Member of the Month: Betty H. Smith

The caption beneath Betty Smith’s photo should read: “If consistency were a person.”

In 2018 Betty signed up for my coaching program because she wanted help with launching a blog. Each week I gave her tasks to do and each week she completed everything I asked her to do. Soon her site BettyHSmith.com was ready to go. And we had a launch party with her family and friends to celebrate.

Eventually, Betty joined the See Jane Write Collective and her consistency shines through as a member, too. She shows up for write-in sessions, critique sessions, group coaching sessions, and more — always eager to help out and encourage her fellow writers and bloggers.

Her consistency has helped her self-publish two books, post new content to her blog each week, and write personal essays.

And her consistency is why she’s the See Jane Write Member of the Month for November 2020.

Read on to learn more about Betty H. Smith!

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3 Books Every Freelance Writer Should Read

Stephen King once said, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

Sometimes, the things we read will help us with the craft of writing. Sometimes we need to read books that will just keep us going. That’s why I return to books like Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg again and again.

Freelance writing, however, is a different kind of animal and requires a different kind of reading.

Here are 3 books I believe every freelance writer should read.

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What Life as a Full-Time Freelance Writer Is Really Like

Because I am a full-time freelance writer, I work from home. Before the Coronavirus forced many workers out of their offices and into remote work setups, many people thought that when I said I worked from home what I really meant was I lounged on the sofa all day in my pajamas watching old episodes of Criminal Minds. And while I do hang out with my friends from the BAU during my lunch break, I think now most people know that working from home is still hard work!

Nonetheless, many people still don’t understand what it truly means to be a full-time freelance writer. Sure, there are glamorous parts. You get to interview amazing people.  When the world isn’t in the middle of a pandemic, you get invited to events and you get to check out new venues, books, and experiences before anyone else does. Sometimes you get paid to travel. Building your brand as a writer also means having fun photoshoots and even being featured on websites and in ad campaigns.

But there’s a lot about this freelance life that’s not glamorous – at all. So, I’m here to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Inspired by Mattie James’ blog post on Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Tasks for Influencers, I’m going to share what life as a full-time freelance writer is really like by covering what I do each day, each week, and each month.

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