Rising Stars: Meet Rebecca Treon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rebecca Treon. 

Hi Rebecca, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m a freelance writer today, but I didn’t study journalism in college–I majored in Art History. It took me a few years after graduation to figure out a solid direction, but I worked in education for several years before starting down my path as a writer. I had always wanted to be a writer and had a natural talent for it, as well as art and design. I got married in 2006 and when my son was born (he’s almost 15 now) and I was staying at home with him. I needed a creative outlet so I started a food/recipe blog about my then-husband’s Argentinean heritage. That led to getting my first writing gigs. I had always dreamed of seeing my name in print and I don’t think you ever stop having a little thrill when you see your byline in a magazine! 

Over several years, I built my business of freelance writing by surrounding myself with as many resources as I could to learn what it meant to be a professional in this industry. For me, that meant reading books, networking with other writers (especially those who were more successful than me), taking online classes, and continually setting goals for myself. Those goals included to grow professionally, increase business and level up. It does take time, but each small step or victory eventually adds up and the successes continue to grow. 

I am still growing and learning and getting better! I love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else. I wouldn’t be here without awesome colleagues and mentors and people who have given me opportunities. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think there are challenges in any professional career and as you grow and get experience, you meet those challenges and overcome them. When you look back after doing a job for several years, the things that once seemed like they were too hard to do aren’t even difficult anymore and you know you’ve grown. Then you move onto the next challenging thing. I’d say that for me, the bumps in the road have been related to learning the business side of freelance writing. Just the process of developing a story idea and finding a magazine that wants to have me write it. Again, setting goals helps. For example, figuring out an income goal and selling the stories to meet it is one consistent example. 

That’s when it’s helpful to have mentors and people you can ask for their input, advice, or how they do things. Something as simple as a spreadsheet can solve problems. The solutions are usually out there, it’s just a matter of following “best practices” in your industry. It’s important to not get stuck in a rut but to challenge yourself to approach something from a new and different angle. 

I think the other biggest challenge has been to get out of my own way and believe in myself. I think women especially suffer from imposter syndrome, but we are really just selling ourselves short. If you have a dream you want to pursue, you must have the confidence to take the first step, then keep stepping. You may fail and experience a setback but then you just try again. I still have a hard time taking compliments and I’m always surprised when someone other than my mom reads something of mine. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a freelance writer who specializes in food, travel, beverage, lifestyles, and wellness. Essentially, I come up with a story idea, pitch it to an editor, and when they accept it, they publish it and I get paid for that. I work with online/digital publications as well as print magazines and newspapers. I also do some brand content and work with trade publications. After a few years of work, I found editors that would regularly assign work to me, which are my bread-and-butter clients I know I can rely on for consistent work and consistent pay. 

I am proud to have written for some of the top publications out there: BBC Travel, Hemispheres, Huff Post, Thrillist, Eater, Tasting Table, Food 52, AAA, Costco Connection, AARP, and many others. I’m writing a book called Colorado Food Trails, that will be published by the University of New Mexico Press next year. 

Being a freelance writer can be competitive. Editors get hundreds of emails a day pitching them ideas. I think that overcoming rejection is something you have to be able to withstand in this industry and so being persistent and not getting discouraged and giving up is something that sets me apart. I think another key is believing I can be a writer, arming myself with the right tools to be able to be successful at it, and figuring out what I don’t understand or know how to do are key qualities. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
The best advice I could give someone starting out in any career is to find someone whose career path you admire, who’s career is where you’d like yours to be, and try to emulate their path. I’d suggest getting your hands on as much educational material about your field as you can and learn about what you need to do to be successful. If you can, find a mentor who can both give you advice and help you network and help you get started and move on to the next step. Also, I would suggest being patient and persistent, because getting a big break overnight when you’re just starting out is almost impossible, usually there’s a lot of hard work that goes into reaching any milestone of success. 

Contact Info:

• Email: rebecca@rebeccatreon.com
• Website: www.rebeccatreon.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccatreon/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.treon
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaTreon
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD__SYZwGkNsg9NtF4xAHmA

Image Credits
Annette Rogers
Joni Schrantz
Mel Castro
Jessicarobyn Keyser
Joni Schrantz