Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

Useful Tips, Interviews, and Stories to Inspire Food Writers and Bloggers

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I was Burned Out on Food Blogging. Then I Started a Fashion Project

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Lead image for post on food blogger who became fashion influencer.A guest post by Maggie Zhu

I started Omnivore’s Cookbook in 2013 as a hobby. It turned it into a full-time job in 2016. After that, I started to feel burned out on food blogging. It took longer and longer to recover. Being alone in the kitchen made me lonely. The need to produce uniform, predictable content to please my readers made me unhappy.

Now the blog is about modern Chinese cooking and Asian-inspired fusion recipes. But it didn’t start that way. My first blog post was for Tuna Pasta with Arrabiata Sauce. My early recipes included random dishes ranging from poorly-conceived fusion to Taco Bell copycats.

Burned out on Food Blogging

One year into blogging, a reader told me he was only interested in my Chinese recipes. He said he’d go to Food Network if he wanted to learn how to make pasta. Soon I focused on Chinese recipes. My blog finally started to grow when I narrowed my scope to that niche. But the problem was (and is) that I love food from many cultures. And the fact that I’m constrained to just Chinese cooking made me burned out on food blogging.  [Read more…] about I was Burned Out on Food Blogging. Then I Started a Fashion Project

My 10 Best Blog Posts of the Decade

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image for post on best blog postsThis year I celebrated ten years of blogging, and I wrote about what has changed. Now that it’s the end of the decade, you might also like to read my best blog posts of the last 10 years. 

For me, what defines “best” is all about the engagement. I like posts that [Read more…] about My 10 Best Blog Posts of the Decade

Submit Your Writing to a New Food Writing Anthology

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image for submitting your writing to an anthologyThere’s a big new game in town, and you can play. Before, Best Food Writing, an anthology compiled by freelance writer Holly Hughes, came out every year. You would submit your writing, and she decided what to accept. That run ended in 2017. 

It’s probably because a new The Best American Food Writing debuted in 2018, published by [Read more…] about Submit Your Writing to a New Food Writing Anthology

After Food Blogging, Gluten-Free Girl’s Shauna Ahern says “Enough”

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Shauna Ahern gave up her blog, Gluten-Free Girl, in 2017. She made a good go of it for 12 years and her blog lives on online. Now, instead of food blogging, she works full-time as head writer at ChefsSteps. Her husband Danny stays home with her two kids, and everyone gets health insurance.

That was part of the decision to close the blog and get a job: Worrying about money. 

Her new book of essays is Enough: Notes From a Woman Who Has Finally Found It. She writes [Read more…] about After Food Blogging, Gluten-Free Girl’s Shauna Ahern says “Enough”

25 Irresistible Links for Food Writers and Bloggers

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image for post on links.

I bet you try as best you can to keep up with all the useful and thought-provoking Internet links for food writers and bloggers. But sometimes you get busy or tired and you miss some terrific stuff.

No problem. I collect the best ones and send them out to readers free, on the first and 15th of the month. You’ll get links to reviews of the [Read more…] about 25 Irresistible Links for Food Writers and Bloggers

How I Kept My Sanity Blogging For Over a Decade

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Blogging over a decade -- imageA guest post by Nicole Hunn

When I read Dianne’s post about blogging for 10 years (Happy aluminum anniversary, Dianne!), I realized that I ‘ve reached that milestone, too. And I’ve learned a few things about blogging for over a decade — successfully and sustainably.

After 10 years, there’s lots to celebrate. Most importantly, blogging works with my lifestyle, which includes raising three now-teenage kids. Second, I’m grateful to [Read more…] about How I Kept My Sanity Blogging For Over a Decade

An Ireland Writing Workshop and Food Tour in October 2020

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I’m thrilled to announce a new event: a four-day writing workshop and food tour in West Cork, Ireland in October, 2020.

West Cork leads Ireland in artisan food production. The BBC called it the “food capital of Ireland,” and the Irish Times named the area the “top foodie destination” in the country. In 2017, West Cork was named the Restaurants Association of Ireland’s No. 1 Foodie Destination. What better place to hold a food writing workshop and tour, right?

For this event I’ll partner with Kate Ryan, a food writer and food tour guide who lives and works in West Cork. In the morning you’ll get instruction from me on such topics as  first-person essays and the power of [Read more…] about An Ireland Writing Workshop and Food Tour in October 2020