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Just wanted to say that, outside of brief feedback on friend/girl’s trips on Friday, that I think the first three are really solid!
One thing to put on your radar (but no worries if you already sent these). Leavenworth has been hit hard by the Washington State floods this month. š But that could be another angle to see how restaurants are coping, and urging people to support when it’s safe again! A potential mention in a follow-up email to show you’re on top of the news.
‘It couldn’t happen at a worse time’: Leavenworth fights to salvage Christmastown season
Week of 11/10: get one pitch written for feedback
Why Iām stoked: Actually getting them out of drafts/my head leads to a better chance of acceptance
Concerns or challenges: I’m having such a hard time getting motivated from idea to pitch execution, an eternal issue of mine
Did the magic happen: nope, this is a continuation of m last goal, and I think I (entirely irrationally) have been disheartened by not hearing back from one tailored ad-rage pitch to one outlet (which my logical brain knows is ridiculous! But my emotional brain is convinced that all future pitches are a waste of time sure to be ignored…)Week of 11/10: write 1-2 new pitches for critiques (through the weekend)
Why Iām stoked: Actually getting them out of drafts/my head leads to a better chance of acceptance
Concerns or challenges: Tailored pitches have a better acceptance rate, but I tend to get bogged down for hours trying to find editor info, review what’s been covered, and show my familiarity with the outlet… I don’t have regular outlets or editors who immediately spring to mind.
Did the magic happen: my last goal was to pick a new pitch to focus on. I’ve got eight new ideas but not sure which outlets I’d choose for them or which to focus on first. And still want to find a home for ad-rage, first(?)Thank you for this! Great questions to incorporate into reporting. I’ve been trying to pinpoint this in myself, whether it’s worse when I’m being interrupted in streaming/social media, when I turn away from work for downtime, or annoyance at the power/lack of regulation in tech, or if I’m just quick to snap due to a general sense of stress or… all of the above? And why online and generally not in other areas of life?
Also a good reminder that I’m not caught up with Black Mirror (but loved S1) so bookmarked that ep immediately!
Translators are so often under-appreciated (and underpaid) for such valuable work! A lot of my own localization work these days comes from editing translated stories for Tapas from largely East Asian creators. I am constantly in awe of how many people can nail tone in multiple languages.
Week of Oct 20, 2025: Choose another idea to workshop pitches
Why Iām stoked: Taking an idea a week won’t provide a sustainable income, but it feels like an achievable goal at the moment.
Concerns or challenges: So many of the travel stories I’d like to pitch are for places I’ve previously spent time (e.g. Czech Republic, New Zealand). I’m much more comfortable pitching about where I’m based so that I can do follow-up research in-person.
Did the magic happen? Got my ad rage pitch written last week, largely because of the pressure of a self-imposed critique deadline, so this group is working!
Here’s my rough pitch on “Is Ad rage the New Road rage?” for Vox. I included a few questions from my end + their submission guidelines within the doc. I also welcome line-edits and/or overall thoughts!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14vnQmXiurfXSdiKuEOioxjjXXJbVtffWZUdN1LTdDWs/edit?usp=sharing
Week of Oct 13, 2025: Write-up Ad Rage pitch for feedback
Why Iām stoked: The idea was well-recieved within the group
Concerns or challenges: I’m not 100% sure where to pitch or what length/structure I envision. Hopefully crafting the pitch will help me focus. I also spent far more time than I should’ve this week pitching potential additions to a TimeOut Prague story after an editor reached out. I’d love to hear strategies on how to be better at half-assing projects that aren’t well-paid (I don’t feel like I can turn down any likely commissions ATM).
Did the magic happen? Landed on this idea after last week’s chat, so yes!
Hi all from a new member of the Badger Den. Looking forward to getting to meeting you on the next call!
Week of Oct 6, 2025: Decide on one pitch idea + outlet to focus on first. Starting with a small, hopefully achievable goal.
Why Iām stoked: Having this structured space and community feels like a great start for getting back into a routine of pitching stories
Concerns or challenges: I’m currently mid-international move from New Zealand back to Seattle for a bit, so my focus and sense of time/place is extremely scattered. I have a habit of thinking I’ll get into more of a routine when “life settles down” (which deep down I know will never actually happen).
Did the magic happen? TBD
NAME: Auburn Scallon
OCCUPATION: guidebook author, localization editor, freelance journalist
PRONOUNS*: they/she (feel free to use either or a mix of both)
AGE: 46
HERITAGE: mostly Irish American
LANGUAGES: US English, some high-school French, & very basic Czech
HOBBIES: all types of theater and dance (I taught ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, & kickline for fifteen years); I’m a TV, movies, and podcasts fan; my want-to-read list is extensive; and I love a good pub quiz
HOMETOWN: West Seattle, where my childhood self thought Iād never leave, lol. These days, the cost of living keeps me from spending as much time as I’d like there.
CURRENT LOCATION: I am currently location-independent while looking for the right place / visa pathway to put down roots. I previously studied abroad in Greece, lived in NYC twice, spent six years in the Czech Republic, and did an international masterās degree that moved between Scotland, Malta, and Estonia. Iām splitting 2025 between Ireland (my dream home), New Zealand, and Seattle.
WRITING EXPERIENCE: I got my first professional byline by cold emailing Dance Teacher magazine in the mid-2000s. Then I dabbled in lifestyle & entertainment writing for now-defunct NYC blogs and print publications. While working at a hotel in New Zealand, I met an Australian newspaper editor who commissioned one of my first travel stories (what life as a writer in NY actually looked like compared to Sex and the City).
I spent most of the 2010s in the Czech Republic, which gave me some destination expertise and more confidence to pitch larger outlets (The Independent, Evening Standard) alongside Pragueās English-language outlets. That led TimeOut, Moon Guides, and Czech Tourism to approach me for occasional Prague and Czech stories. Most recently, I spent a year as an editor, commissioning sponsored content for a luxury travel outlet (and confirming that is not my world).
The travel industry as Iāve experienced it hasn’t often seemed to fit with my own ethics, budget, and lifestyle. I pursued a masterās degree looking at US/UK travel writing through an adult education lens and evaluating its curriculum diversity (spoiler: itās not great!). For the past five years, Iāve shifted a lot of my focus away from freelance journalism into more fiction and academic editing, marketing, and guidebooks. Would love to dip back into pitching stories that I care about to the outlets out there doing great work.
FAVORITE WRITERS:
Some contemporary Travel and Culture voices I enjoy:
Bani Amor, Priscilla Blossom, Mona Chalabi, Morgan Childs, Roxane Gay, Soleil Ho, Lebawit Lily Girma, Linda Holmes, Saeed Jones, Alex Kapitan, Jacqueline Kehoe, Li Lai, Nina Metz, Sebastian Modak, Rebecca Nagle, Ijeoma Oluo, Monisha Rajesh, Johanna Read, Jen Rose Smith, Lavanya Sunkara, Dr. Anu Taranath, Ruth Terry, Naomi Tomky, Tuck Woodstock, Karen Yin, Ed YongSome recent(ish) favorite books:
How to Loiter in a Turf War, Coco Solid
Back After This, Linda Holmes
Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, by Cho Nam-joo (Author), Jamie Chang (Translator)
The Memory Police, by Yoko Ogawa (Author), Stephen Snyder (Translator)
The Other Black Girl, by Zakiya Dalila HarrisGOALS FOR THE COURSE:
Tip-toe back into freelance journalism and hopefully get at least one pitch accepted in 2025.WRITING AMBITIONS:
The eternal dream: find a mix of professional editorial projects that provide a living wageāand never have to āpivot to video.ā Would also love to be part of a worker-owned journalism collective one day (if weāre dreaming big).WEBSITES & CONTACTS:
Journalism: https://auburn.contently.com
Guidebooks: https://www.moon.com/contributor/auburn-scallon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auburnscallon
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/wsauburn.bsky.social
