New Blog - Freelance Writer's, Scrapbookers, Frugal Living

I finally got my everyday blog up and running. It is an awesome place for people who are looking to freelance from home. Lots of great writing tips, writing information and freelance writing stuff. Check it out! Plus plenty of info for working at home, scrapbooking, and frugal living - save money!

http://www.scribblesnscraps.com/blog

Confessions of a Freelance Writer

It is simple really. I am a freelance writer. Anyone who does this for a living, knows, understands, and can sympathize with how difficult it is to create a living doing something like freelance writing.

Since I was extremely young, I have written. Most writer's have. You don't just wake up one day and suddenly decide that. "hey, today I think I will be a freelance writer....hmmm... what do I write first." Nope. That is not how it works, though for some that is what they do.

For me writing was born inside. Deep within the walls of my heart. I wrote things for people all the time, and would hear compliments, praise and questions regarding why I wasn't trying to make a living doing this. Why wasn't I writing a book? Well, truth be told, I was writing a book. In fact, I've been writing books since I was only a child, and although until several years ago, did not share them with anyone, they were there.

When I decided several years ago that writing was the path I was going to follow, it was a rough road to follow. There were pot holes along the way, and rejections, just as any writer, freelance or otherwise knows, there are many rejections. But then the acceptances starting coming, and they began coming regularly. Suddenly one day I woke up and realized, holy cow, I'm actually a freelance writer, and I'm doing it, despite what others wanted.

See, I was a starter wife for my children's father. *sigh* He is happily remarried now and honestly, I love his new wife. Not so crazy about him, and if she only knew the truth about the things that went on in our marriage, she might not have been so quick to marry him.

What's funny about the entire thing is that almost a year ago, I began writing for www.families.com. Two months after I began, he actually contacted my boss with families.com. Yes, sad but true. In fact, the really depressing part of it all, and kinda pathetic outlook on his behalf, is that we have been divorced for six years. Do you not think perhaps he could have moved on? And beyond that, we barely speak, in fact, we hardly ever speak. So, he calls my boss and tells her I am plagiarizing my articles, that they are not mine. He tells her all sorts of things which I will not go into here. Thankfully I knew my boss, Lisa well. And she knew he was a "can short of a six pack" to coin her ever so eloquent phrase. She also knew that my writing was all original, and she had seen my work before. So, really my dear ex's plan backfired and I was quickly promoted to senior blogger and received a pay increase. So I guess, thank you is in order to the jerk. LOL

Anyway, why am I writing this when I am supposed to be writing a confessional? Because this is part of it. My ex husband NEVER supported me. He never once complimented my writing and never even believed I could do anything with it. Great eh? But still, I continued to write. I prayed that one day I would find myself writing and being paid, and you know what, it happened.

And now, I am in a loving relationship, with honestly the greatest man I have ever met, who supports me, believes in me, would give me anything I wanted and will stand behind/beside or anywhere else I want him to stand. No, not because he is a push over -hardly. He is just a very supportive, loving man. He believes in me. Why? Because he took the time to get to know my writing. He hasn't read everything I've written, but he has read a lot of it. He understands my writing style, he understands where my niche is and how important writing is to me. He continues to support me and proudly tells everyone we know that I am a freelance writer, and that I get paid well.

So what is the confession in all of this?

Don't get discouraged. Believe in yourself, and eventually others will believe in you too. Don't let people put you down, don't take criticism on your writing personally, instead use it to become a better writer. Ignore the angry, jealous people that might or might not surround you. Choose to be happy, to love what you do and to encourage others to do the same. That is all we can ask for in life.

Do you have a writer's confession to share? Just click on the comments and tell me about it! I'd love to hear it!

The Truth About Freelance Writing

It seems to be a myth amongst those who wish to stay at home with their children and still have an income coming in, that perhaps writing "stuff" is the answer. Yeah...well, not so much.

Here's the deal. You actually have to be good at writing to make a decent living out of it. You can start marketing yourself as a freelance writer, but if you cannot consistantly show that you are are a knowledgeable, trustworthy writer, with excellent writing skills, your career as a freelance writer will be short lived.

Many people begin posting on freelance writing job sites almost as soon as they decide they want to write. While this can be beneficial for some, putting together some writing samples to submit, or even getting your feet wet somewhere first, are excellent alternatives.

The dozens of writing opportunities that I have had in freelance writing have not come easy. I have had to market myself, show off that I can be responsible, organized and write cleary and precisely, and often work well with others. Freelance writing is not the job for just any SAHM or WAHM. You have to give writing it's fair shake in your busy day, and in addition be willing to spend countless hours researching, sometimes for no pay at all.

So is Freelance Writing the job for you? I cannot answer that, but you can. Take time to think about it, browse the different writing websites and figure out if you have what it takes to be a freelance writer!

Good luck!