3 Reasons Why Freelance Writers Should Blog

The other day I was chatting with a friend who is also a writer and she told me that she felt she owed her writing success to me. While I was very flattered by the statement I assured her that was not true.

This friend has had a lot of success. She’s had her work published in literary magazines galore and is currently slaying the freelance copywriting game, too. She also edits books and is working on writing a book of her own. But her talent and tenacity made all this happen — not me.

My friend, however, said that many of the opportunities that she’s had and the community of supporters that she has built happened because of her blog and she said she never would have started blogging had I not encouraged her to do so years ago.

Her words made me so happy. I preach the gospel of blogging to anyone who will listen because I, too, have built a wonderful tribe of women writers who have my back and have had several writing opportunities land in my lap because of my blog. And it’s so nice to know others are reaping the benefits of blogging, too.

Related Reading: How to Start a Blog

Blogging has definitely boosted my career as a freelance journalist. It helped me get the attention of magazine editors who offered me my own column. And sometimes editors even pay me to republish my blog posts in their publications.

Here are 3 other reasons why freelance writers should blog.

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How Inspired Vacay 2019 Turned Me Into the Dreamer I’d Always Claimed to Be

I’ve always called myself a dreamer. I guess you could say it runs in my family. My brother, who’s a music producer, is quite the dreamer, too. We even have our own hashtag — #PowerToTheDreamers.

But I recently realized I wasn’t quite the dreamer I’ve always claimed to be.

September 8-10, 2019 I had the opportunity to attend Inspired Vacay, a retreat hosted by and for the members of the Female Entrepreneur Association. This year’s Inspired Vacay was held in Palm Springs, California, and those three days changed my life.

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Member of the Month: Kimberley Carter Spivey

Kimberley Carter Spivey did not come to play with y’all!

When she became a See Jane Write Collective member back in June she immediately got to work. She logged into the members-only resource library and started watching the videos and completing the lessons on blogging, brand building, and freelance writing. Then she put what she learned into action.

This month Kimberley launched her new blog and business, Girl You Write. She’s also done freelance writing for several publications all while juggling writing, blogging, and business with family and her day job as a Retention and Student Success Specialist at her alma mater, Auburn University at Montgomery.

Kimberley’s remarkable work ethic and her great participation in the See Jane Write Network Facebook group are why she is the September 2019 Member of the Month.

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How to Create Content Consistently

Does this sound familiar?

You’ve finally launched your blog and you’re SO EXCITED. You’ve posted announcements about your new site on every social media channel and sent emails about it to everyone on your contact list. You even had business cards made and maybe even designed a blog branded T-shirt. Perhaps you even had a blog launch party!

Six months later your blog has been abandoned. You had plans to publish new content once a week, but you felt lucky if you updated your site once a month. So eventually, you gave up — not because you’re lazy, but simply because life got in the way.

I’ve been blogging consistently for over a decade. Through the years I’ve changed jobs and even time zones but my commitment to blogging has remained. Here’s what I’ve learned along the way…

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A Day in the Life of a Freelance Writer

Social media lied to you.

According to Instagram, the life of a freelance writer and full-time entrepreneur is an endless beach vacation.

But in reality, I could easily work seven days a week and pull 12-hour or even 16-hour shifts if I didn’t force myself to take breaks, take days off, and make time for exercise and fun with friends and family.

But the beauty of being a full-time freelancer and entrepreneur, the thing I love most about it, is that I have the freedom to design my day. If I want to take a day off on a Tuesday — I can. If I want to end my workday at noon, I will — as long as I’m on track to meeting all of my deadlines.

Here’s an honest look at a day in the life of a freelance writer.

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