Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 94

Want To Be A Freelance Writer? Move To One Of These Great Cities!

There are many fantastic perks to being a freelance writer. Being your own boss and managing your own hours is pretty cool. One of the greatest things, however, is being able to work from literally anywhere in the world. Armed with your trusty laptop and an internet connection and you can set up a writing workstation wherever you like.

Being a freelance writer, however, isn’t wholly responsibility free. Everyone needs to have a roof over their heads and enough money to pay the bills. While there is plenty of work out there for freelance writers it’s hard to have a steady income, to be able to predict your future earnings and to avoid inevitable quiet periods where you aren’t earning as much.

With this in mind, it’s important to think about the best places to work as a freelance writer. Choose somewhere where the cost of living is too high, and you might find yourself always worrying about where the next pay cheque is going to come from and whether you’ll definitely be able to pay all your bills.

Some cities are ideal for freelance writers, where the cost of living is low, but the city itself is vibrant, exciting and full of opportunity. So if you are feeling ready for a new adventure, why not relocate to one of these great cities?

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is situated in northern Thailand and is a popular tourist destination as well as amongst those who want to settle and work there. You’ll find a great community of foreigners in town, a friendly and welcoming atmosphere and plenty of other writers, notably travel bloggers to share ideas and inspiration with. Regarding living costs, rent and bills are incredibly cheap, food is next to nothing too, so it’s a great place for freelance writers who are just starting out and want to live a decent lifestyle without having to worry too much about what they are earning.

Berlin, Germany

While far from being the cheapest places to live in, Berlin’s rent price is surprisingly more affordable than some of it’s neighbouring European cities. Besides, it’s worth it for the vibrancy, culture and electric atmosphere of the German capital. You’ll never be short of inspiration and ideas when living and working in Berlin!

Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv is a city that has changed so much in the past few years it’s hardly recognisable. This sunny city now attracts people from all over due to its hip atmosphere and buzzing streets. In Tel Aviv, you can take advantage of free health insurance which is a huge draw, and there are so many cafes, and co-working spaces full of friendly freelancers that it feels like a positive place to try and start up a freelance writing career.

Mumbai, India

Mumbai is a pretty city packed with little-cobbled streets, boutique shops and restaurants. There is nothing quite like the atmosphere in India for inspiration, and the cost of living is extremely low. Over the past few years, Mumbai has become an increasingly popular tourist destination, and restoration of colonial-era buildings has given it an artistic and cultured feel that is perfect for creative types.

Lusaka, Zambia

If you are feeling particularly adventurous head to Lusaka, Zambia, where you can find inspiration amongst the thousands of miles of woodlands and floodplains, the exotic wildlife and the stunning scenery. The cost of living here is also extremely cheap so you can reconnect with your wild side without having to worry about how to pay the bills!

So, if you are feeling adventurous and want to start your freelance writing career by pushing your boundaries, having countless new experiences and lapping up the culture and atmosphere of a brand new, writer-friendly city that won’t break the bank, why not bite the bullet and head to one of these amazing, creative and affordable cities?

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Thankful to be Alive

Thankful to be Alive

By Gia Volterra de Saulnier

It was cold, no, not just cold. Bitter cold. Where you could see the snow landing not so softly on my pickup truck window. Well, that is if I could see out of my pickup truck window.

I had a really rough night as it is. I just spent the evening with my ungrateful dysfunctional family over a not so lovely Thanksgiving dinner. Of course, the Turkey was dry and Mother tried her best, but Father insisted on frying the dang thing. There was fighting, there was swearing, there was my brother not paying attention to anything but the stupid Football game. I couldn't wait until the dessert was over so I could say I had to go home. I had to make some sort of excuse just to get out of there, but the storm was starting to hit rather badly, so it seemed as good as I got.

The next thing I know, some jerk swerved his car in front of me, and I jerked my pickup truck to the left to avoid an accident, only to catch on black ice in the pitch black at night. My truck swerved, jiggled and then I felt myself falling in the truck.

It's a good thing I had my seat belt on or maybe I had some kind of Angel watching over me, but I was hurt. I couldn't see where I was. I know the truck had rolled over a few times into a ditch, I could only pray that someone or something was coming to save me.

My arm was numb, my windshield was cracked. I could still hear my heart going at a very rapid pace. It was then I saw flashing lights. It was all I could see out of my limited eyesight.

I heard a man's voice, gravely and rough.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" The Brittish Columbia accent thickened with worry. My only answer was "My arm is numb."

"She's alive!", I heard him calling out to others that were with him. My heart was giddy and my soul was relieved to have someone come out to find me. My truck, well, I think it was pretty banged up by the sound of it.

The jaws of life came in and they did the best they could to just get me out of this mess.

"Ma'am, my name is Harvey, and I'm with the Wrecking Crew, we're here to get you out of this okay? Just stay with me."

I just nodded and thanked the Lord above for sending this crew to my rescue.

I wanted to hug Harvey. I didn't know who he was or if he was married with kids or if he had a girlfriend. If he was attached, boy was she a lucky girl to have him in her life.

They got me out. They called an ambulance and took me to the Hospital. I'm just thankful to be alive.

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Thanksgiving Dinner.

The beautiful memories of Mom making Thanksgiving dinner will stay with me forever.  A few days before, Mom would have the house smelling so good from baking pumpkin pies, cherry pies, and apple pies.  I would sit on the stool and watch her carefully place the pies in the oven so as not to spill any of the pumpkin mixture out.  When they were done she would place them on the pie shelf to cool.

The night before the dinner she would get the bread she had crumbled and dried out and start making her stuffing.  She would mix all of the ingredients together and stuff the turkey.  She would wrap him up and place him in the oven.  Of course, it had to be midnight so the turkey could cook all night.  The next morning when you woke up the smell of the turkey would be kissing your nose.

I really believe she loved making the dinner as I do today.   When the rolls were done she would say "dinner"!!!!  We would all crowd into the small kitchen and sit around the table.  The little ones had their own table to sit at.  Mom would get their plates, with help from my sister and I and, then we would go sit at the "big" table.  My Grandmom would say a prayer then we would start passing the dishes.  My Stepdad would carve the turkey and put a slice on all the plates.

While at dinner my Granddad would pick on me and grab a leg.  He knew I loved the legs but he had to have one too.  My Uncles would tell jokes, my Aunts would frown, and the room would roar with laughter.  Mom would join in with jokes she'd heard at the doctor's office.

Then came dessert and the cleanup.  Mom and the Aunts would serve the pie with homemade whipped cream.  After eating the men would excuse themselves and go to the living room.  The Aunts would start the cleanup and the little girls would help clean.  They would gossip and then go to church the next morning.  When I think about that now I laugh.  When everything was spotless the women would go to the living room and the kids to their bedrooms or, if it was nice, outside.  It was usually rainy and cold so we would go to our bedrooms to play.

Oh well, those were the golden years to me.  They were happy and loving years.  I remember the love.  The hugs that meant something.  Respect was evident every corner you went around.  Yes Sir, No Sir, No Ma'am, Yes Ma'am, please and thank you were said: "or else."  All I can say about holidays today is people on their phones the entire season, ignoring their elders, no respect, fake love, and no morals.  We need to bring back family values.  Just like the ones we had when I was little.

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Thanksgiving Turkey

Twelve intimate strangers: bound by blood and matrimony, separated by a thousand lacerations of the heart.

The travellers gathered around to enjoy Papa Joe’s Thanksgiving feast, each having taken their place at the table; seats never assigned, but understood to be Suzy’s place, Jake’s place, ad nauseam.

‘Fourteen shitty years,’ thought Cheryl.  She wondered if she was alone in this feeling, but couldn’t accept it as reality.  The day had been seared into her soul, so every person sitting here had to be furious, right?  ‘So why-in-fucking-hell are we sitting around pretending we’re a conventional family?  Lord, help us if that’s true!’  Cheryl chuckled at the thought, and all eyes snapped in her direction; drifting away after she offered no explanation.

Dinner was eaten in relative silence, so her chuckle received nearly the attention of a thunderous gong.  Understandably, since the conversation had been an agonizing hour of “Pass the salt?,” “I’d like more dressing…,” and “Nasty weather, isn’t it?”  The silence was otherwise broken only by the clanking of tableware or an occasional car pushing through the slush of warming snow.  ‘Hell,’ she observed, ‘I can even hear the clock ticking from forty feet away!  It was never like this before, when simultaneous conversations would patter along non-stop, slowing only when you couldn’t hear the person next to you because of Papa Joe’s hearty laughter!  Then everyone would laugh, and new conversations would spark.’

Those days were truly special… and very distant memories.

Papa Joe still sports his signature smile, but he no longer laughs.  Nobody laughs.  ‘These fourteen years must have been hard on everyone,’ Cheryl surmised, but she had no real way of knowing since no one spoke of it.  Ever.  It felt like only yesterday at times, but more often than not it felt like fifty long years had passed.  ‘Fifty?  Where’d fifty come from?  Hell, I’m only thirty-five now!’  She chuckled again, and eyes glanced in her direction but quickly darted away this time.

‘Heartless, egocentric assholes; a wake of human vultures, picking at the skeletal remains of a turkey that has nothing left to give.’  “Pick, pick, pick!,” Cheryl screamed, as she jumped from her chair.  Then, her head bobbing like birds in a feeding frenzy, “Peck, peck, peck!”  She had everyone’s attention now.  “Fuck every single one of you!” she continued, as she kicked the chair out of her way and stormed from the table.

The family stared at her, then at each other…

“What’s her problem today?” snapped Jake.

“SCDD,” Angie quipped, “Same Cheryl, Different Day.”  Then, with air quotes and an eye roll, “Drama queen!”

“She ruins every holiday!,” sniffled Suzy, “Why does she even show up?”

Papa Joe quietly shushed the table, sweeping his hand in the air as if shooing a fly.  “Let her go and don’t let it ruin our holiday.  She’ll get over it… she always does.”

Eleven intimate strangers rose from the table, moved to the living room, and took their places.

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How To Overcome Creative Burnout

Expressing your creativity is one of the best things about being a writer. However, there is always that worry at the back of our minds that one day the ideas might run out. This could happen when you are halfway through a book or when you are trying to come up with your next new idea.

While some people may be more naturally creative than others, creativity still requires time, effort, focus and energy. Even the most creative people could suffer from ‘creative burnout’ at some point, and if this does happen to you, it can be very troubling indeed.

So what exactly is creative burnout? Feeling uninspired, being unable to come up with new ideas, feeling demotivated, procrastinating, feeling emotionally blocked, feeling unable to write, a lack of self-belief, writer's block and wanting to give up on your writing are all indicative of creative burnout and can be very damaging to your writing career.

So how do you minimise and manage instances of creative burnout, to ensure they pass quickly, or, even better, don’t occur at all?

Here are some things you can try:

Practice positive habits

Positive habits can help free up your mind, refresh and refocus. These can be positive habits around your writing, but also in your day to day life. Some people find that going for a run, a walk in the countryside, baking a cake, painting a picture, meditating, socialising with your favourite people, reading a great book and so on can help to inspire them. In short, focus on what makes you feel creative, free and motivated and make these the habits that you fit into your daily routine.

Allow yourself to take a break

Often when we have bouts of creative burnout, we can immediately start to beat ourselves up about it, which just leads to a vicious cycle of self-loathing and feeling even more demotivated. Instead, just be at peace with doing nothing, step back from projects and give yourself a break. It may well be that you have simply overworked yourself and need a break to be able to get back to it once more.

Talk to others

Don’t bottle up the way you are feeling, talk to other people around you, fellow writers will be able to give you advice and sympathy, and friends and family will lend you their ears and be supportive. Sometimes just talking about how you feel can lift your spirits and help you feel unburdened, lighter and more able to focus.

Get to the cause of the problem

Understanding why this is happening to you will help you tackle the cause of the problem and therefore fix it all the sooner. Often there is something quite specific, however subconscious, that has made us feel this way and is blocking our path to creativity. Figure out what it is and then devise a strategy to help overcome these obstacles and get back to work once more!

Believe it will pass

Feeling uncreative and uninspired can be frightening for anyone who works in a creative role. However, there is no need to panic if this happens to you. Just take a deep breath and follow the above tips. Hopefully, by doing so, you’ll be back to your fabulous creative self in no time!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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The Best Writing Habits To Get Into Right Now

When it comes to writing there are countless lessons we can learn. If we want to be successful however it’s a good idea to start adopting some excellent writing habits. After all, the more we try, the better we’ll become.

Here are some of the best writing habits you can get into right now. Don’t delay, start today!

Write daily. Write a little bit every day (and it really can be a little bit). This is the number one best thing you can do for your writing. Just set aside 10 minutes and stick to it and you’ll be amazed at your progress and how good you feel.

Read books (but pay attention). Read daily too. Again, even if you have got only 10 minutes to spare, this is still a great habit. When you read, try to pay attention like a writer. Think about the way the plot unfolds, the way the characters develop and figure out how to apply these techniques to your own work.

Remember, there are stories everywhere. Watch movies, documentaries and TV for inspiration, read the newspaper, eavesdrop on conversations, look around you more. There are stories everywhere; it’s all about keeping your eyes and ears open.

Have a great writing space. Set up a lovely writing space that’s just for you, and use it every time you write.

Make writing your priority. Procrastination and excuses not to write need to become a thing of the past. If you are serious about your writing, you need to make it a priority.

Get some writing buddies. Having a troupe of writing buddies at your fingertips can be so useful for inspiration, for motivation and moral support. Find some other writers to help you stay on the right track.

Think about your reader. Whenever you write, before you begin to ask yourself ‘who am I writing this for?’

Learn about editing. Every good writer is also a great editor. Learn everything you can about the editing process and then make sure you have the time and patience to edit your own book thoroughly - before anyone else sees it.

Research before you write. Getting research out of the way before you write will not only help you write in a more informed and believable way, it will also help you to make sure your story can in fact work!

Save for a publishing and marketing budget. No matter how good you are at editing, writing, designing book covers and so on, having a budget set aside to polish your book and then to promote it could help boost your book sales no end.

Write more than one book. The more you write, the more likely you are to become successful and the more income you can potentially earn. Your books don’t have to be bestsellers, but if you’ve written enough of them and they sell steadily, you could well make a good income from them.

Set manageable goals. Don’t make your goals vague or unrealistic. Have writing goals that are manageable but challenging, then prioritise and stick to them no matter what!

Celebrate your success. Every step you take towards achieving your writing goal is a step in the right direction. Don’t be shy about celebrating your success - you deserve it after all.

Learn from your mistakes. Every writer makes mistakes, and that’s OK. Just try to learn from them, then pick yourself back up, dust yourself off and continue.

Call yourself a writer. In order for anyone else to believe you are a writer, you have to believe it too!

Never give up. No matter what happens, just keep going and believe that you can do it!

Take these great writing habits, embrace them and put them into action right now. You’ll have a better attitude and become a better writer almost instantly!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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How To Stay Sane As A Freelance Writer

Being a freelance writer can be a tough old job at times! While there are plenty of benefits, the solitude, the financial uncertainty, the deadlines and the juggling lots of assignments and projects at once can sometimes leave you pulling your hair out!

So what are the things you can do to stay sane as a freelance writer, ensure that you balance your work and social/ family life, and feel more secure and stable when it comes to managing your money?

Here are some handy tips!

Plan your finances

Budgeting is something that you are going to have to become pretty good at if you want to be successful as a freelance writer.

What’s important to remember is that there are times where you are going to be busy and have a nice steady income coming in, and times where you are not. That’s why it’s important to budget and save, particularly when you are just starting out.

As you get more used to the role, you may find that patterns emerge so you end up knowing when times are more likely to be quiet for you, and can adjust your spending accordingly.

Be super organised

If you want happy clients and to build up an excellent reputation then you need to know that deadlines are non-negotiable. To save yourself stress and panic, and being up until 4 am the night before a deadline sweating over a piece that you can’t quite get finished you've simply for to get organised.

Learn how to manage your time, how to prioritise and how to avoid procrastination. Planning your workload efficiently, expecting delays and not letting yourself get distracted will mean you know exactly what you have to do and when, and make sure you always stay on track.

Take time off

It can be so easy when going it alone as a freelance writer to work all the hours of all the days! But if you want to enjoy your job and stay productive you need to be able to take time off to relax and enjoy other things.Factor some paid holiday into your budget and schedule and make sure you don’t take on any work in those periods and let any regular clients know well in advance.

You also need to know when to switch off at the end of a day. Even though you may work from home, you don’t need your work life to blend totally with your home life. Have an ‘end’ to your working day when it’s time to switch off your laptop and concentrate on doing other things you love, or just relaxing in front of the TV with a well-deserved glass of wine!

Consider a shared workspace or find other people to write with

If you work from home, you can end up going days without talking to anyone else! Why not consider hiring a shared workspace with other creative types so you can leave your house and go to work? Having an office space is ideal to separate work from home and to interact with other people can help you feel more motivated and creative too.

Being a freelance writer gives you so much flexibility and freedom in your job. However, you also need to make sure you have some processes in place - doing so will mean you enjoy your job even more and keep you satisfied, successful, and sane!

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Sorrow

You see sorrow but you don't speak,

You fear that your own will make you weak.

For you don't know,

My sorrow is my own!

For I see the truth of the world,

And it has made me hurl.

I try to close my eyes and think of love,

But that only shoved,

The pain and sorrow deeper.

As this hill of life becomes steeper,

In the world of pain.

What do we have to gain?

People Lie!

People Die!

I've grown too cold,

As this world stole.

Every bit of happiness that came my way,

But how could I make it stay?

When I'm too weak and hurt to fight,

For you crying at me in fright.

How can I heal this sorrow?

For that it will only grow deeper tomorrow!

Listen to what I say,

And begin to Pray!

Pray for  my soul!

It's fine if you don't,

But remember me if there is no tomorrow.

For me,

Tomorrow could never come.

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How To Achieve Creative Greatness

One thing that all writers need is boundless creativity. However, sometimes it can be challenging to get those creative juices flowing.

Achieving creative greatness is not something that just happens overnight. It takes time and effort, it takes making mistakes and learning from them, it takes hard work and applying yourself even when you are feeling creatively lacking.

So often we assume it’s raw talent that makes certain people stand out and achieve more, or even that they just got lucky. However, if you want to feel wholly, wonderfully creative, it is actually by putting the time in and dedicating yourself to your art that you are most likely to achieve your goal.

So how can you find ways to be more creative and achieve creative greatness? Follow these useful tips:

Just begin

Every great writer started out somewhere, and when they did, they probably weren’t even that good. You’ll never feel effortlessly creative unless you start trying. So even if it feels laborious, painful and slow at first, just keep applying yourself and soon you'll start to see your productivity increase and those ideas and words start to flow.

Make your creativity your priority

If you want to achieve creative greatness, you have to follow your passion with a desire and hunger like no other. It’s all too easy to think of your creative projects as hobbies or add-ons to your day to day life. If that’s your attitude, you’ll never honestly apply yourself and find it hard to improve. Start taking your creativity seriously and make time for being creative a priority in your life.

Never miss an opportunity to be creative

There are opportunities to be creative at every turn - if you look hard enough for them that is. Almost everything can be turned into a more exciting, more adventurous, more experimental, more creatively freeing moment if you are ready and willing and going to push to make it so. Don’t let creative opportunities pass you by, stay alert and be prepared to follow wherever the creativity takes you.

Know that not everything can work

Creativity is about experimentation and failure as much as it is about adventuring and success. You have to take risks, and you have to make mistakes. Not every idea you have will be great; not every project will be well-received. Just know that that’s OK and being creative is a learning curve. Learn from your errors and failures, and you’ll always be improving.

Get feedback whenever you can

There is plenty to learn from others when it comes to being creative so learn to solicit advice and feedback and also how to take that advice and feedback on board. You don’t have to listen to every piece of advice you get given; you don’t have to change your work just because someone doesn’t like it. You can be sceptical about other peoples advice and opinions, but make sure you don’t dismiss them or shut them out just because you don’t want to hear it either.

Enjoy the adventure

Creativity is exciting and often hits you unexpectedly but is also a measured practice that takes discipline and control. Enjoy all aspects of creativity, the parts where you get to feel free and adventurous as much as those where you need to practice, to work or find something challenging. If you can embrace all parts of it, you’ll be that much closer to achieving creative greatness.

Creativity is such an integral part of any writer’s success. Finding ways to be more creatively free as well as how to tune into your creativity, to hone it and shape it and turn it into something useful for your work are all critical skills. The more we are able to do so, the better writers we will become!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Useful Writing Lessons For Beginners

If you are just starting out as a writer knowing where to begin can often be overwhelming. For many would-be writers, the idea of sitting down and starting is exceptionally daunting, sometimes so much so that they keep putting their writing off and it ends up being a distant dream rather than an exciting reality.

It’s important to make sure this doesn’t happen to you, so here are some tips which can help you start off on the right foot, to get into the swing of things and avoid common pitfalls and mistakes.

Find a great writing space.

Claiming your writing space can help get you into the right mindset for writing. Make sure you find a spot where you won’t get disturbed, where you feel calm and peaceful or revved up and inspired. Gather everything you need around you, notebooks, pens and pencils, books, your laptop - whatever you need so you’ve got all the tools to get started. Then just take a deep breath, and begin.

Little and often is best.

Every writer has a different way of working, but if you are just beginning, you don’t want to burn yourself out too soon. Take it slow, but make sure you write something every day. If you can get into a writing routine, it will quickly become second nature to you, and you’ll make steady progress too.

Start off your session with a quick writing exercise.

Sometimes we need to loosen our writing muscles and get those creative juices flowing before we start trying to write a new piece. Doing a quick five-minute writing exercise can clear away the cobwebs, get rid of all the weird and wonderful things going on in your mind and help set you up for a productive and creative writing session.

Let your imagination run free.

Censoring yourself at this early stage is one of the worst things you can do. At this point try as best you can to silence any critical voices and just let your imagination run wild. Remember, in fiction; anything can happen so just try to relax your mind and be as experimental and inventive as possible.

Read lots

Read as many books as you possibly can. These will give you insight and inspiration and help improve your writing too. Always make sure you have a book on the go!

Have fun with it!

No one is going to tell you that writing is a picnic all the time, but also it is important to remember that it is supposed to be fun! Make sure you don’t put too much pressure on yourself in the beginning stages and just take great pleasure in knowing you’ve begun to follow your dreams.

By following the above tips, you are sure to get your writing off to a great start. Remember, though hard at times, writing is also incredibly rewarding, cathartic and lots of fun - so don’t wait around another day to get started, just get cracking and see where it takes you!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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