It’s more difficult than ever for U.S. media organizations to cover international events. Since 2003, the number of foreign correspondents working for U.S. outlets has fallen 24 percent. Yet as press freedom continues to decline around the world, the need for major news outlets to sustain a presence abroad is more vital than ever.

That’s why a team of journalists and developers recently launched HackPack, a platform to connect freelancers and fixers worldwide to the news bureaus that need them. In doing so, media outlets can maintain an international presence and publish independent, original stories. At the same time, freelance journalists can gain an outlet for their work that pays a fair wage.

I first encountered Robert Boice’s name about three years ago, somewhere online; after that, it started popping up every other month. Boice, I learned, was a US psychologist who’d cracked the secret of how to write painlessly and productively. Years ago, he’d recorded this wisdom in a book, now out of print, which a handful of fans discussed in reverent tones, but with a title that seemed like a deliberate bid for obscurity: How Writers Journey To Comfort And Fluency. Also, it was absurdly expensive: used copies sold for £130. Still, I’m a sucker for writing advice, especially when so closely guarded. So this month, I succumbed: I found a copy at the saner (if still eye-watering) price of £68, and a plain green print-on-demand hardback arrived in the post. So if you hunger to write more, but instead find yourself procrastinating, or stifled by panic, or writer’s block, I can reveal that the solution to your troubles is…

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