writing – Woman In Writing

The Writing Slump

Posted on October 19, 2021October 11, 2021 by October

Ever since I finished my 30-day Medium writing challenge, I’ve been in a writing slump. I think I temporarily burned myself out. I wrote almost every day, and on some days I wrote multiple pieces. The challenge was exclusively for Medium, but there were a handful of pieces written for other writing platforms, which means that I averaged more than 1 piece per day. I’ve never done that before, even with a diary. Although writing in general comes naturally for me, the challenging part was writing Medium-esque pieces every day.

I’m trying to get back into the swing of things and I find that I’m very distracted by my side hustles which are not related to writing. I need them to pay the bills.

My writing needs at this point are to figure out:

my writing priorities
who my writing voice is, and
where I’d like to focus

In my heart I know I would pursue fiction full time. I have multiple notebooks of ideas for both short stories and novels. Yet, that’s what I’m writing the least of.

I never knew there were so many paths for writers. And in attempting to discover and experience them all, I’m getting very distracted. SO distracted that I feel like I’m losing my way. So I’m going to check-in with myself on a more regular basis and course-correct based on my self-assessment. I’ll report back on my progress.

On Writing

Sustainability for Writers

Posted on October 10, 2021 by October

It’s been an interesting journey this year, and my first one really and truly focused on my writing craft. I’ve written many pieces on my own, both fiction and non-fiction. I’ve also joined a content generation company and have ghost-written non-fiction pieces for various customers in return for money.

In the end, I’m trying to figure out the sustainability game. And it’s a common question for writers.

How do I make money as a writer?

Then, how do I make a living as a writer?

I’ve gone down multiple paths to answer the first question. There are many more and maybe some day I will pursue them all. At this point in my writing career, I’m reminded of Chris Rock’s famous comedy bit when he tells of his roots cleaning shrimp and making shite money. Just trying to survive in this world. This is me cleaning shrimp.

But the second question remains elusive. And I don’t think it’s something I’ll be able to figure out anytime soon. You need lots of experience to be a great writer and no matter how many books or blog posts you read, podcasts you listen to, and classes you take, the knowledge doesn’t just transform your writing overnight. You have to put it into practice. It’s a long, challenging road. But one that I’ve been through before with my previous career.

So while I’m going through my transformation, I’ll be continuing my side hustles to sustain. Cheers to everyone else on this journey!

Medium

My Story was Distributed by Medium Curators!

Posted on September 10, 2021 by October

“Sometimes one of the behind-the-curtain wizards at Medium stumbles across your story and recommends that it be featured. Without a publication. Its merit stands on its own.”

What an amazing honor for a newbie! I wrote more about it and what it means in this Medium story here:

https://womaninwriting.medium.com/my-story-was-distributed-by-medium-curators-a3cace27836

Personal

Online Businesses are Hard

Posted on June 1, 2021June 1, 2021 by October

The title says it all. I have multiple online businesses now and it’s becoming clear to me how saturated this world is. Without understanding SEO (search engine optimization) and the best ways for people to find you, you just get lost in a sea of everyone else like you. And there’s a lot of people here, especially due to the pandemic.

Writing is only one of my online businesses. How do people find someone who has nearly no following? How do you accumulate an audience who believes in you and wants to read what you write? It’s not as simple as “just write, then publish.” If you keep doing this, then you will make progress, I’m sure. But that first part when you’re first getting started is a killer. It’s true that you have to want it.

My other online business actually sells a physical product. It has its own challenges, but it’s a similar issue. How do you successfuly help customers find you? Having great customer service, creating meaningful relationships, and keeping your customers coming back is the easy part, it seems. But finding your customer audience, much like writing, is the key.

Right now I’m new to online businesses, so I’m not throwing in the towel. I’m also not talking myself out of this path. Just sharing my experiences to help others going through the same journey. This is going to be a long road.