Your Journey as a Writer

Writing a novel is a lot more complicated than it seems, or for me it is.  Of course, I am one of those people that love to just go with the story, never really been great at planning when it comes to putting a story line together.  Billy on the other hand is great at that though.  In a way though, I do find it very therapeutic, when upset about something.

I started my writing journey six years ago, mostly I did a lot of freelance work but I have also been working on a novel as well during my free time.  Publishing an e-book has become the new trend.  It is so much easier to go through Amazon or Barnes and Noble to publish a book than it is going through an actual publisher.

If interested in starting a writing career I have dedicated Pinterest boards to help give you a starting point that will help you establish a solid foundation to lean on.  Writing has become a new working point for Stay at Home moms.  It is something that is flexible and easy to get into also.  There are so many opportunities out there for moms that want to work from home, I have devoted a lot of my free time to researching ways to help other moms find what they are looking for so that they too can be able to stay at home with their kids.  Here are links to some of my boards that will help:

List of Boards

Freelancing Board/ Work from Home

Stay at Home Mom Board

Book Writing Board

I hope this helps and if you do find yourself interested in starting a Novel that’s great!  It really is a fun way to express yourself through your writing and surely is bound to bring out your creativity as well.  🙂  Feel free to check out my Pinterest account, it is filled with so much fun and useful boards meant for the whole family.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, can’t believe we are so close to Fall already! Yikes, time is flying.

 

 

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Publishing a Book

Today I am really working hard to publish one of my ebooks that I have been working on. I’ve got a lot to do but I am feeling confident that I will finish by the end of the day. Publishing a book is not as simple as I thought. To be honest I love writing, hate editing, and well yeah I am sure you get it. Billy, my husband, thinks it’s funny because it has taken me this long to even get a book out.

Right now I am just spending time with the kids while an AT&T technician works on our internet. It has not been user friendly at all for over a month which has also caused me a lot of time as well. Hoping it will be back up soon!

To be honest it has been nice to take a break from the digital world. I can’t say my kids agree but it definitely has encouraged them to be more adventurous! It has forced them to use their imagination and has pushed me to get tons done around the house. There is a lesson to come from this too! It is so easy to get caught up with our digital devices that we forget what’s truly important in life. Hope everyone is having an amazing Wednesday! Feel free to comment below as well 🙂

Where to Start off as a Newly Established Freelance Writer?

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There are many different opportunities here on the sites listed below, many freelancing jobs that are available range from writing, translation, data entry, blogging, web design…etc.  On some of these sights after you sign up you will first place bids on the jobs you are qualified and interested in.  You will then wait to see if you get selected for the job you put in for or if another freelancer was selected.  Some writers do really well and others not so much, it really depends on what you want to do with your freelancing career and the skill set you have to offer.  The more you do it the easier it becomes, practice makes perfect.  These three sites are very popular among many freelancers and are highly recommended by lots of successful people that freelance on the side.
www.freelancer.com

www.upwork.com

www.guru.com

www.iwriter.com
For Iwriter you will have to make an account by signing up on their homepage.  It is a very easy process and FREE! Once you have made an account you are given a rating that normally will start with a one star.  That will limit your job opportunities at first but as you advance by taking on the smaller jobs you will soon be promoted to the more higher paying jobs that are offered.

www.blogmutt.com
Blogmutt is a site you get paid to take on blogging assignments from different clients.  It is very easy you just have to sign-up and take a grammar test and sometimes a small writing test.  Different sites have their own requirements because they are trying to see if this is the writing niche for you.

www.scripted.com
Scripted is a lot harder to get into but pays really well!  First you have to sign-up and take a grammar quiz.  If you pass the quiz you are automatically taken to a screen where you can choose between three topics to write a small blog post about.  MAKE SURE YOU READ THE DIRECTIONS!  that is key to being successful on this site. Once you have completed the first blog assignment then you will have to do a small descriptive writing assignment on an item of their choice.  If you manage to get through all those hoops you will hear back from them by email letting you know that you have been accepted as a qualified writer for Scripted!!!

www.writersaccess.com
Writeraccess is another great website that pays really well if you become accepted to be a writer for them.  You can choose from four different categories which include: Writing, Editing, Translation, and Content Strategy.  Choose the job that fits your freelancing style and they will email you back if you fit their needs in that area of expertise.

www.writerbay.com
Writersbay is very similar to Writeraccess.  You have to apply but it is more for general freelancing so you don’t have to really choose a niche.  They will also email you if you match what they are looking for in a writer.

www.articledocument.com
Article Document is a wonderful website if you want to get some sample articles and experience behind you.  You start off with creating an account with them and writing three articles of your choice (they have a list you can choose from and it is very extensive).  Once you are done with the articles you are rated.  If you are rated an “8” or above  as a total from your three unpaid articles then you are able to take on paid assignments.  You also get royalties for all articles you write for them including the three you wrote prior to the paid assignments.

www.fiverr.com
Fiverr is a more relaxed writing environment and is very popular among a lot of people who need a freelancer because the pricing is extremely reasonable for clients.  The base charge that you start your services at is $5.  You can have add-on bonuses for extra money but the base usually starts at the five dollar mark.   All you have to do is sign-up  on their homepage and get started.  It is a good way to get you and your services out in the lime-light in the world of freelance writing.

www.freelancewriting.com
This is one of my favorite websites.  It offers a lot of freelancing positions by promoting them from other sites that are looking for writers, editors, and other popular niches of the world of freelancing.  There are jobs for web design, editing, proofreading, writing, etc.   You can go there for extra information about applying for gigs and contests as well.

Blogging

Today I have been working on my other site which is somewhat connected to this blog as well.  The website is called ‘Embracing the Impossible‘.  The rain we are having here in Kansas has been such a help with getting me motivated to write again.  It has been such a productive day today too.

Blogging is such a great way to be open and express yourself.  I have been really enjoying it because it gives me a sense of control and freedom to be me.  Life is all about building blocks in my opinion and with my blogging it seems to be the same.  I build on my writing by expressing myself and sharing information that could be helpful to others.  All bloggers are different and have their own writing styles as well.  As a mom my writing style is more free spirited and open when expressing something.

If you ever decide to blog it is really easy to get started too!  All you have to do is create a site from either Word Press or Weebly.  I use both sites and they are great!  They are easy to join and all you have to do is sign up, then pick a style, and begin blogging. 🙂

me and shirley

Productivity at It’s Finest

This week has been a very productive one, the only thing I found unproductive was the doctor’s visit yesterday.  They didn’t seem to be as helpful and only left me with more problems to worry about.  I will say Vacation Bible School was a success though.

Today I have been kind of going with the flow and you know it really is funny how much more relaxed I am than when I am worrying about every little detail of my typical day.  I guess the lesson I learned from this is don’t sweat the stuff you can’t control just go at your own pace.  🙂  Can’t believe it is already July 1st!!! Yikes, time is just a flying this year!  Soon school will be starting and then Christmas!

I am brainstorming as well on another book I am wanting to write.  I really enjoy dystopian fiction novels and science fiction.  🙂  Well I hope you all have had a great day and enjoy your family during this wonderful Holiday weekend! shutter3