Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, communications, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?

From Canada:

• Announcing the NMA: B2B Awards [National Magazine Awards]
• Reporting on Indigenous Issues? Heed Angela Sterritt’s Top Five Tips [Ryerson Review]
• 4 Ontario Postmedia newspapers to publish one less day of the week [J-Source]

From The U.S. and beyond:

• Why Is Writing So Difficult? Here Are 3 Reasons Why [The Write Life]
• 4 ways creative freelancers can generate new business opportunities [Freelancers Union]
• How Freelancers Can Combat Isolation [The Freelancer]
• Top 5 ingenious ways to increase your freelance writing income [Freelance Writing Jobs]
• Why less really is more in your journalism portfolio [Journo Resources]
• Getting new referrals the old fashioned way [Freelancers Union]
• Managing cash flow when the unexpected happens [Freelance Writing Jobs]

Recently on Story Board:

• The Born Freelancer on the Power of Gratitude: These dark days of autumn rapidly turning into even darker days of winter can be especially trying for those of us who work on our own. It is easy to fall prey to negative thoughts and allow ourselves to be put into in a less than optimal mind set for daily tasks ahead...
• Webinar: State Your Worth: how to price your services or an experienced contractor looking to boost your income, CMG Freelance’s next webinar will help you determine what you’re worth...
• Factual TV/Cineflix class action Q&A and webinar: If you work in factual TV and are wondering what’s going on with the class action lawsuit against Cineflix Canada, you’ll have the opportunity to find out more about it and ask questions next week...
• A Freelancer’s Guide to Content Marketing: It’s a job that requires the imagination of an advertising copywriter, the inquisitiveness and writing discipline of a journalist and a bit of an understanding of data science...

Spot a story you think we should include in next week's Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.