Kern Carter's Blog, page 4
April 14, 2023
April 13, 2023
When You Think of Me
Photo by Ümit Bulut on UnsplashIf you think of me, listen to a song or two. The missingness that you feel, shall painfully pass and uncurl like a vintage picture reel. Nights morph effortlessly into mornings, transformed by the first rays of gentle sunlight.
If you think of me, remember that I carry your presence. The deep yearning that stretches across distance and time, diminishes with each passing breath of tender recollection. Far apart and dissimilar as we are, our inner worlds are not entirely different, precariously bridged by a sliver connection.
Photo by João Ferreira on UnsplashWhen you think of me, a magpie sings. Put that melody you heard in an email, send me a link, and write me a poem. Words on a page spring forth as trembling leaves cleave for the kindest touch of light. Petals glisten with the caresses of morning dew.
There will come a day when it matters less today than yesterday. A time will come when your heart skips a beat, our energies will meet. Somewhere across vast oceans, there is a silhouette of you standing at the doorway holding a black ashtray. Unable to sleep, I search for you in my lost cache.
Under the canopy of night, before dawn takes flight, the long and lonely road is almost bearable, with temperate thoughts and loving snapshots. On the wall, your arms encircle my waist. Lying supine, side by side, we listen in silence to the primordial dance of falling rain.
Photo by Iwan Shimko on UnsplashPictures of me and pieces of you, hang on a wall big enough for us two. In another lifetime, you and I waltz to a random collection of YouTube links found in a digital mailbox. There is a scrawly handwritten note and a polaroid on the fridge. The picture shows a box of bones buried under a mossy rock.
We find a book of love poems on the bookshelf. You pick it up and read it to me. An unknown but familiar feeling washes over me. From an abysmal depth, an ancient memory stirs to a forgotten time when we were still young and carefree. As you turn the page, I close my eyes, needing to breathe. It was the day before Christmas Eve.
A vague and tender memory unpeels the breath of living words aching on a page; there is a sense of eternal longing for sunset walks with an mp3. A summer breeze caresses my hair and reaches yours, too. Momentarily, distinct portals collide. There is a loud prolonged scream and the sound of broken glass cascading. Outside the window, a quail begins to cry for a lost friend.
Photo by Alex Blăjan on Unsplash[image error]When You Think of Me was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
90 minutes with me — one on one
This is another step in providing value to the CRY community.
We already do free workshops every two weeks (one happening this Saturday). We send out the WRITERS ARE SUPERSTARS newsletter weekly. We invite writers to share their stories on our Love & Literature platform and of course there’s this space, CRY Magazine; where it all started.
But I know some of you have specific writing needs. You want clarity, confidence, and a clear strategy on what the next steps of your writing career should be. I’m here to provide all of that.
So with that in mind, I’m offering 90 minutes of my time for $90USD (and to be honest, I’ll probably give you a bit longer than 90 minutes). Sign up here to get started.
How can you use that time?
Edit 10 pages of your current manuscript or get clear on your book ideaHelp you strategize on how to find high paying clientsGuide you on what the next steps of your career should beHelp plan your next projectIt’s totally up to you how you use your 90 minutes. Just know you’ll leave our time together in a better place than you entered it.
Since this is the first time I’m doing this, I’m only taking 10 writers. Fill out this short form to reserve your time with me. Get the undivided attention you need to go from where you are now to where you want to be.
[image error]90 minutes with me — one on one was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 12, 2023
7 high paying freelance writing niches
Photo by micheile henderson on UnsplashDid you listen to me when I wrote “experts make all the money?” If you didn’t, you should have. I’ll never steer you in the wrong direction. Here’s another opportunity to learn and adapt what you learn so you can be a superstar.
You need to know where the money is before you go get it. Especially as a freelance writer where there are dozens of options, you need to prioritize what you’re passionate about writing against what your current skill sets are and what new skills you’re willing to learn.
In this post, we’re giving you the highest paying freelance writing niches. If you have the skills to deliver, these are the specialties that earn you the most money.
All freelance writing isn’t the same
Check out WRITE TO BE HEARD , a course for emerging writers
Writing is a broad industry that includes many sub categories. If you’re just getting started and not sure where you fit in yet, then being a generalist isn’t a bad thing. Try writing ads, try writing website copy, landing pages, white pages, blogs — try all of it.
But once you identify that niche that gets you the most excited, consider focusing entirely in that sector and becoming expert. That’s where the money’s at and that’s where you need to be.
This is when you need to prioritize. Writing novels is my north star, but ghostwriting has made me more money than anything and it’s something I’m also passionate about. But it took me some time to narrow my focus and build up my skill set to become expert.
If you want to do the same, you’ll need to be kind to yourself along the way.
High paying freelance writing nichesThis list is not in order, but through research, we’ve identified 7 high paying freelance writing opportunities you can take advantage of right now. Also, look out for our upcoming post where we’ll outline exactly what you should be charging for freelance gigs. We’re in the process of doing research now but expect that post coming soon.
Case studiesA case study is when you describe how a customer or customers used a product or service to solve a problem. Think of this like a super detailed testimonial. Case studies are valuable to businesses because it lets consumers know the product works and how it can work for them. The health and welllness space is where case studies are super relevant, but pretty much any business or industry can use them.
Case studies are based in research, that’s why it pays a premium. You’ll need to interview both customers and staff from the business in order to create a thorough write-up. Case studies are used most in B2B (Business to business) situations.
Video script writingIt’s no secret that video is where so much of content is heading. That may sound like a downer for writers, but guess what? Somebody needs to write those video scripts and that someone should be you.
When we’re talking about video scripts, we’re talking about marketing content. These are videos you might see on YouTube or on a company’s website. They’re commercials you see online or longer form videos companies send out to other companies to prove the value of their service. Either way, it all starts with a writer.
EditorIf you’ve been to any of my workshops, you know I always say that if I started my writing career today, I would start as an editor. There’s so much content being produced that editing is a must. Don’t just think book editing here. Think about editing any piece of content that businesses put out publicly, including social media posts, e-books, white pages, blogs, emails—the list goes on.
Content marketing managerStrategy is where future writers will thrive. Trust me on this. As AI tools make it easier to execute some writing tasks, the true value will be in creating strategies to reach the public. Those strategies involve content, and as a writer, you already understand how to create content. What you need to do now is leverage those skills, or level up your skills, and learn ways to distribute that content that will reach the audience that the business desires.
Once you level up, and pair it with your writing skills, you’ve just transformed yourself into an asset for any company.
Grant writerWriting grants are tedious. They take a lot of time, information collection, and a specific kind of persuasive writing. Those factors are what make it possible for grant writers to charge a premium.
Expect grant writers to be even more in demand in this year and moving forward. With inflation rising across the world and the cost of living far outpacing wages, people are turning to grants as a means of income. Yes, they want to fund their projects, but people who are seeking these grants also want to get paid. As a grant writer, you help them do that.
Technical writerI’m going to admit right now that technical writing is my least favourite kind of writing. That being said, technical writers get paid! With technical writing, you need to translate technical ideas—medical, technology, etc.—into manuals, journals, or tutorials that any regular person can understand.
This means that not only do you need to be a master writer, you also need to be well educated in the field you’re writing about. This is why technical writers are usually niche based. If you already obsess over an industry or have been trained/educated in a specific industry, then technical writing could be your thing.
GhostwriterOther than writing novels, this is my favourite thing to do. Ghostwriting books is so fulfilling and it also has a high price tag, which is another reason I enjoy it.
At this point in my career, I focus exclusively on ghostwriting books. However, you can also ghostwrite speeches or other long form content for individuals. I’ve ghostwritten pieces that have appeared in Forbes and NYT. Ghostwriting will always be in demand because there is a personal element to it. If you have the patience and don’t mind outbound marketing, then ghostwriting might be the career for you.
That’s it. 7 high paying writing niches just waiting for you to capitalize. If you learned something from this post, please share. That’s how we support everyone in the writing community.
CRY
[image error]7 high paying freelance writing niches was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 11, 2023
April 10, 2023
Call For Submissions — What Gets Your Emotional About Your Writing?
I remember finishing the first chapter of my first novel. I stared at that last page for at least 30 minutes. The joy, the feeling of accomplishment—it’s hard to even describe what that felt like.
But that’s what we’re asking you to do. For this week’s writing prompt, tell us what moments throughout your writing journey have gotten you emotional.
Emotions come in all types, so you choose whether this is a joyful story or a sombre one, but it’s OK to focus on the positive here. Let’s be happy about our achievements and recognize we’ve actually done some good.
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]Call For Submissions — What Gets Your Emotional About Your Writing? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
