Thoughts on Freelance Writing

Hello Internet! 

I've been freelance writing on Upwork for about three weeks now, and honestly, it's been a pretty wonderful experience. I still cannot believe that I'm getting paid to write! Writing for pay has been a career goal of mine for years, and although I was always fairly sure I would reach that goal eventually, I had no idea that it would happen this soon. I'm currently working on two projects, one of which is a weekly gig and one of which is long-term with a deadline in October. I can't say too much about the specifics of these projects, but below are some of my thoughts on what freelancing has been like thus far.

The Good

• Career Experience: As you may already know if you've read some of my other posts, my dream is to someday become an editor and published author of middle-grade fiction. Now, neither of my current projects are related to middle-grade fiction, but they are both providing me with loads of experience that will help me succeed in the publishing industry. Not only am I learning how to meet deadlines and respond to feedback, but I'm also acquiring practical experience that will look great on a resume. Therefore, the freelancing I am doing now will hopefully propel me closer towards my ultimate career goal, and I am really excited about that. 
• Setting my Own Schedule: For many, the best part of freelancing is having some flexibility in deciding when and where you write. And I have to say, this is a big plus for me as well. Although my projects have set deadlines, I am completely free to set my own hours, which means I can write less on days when I am extremely busy. Additionally, when the fall semester starts, I will be able to schedule my writing around my college classes. All in all, having the freedom to set my own schedule is very satisfying. 
• Writing About my Interests: Again, I cannot talk too much about the specifics of my projects for confidentiality reasons. However, I can say that my long-term project relates to one of my hobbies, which naturally means that I'm having a blast working on it!

The Bad

• Setting my Own Schedule: Having the ability to set my own writing schedule is a double-edged sword. During my time at college, I have gotten really, really good at writing quality essays just before they're due. Therefore, because I know I can do good work at the last minute, I've developed a habit of procrastinating on my writing projects--even the ones I enjoy working on. This habit has been one of my greatest curses, and I'm working hard on breaking it. That being said, while I enjoy having a very flexible writing schedule, it has not made the process of breaking my procrastination habit any easier. 
• Applying for New Projects: Like most people, I find the process of applying for a new job nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, every time I want to take on a new writing project on Upwork, I have to submit a cover letter, resume, and writing sample. To make matters worse, I'm new to the freelancing industry, so I find myself constantly second-guessing what to put in my applications. As a result, the project application process has given me a lot of anxiety. Of course, I've managed to acquire two projects, so I'm probably doing something right. Still, I'll likely have to earn several more clients before I feel confident enough to submit project applications without worrying if they're good enough. 
• Upwork's Payment System:  Obviously, I'm grateful that I'm getting paid. But Upwork requires me to have a relatively high minimum balance in my account before I can withdraw my earnings without a fee, and I find that frustrating. Ah well. 

The Downright Strange

• People Are Paying Me to Write: Honestly, despite my complaints, I'm over-the-moon ecstatic that I'm earning money from my writing. I mean, people are publishing my writing and then paying me for it. That's pretty wild, right? 

Self-deprecation and jokes aside, I'm extremely grateful to the clients who have hired me thus far. They've been absolutely wonderful to work with, and I've been having a great time with my projects. I can't wait to see where my freelance writing journey goes next!

Thanks for reading!

Abby

A New Direction

Hello Internet! As you may have suspected from the sudden lack of posts over the past few weeks, my ASE course is done. All in all, it was an excellent experience that reinvigorated my interest in writing and helped me reconnect with some of the friends I made in England. I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to potentially taking some more online ASE alumni courses in the future. In the meantime, I have changed lanes a bit with my writing. Fear not, I'm still working hard on my novel. However, I have decided to try dipping my toes into the murky waters of freelance writing. My writing services are currently available for hire on Upwork, and I'm also considering starting a profile on RookieWork, a website designed specifically for student freelancers. I was fortunate enough to be hired for my first project about a week ago, and although I can't say exactly what it is for confidentiality reasons, I am extremely excited to be working on it. Once I get the o.k to talk about it, I fully intend to promote the ever-loving heck out of it. But until then, I plan to post every now and again about my thoughts on freelance writing. The first of these posts will probably come sometime next week, once I've actually gotten a bit more work done on my project. As always, thank you for your continued support and interest in my writing. I really look forward to sharing my upcoming adventures and challenges with you! Thanks for reading! Abby

Writing Rules and When to Ignore Them

Hello Internet!

As you may have noticed, my class has focused a lot of attention on "the rules of good writing"--for example, that writers of nonfiction should understand their biases and that all elements of a story should serve at least one purpose. Well, last week, we specifically discussed the rules of narrative movement. For those who have never heard of narrative movement (like I hadn't until recently), there are two types of it: horizontal and vertical. Whereas horizontal movement involves the forward pace of a story (i.e. the plot), vertical movement involves all of the little details that add depth to the work. This includes elements such as backstory, figurative language, descriptions, and characters' thoughts. 

Because horizontal movement is relatively straightforward, my peers and I spent most of our time analyzing vertical movement. We first discussed why vertical movement is important, then searched for examples of it in a published piece. Once we were finished with this, we were instructed to write a short story that included at least five different types of vertical movement.  

This exercise was challenging for me, and not just because I misguidedly chose to write about a character with amnesia. Rather, it was difficult because vertical movement is something I instinctually include in my writing. Because I am so invested in my characters and their lives outside of my stories' immediate plots, I incorporate thoughts and backstories into my writing almost without thinking about it. Therefore, when I had to actually think about including vertical movement in my writing, doing so became much more difficult. 

This led me to consider an interesting question: is it possible that learning the rules of writing can damage one's ability to write? On one hand, this question seems foolish; if you want to master a profession, of course you need to learn its rules. Yet on the other hand, if writers focus too much on following the rules, they could lose sight of what inspired them to write in the first place. 

I think the solution to this dilemma lies in finding a balance between knowing the rules of writing and knowing when to ignore them. There's no harm in new writers learning the basic rules of writing; in fact, doing so can help them improve, just as it's helped me. However, writers also need to understand their strengths and weaknesses so that they can learn when to adhere to the rules and when to ignore them in favor of instinct. 

I understand that this might be a controversial statement, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Please feel free to comment your opinions below. 

Thanks for reading!

Abby Bethke

Writing Advice: When writing narrative movement (or something else you are naturally good at), feel free to ignore the rules in favor of instinct. However, when writing dialogue (or something else you naturally struggle with), don't hesitate to check the rules or ask for advice.  

Setting as a Storytelling Tool

Hello Internet!

Last week, my classmates and I studied the topic of setting. Now, you might be wondering why a college course--especially one called "Writing Character-Driven Prose"--would devote a week to studying setting. After all, setting is an easy aspect of writing to master, isn't it? Can't you just pick your story's location, describe it like you would the area you're currently sitting in, and be done with it? 

Well, I used to describe story settings by doing just that, and it went very poorly. I primarily used this technique when writing an initial draft of my novel, which is set in a fantasy world. Unfortunately, this technique caused me to include a plethora of unnecessary details in my writing, such as whether objects were located on the character's right or left. While these details made it somewhat easier for me to envision my setting, they also bogged down my story and made things overly complex for my readers. 

So, if that method of describing setting doesn't work, what is a method that does? To answer that question, one must first remember that every sentence in a book must do something to further the story. This doesn't mean that every sentence has to be plot-related; rather, it means that every sentence should convey something about the characters, their world, or their conflicts. Therefore, every provided detail about a story's setting needs to be relevant. 

There are plenty of ways to make a detail about a story's setting relevant. For example, if a setting is described from a particular character's point of view, then the details that the author includes indicate what the character notices or finds important. This can be quite revealing of a character's personality. Alternatively, setting details can be used to foreshadow future plot events, as outlined by the Chekov's Gun principle (the idea that a gun presented in the first act of a story must go off in a later act). In some instances, a setting can even serve as an additional character, provided it offers the story's protagonist a trait to identify with and/or an obstacle to overcome. 

Setting, therefore, is much more than a detailed description of a place. It is a storytelling tool, just like characterization and plot, that must be carefully used to sculpt a story's overall narrative. 

Thanks for reading!

Abby Bethke

Writing Advice: Eliminate details that don't serve any purpose in your story--especially extraneous uses of the descriptors "left" and "right." 

On Memoirs and Memory

Hello Internet!

In my previous post, I promised that I would use this post to share my thoughts on autobiographies and memoirs. Never let it be said that I don't follow through on my promises. 

So, for class last week, my peers and I listened to two chapters of the abridged version of Maya Angelou's second autobiography, Gather Together in My Name. Unfortunately, I have not read or listened to any other pieces by Angelou, which means that this work is currently the only source of information I have about her personality, demeanor, and writing style. And I have to admit, Gather Together left me with a largely negative impression of her. Angelou's retellings of the events during her teenage years are blunt and unapologetic, but because many of her actions at that time were of dubious morality--such as conning a pair of lesbian prostitutes--she often comes across as a cocky braggart. Now, to be fair, the tone of the piece could have been slightly affected by the abridgments made to it. However, because the piece was composed of direct excerpts from Angelou's autobiography, I suspect the book itself contained the same cocky, self-righteous tone. 

When I brought this up in class, one of my classmates made an interesting point: most authors include moments of remorse or reflection in their autobiographies, but Angelou did not.  This led to a debate about the purpose of autobiographies and memoirs. Should they recreate past events as accurately as possible, including the author's past opinions? Or should they serve as reflections that demonstrate how the author and their world have grown? 

I, personally, am inclined to support the latter for two reasons. First of all, memory is fallible. Psychological studies have proven that memory can be influenced by suggestion and other events; therefore, it is nearly impossible for someone to recount their memories with complete accuracy. Secondly, I feel that memoirs--like other forms of nonfiction--are meant to encourage learning and showcase personal growth. Accordingly, I believe that they should use the author's current position to reflect on past behaviors and events. After all, memoir writers write through a current lens, even if they like to pretend that they don't. 

Yet as much as I disagree with the idea that memoirs should strive to objectively report past events, that is exactly what I found myself attempting to do when I tried writing an autobiographical short story. In a desperate attempt to remember the details of the day I first picked up a sword and met my fiance, I dug through all of the memorabilia I have from that day--including pictures, a post-it note describing the memory, and a map detailing the layout of the renaissance faire where we met. I even messaged my sister to ask if she recalled the first words my fiance said to me! In short, I sought concrete, objective details that I could use to accurately recreate that day. 

But the truth of the matter is, that day is forever gone and exists only in the memories of those who were there. Therefore, there is no way for me to truly relive the first time I held a sword or experience again my first impression of my fiance. This means that when I recount that day, I will always do so through my current perspective, which is a fact I should acknowledge in my writing. 

Thanks for reading!

Abby

Writing Advice: The "true" past always differs from one's memory of the past. Therefore, the history of your story's world should differ from your characters' accounts of it. Keep this in mind when developing worlds and characters. 

Excerpt from The Admiran Chronicles

Hello Internet!

The Writer's Retreat is technically over and my classmates and I have moved on to discussing memoirs and autobiographies. I will delve more into that discussion later; for now, I'd like to share part of the work that I produced during the retreat. 

As I touched upon in one of my previous posts, I recently began using the Pomodoro Writing Technique to write the novel that I outlined during my fall ASE tutorial. I have been planning, writing, and rewriting this novel since I was thirteen years old, but this is the first draft that I've felt might truly be worth someday submitting to a publisher. For the first time, I feel that I have a concrete grasp on my characters, setting, and plot. Of course, it's not my opinion that will determine the success of my writing--it's the opinions of my readers. Therefore, I would sincerely appreciate any and all comments on the below excerpt. But even if you don't have any opinions you would like to share, please know I am extremely grateful to you for taking the time to read my writing. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

All of the students at Ashfield Middle School knew that the patch of woods behind the school was full of ghosts and fairies—all but one, that is. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth Magi had read enough about magic to know that the forest was as plain and ordinary as gum on the sole of a shoe. But that didn’t make it useless.

Thunk.

“Ow.”

Thunk.

“Ow.”

Elizabeth blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes and glared at her sore knuckles. The blanket she had wrapped around the oak tree wasn’t padding the trunk as well as she’d hoped it would. Experimentally, she threw another punch at the tree, aiming for a spot where the blanket bunched over a bungee cord.

Thunk.

“OW.”

Shaking the sting out of her right hand, Elizabeth sank into the long grass and reached for her backpack. Not the battered emergency one—that was tucked safely under the thick needles of a nearby pine—but her school one. As she fished out her steel water bottle and downed its contents, she eyed the training post she had set up. She really needed to get a mattress pad, or something similar. Something thicker than that raggedy old blanket. Maybe the Foresters wouldn’t notice if she…

“Elizabeth? Elizabeth, I know you’re in there! Mom says you have to come home, now!”

“Yeah, you better come out or you’re gonna be in trouble again!”

Elizabeth growled under her breath. Of course Jada and Violet would show up now, just when she had finally gotten into a groove. She glanced over at the pine tree that sheltered her emergency pack. The urge to run was strong, and had been getting stronger every day—but Elizabeth was wise enough to know that this was not the time. Sighing heavily, she stood, shouldered her school backpack, and stalked out of the woods.

Her foster sisters were waiting for her at the very edge of the treeline, arms crossed and wearing identical scowls. “There you are,” Violet, the older of the pair, spat. “Come on, you were supposed to be home two hours ago. I don’t see why you spend so much time in that creepy old overgrown lot anyways.”

“Yeah, what do you even do in there? Play with your imaginary friends? That’s for babies,” Jada jeered. She was eleven, two years younger than her sister and Elizabeth, but she very much wanted to be older. She would have looked like a miniature copy of Violet, except her hair was brown and her ears were bare because the Foresters had ruled that piercings and dyed hair were for girls thirteen and older.

“Maybe, but talking with ghosts isn’t,” Elizabeth replied. Violet scoffed and rolled her eyes, but Jada cast a nervous look at the forest. As Elizabeth shoved past the pair and started off towards their foster home, she allowed herself a small, victorious smile.

That smile faded during the journey across town and was completely gone by the time the girls reached the Forester house. Mrs. Forester was waiting for them on the porch, foot tapping impatiently.

“Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence,” she frowned at Elizabeth. She shook her head as she spoke, making her short gray hair quiver like an indignant dead rat. “And you’re all filthy too. You’d better wash up before you join us for dinner. And be quick about it, otherwise you might find there’s nothing left for you!”

Elizabeth brushed past her into the house without bothering to reply. She took the stairs two at a time, tossed her backpack in the direction of the room she shared with Jada and Violet, and shuffled into the upstairs bathroom. As she washed her hands and assessed herself in the mirror, she grudgingly admitted that Mrs. Forester was right about one thing: she was filthy. Rivulets of dried sweat crisscrossed her forehead and her cheekbones, and her curly red hair was matted with bits of forest debris. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to take care of it all; Elizabeth knew that Mrs. Forester would follow through on her threat if she didn’t hurry. So she swiped a damp washcloth across her face, yanked the most noticeable twigs out of her hair, and rushed back downstairs.

Jada was the only one who looked up as Elizabeth entered the room. Mr. and Mrs. Forester were busy listening as Violet told them about the recent drama that had taken place amongst her friend group—most of which, Elizabeth noted as she sat down and filled her plate, was being embellished. Still, she was grateful for the drivel, as it meant that she could eat without having to speak to her foster family.

She was just swallowing her last bite of meatloaf and peas when Violet ran out of tall tales. The silence that fell around the table was deafening. Elizabeth glanced up and made the mistake of catching Mr. Forester’s eye. The stout, grizzled man was staring at her with the intense look of a terrier on a hunt. Uh oh.

“Can I be excu…” Elizabeth tried to ask.

“Just you wait a minute girl,” Mr. Forester interrupted her. “Your mother and I want to know why you’re getting home so late from school.”

            Elizabeth rankled at his words. Mrs. Forester was not her mother—nor was Mr. Forester her father, for that matter. She had two perfectly good parents, and one of them was still out there somewhere. Her real dad wouldn’t have had to ask her why she was home late from school; he would have been helping her learn how to fight. In fact, she knew that once she found him, he would do just that.

            “No reason.” Elizabeth replied, fidgeting impatiently with her fork. Mr. Forester raised his eyebrows.

            “So you’re coming home late for no reason? Ignoring your chores to prance around in the woods for no reason? Avoiding your sisters, your mother and I for no reason?”

            “She’s not my mother!” Elizabeth spat back, launching herself to her feet. “And my life is none of your business!”

            Jada and Violet’s eyes went wide and Mrs. Forester looked stunned, but Mr. Forester projected nothing but sternness as he said “go to your room.”

            “Gladly.” Having managed to get in the final word, Elizabeth marched away, not bothering to clear her plate.

               Upstairs, she flopped down hard on her bed and glared at the room around her, wanting to hit something but knowing it would be unwise to dent the ugly lilac walls. For a long while, she lay still, letting her anger grow and roil in her stomach. When she couldn’t take it anymore,  she rolled off her bed and went over to the small bookshelf in the corner. Most of the books it contained were worthless—picture books and cheap fairytales that Mrs. Forester had gotten from the local thrift store—but one or two of them were decent adventure stories. Elizabeth grabbed her favorite and shoved it into the pocket of her baggy blue hoodie. Then, she snagged a flashlight from atop her dresser, crossed to the open window, sat upon the sill, and swung her feet out into nothingness.

            It took her a few seconds of groping about, but soon Elizabeth managed to find her regular hand- and foot-holds. With practiced ease, she planted her left foot on a jutting brick, grasped a crack with her left hand, and pivoted until she was clinging to the wall like a spider. For a second, she hung there, savoring the empty space beneath her and letting her anger leak away. If I let go, she thought, a bit breathless, I bet the air itself would catch me and lift me up to the stars. But then her hand cramped painfully, shaking her out of her conceit, so she began to climb...

Thanks for reading!

Abby

My Writing Process

Hello Internet!

What is this? Two posts in as many days? What's happening? Is the world ending? 

Well, yes, but not right at this exact moment. What's happening at this exact moment is that I'm belatedly acting on my tutor's excellent suggestion to analyze and blog about my writing process. Fear not, for this post--unlike my last one--will be short and sweet. 

My writing process, much like some of my previous blog posts, is long and a little scattered. Each of my stories starts off as an idea for either a character or a fantasy world. For example, the novel I'm currently working on began with the concept of a world where elves, dragons, and unicorns live in close proximity to each other. Once I have the initial idea for a story, I begin fleshing it out. This "fleshing-out" process can take several different forms, including but not limited to: 

• Naming my characters and filling out character profiles,
• Conducting thought experiments where I brainstorm facets of my world and/or characters,
• Determining scenes that will be absolutely necessary for the story to make sense,
• Writing down story notes everywhere, from my planner to the backs of old homework assignments to the palm of my hand, 
• Drawing characters, settings, and even abstract magical concepts, 
• And/or researching a variety of topics that I think might be relevant. 

Once I feel that I have enough material to begin my story, I start writing. Although I frequently have scenes planned out for the middle and the end of the story, I always start at the beginning. I prefer to write my stories as they will be read, as this makes it easier for me to visualize where the characters are and where they need to go. Throughout the writing process, I frequently return to my brainstorming notes, both to use them as references and to revise or add to them. In addition, I usually edit my writing as I go, as I just can't help but correct my typos when I notice them. 

And that about sums up my creative writing process. I can acknowledge that it is flawed in some ways; as I mentioned above, I know that it is very long and scattered. However, I am making substantial progress towards better organizing my process and my notes. The tools that my tutor has introduced me to, including Pinterest mood boards and story timelines, have helped me immensely with this. In addition, my process is strong in that it offers me plenty of room for invention. Thanks to the randomness of my process, I rarely find myself getting overly attached to one thought, which means I have the flexibility necessary to make my stories as compelling as possible. 

As I have grown as a writer, I have learned a great deal about the creative writing process and how it varies from writer to writer. That being said, I still have plenty to learn, and I would love to hear thoughts about the writing process from fellow writers. So, if you have any opinions about the writing process, or if you would like to share the steps you follow when you write, please feel free to comment below. 

Thanks for reading!

Abby