Harnessing Your Creativity in Writing

​Natalie is on the content team at On Deck and was previously the Writing Partner for the On Deck Writer Fellowship. She is a freelance journalist and contributes to New York Magazine’s The Strategist, Into The Gloss, Toast Magazine, Freunde Von Freunden, T Magazine, Gather, Allure, and other media outlets. She is a veteran of traditional print media and the fashion industry. 

​Natalie holds a profound interest in culinary and olfactive culture, so much of her freelance writing is focused on experiences that indulge the senses and restore our connection with the natural world.She finds the connective tissue between her careers in writing, scent, and visual production to be immersive sensory storytelling. 

​She was born and raised in New York City; a scent memory which she describes as sweltering asphalt under the hot summer sun, bodega roses in crisp cellophane, and sawdust co-mingling with smoked fish at the deli counter.

​She lives with her husband and daughter in Brooklyn.

​Agenda

​Natalie and Lyle will do a deep dive into:

• ​Freelance writing: How did she find her “beat” in scent writing? What tips does she have for navigating the traditional publishing world?

• ​Creative writing: How does Natalie harness creativity in her writing? What does her writing process look like from idea to finished product? What kind of exercises does she rely on to keep growing as a writer or counter writing resistance?

• ​Longform writing: How being a curious reader and ‘deconstructing great writing’ can improve your own editorial fitness and inform one’s own process writing longer pieces.

• ​Sensory writing: How can writers of all stripes use sensory writing techniques to punch up their writing?

​As always, bring some coffee (or water) and a notebook!