need one? Why can’t you just be yourself, your whole self, and nothing but yourself? Because, to quote Sweet Brown from the popular YouTube video, “ain’t nobody got time for that!” As I’ve mentioned in previous posts (such as my most recent tribute to resume attractiveness, […]
Functionality. Most people think this is the golden rule of resumes. But guess what, ladies and gentlemen? This may or may not come as a shock—judging by the current state of our government, waka waka—but we don’t actually live in a world where functionality is king. No, we live in a world of skinny mocha lattes. And plastic […]
Pretty much everyone is familiar with the saying “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But guess what? According to a little involuntary neurological condition called Synesthesia, that saying is basically untrue. (If you’re curious about the details of this condition, see this article for more details.) Feel free to ignore that, […]
In case y’all haven’t noticed, I’ve been a bit busy, a bit hard to locate, a bit crazy, a bit absent-minded of late. As most publishing industry peeps will tell you, there’s an excuse for this. It’s called November. And it’s only going to get more insane when the month ends. Because then, I’m actually […]
Ever wonder if there are any RULES you should be following when marketing yourself / your book on Twitter? REUTS Blog Post by Veronica Park – Self Marketing in the Time of Twitter
Will Work for [Practically] Nothing By Veronica Park In his iconic role as The Joker, Heath Ledger famously said, “If you’re good at something, never do it for free.” However, if you think you can live by this phrase, you’re either a.) already gainfully employed, b.) a stripper, or c.) kidding yourself. The sad but factual […]
How it HELPS 1. You probably don’t subscribe to the ‘no words without inspiration’ school of thought. Or, better yet, you’ve trained yourself to become inspired on command. This is great, because so many others out there will spend countless hours sitting in front of their antique typewriters, sipping scotch and staring out of windows […]
Welcome to my new(est) blog series, SEVEN QUESTIONS with SUPER INTERESTING PEOPLE! Today’s 7Q features debut autor Maryann Kempher V: Tell me about yourself. MK: My family moved to Reno NV, where Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set when I was 15. I currently live in Florida with my husband and two children, two dogs and one cat. […]
I’ve loved Bradley Cooper since Alias. I hated Limitless. (FFS, PAY THE RUSSIAN MOBSTER FIRST.) I did NOT hate this.
Okay, so the title makes this sound a bit like a cereal ad. And I should probably mention that there isn’t really just ONE secret to writing a good query letter, or any letter for that matter. But here’s one thing I can give you that is practically GUARANTEED to take your lackluster, form-rejected query […]
Hey guys! Welcome to my new (sometimes) Sunday Blog Series, V Reviews Books and/or Movies in 20 Words or Less. (The title is a little unwieldy. I’ll work on that.) Enjoy! WARM BODIES review, by V: Expected nothing from the book. Expected little from the movie. Was pleasantly surprised by both. Brains.
I was searching through my archived files, and found this article I once wrote for a fitness magazine. (Name of publication has been redacted due to bot issues.) It gave me a laugh, and so should you. Propaganda and the American Booty: Why Bigger is Now Better Written for &#*% Magazine by Veronica Park Oh my […]
I have a confession to make. I was never a very good reporter. Though I majored in print journalism and worked as a television journalist / field reporter / producer for several years, I never had what you might call that “Lois Lane tenacity,” that impulse to doggedly pursue a story with little or no […]
***Disclaimer: I don’t usually like to get political. But in light of recent electoral shenanigans, I couldn’t help but vent my frustration. And because I’m me, I decided to share my displeasure by drafting an inaugural speech for the next POTUS. 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for [Insert Name Here] [Walk to microphone, place hands on […]
I just got the following alert from Facebook: “Your friend request privileges have been temporarily blocked. From now on, please don’t send friend requests to people you don’t know personally. Facebook is a place for connecting with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and other people you know well. If you are blocked from sending friend requests, […]
First of all, I CANNOT believe I haven’t posted this on my site before now. (Actually, part of me thinks maybe I did, but the Interwebs swallowed it.) This is an interview I did with Suzanne Brockmann–my favorite author and bosom Facebook-friend–back in July, 2009. I hope it’s as inspiring for you as it was back […]
While watching the news for the first time in a few weeks (don’t judge me, I’ve been busy), I found myself reflecting on my past as a journalist. My decision not to continue on that career path was the result of several factors: the current job market, declining emphasis on ethics and civic responsibility… but […]
Lately, I’ve been stuck in this sort of purgatory between my current life/career and the life/career that I will (hopefully) have a year from now. I feel like there’s this sort of marshy, uncertain territory that lies between where you are and where (or what) you want to be when you “grow up.” For some, it’s fame and fortune. […]
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