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Real talk – the freelance business has boomed in recent years and continues to grow at very high rates. For very good reason too; people are becoming tired of the challenges that come with working for someone and desire to be their own boss. So there is clearly a shift in the economy and the workforce which should alert anyone who calls themselves a freelance writer. Continue reading “Why You Need to Develop Your Own Voice as a Writer”
Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. – Virginia Woolfe
After reading tons of blog posts and articles, one has to step away from all of that and check out the writer in the mirror sometimes. “What is my purpose”? “Why am I here”? Those questions tend to come to mind time to time and lately, there’s been a real pressing to answer those questions.
An answer has finally been reached
But it didn’t come easily….. some serious searching and acceptance of a few things took place; one being the love and gift I have of writing. I’m not putting myself on a pedestal by saying that. Anyone can write if you ask me. But the point of me making such a statement is because writing is something that’s been embraced for years. It’s served as an avenue of escape and refuge. It’s earned adoration from friends, teachers and families alike. But there is more to it than that. A lot more.
What’s the purpose?
Any gift or talent we have is for a reason. It’s not for us to sit on our whole lives and not share in some type of way, no matter how unique it may be. In fact, it’s that uniqueness that makes it necessary to share, believe it or not. Writing has so many purposes intertwined and my own writing is no exception. This writer has a story to tell. A story with a specified purposes that will help others and let them know they can be set free. As a writer with a story to tell, a responsibility lies within that continues to grow more and more everyday. It has come to the point where it can no longer be contained or stay quiet.
The story involves pain, reality and reflecting. It speaks of a journey that many can relate to but choose not to speak about for one reason for another. Through the channel of literature, this writer will describe this journey and give readers insight, awareness and even hope.
The realization
It wasn’t easy for the writer to get to this point, especially since the intent is not to get huge Twitter followers or make money. It was about a need to release; a need to put this story together and share with anyone who will listen. This writer is used to dealing with things and moving on to the next – not telling a story. So there are feelings of excitement, anxiety, fear and curiosity because this is something the writer has no control over. She’s just letting things take their course, which is one of the hardest things she’s ever done…letting go.
I recently attended a Diversity Day event in the area. It was pretty entertaining as they had food, dance and all kinds of presentations going on. There were people representing different parts of the world and my attention was drawn to the Indian booth that served teas and gave complimentary tattoos. I decided to get one out of curiosity. Mind you, I’m no stranger to diversity; growing up in an African household exposed me to a lot of different cultures. But I must say my Christian upbringing shielded me from a lot. Now that I’m my own person, I’m not as skeptical to try out new things and learn more about different beliefs and perspectives.
First Sight
My attention was captured by the smell of Chai Tea and a long line of curious looking women. Most of them walked away with flower, glittery tattoos. Some of them were getting the design on their arms while others got them on their ankles. They were nice, but I didn’t want what everyone else was getting, so by the time I reached the front of the line I decided to get something that would represent what I was going through; change, a new start. The lady doing the designs said she would put a “Hamsa” symbol on me to represent what I was looking for. She told me it would protect me from negative vibes of hatred and jealousy as I embarked on my new start.
Quick research
Hamsa is a symbol widely used in the eastern part of the world by different religions to include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. Each religion has its own affectionate translation for it, but generally speaking, it’s a symbol of protection against evil forces. The lady told me that I would be protected in my new start and that negative energy wouldn’t affect it. Yay!
So how does this tie into writing?
The connections this experience has to my development as a writer are endless. Not only can it open the mind to new ideas and concepts it can also be used as a motivator to take fresh approaches. For instance, I recently sat down and reevaluated my freelance pan and the priorities involved. It was especially useful because of the adjustment period I’m going through at the moment. Other things are going on for me that have caused things to slow down a bit with writing. I believe in the impact of positive energy and want to embrace it in my growth as a writer.
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As always let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comment section below!
Note: Okay my attempt to just run one blog at my other website is not flowing at the moment. I realize I need to post about my writing journey as well, so I plan on posting thoughts on this site also. We’ll see how it goes!
We’ve all had our upbringings that consist of certain beliefs, traditions, and homages, some stronger than others. For me, once I left my mother’s home for good, I really got to experience life for itself – of course I’m still experiencing. But I’m also finding the world that was constructed/ Ingrained in my mind over the years is slowly being deconstructed. It’s something that has been happening for a while now….much longer than I actually realized. The fact that I don’t “fit in” is becoming more and more prevalent. I’m seeing it in all areas of my life; school, work – everywhere. It’s like the mold is being broken away one piece at a time. My spiritual journey and beliefs have definitely evolved. I grew up in a strict, Christian household going to church every Sunday and carried out all the other notions that come with the typical church goer. These days, don’t ask me if I still go on a regular basis or if I go at all. What happened? Life, that’s what happened.
I plan on expanding on my religious perspectives in a later post. Right now I will just say my take on life has definitely matured over the years because of harsh reality situations (not because of what I had to do every Sunday). I definitely battled with it, the person in me vs. what was programmed in my mind; I tried to keep the principles I was taught as doing a good thing, but after difficulty of trying to belong, it makes me wonder if it was the right thing. So I let it go, after years of trying to stay involved there was simply no chemistry between church and myself. Church just got in the way of God and me. I’ll leave it at that for now.
As for the other areas in my life, I find myself restless at the job. My ideas and concepts constantly battle with the cultural mindset of everyone else. So yeah, some days I just feel like a sore thumb that doesn’t fit in anywhere. It really used to concern me, but not anymore. I just shrug my shoulders at not fitting in with the crowd.
So here I am, using a tool that has always been a comforting outlet for me and I’m glad I chose this path. In fact, that’s the beauty of writing; the starting point can be so scattered and discombobulated but the end product just turns out to be awesome. So I will be scattered some days, others I will be structured while the rest of the days may be a unique combination of both. Who’s to say? That’s the beauty of it. I can’t b defined because I don’t fit in.