Make Your Mark With This Awesome New Kids' Activity eBook!

I’m so excited to be part of an amazing new book, Make Your Mark! Seriously, I’m not just saying it’s amazing because I’m in it. It really, truly is. Make Your Mark is a book about creative writing, confidence, compassion and caring – and all for kids! Okay, so it’s you (the adult) who is going to read it. But, it’s your little one who will totally benefit from the activities inside.

(This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure statement for more information).

What kinds of kids’ activities will you find? Make Your Mark is filled with 30+ projects. These will help your child to develop a love of writing early on. From creative storytelling to building self-confidence and compassion, this book goes deep and helps your child to learn on many different levels.

 

The activities are an array of ideas, featuring play, art, language, writing and more. Whether it’s making a first mark through art, using pens and brushes to make more complex marks or igniting inspiration through storytelling, you’ll find plenty of ideas and activities for your young child to try out. These include:

·        Art

·        Writing trays

·        Finger gyms (and other fine motor play ideas)

·        Interview activities

·        Kindness activities

·        Collaborative projects

·        Printables

 

This is a perfect way to help your young child develop early literacy skills, build social abilities and improve her emotional awareness. One of the things that I enjoy most about this book is that there’s an awesome array of ideas included. There isn’t just one “right way” to help your kiddo to develop early literacy abilities. Some kids learn by keeping their hands busy, while others like to look at pictures and print (and these are only two examples of the many ways in which people learn). Giving your child choices and having a variety of activities on hand makes it easier to match your little learner’s individual development with educational options.

 

Make Your Mark is for sale starting Friday December 9^th. There is a special launch price for the month of December – in other words, buy it this month to save your hard-earned money! The launch special price is $11.25. That’s a 25% savings, no discount code needed (all you have to do is buy the book before December 31, 2016). After December, the ebook will available for the regular price of $14.99. So, why wait? Get your copy right now!

 

 

 

 

Buy it worldwide for instant download

This is an ebook, which means you will be sent a link that allows you to download a PDF containing the ebook and all the resources. You can save it to your computer or iPad* and then either read it on screen or print some/all of the pages, as you prefer.

You can buy the ebook wherever you are in the world. You pay via PayPal, which will take care of any currency conversion for you. The ebook costs US$ 14.99.

*You can buy the ebook now, on any device, and then download it when you are ready. Depending on the apps you have installed and your operating system, you might be able to download the ebook on your mobile device. However if you have any doubts or problems, I recommend you use a computer to download the book and then share it to your mobile devices. You will be sent download instructions when your purchase the ebook.

The Make Your Mark ebook is published and sold by Cathy James at NurtureStore.co.uk. Please direct any customer service queries regarding purchases of the ebook to support@nurturestore.co.uk or refer to the NurtureStore FAQ.

The Make Your Mark ebook is protected under copyright © 2016. All rights reserved.

 

Work at Home Jobs: Changing for the Better?

So, you want to work at home. Who doesn’t? I mean you can sit around in your pj’s, watching TV, snacking and still make money – right? Um, not exactly.

I’ve spent years in out-of-the-home jobs, and years as a work at home mom. I can say that I definitely like being a WAHM more (so much so that I sometimes have the occasional dream that I’m forced – for financial reasons – to find outside employment, and wake up in a cold sweat). Along with my blog, I have a patchwork of freelance and other at-home jobs that come together to make one income. Sometimes it’s pretty great, and sometimes it pretty much sucks. In either case, I do get questions on how, why and what I do. To answer those questions I recently wrote a book – Work at Home: A Guide to the Best Change You’ll Ever Make.

 

Not only does my new book answer all kinds of questions about working from home (where to start, how to plan, what finances do you need, how can you stay committed to working from home), but it also comes with printable worksheets to help the process along.

One of my favorite chapters covers persisting in the face of adversity. I know, some of you may have a job that lets you telecommute. Yay! Now, for those of you who are interesting in doing something such as blogging, freelance writing, design or authoring a book – it isn’t quite as easy. There will be rejections. It happens to everyone. There will be times when you feel like giving up. Again, it happens to everyone. In the ‘commitment’ chapter I list out some notable people who have overcome adversity and totally succeeded – in major ways.

 

Here’s a little sample from the chapter:

Think about all the people who have come before you – and not succeeded right away. Notice the phrasing, ‘not succeeded right away’. You’re not a failure. You’re a work in progress. And, you’re in very good company:

·        Dr. Seuss: He’s now one of the most recognizable (if not THE most) children’s authors of all times. But, he was rejected 27 times when he tried to get his first book published.

·        Elizabeth Blackwell: While you might know her name, she was the first female to receive an M.D. from an American medical school. That said, after applying to every medical school in New York and Philadelphia (along with 12 others in the northeast), she found herself almost entirely rejected. The only school that finally agreed to teach her only accepted her as a joke.

·        Jennifer Hudson: She’s won an Oscar, and an Academy Award. She’s won a Grammy, and many other accolades. But, she didn’t win American Idol. Good thing she didn’t stop after her first on-air loss.

·        Walt Disney: The Mickey Mouse maker opened his Laugh-O-Gram Films studio in Kansas City. Even though the films had some modest success, the studio went bankrupt.

·        The Beatles: In 1962 the not-yet-famous musicians auditioned for a contract with Decca Records – and were rejected!

·        Judy Blume: The famous writer spent two years only receiving rejections. She once said, “I still can’t look at a copy of Highlights without wincing” in response to their letter rejecting her with the possible reason of, “Does not win in competition with others.” Yikes!

·        J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter may be super-famous now. But, there was a time when the author got rejection after rejection. She even posted a rejection letter (for a book written under her pen name Robert Galbraith) on Twitter, saying, “U had nothing to lose and sometimes that makes you brave enough to try.”

·        Babe Ruth: The baseball icon struck out more than 1,300 times in his career. But, that never stopped him.

·        Oprah Winfrey: The talk show mega-star was fired from her first TV anchor job. Years later she is one of the most successful people in television.

·        Thomas Edison: Was his lightbulb successful on the first try? No way! It took the inventor more than 1,000 tries to get it right. Talk about commitment!

·        Steven Spielberg: The movie maker was rejected by the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts not once, but three times.

·        Vera Wang: The now-famous designer failed to make the 1968 Olympic figure-skating team. Lucky for clothes lovers everywhere. She turned her talents to the fashion world and became an editor at Vogue magazine – where she was passed over for editor-in-chief. That never stopped her!

·        Fred Astaire: Even though the entertainer was already a Broadway success, Astaire’s first screen test was a failure.

·        Beatrix Potter: Who didn’t read The Tale of Peter Rabbit as a young child? Well, many of us might not have if it hadn’t been for some very early-on self-publishing. After receiving a slew of rejections Potter decided to publish a handful of copies of her now-famous book on her own.

·        Mary Shelley: Her Frankenstein was initially rejected by every major publisher.

·        Margaret Mitchell: Before this bestseller (turned major movie) was published, this tale of the South was rejected 38 times.

·        Mary Kay Ash: This pioneering entrepreneur started her own company after being passed over (yet again) for a promotion.

·        James Dyson: The cyclonic vacuum leader didn’t have success on invention number one. It took thousands of versions before he got the ‘just right’ one.

·        Stephen King: How many rejections did He get prior to publishing Carrie? Thirty!

·        Madeleine L’Engle: Was A Wrinkle in Time a childhood favorite of yours? The classic book was rejected 26 times before being published.

·        Abraham Lincoln: He failed in business, failed plenty of times in politics and had a nervous breakdown. And, that’s all before becoming president.

·        Akio Morita: The name may not seem familiar. But, how about Sony? Morita co-founded Sony. While the notable company is big business now, its beginnings were built on a rice cooker. And, not just a rice cooker – but, one that burned the rice. Luckily Morita stayed committed and created much better products.

·        Harland Sanders: Aka Colonel Sanders. You may have grown up with KFC, but Sanders didn’t strike it rich right away. After opening up a cooked chicken-selling service station (at age 40!), he started working on his original recipe. At age 65 he sold his restaurant and was forced to live out of his car while trying to sell his chicken recipe. He received more than a thousand “no’s”, but kept on going – eventually building a fried chicken empire.

·        Henry Ford: The auto giant didn’t find his fortune on the first try. It took Ford two failed companies before one even worked.

·        Rowland H. Macy: You shop in his department store and watch the famous parade bearing his name. But, the retail mogul open (and failed at) four stores before getting it right.

Whew! Quite the list, isn’t it? What does it tell you? It should tell you that some of the most famous, on-top-of-their-games, noteworthy people in history and popular culture haven’t had it easy.

I’m kind of obsessed with this list. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not all about seeing other people fail. I want everyone (including YOU) to share in success. But, when that self-doubt creeps in, I take a look at this list and remind myself that it isn’t always easy.

There’s a whole lot of buzz out there about instant success. Whether it’s three steps to instant millions or how to become Internet famous overnight, it would seem like everyone is a winner. In reality, success (at least for the people on this list) takes hard work, commitment and the push that failure provides.

 

When you feel like a failure, start to think twice about your choice or are low when it comes to commitment, remember -- this is completely normal. It’s part if the process that eventually will make you a success. If being your own boss, starting a business or working from home (and making a full-time living) was easy, wouldn’t every one do it?

If you enjoyed this, then check out the rest of my book Work at Home: A Guide to the Best Change You’ll Ever Make! And who knows, pretty soon you might be writing your own book from home too!

How-to Be a Freelance Writer in 7 Easy Steps

So, I googled “how to become a freelance writer” just to see what the Internet had to say.

Actually, I googled “how to become a freelance writer” as I was trying to type and check my email (on my phone) at the same time. Typos aside, I got a lot of amazingly generic advice. “Like what?” you ask. Here are a few of my favorites:

·        Be a good writer.

·        Have self-discipline.

·        Set goals.

·        Be able to communicate clearly.

·        Maintain a professional attitude.

·        Have the ability to motivate yourself, even in the face of mass rejection.

I’m going to be brutally honest here, if you actually said to yourself, “Holy wow, those are such helpful ideas!” right now you’re a little more than a step behind in the freelance writing game. That isn’t supposed to be mean – just a bit snarky I suppose. But seriously, you already know that the above mentioned traits/ideas are necessary for any kind of freelance or writing career. What you probably want to know is something that’s less obvious.

I can’t say that I have all the answers. Far from it. There are freelancers out there who have crazy-good careers and make much more money than I do, and then there are those who make less. What I can give you is some friendly advice. A few tips from my own personal experience. These aren’t general ‘go to journalism school’ types of suggestions. They are what I’ve learned from my own successes and failures. Please keep in mind, everyone has their own niche and what worked for me (or didn’t work) might not fit your career.

1.     Speaking of niches – find yours. It took me a surprisingly long time to call myself a ‘parenting writer’. That’s basically what I am. I’ve written everything from home décor and DIY content to fashion and style, but what I truly enjoy is writing for parents. When I write about dental health, dressing for success or how to lay a ceramic tile floor you can really tell that my heart’s just not in it. If the topic you’re writing about bores you, it will show. Find what you’re passionate about and try your best to write about it.

2.     Steer clear of “sign up with us to become a real freelance writer” sites. Or, at least don’t stick with them for long. If you want to read my thoughts on content mills, check out my article on these sites. I made quite a good living off of content mills for a few years. That said, I hated what I was writing and got way to complacent. I wasted years creating mass amounts of crappy content for maybe $25 an article.

3.     Build your social media following right now. Immediately. Why? There are lots of reasons. Maybe you want to start your own blog. You need somewhere to promote yourself. Even if you’re writing for other people, you still need to promote your content – or theirs. This isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. For example, let’s say it’s between you and another equally as talented writer. You have a Twitter following of 10 and the other choice has a following of 10k. Guess who’s getting the job. Um, the person who’s actually able to tweet the content out to more than her BFF, downstairs neighbors and parents.

4.     Prepare proposals. Here’s a story – a potential client asked me for an email explaining my approach to his article. This was for a one-time only job. I replied with a detailed outline that clearly spelled out the structure of the post. He hired me. That turned into an ongoing professional relationship that brought on more work than I could have imagined when crafting that outline.

5.     Don’t say no. Let me rephrase that – don’t say no unless what the client is asking is completely ridiculous. I’ve been asked to write a 1,000 word article for $5. That was a big N-O! If the work aligns with my niche and the client is paying a fair price, I tend to take it. You never know when ‘an article’ will turn into months of consistent pay (see the above example). You also never know when that one random article will get seen (and read!) by someone truly important. Don’t miss out on what could be an amazing opportunity because you’d rather watch the Real Housewives of somewhere or another instead of writing (and yes, I actually have done this).

6.     Value yourself, in a totally realistic way. Go back to that $5 I was offered for 1,000 words. Someone probably will offer you a similar deal. Have some self-respect and don’t do it. At the same time, set your rates at a fair price. If you’re just starting out, don’t expect to make hundreds of dollars per 400 word blog post. It would be nice, but it’s just not likely here in the real world. Don’t quote me on that though. There are freelancers who’ve struck it big from the get-go.

7.     Join a community. Freelancing isn’t exactly a communal experience. Many of us started on this career track as a way to work from home. When you’re going it solo there’s no morning ‘water cooler’ gossip session, no one to bitch at when you’re having a bad day and no one to grab a quick bite with on your lunch break (and eating the leftover crusts from your kid’s PB&J as he finger paints with his pudding doesn’t count as a social lunch date). Joining a Facebook (or similar social networking) community for freelance writers has helped immensely when it comes to finding camaraderie at ‘work’.

 

 

P.S. The title was meant to grab your attention. I don’t take myself seriously enough to really think there are seven easy steps to becoming a freelance writer. There are suggestions, advice and tips, but as far as steps go – I don’t believe in them. You won’t find a mystical formula to freelancing, there’s no guide that has all the answers and while magical beans may grow a beanstalk up to the sky, they won’t give you a new career. If someone tells you otherwise, be weary. They are probably just trying to sell you something. Are you considering making the big switch from working outside the home to being a WAHM? My new book Work at Home: A Guide to the Best Change You'll Ever Make has ideas (and worksheets) to help you make the transition!

 

 

 

10 Reasons Not to Write for a Content Mill

So, you want to be a freelance writer? You’ve heard that content mills are the place to begin, and are wondering what they’re all about. If you want to write online (is there really anywhere else to write these days?), content mills are totally tempting.

Shortly after I started freelancing a fellow writer told me about this website that had thousands of article titles to choose from, paid every few days and was guaranteed work whenever I wanted it. I jumped at the chance. That was in 2009. Fast-forward six years and I’ve moved on. As a recently reformed content mill junkie, I’m going to share my thoughts on why this is NOT the place to create your career.

1.     The pay sucks -- seriously. When I started, I was writing $7.50 articles. Eventually I was making $25 an article. But, in the grand scheme of the online writing world that really isn’t a decent wage. Private clients will pay you more. How much more? It depends. It could be $50, or it might be $500. I have blogging friends who won’t write a guest post or a sponsored post for less than $150. So, why on Earth is it ok to pay someone $7.50 for the same amount of work?

2.     There’s no negotiation. I’m a terrible negotiator. That said, I’ve managed to get a fair price from almost all of my clients through the process. With content mills the pay is standard across the board. You accept it, or you don’t.

3.     It’s boring. My topic of choice is ‘kids’ art activities’. Second to this is ‘parenting’. I actually started my blog out of frustration brought upon by not being able to write about what I truly loved. If you don’t particularly mind writing a dozen articles about emergency dental procedures one day, decorating tips for middle-aged men the next and fascinating facts about oak trees after that, content mills might be a perfect match. On the other hand, if you want to use your professional or educational background, don’t do it.
 

4.     It’s kind of weird. Some mills use a computer-generated titling or keyword selection tool. This makes the content somewhat off. I’ve written stupendously stupid titles such as, “Places to Hang My Purse” (um, if you can’t figure this one out on your own, you’re probably not smart enough to google it either) and, “Is It a Beaver in My Backyard?” (maybe, I mean if it looks like one). Some companies won’t give you titles. Instead, they give you keywords to work with. These too can be odd, and while they do make sense as search terms they don’t flow naturally. For example, “outdoor activities summer kids”. What am I going to do with that?

5.     You’ll get lazy. Complacency is not a good thing, especially when you’re a budding freelancer. You’ve got to get out there and really sell yourself. No one will hustle for you, and if you’re not hustling you’re not getting any work. I had steady work through a content mill giant for a few years. I had enough work that my student loans went from an economic hardship deferment to the income-based repayment plan to full repayment. In other words, I was making a pretty great full-time income while I was sitting on my couch, watching the Real Housewives of some place or another and writing about purses and beavers (among many other things). I completely stopped looking for clients and tossed out the idea of starting my own blog. Why mess with a good thing, right? Nope, na-ha, now way, couldn’t be more wrong. When the mill fell apart, many of us lost some serious work. I went from a steady income to nothing. After years of what I know realize was wasting time, I had to start over and build a client base.

6.     The cookie cutter-ness of it will make you crazy, stupid or both. I got so used to writing in one format, with one style that I forgot to be original and use my own voice.

7.     Rushing work will become the norm. I have blogger buddies who spend hours on one post. Had I done that while working for content mills I would have made almost nothing. At my work-load height I was writing between eight and ten 600+ word articles per day.

8.     Real publications might not respect your work. When I submit online writing samples to potential clients I never, ever use my mill work (some of it is published under my name, while others were ones that I had ghost-written).

9.     There’s no real client-freelancer relationship. I enjoy the online interactions that I have with my private clients. I like the friendly emails and sometimes we even talk via phone or FaceTime. On the flip side, unless you’re emailing the tech department of the content-producing site because your editing window refuses to accept changes or you can’t log into your account, you may as well be working for the same computer program that’s picking those weirdo titles.

10.   You want a career. Content mills rise and fall. They overflow with an abundance of work for thousands of writers, and then abruptly shut down. Instead of putting your faith and talents into one of these sweatshops for writers, put it in yourself. Build your skill, confidence and brand – and contribute to your own success!