THERE IS A DIFFERANCE FOLKS!

I have always wondered how my life would change if I became a paid writer. I had this romantic idea that nothing would change and that I would still be giving just as much time to my works in progress as I did before.

I have been a full time freelance writer for almost three months now and I am sad to say it, but there is a huge difference between writing for yourself and getting paid for it. For instance, if you get paid for your writing you suddenly have deadlines and you have to give those assignments your full attention. When you do it for yourself you write when you want and as many times as you want. If you didn’t complete a certain word count for the day then there is always tomorrow. With paid writing you do not have that luxury.

I still love my job, don’t get me wrong. I feel happy that I can do what I love. But now I have to become one of those many organized writers who have a writing schedule and posting schedule, as many of you will have noticed, I do not get to blog as often anymore. Sorry about that.

Another thing I realized is that freelance writing does not pay a lot at all or at least the company I work for does not pay me a lot. You do a lot of research and effort for a small fee. I am not complaining or anything but just to help some of you aspiring freelance writers out with some information...I get paid 38 cents (R3) for every 150 word article I write. I write about 300 articles a month, each consisting of 150 words which gives me a grand total of $114 (R906) a month. So as you know I have to write a lot of articles if I want to make ends meet. But I figure at least I get to add some writing credits to my query letter. Plus I get to work from home.

I just thought I would tell everyone about what I just realized. It is a good thing I am not just doing the writing for money. I just so happen to love it, but the money is a realistic plus.

ANOTHER AWARD!

So I won another award. The Versatile Blogger award, but I have already received it before and because I am such an award hoarder I will accept it anyway. I mean you don't see people say no thank you to another grammy do you? I didn't think so.

Moving on...

This award does come with rules so here goes.

1. Thank and link to the person that nominated you.

Thank you so much Nicole, http://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com, for this award. I am very grateful. You are just awesome.

2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.

I have a tattoo on the inside of my left wrist.

I just love animals.

My eyes are sensitive to bright light.

I can't eat meat.

I get car sick.

I am afraid of heights.

I am a very picky reader.

3. Because I am such a natural rebel, I am going to simply post this award and whoever hasn't received it yet is free to take this award. Yes, I am serious.

TRUST IS IMPORTANT

I think that it is essential for all writers to trust themselves and their work. Believe that your work has potential. How can you make others believe that if you do not? I know many times we feel unworthy of that kind of assurance, but always doubting yourself and your writing is just too exhausting on the long run. I am not always as confident as I would like to be, but I try to remind myself that my creative efforts are a huge achievement. At least and I can always improve and correct most errors through editing. As a writer self-belief is essential. You need to believe and trust in yourself and your talent. You just have to.

Thank you, Alex J. Cavanaugh for creating the Insecure Writers Support Group. You guys can visit Alex over at http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com.

ROAD TRIP

Last week my family and I went to Struisbaai to attend my cousins wedding. It was a three hour drive that really tested my health, as I tend to get car sick. But it was a great journey. We stayed for a few days and the wedding was just beautiful. I even got in touch with some of my cousins I had not been in contact with for a while. It was nice to catch up again. Thank you guys.

While we were there we took a drive to Cape Agulhas, the most southern point of the Africa continent. I even took pictures for you guys.

Enjoy!

Cape Agulhas

Cape Agulhas

The most southern point in Africa

(Cape Agulhas)

Struisbaai

Struisbaai

Struisbaai

ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD

I have been out of town for a few days and guess what I find when I come back? My blog has won another award. Yay!

So here it is:

And like all awards it comes with rules. So…

1. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.

Thank you so much Bailey (http://overyonderlit.blogspot.com). I am really grateful.

2. Pass the award on to 15 other bloggers and here they are.

(Bob) http://bobscotney.blogspot.com

(Better is possible) http://clpcs-betterispossible.blogspot.com

(Carole) http://caroleannecarr.blogspot.com

(Renee) http://reneesilvana.blogspot.com

(The golden Eagle) http://thegoldeneaglesblog.blogspot.com

(Heather) http://hmgardner.blogspot.com

(Tonja) http://tonjasmusings.blogspot.com

(Lea) http://wantonredheadwriting.blogspot.com

(Reina) http://reina2000.blogspot.com

(Donna) http://donna-realworldwriting.blogspot.com/

(John) http://writepirate.blogspot.com

(Melissa) http://fictiontoolbox.blogspot.com

(Judie) http://judiequayle.blogspot.com/

(Nancy) http://introverted-writer.blogspot.com/

(Tasha) http://tashaseegmiller.blogspot.com/

IT DOES GET EASIER

I have officially 33 rejection letters behind my name. I got one this morning and you know what? I didn't fall apart or anything. I just took the rejection in my stride and thought about what I could do to change my luck.

So it does get better after a while or at least for me it does.

My latest rejection letter mentioned that there was nothing in my query that made her feel that my paranormal romance novel was different from all the others out there at the moment. So perhaps I should write for a different market. But that is just a thought.

Hope everyone is still doing well.

A LITTLE TASTE OF ADVENTURE

Last week I accompanied my two sisters to Cape Town. It is just about 50 minutes away from my small town by car, but what made it really awesome was the fact that I took the public train for the first time in my entire life.

My oldest sister commutes by train to Cape Town for work every single day. I got a little taste of what her life is like and it was amazing, scary, but amazing. If she wasn't with me though I wouldn't know which train to take when. I know most of you are thinking that I am weird for never having been on a train, but people have always told me scary stories about riding the train and so I never tried. I am glad I did though. I will definitely cut my sister a bit more slack now that I know what she has to go through every day.

My other sister took me out on the town and I saw Cape Town like I never saw it before. It is a very beautiful and lively city and if you want that constant movement around you then it is perfect for you. It was a bit overwhelming for me, because personally I can't handle too many people around me, but it was a fantastic experience. I can see why so many people prefer city life. In the end though, I guess I am just a small town girl at heart.