ASJA PACIFIC NORTHWEST NEWSLETTER
For ASJA members in
Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington
March 2025
https://asjapnw.org
In This Issue
From the Prez, A New Story, M. Carolyn Miller, ASJA PNW President
25 Ways to Get Your Money’s Worth from ASJA in 2025, Michelle Rafter
Ask AI to Summarize YouTube Videos, Bruce Miller
Member News and Announcements
Our March chapter meeting at 11 am:
M. Carolyn Miller is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Time: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
11:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87898612924
Meeting ID: 878 9861 2924
This newsletter publishes the first day of each month and welcomes article submissions and photos. Please email the ASJA PNW Newsletter Editor, Maxine Cass, at maxinecass@gmail.com .
From the President
by M. Carolyn Miller
ASJA PNW Chapter President
A New Story
Several years ago, I researched the “how to” of content marketing so I could apply what I learned to the target population for my passion project—people in transition asking the “big questions” and transforming their lives (and world) with the answers they found.
I read books. I watched videos. I wrote client “how to” articles on the subject. (“Earn to learn” is how I justify client work that takes me away from my own creative projects.)
And then, based on what I’d learned, I wrote my blog. And something magical happened. As I wrote the blog, I found this powerful persona inside me that replaced the unsure, neurotic, often-depressed writer I tend to see myself as. In my blogs, I was an activist and intellectual who wielded my words to call out the patriarchy and offer a wider and deeper lens personally and socially. (You can see my blogs here.)
I never shared the blogs—or my voice—with anyone other than my tiny mailing list. And I haven’t done a newsletter now in over a year.
But as I watch those in power dismantle democracy, it’s time to change that. Because not only is that the only way I know to combat the blues that descend when I watch too much news, or talk with too many doomsayers, or imagine the woods I hike in uncared for by state and federal workers. It is also the only way I know to imagine a different story.
Narrative therapists say that old and new stories can live side by side for a long time. As part of that parallel process, artists and writers are critical. They offer a container for processing grief as the story changes, sometimes violently, and then a vision for what is possible in the next chapter.
That is what I hold onto as I ride the waves. This is why, now, I write.
M. Carolyn Miller, MA, spent her career designing narrative- and game-based learning. Today, she consults and writes about narrative in our lives and world, the inextricable link between the two, and the critical role of self-awareness in transforming both. www.cultureshape.com
by Michelle Rafter
25 Ways to Get Your Money’s Worth from ASJA in 2025
Editor’s note: This article by Portland ASJA PNW member Michelle Rafter, was published on the ASJA website on January 29, 2025.
ASJA’s yearly conference is the organization’s signature event. It’s a chance to put assignments aside for a few days to learn new skills, meet with prospective writing outlets in person or virtually, and hang out with writer colleagues old and new.
But the conference isn’t the only advantage of being an ASJA member. The leading organization for self-employed nonfiction writers offers freelance journalists, book authors, and content writers dozens of benefits throughout the year. Most cost nothing beyond your annual membership dues.
Here are 25 ways to get your money’s worth from ASJA in 2025:
Learn Something New
…continued at: https://www.asja.org/asja-membership-benefits/
by Bruce Miller
Ask AI to Summarize YouTube Videos
Writers who visit YouTube videos for background or research might find assistance with a relatively new feature from Google’s Gemini AI.
This new feature — also known as a LLM (Large Language Model) — is named “2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps”.
The new AI feature allows you to ask questions about a YouTube video. Here’s an example using (with permission) a 2022 presentation by ASJA PNW member Minda Zetlin. Her presentation was “The Secret to Reaching Your Biggest Goals” for the Professional Independent Consultants of America.
The prompt I wrote to the 2.0 Flash model:
Please give me a synopsis of this presentation by Minda Zetlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dRkZB5pkVk
Answer:
This YouTube video is a workshop presentation by Minda Zetlin focused on goal setting and achievement. The presentation is structured in two parts and aims to help viewers clarify their goals and develop actionable steps to reach them.
Here are the key points from Minda Zetlin’s workshop:
Core Message: Setting and pursuing goals is crucial for both professional and personal success.
Workshop Structure:
- Part 1: Goal Crystallization: The first part focuses on defining and specifying your goals clearly.
- Part 2: Actionable Steps: The second part is dedicated to outlining the steps needed to achieve those goals.
Obstacles to Goal Achievement: Minda Zetlin identifies four common barriers:
- Lack of Clarity: Not having a well-defined vision of what you want to achieve.
- Unclear Path: Not knowing the specific steps required to reach your goals.
- Overwhelm: Feeling daunted by the size or complexity of the goal.
- Fear & Procrastination: Fear of failure or change leading to delaying action.
Visualization Exercises: To help the audience clarify their goals, Minda Zetlin leads them through three visualization exercises:
- 5-Year Vision (2028): Imagine your ideal world in five years.
- 2-Year Milestone (2026): Envision the progress made in the two years leading up to your 5-year vision.
- Actionable Steps (2023): Determine the immediate steps needed to start moving towards your goals within the current year (2023).
Key Actionable Advice:
- Prioritize Tasks: From your list of tasks for 2023, select just 1-3 key items to focus on.
- Identify First Steps: For each prioritized item, pinpoint the very first, smallest task you can take to initiate progress.
- Schedule and Commit: Assign a realistic completion date for each task and mark it on your calendar or journal.
- Celebrate Success: Acknowledge and celebrate task completion to build momentum and positive reinforcement.
- Be Kind to Yourself: If a task isn’t completed on time, reschedule it without self-criticism.
- Start Small: Break down tasks into the smallest possible units to overcome fear and build confidence.
Illustrative Story: Minda Zetlin uses a story about Jimmy Fallon to demonstrate the power of focused effort in achieving goals.
Q&A Session: The workshop concludes with a question-and-answer session to address audience queries and provide further guidance.
In essence, Minda Zetlin’s presentation provides a practical framework for goal setting, emphasizing clarity, actionable steps, overcoming obstacles, and maintaining a positive and focused approach.
—————————
To use this AI feature, you need a Google account. As of February 9, 2025, a free account worked.
Go to: https://gemini.google.com
In the upper left you want to choose this model:
2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental with apps
Then, ask your question and incorporate the URL similar to the example above.
You can ask various types of questions. Here’s an example:
Prompt:
Please elaborate in actionable advice of “Identify First Steps.”
Answer:
You’re asking for actionable advice on how to “Identify First Steps” effectively, based on Minda Zetlin’s goal-setting workshop. This is a crucial part of making goals achievable, as it’s often the starting point that feels most daunting.
Here’s a breakdown of actionable advice on “Identify First Steps,” drawing from the principles Minda Zetlin likely discussed:
Making “Identify First Steps” Actionable:
The core idea is to make the initial step so small and manageable that it removes the feeling of overwhelm and inertia. It’s about lowering the barrier to entry and building momentum.
Here’s a step-by-step approach to identifying effective first steps:
Break Down Your Goal (Even Further):
Think Tiny: Take your overall goal and break it down into smaller and smaller components. If your goal is to “write a book,” that’s huge. Break it down into chapters, then sections, then even smaller units.
Example: If your goal is “get a new job,” breaking it down might look like:
Update Resume & LinkedIn Profile
Research companies in your field
Network with people in your industry
Apply for 5 jobs per week
Practice interviewing skills
Focus on the Very First Action in the Sequence:
Chronological Thinking: Think about the logical sequence of steps needed to achieve a smaller component of your goal. What absolutely needs to happen first?
Example (Continuing “get a new job”): If you’ve broken it down to “Update Resume & LinkedIn Profile,” what’s the very first thing you need to do for that? It might be:
Open your current resume document.
Log in to LinkedIn.
Brainstorm your accomplishments from the last year.
Make the First Step Incredibly Small and Easy:
Low Resistance: The first step should be something you can accomplish quickly and easily, even when you’re feeling unmotivated or busy. It should be something that takes minutes, not hours.
Remove Mental Barriers: The smaller the first step, the less mental resistance you’ll encounter. It’s easier to convince yourself to do something tiny.
Example (Resume Update – even smaller): Instead of “Open your current resume document,” the very first step could be:
“Find the file on your computer where your resume is saved.”
“Create a new folder on your desktop called ‘Resume Update’.”
Make it Concrete and Specific:
Action Verb: Your first step should start with an action verb. This makes it clear and actionable. Examples: “Write,” “Call,” “Research,” “Email,” “Open,” “Find,” “List,” “Brainstorm.”
Specific Task: Avoid vague first steps. Instead of “Think about my resume,” be specific: “Brainstorm 3 key accomplishments from my last role to add to my resume.”
Example (Networking): Instead of “Network more,” a specific first step could be: “Find the LinkedIn profile of one person in my network I haven’t spoken to in a while.”
Focus on Starting, Not Finishing:
Momentum Builder: The purpose of the first step isn’t to complete a major part of the goal, but to simply start moving. Starting creates momentum and makes it easier to take the next step.
Example (Writing a book): Instead of “Write Chapter 1,” a first step could be: “Write one paragraph about the main character of my book.”
Ask Yourself “What’s the Absolute Minimum I Can Do Right Now?”:
Minimum Viable Action: This question forces you to identify the smallest possible action that still moves you forward.
CAVEATS
This AI feature is super-picky about the URL format. You might get a response like this:
I’m sorry, but I’m unable to access this YouTube content. This is possible for a number of reasons, but the most common are: the content isn’t a valid YouTube link, the video is potentially unsafe, the content does not have a captions file that I can read, or the video language is currently not supported.
Make sure the ONLY parameter in the URL is the v=[ID number], such as:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dRkZB5pkVk
Also note that in the follow-up answer is this verbiage: “. . . drawing from the principles Minda Zetlin likely discussed”. Is the AI guessing? This is why AI still cannot be completely trusted.
Seattle resident Bruce Miller has been leveraging AI to speed development of web-based database applications and continues to run some of the AI models on his local computers.
Black-tailed buck (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) licks lichen on Oregon White Oak/Garry Oak (Quercus garryana), Gold Hill, Oregon. © Maxine Cass
Member News and Announcements
Michelle Rafter wrote daily ASJA 2025 Conference recaps.
Day One: Stay Optimistic in an Era of Uncertainty
It’s always been hard to be a freelancer, but in 2025 it’s getting even harder. Outlets are drying up. Rates are shrinking. AI tools pose an existential threat. First Amendment freedoms are being tested. Competition is increasing. Despite the challenges, speakers who appeared on the first day of the ASJA 2025 conference encouraged writers to preserve, be optimistic, and lean into the qualities, background, and experiences that make you different. Above all, don’t underestimate the power of your ability to tell stories, and to tell your own stories.
Day Two: Improve Your Writing and Storytelling Skills
In challenging times, writers have an important role to play, and honing your skills makes you a better writer. Speakers throughout day two of the 2025 ASJA conference shared their wisdom and advice on how to improve your writing through better interviewing, storytelling, and visual and auditory elements that enhance your words.
Day 3: Attendees Share Their Best Tips From Conference Day 3
ASJA members offered pointers they picked up from speakers at the ASJA conference on breaking into specific types of markets and on resources for improving internet research.
Joanna Nesbit (joannanesbit@comcast.net) is seeking ideas and contacts for future ASJA PNW meeting speakers.
NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY
EDITOR: Maxine Cass
PROOFREADER: Catherine Kolonko
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE: Bruce Miller
*All stories are copyright by their respective writers.
*All photographs and illustrations are copyright by their creative makers.
*All rights are reserved to each of them for their own material.