Story ideas are all around you. Sometimes all you have to do is look in the mirror. Through the years, I have been inspired to write many stories simply by touching the hair on my head.
I’ve written about the natural hair movement for newspapers, magazines, and even public radio. I’ve shared my own hair story on those same platforms as well as on websites and blogs.
On 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 and I headed to sunny California with a few set intentions: 1) I wanted to talk to FEA founder Carrie Green about See Jane Write and get her advice on how to grow my membership program. 2) I wanted to develop a vision and plan for my business for 2020 and the rest of 2019. 3) I wanted to make a genuine, long-lasting connection with at least one other attendee. 4) I wanted to get photographed in my new swimsuit.
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.
This quote by Audre Lorde is one of my favorites, but honestly, it’s one to which I can’t completely relate.
Sure, I try to be deliberate in all I do. But I am afraid of plenty.
I try to pretend as if I’m not. My bio on Facebook is “Fearless, Feminist Freelancer” and all summer I’ve been toting around a pink notebook that boasts “Fearless Female” on the cover.
And as a woman of faith, I try to hold tight to verses like Proverbs 31:25, which reads, “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
But the days to come often keep me up at night.
So today I’m confessing my fears, not because I want you to say something that will ease them (you can’t), but because I want other women dealing with these fears to know they are not alone. And I want you to see how I feel the fear and do it all anyway so that you can, too.