Member of the Month: Khalia Wilkinson

One thing I love about the women of See Jane Write is that they so often take their work beyond the page and find other creative ways to reach the people they feel called to help. Khalia Wilkinson is a great example. A poetess and inspirational writer with a focus on women’s wellness, Khalia blogs at Woman 31 Living and she’s the author of two books — Love Stories: An unapologetic look at love, life and sex in poetic prose, available on Amazon, A Woman’s COVID-19 Survival Guide, which she’s offering to readers for free.

But she didn’t stop there. Khalia has teamed up with the Birmingham Public Library to present Conversations with Khalia, a monthly virtual conversation series for women looking to talk through issues about style, personal wellness, parenting, love, relationships and more.

Because of her dedication to helping women live their best lives, Khalia is the See Jane Write Member of the Month for May 2021. We talked with Khalia about her new conversation series and the secret to self-care.

(more…)

How to Create Consistent Content Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

Creating consistent content is important when you’re trying to build your brand and platform as a writer. And when it comes to blogging and posting to Instagram, I am usually Queen Consistency. Usually.

Last month I published ONE new blog post and sporadically posted to Instagram only when I felt like doing so. And while the blogging break was planned, the shoddy Instagram posting was not. But I know exactly why it happened.

(more…)

Walking and Writing: Could a Daily Walk Boost Your Creativity?

A walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells. – Patrick Leigh Fermor

I’m so obsessed with the topic of walking and writing I should write a book on it. Duncan Minshull did. In his book Beneath My Feet: Writers on Walking, Minshull includes a letter that Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote to his niece in 1847. In it he declares:

“Above all, do not lose your desire to walk: every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness; I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it.”

Søren Kierkegaard

These words could have been my mantra last year. In 2020 I committed to walking for exercise for at least 30 minutes every single day – in spite of the fact that I was going through breast cancer treatments. And I stuck with it. I walked just hours after my lumpectomy. I walked after surgery for my chemotherapy port placement. I walked after my first chemotherapy treatment and I walked on the days when chemo made 30 minutes feel like 30 miles. I was even quoted in Oprah magazine because of my walking challenge!

In addition to faith, family, and friends, the things that got me through cancer were walking and writing. And therefore, I believe I can walk and write my way through anything. And I am convinced that walking and writing go hand-in-hand.

(more…)

Reflecting on 10 Years of See Jane Write

Ten years ago today I walked into a Mexican restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama, to have dinner with a dozen women I’d never met before. I was there because I wanted to start a women’s writing group. During this dinner that I had arranged, we talked about writing, blogging, social media, and more. We talked about our current writing projects and the projects we dreamed of pursuing. And with this meeting See Jane Write was born.

See Jane Write has changed so much over the past decade, and so have I. And I’ve learned a lot every step of the way. Here are 10 lessons I’ve learned from 10 years of See Jane Write.

(more…)