50,000 words in 30 days. Let’s do this.
If you’re not familiar, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month, and it’s a long-held tradition among novelists aiming to crank out 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. That comes out to 1,667 words per day.
As you can probably imagine, for those who choose to participate, November feels both like an insane Marathon you’re not sure you should have signed up for, and like a sprint you don’t have time to reconsider because it’s already too late.
And this year I’m doing it as a blogger.
Audacious? Yes. Crazy? Absolutely. Has blogging 50,000 words in a month even been attempted before? After a brief Google search, the answer appears to be: maybe? …
It doesn’t have to be fancy, it just has to work
To get started as a freelance writer, you only need one thing: a laptop.
Okay, two things: a laptop and an internet connection. Once you’re on your laptop with your browser of choice pulled up, Google Chrome being my favorite, where do you go from there?
When I started my freelance writing business back in May, I had no idea what I was getting into. I read lots of articles just like this one, trying to figure out what I was going to need to get rolling. …
Articles on creative writing to spark your inspiration.
When you major in something like “creative writing” you might get comments such as:
- “What are you going to do with that?” (0/10 very unoriginal) OR,
- “Oh, so you’ll never get a real job.” (They say as a “joke,” of course) OR,
- “Yeah, I thought about doing that too but decided I wanted a job when I graduate.” (Good for you, pal!)
Despite the smug comments, throughout my college years, I was fully committed to my creative writing degree. Nothing and nobody could dissuade me from pursuing the thing I loved. …
It’s okay to be a little rebellious.
Monday morning began bright and early — without me.
I was still snuggled in bed, having slept through a score of alarm clocks (yes, I’m one of those people). When I finally opened my eyes, the day was well on it’s way to 10 o’clock, my early-morning-workout plans dashed and an impending sense of dread stealing into my stomach. Uh, oh, I realized in despair. I’m not going to get anything done today, am I?
No, no I was not.
But then I decided, why not embrace it? Why not take an Emotional Sick Day © like I used to in High School when I really just did not want to go? Why not choose to intentionally ignore everything on my To-Do List today? …
The best short stories I read for my creative writing degree.
During a creative writing undergraduate degree, you may end up reading a few short stories. Those stories may produce thoughts such as:
- Why can’t my writing be this good?
- How did they DO THAT?
- Okay, that sentence just made me cry. I’ll never write anything this amazing!
And then you’ll probably start to question your career choice, research the profitability of an Etsy store, and wonder about one-way plane ticket prices to Costa Rica.
But creative writing Professors assign some of the best work out there for a reason. And it’s not so we can sulk about our abilities — it’s so we can learn. …
Resources to help you feel more creative!
On good days, I feel like my creativity is a blooming flower. And on bad days? It’s like mushy blueberries that have been out on the counter for too long and taste like dust. BUT IN REALITY, creativity is a lot like a pickle. Yeah, the long green dudes. Because creativity needs to ferment. It has to steep in ideas and thoughts in order to become that crispy, crunchy treat we all know and love.
So if you’re feeling that particular brand of panic that only comes from not knowing how to be ~creative~ enough, and every time you try to write or make art it just lies there, flatter than a tortilla after its been beaten with a rolling pin, then you are in luck! …
The official archive of the weekly guide to saying “enough is enough” and living with more spunk.
I’m officially re-launching Not Another Newsletter! Welcome to the archive of your weekly guide for resources about blogging, writing, entrepreneurship, and living with more spunk (love me some spunk).
To celebrate, I’m now dubbing 10 am PT on Friday WINE TIME. 🍷
Consider this permission from yours truly to grab the bottle that’s been gathering dust all week (okay, if you’re truly wild — since last night…I SEE YOU) and start sippin’ away! Because if they’re going to make us work from home, we should at least get to enjoy a little refreshment. …
Being creative on demand is TOUGH.
Just be fresh and new and snappy and bold and witty and hip and entertaining! Oh, and have it done by tomorrow. PANIC MODE.
When I was in middle school trying to write young adult novels (all of which vaguely resembled Twilight and should never see the light of day), I only wrote when I felt like it. An hour here, an hour there. It was all for fun and there was no pressure to complete any of it by a certain deadline. …
So easy!…Right?
- Discover that having an online writing business is even POSSIBLE.
- Get really, really, really excited. Day dream about it. Have actual dreams about it. Think about it pretty much all the time. Journal about it. Annoy all your friends by talking about it constantly.
- Read about having an online writing business: all the articles, books, and ebooks you can get your hands on.
- Go for an invigorating run where you question all your life choices and wonder what the heck you’re supposed to do with this one life you’ve been given and freak the ever-loving vodka out — then finally DECIDE TO DO IT. …
Frankly, I’m not totally sure. A lot of it was luck.
I’m here to talk about MONEY. Strap in, babes!
Or, more specifically, making money. Because we all wish we could be doing more of that. And unfortunately, for the last four months, I wasn’t making ANY of it. No, I don’t count my monthly .30 cent Medium earnings. I was super broke.
But that all changed in the last few weeks when I landed my first monthly retainer with a client I absolutely ADORE (check out Foodtography School — they are stellar!). Now, I suddenly find myself making enough to pay my rent, buy groceries, and eat Chinese food once a week. I also find myself not internally cringing whenever I tell someone I’m a writer by profession. …
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