TweetThere are only two weeks left of school, and for my thesis (which is done and approved — yay!) I had to push myself to write 90 pages in just two months. I’m used to deadlines when it comes to journalism, but not so much in my creative endeavors, and so this was a really intense time.
Having accomplished that thesis mission, I’ve sort of taken a moment to just sit back and breathe a sigh of relief. But I’m quickly realizing that I can’t let myself get too comfortable. Everyone, …

TweetOkay, so with just a half an hour left in the day that was May 1, 2012, I’m finally posting. Yes, I’m adding to my already crazy summer schedule. But this blog has long been neglected in favor of work and the TeenWritersBloc.com site, so I’ve decided this month I’ll get back into the swing of things. I’m taking part in Michelle Rafter’s annual blogathon, which I’ve done once before. Last year, more than 200 bloggers participated!
This blog has long been a mishmash of random thoughts and musings, so I’ve …

I’ll save the run-down list for my planner. But this year, I hope to work smarter not harder, to finish what I start, and to slow down and keep in mind what’s really important.

TweetThis one rocks, too, especially if you didn’t go to Columbia J-School.

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This week, as we all gather our loved ones and our thoughts to give thanks for all the love and luck we’ve received this year, it’s worth taking some time to look back and really take stock. So I decided to create a reverse bucket list of things I’m already thankful I’ve accomplished.

Online forums catering to professional writers were a major help to me when I was just starting out. But they can be somewhat hard to discover if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Here are a few that really worked well for me.

TweetAbout two years ago, before my husband and I officially started TTC, I decided to work from home. In part, this was because of the way my industry was going — magazine publishers were blood-letting, much like many other American companies.
But it was also so I could pursue my dream job of writing novels and screenplays, a passion that was hard to indulge when I was putting in 60-plus hours at the office. In the back of our collective head, though, was also the thought …

TweetI've been working on a story for ABCNews.com on celebrity love pegged to the release of the self-help tome-turned ensemble comedy He's Just Not That Into You. And it turns out, when it comes to relationships, stars are just as messed up as the rest of us.
So I interviewed a bunch of relationship experts, including Oprah fave Dr. Michelle and the always uber-candid Matt Titus, on certain celebs and their very-human dating downfalls.
From Jennifer Aniston to Drew Barrymore to ScarJo, they've all had their fair share of …

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Shatner Down to Earth on New Talk Show
ABCNews.com
January 2009
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William Shatner isn’t quite sure what makes celebrities like Kelsey Grammer, Valerie Bertinelli and comedian Jimmy Kimmel spill their guts to him on his new talk show, A&E’s “Raw Nerve.”
Perhaps it’s his restrained panache? Or his own tabloid-traversed past?
“I don’t want to back anybody into a corner, but if I probe gently enough so that I don’t get too vivid a reaction, I get what I’m looking for,” said the icon known to generations of TV fans as “Star Trek’s” Captain …

TweetHappy New Year! And welcome to the online home of Sona Charaipotra.
This is my first official year as a fulltime freelance writer, and I’m still trying to balance working in my PJs with my obsessive DVR-ing of House Hunters and everything else HGTV. I’ve joined a few freelance writers groups, but mostly it’s me solo. I have to say, working from home has been an oddly refreshing reprieve from my time in cubicle-land.
A bit of background: Formerly a reporter at People and an editor at TeenPeople.com, I’m now fulltime freelance …