I always wanted to be a stay-at-home freelancer, so why am I so sad?

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Carmen Shea Brown

I remember the drive down the long, winding road to my place of employment, passing all the same restaurants, shopping centers and offices I had gone by almost every day for the past 10 years. After months of thinking, praying and analyzing the situation from all angles, I knew I was doing the right thing. Still, as I got closer to the parking lot, my heart felt like it was going to explode. 

I was about to break the news to my manager, supervisors and co-workers that after a decade of being a faithful employee at a major retail chain, I was leaving to pursue my passion for writing full-time. 

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How Netflix’s Big Mouth improved my marriage

Mikkaka Overstreet and her husband already had a great marriage. But an over-the-top animated show made it even better.

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Dr. Mikkaka Overstreet

2020 was supposed to be my year. After living with debilitating chronic pain that doctors refused to believe, I’d had a hysterectomy at the end of 2019. The pain stopped, and I started healing my relationship with my body. I was eager to start living again after over a year of lying miserably on my couch beneath a heating pad. I had been through the wringer physically and emotionally and was ready to reclaim control over my life.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

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Unlock your Age of Pleasure with journaling

The Age of Pleasure is here!

Most people know that I’m absolutely obsessed with Beyonce because I’m always talking about her out in these Internet streets. But my IRL friends know that I’m also a huge fan of Janelle Monae and that’s why I’m so excited about her new album The Age of Pleasure which was released today. And when she announced her North American tour and I saw that she was coming to Birmingham I snagged my tickets before they were even officially on sale. (Yup, I got that Fan Presale hook-up.)

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How I’m Sustaining My Love for Writing and How You Can Too

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By LaKisha Cargill

A few years back, I was a writer who did not write. I even wrote about it on my blog. I had several excuses, including not having the time, or so I claimed. I told myself that life was too busy for the luxury of just writing. Plus, I did not think receiving compensation for my writing could be a reality. The thrill of my first paid byline in college had become a faded memory despite receiving a free product or a gift card here and there over the years in exchange for an honest review on my blog. 

Then things changed. A pandemic. A social reckoning. Me. And I thirsted for an outlet to share my voice. Watching the video of George Floyd was the catalyst for my hand to pick up a pen again and write. I began to write everything all the time. Poems. Essays. Children’s books. A 5th-grade chapter book and more. Most of it has been for my eyes only, and those I ask to proofread, but some have made it out into the world and landed on magazines’ virtual and actual pages. And for this, I am genuinely grateful to those who have helped me water these seeds. I am thankful that these seeds have been allowed to bloom within me. And I am pleased that I can now call myself a freelance writer who receives compensation for her writing.
 
But I must be intentional to sustain my love for writing. So here are my tips for nurturing a passion for writing, even when life gets busy. 

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For the Teaching Writer — Heavy on the Writer

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write now publishes articles and personal essays by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By Jelisa Jay Robinson

Dear Teacher Writer, 

I see you. Finishing manuscripts on holidays and summers.  Attending See Jane Write meetings on Tuesdays. I see you finishing your grading so that you can steal a moment to work on your screenplay.  You are the teacher that incorporates writing into your lessons.  Letting kids know that writing isn’t a bore; it’s a major source of creativity, joy and a skill set that can make you money in the future.  You are the Teacher Writer…Heavy on the writer. 

You’ve been told that those who can’t do, teach.  But you know that’s not true; those who teach…do…and they do it well.  

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