Currently

During the Fourth of July weekend, my husband and I went to the movies THREE TIMES. We saw the new Spider-Man movie, Midsommar, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. We also watched the entire third season of Stranger Things.

By Sunday I felt guilty about all that screen time and was beating myself up for not using the weekend to do more reading and writing. But when I got a last-minute freelance assignment that Monday the piece I wrote for the assignment was an essay inspired by one of the movies I’d watched over the weekend. Thanks to the inspiration from that film the words flowed from my fingers effortlessly.

I remembered that this is exactly why I love when other writers share the things they’re currently into and why I occasionally do the same on this blog. Pop culture can be a cornucopia of creative inspiration.

So it’s time for another edition of Currently, a feature for which I share what I’m currently watching, reading, listening to, writing, feeling, planning, and loving.

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How to Be a Writer in Birmingham

In 2009 — after living in Berkeley, California; Seattle, Washington; and Louisville, Kentucky — I returned to my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama to teach. Despite the fact that I’d left a job as a newspaper reporter to start a career in education, I knew I wanted to continue to write.

This would be my first time in Birmingham as a working, writing adult. I knew how to be a teenager in Birmingham writing angst-ridden poetry and prose in my journal, sitting in my bedroom with The Cranberries or Mariah Carey playing on the radio.

I knew how to be a writer on the West Coast and in the Midwest. But I had to learn how to be a writer in Birmingham.

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Member of the Month: C.J. Wade

C. J. Wade // Photo by Desiree Danielle

The See Jane Write book club See Jane Read is back and this month we’re reading the novel The Morning After by C.J. Wade. C.J. is also the See Jane Write Member of the Month for July 2019 — and not simply because we’re reading her book this month.

C.J. is a powerhouse of a woman — a Jane of all trades and a master of many. She’s an author, blogger, teacher, dancer, and massage therapist! She’s also one of the kindest and most compassionate people you will ever meet.

If you’re in the Birmingham area, you can see for yourself when you meet her at our book discussion, set for Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Panera Bread located at 521 Fieldstown Road in Gardendale. You can RSVP here.

If you’re not in Birmingham, don’t fret. We’ll be having an online discussion of the book throughout the month here.

Read on to learn more about C.J. and more about The Morning After.

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Why Freelance Writers Must Practice Goal Setting

On May 24, I announced that I had resigned from my teaching position and would now be a full-time freelance writer and entrepreneur. 

After sharing this news on my blog, social media channels, and with my email list, my freelance cup quickly runneth over. And this is a great problem to have! Through email, Facebook messages, and direct messages on Instagram, people made me aware of writing opportunities — paid opportunities — that I could take advantage of. 

And like any self-employed scribe who wants to ensure she can pay her mortgage, I said “Yes” — to EVERYTHING — including things I had absolutely no interest in doing. 

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My Secrets to Side-Hustle Success

A woman smiling, sitting before a table covered in magazines
Writing for magazines like B-Metro, Birmingham, and Good Grit has been a key part of my side hustle success.

This year my side hustle not only helped me make money but cost me money, too.

During tax season many people use their tax refund checks to plan trips, splurge on fancy dinners or new outfits, or beef up their savings. And usually, I’m doing one or all of these things. But not this year. This year I wasn’t doing any of these things because this year instead of getting a check from the IRS I had to send a check to the IRS — a check for an amount of money that had a comma.

And I was so excited!

You see, when I talked to my accountant about why I suddenly had to pay back all this money he explained it was because I’d had such a successful year with my side hustle — See Jane Write LLC and my freelance writing. This was good news for me since I was planning to make my side hustle my full-time career, which I did last month.

Related Reading: So…I quit my job!

If you’re eager to learn my secrets to side-hustle success, keep reading.

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