Turning Your Blog Writing Into A Professional Career

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When most people start something like a blog, they won’t be imagining that they will be able to make a living out of it. People tend to go down this sort of route for fun, with the idea that they will have the chance to write about things they love being a good enough reason to get started. Of course, though, as time goes on and your audience grows, you will have the opportunity to start making money out of your blog. There are a few different paths you can take with this, and some of them can land you in a professional career.

News & Journalism

Becoming a journalist can be much trickier than you might expect. While you don’t need to speak perfect English for this sort of role anymore, there is a lot of competition, and this means that those who start out on their own blog can often give themselves a head start. It will be a challenge, but you need to make sure that you’re following the same strict standards that large publications will follow to ensure that people respect and value your content. It’s usually best to choose a niche topic when you’re doing this, or you may struggle to cover enough on your own.

Copywriting & Creative Writing

Writing exquisite copy and crafting intricate stories can be a lot harder than a lot of people realize. This has opened a huge market for writing services on the web, making it easy to pick up roles that will enable you to write. Of course, though, you need to make sure that you have the right skills before you can take on a role like this one. Copywriting workshops have been becoming increasingly popular over the last few years, and you can find loads of great options with a quick search around the web. This will be an incredibly satisfying role to have, while also giving you a lot of freedom.

Reviews & Opinion Pieces

Finally, as the last type of content to consider, it’s time to think about reviews and opinion pieces. Much like news and journalism, you have to be careful to make sure that the content you’re writing in this category is well-informed. You can write reviews for products and services, music and movies, and just about anything else that people have to spend money on. Writing a piece like this can be tricky, and it’s always worth spending some time reading other reviews before you get started, ensuring that you know exactly how to format your work. Of course, though, this doesn’t mean that you should copy other people.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to start making your blog into a professional career. A lot of people like the idea of making money from their blog, but it can be hard to know what sort of content to make when you’re doing this. Each of the roles above can be taken on as a professional career, but you will need to get some practice in your free time before you can get started.

I hope everyone is staying home and safe during this quarantine! I have been slacking on posting lately so my apologies to you, dear readers. It's certainly been crazy times here so I have a guest post for you today from Gabrielle Sinacola of NeoReach. Gabrielle Sinacola is a digital marketing consultant and content writer at NeoReach. She has a background in computer science and business, merging technical and creative skills to drive impact for companies. Gabrielle is dedicated to propelling strategic marketing initiatives forward with innovative thinking and detailed execution. Enjoy!

How to Convey Your Lifestyle Through Your Blog

Just as you would furnish and decorate your home to reflect your taste and personality, so should you adorn your blog. It is much more complicated to not convey your lifestyle through your blog, that is to hide your lifestyle, than it is to share it. That’s because we inherently speak to what we know and love. This comes across in all forms of content you publish, from words to images to sponsorships. If something does not fit with your lifestyle, your audience will be able to tell. The ability to gain and engage a loyal following is accomplished through a natural flow of information. Information that matches who you are and what you stand for.

Read Between the Lines

I am sure you have heard the saying that it’s not what you say but how you say it. Commonly applied to situations arising in arguments, this idea also feeds into the written word as well. Beyond the words on the page, it is important to understand the unspoken component of your content. Your lifestyle comes through in the connotation of the blog posts. Think about how your posts answer questions such as:

• How does your audience feel when reading your blog?
• Am I speaking to a specific demographic (working mothers, varsity athletes, etc.)?
• How formal or informal is the language I am using?

As an author, your tone is vitally important to how your content is received by a reader. This is brought about through word choice– use of slang, industry jargon– and any anecdotes you include. If you are talking to busy mothers, you want to keep posts concise, informative and relatable. You would opt for everyday language as opposed to long explanations. To tell a fellow mother why a skincare product is safe for her children, you want to include easily digestible statements that get a bigger message across like “BPA free” or “no chemical additives.” You are not, however, going to start talking about the organic compounds used in the product and their reaction with the skin cells. Not only is that boring, but it is unnecessary to your audience.

You may share your own experience with dealing with eczema for your son/daughter and how it impacted your product selection. This additional personal touch adds to your credibility. By sharing little parts of your own life, you are providing windows into your lifestyle. Usually, these things come to mind when you are writing a blog post, but you ignore them or deem them unimportant to your reader. Those details that are specific to you and your blog will attract the audience most benefiting from your content and eager to consume it!

It Is All in the Details

I just talked about how it goes deeper than what you write, and I am going to keep building on that idea. Think about the nonverbal elements of your blog. Visuals.

There are a hundreds of ways to capture the same image with a camera that can differ in:

• Composition
• Focus
• Lighting
• Camera angle
• Filters & Editing
• And so many more...

Not only photographed images, but also computer generated images. You have a whole host of media forms to choose to include (or not include) that play into portraying your lifestyle:

• Video
• Animation
• Illustrations

With all of this, the overall color scheme and layout of your blog convey your lifestyle too. You can go all white with a very clean, geometric format. Or, you can choose to go with bold colors and odd angles to keep it interesting at every click. An easy way to get inspiration for this is to look at other blogs in your niche or who you would attribute to having a similar lifestyle as yourself. Look at how they organize their content and how that affects what you gain from it and how you perceive the blogger. Use different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to find different juxtapositions of written content and graphics that fit best with what you are trying to achieve.

You Do You

Chances are you already have a pretty good idea of what and how you want to share your life with your blog audience. As the expert on your lifestyle, you have the best intuition on what is and isn’t going to work for your readers, and yourself. Write it out as a draft if you are really struggling and read it all the way through aloud. Pay attention to the inflections in your voice, the emotions that arise as you read, and the feeling you have once you have finished. These are all great indicators of whether or not you are properly portraying your lifestyle through your blog.

Looking to work with brands that are aligned with who you are and what your blog stands for? Get in touch with NeoReach’s influencer community to match with brands that fit your lifestyle!

Doing It Up For Date Night!

As my kids were growing up, my husband and I didn't get to have too many date nights. (Silly us, we were trying to save for the future so other things seemed less important). However, now that they are all grown up, one in college and one working and living with his wife and soon-to-be baby girl, we have been able to get out more than we ever have. Since our move to an entirely new town and state last summer, we have had a great time exploring as well as taking in all of the local culture. All of those sacrifices we made were definitely worth it!

The big news around town is a new restaurant opening and I wanted to check it out. It's just a bar and grill type place but around here where the nearest store is at least 20 minutes away, new businesses opening in town are exciting. That's been the biggest thing I've had to get used to since moving out to the middle of nowhere. When I say I live in rural North Carolina, I'm not kidding! I love it, though and definitely don't miss the city at all. Back home, a new restaurant opening happened just about every week and no one really noticed. Here, new businesses opening is all everyone can talk about. Definitely different for me. 

I've been experiencing all kinds of new stuff lately so I thought I'd continue the trend for date night! 

Kalaia asked me to review their skincare solutions line recently and I thought this would be the perfect time to try it out! A week ago, I started using the products and I love them!

You start with an online beauty consultation, where you tell your online consultant all of your skincare concerns and problems. I resisted wearing daily face moisturizer for far too long through my 20s and 30s because I could not find a moisturizer that didn't make my skin break out. I'm definitely paying for it now in my 40s, but I have found my new PERFECT skincare routine. FINALLY.

For the first step, I start with the Detox and Cleanse Bar. It's made with papaya and ginger extracts with activated charcoal that gently cleanses and detoxifies your skin.  I love that you can use it on your face and body! 

The Fresh Canvas Exfoliating Powder is next. I love this stuff! It is a powder scrub that combines Hibiscus, Neem Leaf Powder, Licorice Root, Kaolin Clay, Gotu Kola, Turmeric and Rose essential oil and....

...then transforms into a paste after adding a few drops of water to remove impurities, excess oil, and dead skin cells revealing soft glowing skin that is ready to absorb all of the good stuff in the next step!

The Keep Smooth - Day and Night Serum is my absolute favorite step in my new Kalaia skincare routine! This stuff is magic in a bottle! It is made from Indian Gentian Leaf extract, peptide molecules, and Kalaia's proprietary Bright & Blur Complex™ (which is amazing). It comes in a dropper bottle and you apply it all over your face. It *instantly* brightenened and improved the texture of my skin. I saw results after one use, especially under my eyes (my nemesis). My skin even felt firmer and after one week, I am so in love with all of these products. My skin feels so very soft and I have almost conquered those pesky under eye bags (thanks, insomnia)!

The last step is the Hold Tight - Overnight Moisturizer and that is definitely where all of that new firmness I feel is coming from! I was a little nervous at first because it is so thick and creamy, I thought for sure that it would break my skin out...but I was willing to make that sacrifice for beauty. You apply it to your face, neck, and decolletage and keep it on overnight. After a week, no new breakouts! It combines bamboo silica, pea extract and that magical Bright & Blur Complex™ to help blur fine lines and wrinkles and increase skin hydration for rejuvenated, (definitely) firmer looking and feeling skin.

You can purchase all of these products together in the Deluxe Set!

So, now that I was feeling all glowy, I decided I was going to try something else new, false eyelashes.

I know. 

How did I make it to 42 whole years of age without wearing false eyelashes? 

Because I can't do it to save my life, that's how.

Private Label Mink Eyelashes wanted me to review their (GORGEOUS) mink false eyelashes and I was hesitant at first because of the aforementioned failure, but decided to give it a try!

They sent me their Chloe and Eden lashes to try.

They felt so soft! You can use these up to 20 times as well! My daughter is just about an expert at putting lashes on (how?!) but the ones she used seemed really stiff compared to these. They are ready to apply once you take them out of the package and so, I took a deep breath and began....

(SPOILER: I AM STILL NOT VERY GOOD AT PUTTING ON EYELASHES)

Eden

I tried.

Although I will say that after all of my attempts to get them just right, the glue stayed like the first application so that was good. Once I felt they were just right, we were on our way out the door!

I had a gloriously delicious burger and we sat and talked for awhile before hopping back into the truck and riding around. It was a lovely night and I had fun trying a bunch of new things!

What are you doing on your next date night? 

Five Unique Ways To Teach Your Children About Money

Today I have a guest post for you from Emily at StarWalkKids.com. Enjoy!

Kids don’t know much about money and how to spend it unless you teach them. Take time to walk your children through how to earn money, and show them how you can save for a rainy day. Let them know that you can invest and the money grows and allow them the satisfaction of rewarding themselves after completing a task. 

Use a piggy bank 

Teach your kids the art of saving from a young age and let them know how important it is to set some money aside. Get them a jar or a piggy bank and encourage them to drop a few coins inside daily to get to the desired goal. It is important to introduce to them saving at an early age and explain to them why having savings is a good thing. After their savings have grown, allow them to buy whatever they have been asking for with their own money as this will give them satisfaction.

 Give them an allowance after a job 

Make them understand that money is not given for free and you have to work and earn it. This will make sure that they always respect the amount of money they get and be able to manage it wisely. Give them house chores, and once they have completed them, you can reward them by paying them. This will allow them to learn that hard work pays. Furthermore, when you teach them on how to work for everything they have, they will grow to be great adults in the future.

Take your kids to the grocery store 

Bring your kids the next time you are going to the grocery store as this will give them an opportunity to see the exchange and transactions world first hand. Let them help you to choose the grocery you want and show them how you can save money in a grocery store. This is done by giving them an opportunity to choose groceries and compare the prices of different brands. As they do this, they will learn how to make choices in life and survival tactics. After a trip to the store calculate with them the amount of money that they have helped you save. You can use the money to give to charity or treat yourself to ice cream; they will learn the art of charity and sharing as well as saving.

Use games and puzzles to teach them about money 

You can introduce your kids to games and puzzles and give them an opportunity to complete the task. Once they have done, you can reward them with a prize; this will show them that after completion of a task you always get a reward. Additionally, you can play games such as Monopoly which requires kids to make financial decisions to win the game.

Encourage your kids to start a business 

Teach your kids the art of investing in a business, let them learn that when you invest in something your income doubles. Help them open up a lemonade stand with their allowance money and let them learn about making profits in a business. This will open up their minds, and they will understand how money works in the world. Additionally, this will discourage them from being lazy when they become adults.

In conclusion, show your kids the art of spending money, saving, and investing as this will ensure that they learn some valuable skills for life in the real world. You can read more on Star Walk Kids, and you can also find games and toys here which will help your child learn to manage their money from an early age. 

Women Are The New Business Leaders

We had a record breaking year for women in 2018. 

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I'm pretty excited about it! My daughter is going to college right now to get her business degree so I am so glad that she has role models in all fields to look up to and help guide her. Women are becoming leaders in record numbers and it is helping girls everywhere see that they can be a leader as well!

When I think about women in America starting out with barely any rights, to now leading large companies, to running for president of the United States of America, it's incredibly inspiring. I was raised in the generation of shoulder pads and sneakers. My mom raised my brother and I, went to work, bought the bacon, brought the bacon home, and cooked it up. All while serving in the Navy Reserves on the weekend and being an active parent in our sports/extracurricular activities.

Just writing that made me tired.

However, seeing this as a daughter, it was an inspiring way of leading. She showed and made me believe that women could do anything and I believed it! Too see it in action, and that fire, drive, and ambition in my own daughter, is supremely gratifying! I knew when my daughter was very young that one day she could grow up to be a leader. She slays her studies like dragons and laughs  as she is handed more. She has such an imaginative mind and loves to solve problems like nothing I've ever seen before. She has the drive to persist until she finds a solution.

 As you can probably guess, I'm very proud of her. 

Yep.

A good role model for young women today is definitely Chrissy Weems. She has such an inspiring story!

Chrissy Weems started Origami Owl Jewelry in 2010 with her daughter, Bella. Bella had saved up $350 of her babysitting money at just 14 years old and told her mother that she wanted to start a jewelry business. Chrissy liked that idea and matched her $350 and with help from investors Tyson Basha and Shawn Maxwell, they began crafting the beautiful living lockets for Origami Owl Jewelry! Just 8 years later, they are the successful owners of a 250 million dollar business! 

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Whether it is in business or congress, women are proving that their roles are important and valued. Young women today have so many role models to choose from in any field they are interested in! With consistent role models and proven success in many fields, young women have no limit to what they can accomplish! Women lead the way in 2018 as I hope they will continue to do so on into the future! It's wonderful to accomplish goals, and I am using these ladies as my role models to smash some goals in 2019! 

What is your opinion on the future leaders of the world?

Why Social Media Marketing Is Perfect For Public Relations

I have been on the internet for a long time, since 1996 to be exact.  As a mom married to a military service member who had to go on deployments a lot, the internet has been a very important part of my life, not only for social interaction but entertainment as well. It's really difficult to get out and socialize when your husband is gone for up to 6 months and you have two toddlers depending on you for everything.  I started with forums for awhile, long enough that I was even a moderator on one for quite a bit. 

Then, MySpace came along and social media took off. I spent every free moment I had (which wasn't much) reading blogs, writing blogs, reading, and talking to folks from all around the world. By the time Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest came along, I was all in! And as most things do, social media has evolved into being a pretty important part of everyone's life now. I have seen so many things come and go through social media, it's infinitely interesting.

The most interesting thing I have found is how brands can so easily boost themselves on social media. Considering it's literally my job now, I have been researching and reading as much as I can about social media marketing and how to run effective campaigns.

There are plenty of different ways to market on social media. You can have a blogger, such as myself (contact details on the contact tab above!), write about your brand or product and spread the word on social media. There are also PR companies, such as Behrman and PR, that can handle larger brands/companies as they generally tend to have large teams that are adept at handling all of your brand's needs. Social media marketing has become imperative for business growth these days. The ROI (return on investment) for social media marketing campaigns is very high, and brands walk away satisfied with the growth and profit from these campaigns. 

By far, social media marketing has proven to be highly effective and indispensable to not only established brands, but small and upcoming brands. With the rise of influencer marketing, more and more brands are turning to social media marketing to showcase their brands and even introduce new products to the masses. By enlisting the help of influencers, public relations, and bloggers, more brands and businesses are able to reach more and more customers that otherwise would not have the same reach (thanks, algorithms grr!) as some other social media icons do. As someone who makes a living with social media marketing, I am really excited for the future of this industry! As with everything on the internet, I can't wait to see how it evolves from here. 

How have you seen social media evolve? Have you ever found a new product because of a social media marketing campaign? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Cartoon

You're a cartoon
he said

and just like that I was
dead

Cartoons
he said
we all are

Just scripts 
code
snippets
pictures
memories of

Caricatures
he said
We who live in houses
made of skeleton bones
paste over our real skin 
with misery's breath

You're a cartoon
he said

and
just like that
I was
dead.

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How To Start Writing In Your Spare Time

When you’re someone that dreams of writing, that dream never dies. It stays with you. Even when you go off into your career, when you forget about all things creative, and when you go off into your adult life. It’s still there.

Because writing comes with so much passion. When you love to read and create and get lost in an imaginary world, it’s only natural that your mind will often come up with characters and ideas, plots and plot twists. So whether you were a budding author as a child, or you were someone that just wanted to write features and stories and snippets from your life, you will still have that feeling until you put pen to paper. Or, perhaps more aptly, fingers to keyboard.

So, you might be interested in writing in your spare time with the intention of turning this into a career. Or selling a story. Or an article. But how do you do it? And how should you start? Well, let's find out.

Source 

Just Start

First, you just need to get started. Right now! When you’ve finished reading this post, open up your word processor or your Google Doc and just get writing. Getting started is often the hardest part, so if you just do it, you’ve beaten that hurdle.

Set Aside The Time

But at the same time, you need to make sure that you’re actually doing it. Don’t just get started, write once, and then stop. You need to find time to write by making time for it. So schedule it in. Whether it’s an hour in the morning, on your lunch break, or in the evening, slot it in. Because when it’s in the diary and the time is set aside for it, you will write.

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Get Into A Routine

You then will want to make sure that you’re being consistent with it. So get into a routine of writing an hour a day or whatever you can commit. Because the more of a routine you get into with your writing, the easier it will be to build up a momentum.

Take It Seriously

But then there may also come a time where you feel ready to take this whole writing thing seriously. Maybe you want to look at online jobs from home where you can write to make money and then write in your spare time creatively too. Or maybe you want to think about getting a pitch together for a book proposal? No matter what you want to achieve, you will start to realize that there is a point where things get a little bit more serious for you.

Do Something Big

Finally, you may even want to make more of a move than that. You might want to do something big and exciting and different. Maybe starting a blog and publishing some of your ideas there could be perfect for you? Or maybe you would love to write your own book and self-publish it? Just make sure that you have some kind of goal that you’re working to, that something big you’re chasing that can help to keep you on track.

What are you waiting for?

8 Ways A Writing Career Benefits Your Kids

Today, I am honored to bring you a guest post from Samara over at TinyFry! Samara Kamenecka is a Virtual Assistant specializing in SEO and writing, based in Madrid. When she’s not chained to her computer, she likes to explore the city with her boyfriend, their two kids, and their dog. You can find her blogging about everything from pregnancy tips to parenting hacks over at Tiny Fry. 

8 Ways A Writing Career Benefits Your Kids

Some people think that writing is an easy way to make a living working from home, but if it was easy everyone would do it. The truth is that making a living from writing can be challenging, but if you’re good at it, many rewards come along with writing as a career. My favorite part of being able to work from home is how it benefits my kids.

       No Daycare

Not having to pay a daycare provider is two benefits in one. First of all, daycare is not cheap, and many parents seem to work just to pay for someone else to care for their kid(s). Secondly, you know exactly who is raising your child, and you never have to worry about what the daycare provider may or may not be teaching them.

 Flexible Schedule

Having a flexible schedule is the best benefit for you and your kids. There are not many people in this world who have the flexibility to pick up and drop off their kids from school, attend mid-day school events, and still be around to have family dinner and help with homework at night. It also doesn’t force you into a panic whenever your kid has a sick day, or the daycare cancels out of nowhere.

      

Grow Together

Working as a writer takes a lot of hard work and growth which can get a bit  frustrating at times, especially when there are little ones tugging at your pant legs while you’re trying to focus. Though some days can be tough, it allows you and your kids to grow together and understand each other better. You will both probably learn lessons in patience and time management while building a stronger bond.

       They See a Role Model

A lot of kids don’t understand the importance of work because they simply don’t see it. By seeing you working to provide for your family you are setting a good example for work ethic and helping them understand an important part of life as an adult. As a work from home mom, you are also setting the example that women are an equally important part of the workforce as men.

      No Commute

Some people spend two hours or more of their day commuting to and from work. Not having to commute is a benefit for anyone who works from home, but especially parents who get to spend that extra time with their kids. It also saves money and the environment, which is yet another benefit to your children.

       Financial Contributions

Some parents decide to start writing after they have decided to stay at home. So hopefully, that income can be used in surplus to the budget to do things like save for a child’s education or enroll them in enrichment classes. The money could even be used for a vacation potentially, and since you’re a writer, you won’t have to worry about taking time off!

       A Safe and Clean Home

One of my favorite benefits of being a writing mom is that I can take a break from work to clean a room or throw in a load of laundry. Being able to care for the home while working helps keep a strong work/life balance and also keeps my home cleaner and safer for my kids to play.

      Mental Wellbeing

This is perhaps the subtlest benefit for children with work at home parents. Just knowing that there is going to be someone home to talk to when they need it offers confidence and lowers stress. Being around all the time to offer a hug for a scraped knee or an emotional bruise goes a long way in the happiness of a kid. I can’t tell you how many times my kids have come and sat by me in silence while I worked just to be around me. Being this available builds an unbreakable bond between parent and child that not every parent gets to experience.

If you are choosing to pull double duty as a parent and a writer, make sure you are prepared with everything you’ll need to keep your babies and kids safe and occupied. Writing from home benefits your kids in many ways, but it is still a job and one that can get a little tricky to balance if you’re not careful. At the end of the day, it is one of the best careers in the world to have when it comes to the perfect balance between finance and family.