On Finding a Way to Get Paid to Write and Edit Words
On Finding a Way to Get Paid to Write and Edit Words
With a certain amount of determination, insanity, and addiction to drama, it is possible...
Happy Friday!
This week, we are sharing a few words from Stephanie about the beginning of her writing career, which you’ll soon learn all about in her forthcoming book, CLASS. Read more below:
“Coraline was just a few weeks old in this photo. Hard to believe I started my freelance writing career this way, with a newborn baby in my lap. I submitted an assignment two days after she was born. I think I took pictures with my laptop's camera because it was my only witness.”
“I remember feeling so proud of myself for graduating college and finding a way to get paid to write and edit words. We did that for her entire first year and a half, until I could afford daycare. I wrote my way off of food stamps and she was there with me the entire time.”
“I've been working on this book I wrote about my senior year of college and ultimately my pregnancy with Coraline, and how, for some reason, I just knew it would all work out. I had no reason to believe that, but I'm glad I did. I'm grateful I at least had faith in myself. Me, a 35yo single mom to a 7yo with a BA in English, $50k in student loans, and a new baby completely on my own. I accepted an offer to publish my first book on her second birthday. I have this version of me to thank for that.”
CLASS, the origin story as well as the sequel to MAID, will be here October 3, 2023. Mark your calendars!
XOXO
Team Stephanie
How can I make a living as a writer?
“With a certain amount of determination, insanity, and addiction to drama, it is possible to gross a few thousand bucks a month creating and editing content for websites and magazines. I started freelancing right out of college, so I didn’t make a leap from a full-time job with benefits and markedly one that had normal business hours. Not only had I been a student, I’d been self-employed as a maid, so I was very used to scraping by and working whenever I could.
Everyone’s starting point is different, of course, as is their needs in how much income is required to pay the household bills, taxes, and health insurance. Perhaps luckily for me, I worked my way up from a place of having ten bucks in my account and wondering if I’d have to sell my truck to pay rent, so any type of gig I scored that fit in the realm of writing and editing words was some sort of celebration to secure.
You find work by googling for it, by signing up for email newsletters of others who want to share their knowledge. There are lots and lots of them. Start with the Morning Coffee Newsletter through Freelancing.com, Upwork, and WhoPaysWriters. Ask local businesses if they need new content for their website. Email websites and ask if they’d like to publish an article or essay you’ve written.
It starts out like this. You toil away at finding work, then jump up and down like nobody’s business when you get a “yes.” That’s where the determination, insanity and drama comes in.” - step
As many of you probably know, the costs to attend college have skyrocketed over the past few decades. Paying for tuition, housing, meals, and books is often a struggle for many students across the country. Dr. Stacey Patton, a professor, journalist, author, and nationally recognized child advocate, started the Ida B. Wells-Barnett Textbook Fund to help students enrolled at Morgan State and Howard University afford textbooks. The funds are split between the two institutions.
"When I began teaching journalism at Morgan State University in 2016, I noticed that a number of my students were struggling to keep up with their assignments. Upon further investigation, I discovered that they had not purchased books for class because they could not afford them” - Dr. Stacey Patton
Each student, regardless of their major, is required to complete a form and provide a list of their book titles. They receive a maximum of $250 on a first-come, first-served basis. The funds can also be used for course software, hotspots for students taking online classes who have Internet connection challenges, and digital equipment for production classes. The more funds raised, the more students receive assistance. Donate today!
Q: What did the horse say when it fell?
A: “I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup!”
See you next week! Remember to follow Stephanie on all your favorite social media platforms @stepville.