This is the website of highly applauded freelance writer Yael Grauer.
If you are looking for writers who can write scrappy $15 blog posts for SEO purposes, you are in the wrong place. But if you are looking for a professional writer who can provide your readers with highly engaging content, read on.
Yael can write fresh content for you that will position you as an authority in your field. Whether she’s analyzing trends in the industry, crafting engaging profiles or reporting on cutting edge research, Yael has an uncanny knack for getting to the core of the issue, and making even the most complex material accessible.
Yael’s credentials and testimonials are world class. She has been featured in various consumer magazines, trade journals, custom publications, websites and e-zines, including Experience Life, Taste for Life, Natural Solutions, Second Opinion, the B-Word, Sherdog, T-Nation, and the Performance Menu: Journal of Health and Athletic Excellence (where she also serves as the Managing Editor.) A Minneapolis, Minn.-based freelance writer, Yael writes for various local publications and websites, including Edible Twin Cities and the City Pages’ Hot Dish blog.
Her work has been published in several books, including Blue Jean:What Young Women are Thinking, Saying and Doing and The Bust DIY Guide to Life: Making Your Way through Every Day. Yael is also a seasoned copyeditor and proofreader, and has helped polish manuscripts for books including New York Times bestseller The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet by Robb Wolf and Predatory Bureaucracy: The Extermination of Wolves and the Transformation of the West by Michael Robinson.
In addition to her work as a freelance writer and editor, Yael frequently works with small businesses on search engine optimization (SEO), copywriting and communications.
Yael is a proud member of the Professional Editors Network, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
She primarily covers health and wellness, physical fitness, food and nutrition. However, she’s been known to cover topics ranging from science to marketing to social issues and everything in between. Please check out her portfolio for some writing samples, or take a look at her testimonials to read what previous clients have to say.
Latest Blog Entries
12 Tips For Writing When You Don’t Feel Like It
If you don’t feel like writing, nothing is as intimidating as an empty page.
But if you’re on a deadline or must get something done–for whatever reason–sometimes battling with that blank piece of paper or computer screen is absolutely necessary. Here’s some strategies I’ve used to help me when I’m stuck.
1. Set a timer. I like to use Strict Pomodoro, which is available in various browsers, to kick me off social media for 25-minute increments. It then allows for 5-minute breaks. Almost anything can be written in an hour or two, if you force yourself to write the entire time. Just make sure to take breaks when it’s time.
2. Minimize distractions. Going to a cafe can be helpful, depending on the vibe and how good you are with noise. A library is another option. I like to go to the quiet area of my coworking space, and point my keyboard so that everyone could see if I was wasting time. I convince myself that people are looking over my shoulder. This–along with an environment where everyone else is nose to grindstone–helps me get work done. I also turn off my phone and kick myself off social media. Using Incognito or a similar browser or Strict Pomodoro (as mentioned above), or apps like Freedom gets rid of social media, so the only thing you can do is write.
3. Self-bribery. When I trap myself in a cafe, I will occasionally bribe myself with a cupcake or a cup of hot chocolate. The only catch is that I can’t leave until the item is written.
4. Write the worst crap ever. Give yourself permission to just write the biggest drivel of all time. Once that’s out of your system, some of the good stuff will show up on the page.
5. Start in the middle. If you can’t think of a good lede, don’t. Go into an area that you feel strong in, and build the piece around that. Nobody will notice.
6. Switch formats. I have no idea why this works, but switching from Microsoft Word to GoogleDocs to Draftin to Scrivener sometimes helps. So does switching fonts, usually to Garamond.
7. Good tunes. If you’re in the brainstorming phase, listen to happy music. If you’re editing or refining, listen to depressing music. For some reason, this forces you to focus better.
8. Organize your thoughts. If your ideas are ALL over the place, write them all down on a piece of paper. Then, circle themes that are similar in the same color. When you’re done, you’ll have all sorts of circles in all colors on your page. Each color is a paragraph or a section.
9. Add the quotes first. This was a trick I used in college when writing research papers, and one I currently use when writing profiles or articles that are quotation-heavy (from interviews). Add the quotes and THEN figure out the structure.
10. Think of your article as a pearl necklace. Figure out what the string is that would tie the different pieces or pearls together. Sometimes having an overview and structure will help you on your way.
11. Do something unrelated. Stuck on brainstorming an idea? Go on a walk, paying attention to sights and sounds. Spend 15 minutes listening to Taiko music. Eat a piece of fruit, slowly. Get out of your head and in touch with your senses. Then start over.
12. Do something repetitive. Wash dishes. Take a shower. Rake some leaves. For some reason, repetitive motion can get the wheels spinning.
Still stuck after trying all twelve? Email me (yael AT yaelwrites.com) and we’ll talk.
Prioritizing Myself
I Spent A Week Prioritizing Myself (And the World Kept Spinning)
Here’s what I learned…
sunflowers for my office
A few interesting challenges have been floating around the interwebs; people taking photos with strangers, negotiating for discounts on coffee and otherwise stretching beyond their comfort zone by practicing asking for things despite the fear of failure.
It seems gimmicky at first, but scratch beneath the surface and you’ll see that these are merely training wheels for some very important skills. Smiling at strangers might set the stage for finally walking up and introducing yourself to that rock star industry leader you’ve been admiring from a distance. Asking for a discount on coffee taught me what negotiating for higher pay–on the phone and in person, not conveniently hidden behind my computer screen–would later feel like.
Long-time readers know about my penchant for experimentation and have read about various challenges I’ve put myself through, including a 30-day blog fast, a month of gluten-free eating, a month of Paleo and two BJJ experiments: 30 days attending a massive amount of seminars and a month-long BJJ challenge of entirely avoiding instructional videos and YouTube.
With all the talk of Failure Olympics, which I’d gone through as a student of the “How To Make Your First Dollar” course, I eventually asked Noah Kagan for another suggestion of something I might fail at. He challenged me to prioritize myself over others for a week. Apparently, others notice when I try so hard to make sure my clients are happy that I overextend myself. Taking on too much responsibility makes it difficult to retain that razor-sharp focus I pride myself on…and this makes me come across as scattered and trying to appease others. Bitter pill to swallow; but, the best way to address it is head-on.
Not that it’s easy. The challenge was terrifying and I even found myself strategizing my plan of attack should I lose all of my clients. In the not-too-distant past, I had found myself on rocky terrain with a long-time client because I was unable to bend over backwards or work ’round-the-clock due to other responsibilities (with clients who paid better). The juggling act, I felt, must go on and the biggest loser was always me.
But, the challenge was also exciting. Finally, I had an excuse to do what I really wanted: focus on myself.
The weekend started well. I bought gorgeous sunflowers at Trader Joe’s that lit up my entire home office. I made time to enjoy the long-awaited springtime weather, taking a scenic walk around the lake. I drove to a hot yoga class and spent 90 minutes twisting myself up like a pretzel–mindfully. I even had the chance to read fiction, something I really enjoy but rarely do because it’s not directly tied to work. It was a great weekend.
Then, Monday rolled in and that’s when the real work started. I decided the best way to prioritize myself was by refusing to work 12 to 15 hour days to finish work for other people. But, how would I get everything done in less time without sacrificing quality?
The biggest waste of my time is people who want to meet with me, in person or via phone, and either cancel at the last minute or just don’t call or show up. I’ve been working on this by sending people Google calendar invites to set clearer expectations, but, during the challenge, I ramped it up a bit.
- If someone had a 15-minute call scheduled and they called late, I just didn’t pick up. For the first time. I got a lot of email apologies with requests to reschedule (and, I waited 48 hours before responding to them). I know that sometimes people space on things, and I’ve done the same (I accidentally called at 1PM instead of a scheduled 11AM the other day, because I wrote the time down wrong), but it has become habitual. It’s not even about the 15 minutes, but about not giving up my time for people who don’t respect it.
- I didn’t drop everything to meet with people, even potential clients. Anyone who contacted me after Tuesday EOD had to wait until the following week. Again, I’ve benefited immensely on the other end of this (busy people who granted same-day meetings to me), but this was part of me getting over the myth that I need to bend over backwards for people to avoid losing work. 1) I didn’t and 2) I don’t know that I’d want to work with people that expect me to drop everything anyway.
- Instead of rushing to reschedule when a friend canceled a meeting, I just said, “Okay!” and left the ball in her court. She didn’t make an attempt to reschedule, which was fine by me–it saves me some time so that I can meet with people who DO see me as a priority.
- I demanded reasonable timelines for projects. These are people who are NOT paying rush fees, so why rush? I also got extensions when the scope of work was expanded.
- A client didn’t get back to me on some specifics of work she’d expected. Instead of taking a stab and then redoing it to meet her (unspoken) specifications, I just waited for the details before beginning the project.
- I turned assignments in on time, instead of early.
- I began charging token sums for work people expected me to do for free, or asked people I was doing favors for to do something for me in return.
What had looked like a week’s worth of work that I could barely keep up with, even if I worked ’round the clock, suddenly turned into a reasonable amount of work I could actually handle (we’re talking working only 8-10 hours/day instead of 12-16). Then the question became, what would I do with all the spare time I suddenly had?
- I taught myself how to screencast and edit in Camtasia and shipped PR For Startups, a 2+ hour video course perfect for people looking for media attention, without hiring an expensive and inefficient PR firm.
- I chipped in around the house, spending more time cooking, doing dishes and even cleaning my office.
- I slept 7-8 hours a night instead of 5.
- I got all of my workouts in and did more BJJ.
- I spent more time reading books that weren’t directly tied to work, and it was awesome.
The outcome? First of all, I didn’t lose any clients. In fact, I got a NEW client…and a raise I didn’t ask for.
I did not magically get “caught up” with all of my work, but I did realize that that magical state of affairs doesn’t come no matter how many hours I work, so I can put things down once in a while. (Work expands to fit the time available.)
My mood improved by leaps and bounds. I felt balanced and well-rested. And, though my week was turbulent, I was better equipped to handle it with equanimity rather than turning into a stressball and pulling out my hair.
The point of this post isn’t just to explain how great it is to free oneself from false and debilitating beliefs, but also how much is available to us if we ask for help, suck it up, take big risks, and listen to well-placed guidance of others.
My biggest goal for the year has been to make the same amount of money working less hours… and it looks like I had the answer all along.
What Makeup Taught Me About Selling
Sometimes the best way to build your business is by walking away from the sale, as I’ve discussed in the past. But what if you’re making a hard sell without even realizing it? Let me explain…
I’ve been experimenting a bit with makeup lately, and found myself at a department store getting all dolled up by a professional. I’d come in with a pretty limited budget, and asked for something really simple that I could wear every day, and that wouldn’t require intricate face painting skills I lack. As an athlete who mostly works from home, my idea of a makeup is lip gloss and sunscreen, so even stepping into the store was a big step for me.
Budget? What’s That?
As a writer, I often interact with clients who have flirted with the idea of starting a blog but are a bit nervous to get started. And I’ve noticed that many of them ask for the smallest packages I offer. They’re usually startups or solopreneurs on a tight budget, and would like inexpensive posts on a very limited basis. As someone who strings words together for a living, it’s sometimes difficult to really listen to or understand what they need, because I have a hard time relating. Next time this happens, I’m going to think of myself, walking into the makeup section of a store I’d never set foot in, plopping down on a stool with a mirror in hand and hoping for the best.
Feature Creep (Or Scope Creep)
So the nice lady asked me what my budget was, and I told her I was prepared to spend around a hundred. Okay, so maybe that’s a bit low, and I would’ve probably been able to be talked up to twice that, but we didn’t really talk prices. Instead she spent the next two hours extolling the virtues of different concealers, primers, foundations, lotions, brushes, etc. I think I had about a dozen products on my face by the time I was done, and the ‘natural look’ I was going for ended up with a really striking nighttime look. Or at least it seemed that way to me. And yet over the course of our session, I’d become somewhat sold on the virtues of items I hadn’t originally considered. Of course I had to get these twelve other things I’d never heard of.
I wonder if that’s how my clients feel when we discuss blogging. At first they thought they wanted a couple posts a month, or maybe a new ‘about me’ page and some product descriptions, but leave the meeting (or phone call) with a dizzying array of other options they never knew they wanted: social media, SEO, newsletters, etc. Is it possible that writers look at ALL the solutions they offer and fail to scale appropriately for people who are newer to the game? Or that our idea of ‘simple’ isn’t theirs? Like, we may think ‘simple’ is just blogging 2-3 times a week, when simple for them might be a newsletter once a month. Just like a makeup artist might thing that ‘simple’ is just three types of eyeliner (liquid? gel? pencils? black AND blue) and three shadows and two mascaras, and I think simple is eye shadow. It’s an easy mistake to make.
Another makeup example might be that someone who never wears makeup is not interested in buying three for the price of two of anything. She’ll want to buy one, and then another when it runs out if she still wants to use it. The discount really isn’t value added, and isn’t convincing. Telling a new customer that I offer an umbrella discount if I’m guaranteed a certain amount of work per month may make me feel like I’m offering a discount they can’t refuse, but it could be too much.
So after getting all dolled up and taking ‘after’ photos, it was time for the big sell. Turns out I hadn’t even thought about things like brushes or remover when thinking of the large set of items I’d compiled.
This happens with clients, too–they want the ‘cheap’ rate for work, but want all of the extras, too. The guy who wants blog posts cheaply and quickly is ALWAYS the one who has impossible deadlines, demands multi-sourced articles, wants excessive rewrites, and thinks these are included. In my mind, choosing not to pay a premium price means that one doesn’t get premium benefits. But perhaps my definition of premium doesn’t match theirs, and perhaps this isn’t intentional on their part. I didn’t choose to overlook the fact that I needed extras. I just hadn’t thought of them. So perhaps people who change the work required in an assignment or project but are shocked (shocked!) when they’re told it’s out of scope or would cost more simply should’ve been told upfront. Maybe the onus for expectation management is on the seller.
It Cost What?
So there we are, and I’m finally getting rung up for a shockingly large array of makeup which I’m hoping comes with instructions, because I’m not sure I remember how to use all of it. Or that I really need three colors of eyeshadow and three types of foundation/concealer/redness remover/whatever after all. Or which shades of what I’m supposed to mix together when. The grand total? $400.
Going from zero to $400 is insane. Maybe you can talk someone up from $100 to $200, but hot damn. And I wonder if this is what people who want services such as blogging and web development sometimes feel like. In MY mind (as a seller), people are asking for $400 worth of services and only want to spend $100, and then they get upset when they hear what a $100 post (for example) looks like. (Hint: nobody’s going to spend eight hours on it). It’s like they want premium work but don’t want to pay for it. So whose fault is that?
It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but I think the onus should be on the seller. If I’m offering modified services for a bargain price? This is something I’ve failed to spell out. X amount includes ____ but not ____. Being very up front and startlingly clear about what exactly an introductory price includes–and doesn’t include–is something I haven’t done, but it’s easy for me to assume people should just figure it out. Perhaps giving them the benefit of the doubt would be wise–maybe they’re not trying to take advantage of me, but are simply unclear about just how much they want for how little.
The Whole Package?
So here I am with a $100 budget and a shocked look on my face, and a nice lady trying hard to make a $400 sale, and she immediately starts backpedaling, telling me that all of the makeup she’d spent hours extolling the virtues of is actually unnecessary. By then, it’s too late. I’d already been convinced each item was part of an essential ensemble, and it was all or nothing. I ended up being the worst customer ever and just walking out. (Feel free to hate on me if you want.)
What would’ve worked? Maybe not for everyone, but for me, knowing the price of each item in advance would’ve helped me determine which of them I considered the most essential. Then, when it was time to make hard decisions, I’d actually be prepared for it..instead of trying to figure out how I’d put on makeup without brushes, or trying to determine on the fly which of the items was actually something I wanted.
What if freelance services came with an a la carte menu? Yes, someone can write your post for dirt cheap, but not on a deadline, and you get one source, and you make any changes yourself, and post it on your own site. No, you can’t buy 15 pieces of sushi with a dollar in change…but you can get FOUR gumballs from the gumball machine.
So often, people think the glam and glitz of product offerings will entice people to pay more than they were originally willing. And sometimes that’s true. But other times, it’s best to be up front with people about what they’re getting into–especially if they really would have no clue otherwise. If it’s a product or industry I know, I’ll at least have an idea in the back of my mind of what it is I’m looking at. But with something I know next to nothing about? Not a chance.
Your turn: Have you had an experience where you spent way more time on a project for the amount you were paid? Or where you were sold a ridiculous amount more than you wanted to spend? Do tell.
