I'm a Jordanian-American author and journalist with over two decades of experience. I have been published in the Washington Post, Nature, Elle, Esquire, among others. I'm also the recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award Literary Conference for my short story Ustaz Ali. I publish the weekly newsletter "The Writing Goldmine," in which I give tips on monetizing your writing and the content creation journey.
On being a digital nomad| The Storyteller's Quest Vol 5
ππ» Happy Tuesday, and Happy New year.
I spent the last month of 2021 in my home country of Jordan, which was precisely the kind of energy boost that I needed. It was beautiful to see my family, connect with my friends, walk the familiar streets of Amman, and absorb the sounds, sights, and scents of the city where I was born and where I came out of age.
This most recent trip to Jordan made me think of the concept of digital nomadism and how grateful I am to realize that I'm in the exact position to be a nomad where I can do the work that I love from anywhere.
I can spend the summer with my family in Jordan while I produce content, write articles, and provide content solutions to clients. I'm not bound to any place. I can get to spend time with my family across the ocean while giving my kids the opportunity to improve their Arabic.
No wonder the traditional 9-5 mindset is shifting, and the "great resignation" is here to stay. Workers, especially creatives and hustlers, want this freedom that a traditional corporate job won't provide.
In other news, I got accepted into the Maven Accelerator program. I was picked among thousands of applications to fill one of 100 spots that will prep us to be instructors for a cohort-based course. The boot camp is led by the fantastic creator Wes Kao.
I'm planning to launch my cohort in my march on how to pitch to publications and businesses and paid for your writing. Please hit me up if you want to be included.
I hope you enjoy this weeks' content.
Here is to a happy 2022. Covid, or not we will prevail.
Best,
Natasha
πΌοΈ Photo of the week
This picture was taken last month during my visit to my hometown of Amman, Jordan. I had a great time with family and friends. Here, I'm pictured with my dear friend, journalist and media entrepreneur Rana Sweis.β
π€© Things that wowed me
As usual, there are so many good things out there, and it's so hard to keep up. I consumed a lot of content, including articles, podcasts, blog posts, and of course, books. Here are some of my favorites:
ποΈ Podcast: I really enjoyed the story of one of the best YouTubers on the wold ,Mr Beast on the Colin and Samir podcast (a current favorite).
πΉ YouTube: A current favorite bookTuber of mine is Jack Edwards. He is so genuine, funny and smart. I'm so in awe of how many books he can consume in such a short time.
π§ Newsletter: I try to be selective when it comes to the newsletters I subscribe to, and I read a lot of newsletters, but my current favorite is a newsletter by content creator and freelance writer Alice Lamee. Take my word for it and subscribe.
π Books: I recently finished Rayyan Al- Shawaf's When all else fails. You can view my short review here. I'n going to be interviewing Rayyan on my YouTube channel soon so stay tuned.
π° Article: I enjoyed reading this Medium article about the Instagram strategy of the author of the massive hit Atomic Habits James Clear helped him get more subscribers to his newsletter.
βπ» Content creation
I'm grateful that I have been quite busy with client work during the past month. I continue to produce content on cybersecurity, blockchain and web 3.0 for one of my biggest client, and I'm really enjoying all the new things that I have been learning along the way.
I have also published the following:
- βThe rise of WhatsApp journalism: Pros and cons (Published on the International Journalist Network).
- βA new year's resolution: Showing restraint (Published on the Writing Gamble).
- βA slideshow on my writing tips for a digital audience (Published on LInkedin.β
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Are you looking for a writer for your company's blog or publication? Let's chat. Email me at: natasha@natashastynes.comβ
πΉ The YouTube experiment
One of my New Year's resolution is to learn Final Cut pro. Previously, I have been using iMovie to edit my Youtube videos, but I think I have grown it and ready to move to a more advanced platform like Final Cut Pro. I'm planning to learn it by taking Ali Abdal's free Skilshare course .
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I also have two new videos that I hope you enjoy:
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ποΈ ExpaTalk podcast
My co-host Zyad Rasheed and I have recently chatted with Vegan Fast-food entrepreneur Layla Al-Dorani. It was a great discussion about food choices, healthy eating and being a flexitarian (a new term for me.)
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βπ» Ship 30 for 30 writing course
If youβre thinking about joining the online writing course Ship 30 for 30, I have an affiliate link.
I took Ship 30 for 30 a few months ago and it was an amazing experience. I learned a lot, joined new communities and increased my Twitter followers.
I highly recommend it.
Are you looking for a writer for your company's blog or publication?
Do you need help with your digital media strategy?
Let's chat!
Email me at natasha@natashastynes.comβ
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Natasha Tynes
I'm a Jordanian-American author and journalist with over two decades of experience. I have been published in the Washington Post, Nature, Elle, Esquire, among others. I'm also the recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award Literary Conference for my short story Ustaz Ali. I publish the weekly newsletter "The Writing Goldmine," in which I give tips on monetizing your writing and the content creation journey.
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