Rosemary Donahue

Rosemary Donahue is a Brooklyn-based writer and wellness editor with Allure, and was previously in editorial roles at Brit + Co and HelloGiggles. She has been published in NYLON, Racked, Refinery29, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, Broadly, Extra Crispy, Travel + Leisure, and more.

Q: What was your first paid writing gig...and how'd you land it?

A: Aside from writing individual freelance pieces for publications, I got an editorial fellowship at an ad agency about three months after moving to New York and applying to over a hundred jobs. They liked my resume, but in addition to that, I'd written a few health-related pieces and they needed someone to write health content for a few of their brands.

It taught me that it's good to have a sort of "beat," or even a few topics you write about a lot, because you may become a sort of expert in that topic that makes you a more attractive candidate for a role.

Q: What are some of the common misconceptions about working with the types of publications you do?

A: I write mostly for women's publications, and whenever we publish anything about politics or general interest news, there are bound to be comments about how we should "stick to makeup," which is just ridiculous.

So-called women's publications often have some of the most nuanced takes when it comes to social issues, and to dismiss the work we do because we also write about aesthetics is straight up irresponsible.

Q: Do you get a lot of pitches for the different publications you've worked with over the past few years? If yes: what are some of your pet peeves about pitches--and what gets a pitch sent straight to the trash?

A: Read the publication, and make sure what you're pitching would fit what they're currently publishing — but make sure it's not something they have already. Also, don't assume the editor knows you or background information of your story. Give some information about who you are, why you're the right person to write this piece, what the crux of the piece will be, and leave them wanting more. Leave the editor wanting more from YOU.

Q: What's been one of your favorite writing/interviewing experiences so far in your career? Why was it special?

A: Honestly, the overwhelmingly positive feeling of getting my first piece accepted was probably one of my favorites, just because it was such a personal piece I'd worked hard on and I wanted to spread information about the BRCA2 gene mutation.

But since then, there have been many other highs — it was amazing interviewing Ellen Pompeo of Grey's Anatomy, which I got to do after she read a piece of mine about how much I loved the series. I also find it really special to get private DMs from people who identify with mental health writing and want to thank me for my work, or might have learned something they can bring to their doctor or apply to their lives.

Q: I know that you've done some interesting pieces on mental and physical health--but sometimes that means being very vulnerable and open about your personal experiences. Is it intimidating to share those stories? How do you decide what to divulge and what to keep private?

A: I'm a pretty open person, and part of that comes from being really open with my family. I have a rule that I don't write anything I wouldn't want my family to read, and that's pretty much what I've done.

I also think it's a good rule to wait some time between experiences that are traumatic (if you choose to write about them at all) to make sure you've processed it before sharing it so publicly. Personally, though, I find it cathartic to write about mental health, and many of the stories I write have at least some sort of service angle so it feels good helping others advocate for themselves, too.

Q: What tip(s) do you have for writers who are feeling discouraged?

A: There's no one path to becoming a writer. Though we all tend to compare ourselves to our peers or to those we admire, some of the best people in our field became writers in very unconventional ways, or don't come from writing backgrounds, or became writers later in life.

You may have a different path than other people and that's okay, and you may have to edit through a lot of shit to get one good paragraph, but you'll find your way.