HalfStack Writer

The Process

Writing for Halfstack was both an exciting experience and, at times, felt like running a marathon. The publication's target audience (mainly urban, college-educated women under 30 from the Midwest) helped shape the content and editorial direction. The International Issues focused on various other regions to bring together a global community of like minded individuals. Some feature articles were suggested by advertisers. Much of the content was came from the ability to write from each individual's creative strengths as a person — this contributed to the magazine's unique voice. There was plenty of creative freedom in choosing topics. My process always began with research — gathering information on current events and regional happenings. Often, topics evolved from brainstorming sessions with other writers, where we explored different angles and perspectives on a subject.

Blog posting were the most time-sensitive components with posts often needing to go live in 24 hours or less. The fast-paced deadlines required quick thinking and even quicker writing. For event coverage, articles had to be submitted by midnight the same day, which could be tricky if an event wrapped up late in the evening. Once facts were verified, I’d begin a draft. The goal was to be engaging, full of detail and to strike a balance between creativity and accessibility. While the blog allowed for periodic revisions to fix grammar and style, the magazine articles underwent a more thorough review by the editorial staff, which meant more intensive revision process to ensure each piece aligned with the magazine's tone.

Were there late nights? Absolutely. Extremely late nights? Without a doubt. Despite these pressures, it was incredibly rewarding. The opportunities that came from the role were amazing including chances to interview celebrity chefs, notable architects, and other thought-provoking figures in various creative fields. It was a satisfying experience that pushed my writing skills and opened doors I never expected.

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To give more impact to the magazine and greater readership penetration, The International Issue was the first bilingual issue with serious consideration to appeal to a Middle East reader. This was a serious gamble as there was nothing out there like it. From an art perspective, Arabic reads from back-to-front and is right-to-left reading — thus the magazine had two covers with articles having to have two front features pages to run in tandem over the same page spreads

It was significantly shorter than the standard version - roughly 60 pages instead of the 200+. It allowed for the extra time devoted to layout and design as it needed to pop internationally... which it truly did.

The Result

Readership rocketed to 10 times the typical readership. It was highlighted and picked up by Issuu and promoted globally. Readership expanded to Europe with over a quarter-million readers in the Middle East.

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