Fear, Faith and The Freelance Writer

One year and one week ago, I drove home from my last day as an employed person. It was New Year's Day, 5am.


I had been thinking about this day for years.


I had been planning it for months.


That morning, I was exhilarated, excited, nervous and somewhat disbelieving. It felt a lot like I imagine bungee jumping would feel, if a clodhopping, accident-prone and phobia-riddled person such as myself would ever do such a thing. A little scary, a little fun, with the moderate security of knowing there was a cord wrapped around my ankle and yet the underlying fear that I would hit the water face first with all the grace of a cow falling out of a tree.


Truthfully, it never occurred to me that in less than six months, I would be thriving as a freelance writer. I wouldn't have even considered the idea that in less than a year, I would be making more money than I ever had working seventy hours a week. However, that's exactly what happened.


Very early on, I knew that if I could do this, so could many other women. As hokey as it may sound, I also knew that helping them do it would make me very, very happy.


Which brings us to where we are right now....me hoping you'll continue to read and you hoping I'll write something that will work for you.


Maybe you've always been a writer, but never professionally. I was born writing, but never wrote professionally before I made the leap.


Maybe you have some other dream you want to pursue, but you need a way to make money so that you can pursue it. My dream was to get back to writing and to be at home with my children, even though I was a single mom.


If I can do this, with no spouse's paycheck to fall back on, no writing credentials to get my foot in the door and no insider contacts, then so can you.


It takes planning, it takes work and it takes an awful lot of faith. A little help wouldn't hurt; perhaps some advice from someone who has done it. Some step-by-step instruction that actually gets you moving in the right direction. A whole lot of encouragement.


I can do that. You can do this.


It'll be great.


By the way, if you've been thinking about bungee jumping, do it now, while you still have health insurance. It may be a while before you can afford it again.