29 01, 2026

New Year Reset Guide for Tired (But Serious) Writers

By judythemorgan|2026-01-25T08:00:40-06:00January 29th, 2026|Guest blogger, writer, writing, Writing Craft|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Jenna Sherman

Writers stepping into a new year often carry more than fresh goals—they drag along half-finished drafts, old disappointments, and a vague sense that they “should be further along by now.” If that’s you, you’re not broken; you’re just due for a system reset, not another grand resolution. This guide is about rebuilding momentum in small, concrete ways so your creativity feels less like a guilt trip and more like a place you actually want to go.

If You’re Skimming, Start Here

Here’s the short version of how to restart your writing year without blowing it up:

Shrink the canvas. Think in 20–30 minute “writing sprints,” not epic three-hour sessions.
Protect one anchor block. Choose one recurring slot in your week that is non-negotiable writing time.
Track effort, not outcome. Count sessions, minutes, or pages—not likes, subscribers, or rejections.
Tie your writing to a theme. Give the year a working title (“The Year of Finishing Things,” “The Year of Showing Up”) so choices feel coherent, not random.

If you only did these four things consistently, your year would look very different.

Pick-Your-Mood Rituals (Quick Menu for Busy Weeks)

Use this table when you’re short on time or energy but don’t want to lose your streak.

How You Feel Today	10-Minute Move	If You Have 30 Minutes…
Fried from work	Freewrite about your day, no editing	Turn one paragraph into a scene or micro-essay
Restless / distracted	Handwrite questions you’re chewing on	Outline an article answering one of those questions
Quiet and reflective	Journal about what you want from this year of writing	Draft a “letter to future you” about the writer you’re becoming
Low confidence	List past wins (acceptances, kind emails, breakthroughs)	Edit an old piece to remind yourself you can improve your work
Inspired but scattered	Capture 10 ideas in a messy list	Choose one idea and write an ugly first draft

You’re not trying to be heroic every day. You’re trying to keep the conversation with your work alive.

When Formal Study Becomes Part of Your Writing Path

Sometimes “renewed energy and purpose” comes not only from habits, but from structured learning that stretches who you are on and off the page. Earning a degree can act like a long-form revision of your life: you gain new skills, deepen your confidence, and give your days a clearer sense of direction. For writers who are also navigating careers, a business-focused program can be especially useful—helping you understand how organizations work, how money moves, and how communication drives decisions.

A business degree can introduce you to practical skills in areas like accounting, business strategy, communications, or management that make you more effective, whether you’re freelancing, leading a team, or building your own venture. Exploring online business degree programs can also make this path more realistic, because online formats are designed so you can keep working full-time while staying on top of your studies.

The point isn’t that every writer should go back to school—it’s that education can be one more intentional way to align your daily life with the future you’re writing toward.

Small Systems Beat Big Resolutions

Big resolutions sound impressive—“I’ll write 2,000 words every day!”—but systems keep you honest.

Problem: Resolutions rely on motivation, which swings wildly.
Solution: Systems rely on default behaviors and constraints.
Result: You write even on boring, non-heroic days.

A few system-level tweaks that help:

Default place: Decide where “writing happens” (a specific chair, app, café). Same place, less friction.
Default cue: Pair writing with something that already happens (after coffee, after school drop-off, before bed).
Default shutdown: End each session by jotting a one-line note: “Next time, start with…” This cuts down on warm-up dread.

Think of yourself less as “a writer trying to be disciplined” and more as “a person running a tiny, kind writing studio.”

Questions Writers Ask at the Start of a New Year (FAQ)

Q1: Do I really have to write every day?
No. Daily writing can be powerful, but it’s not a moral requirement. What matters most is predictability. Three focused sessions a week, protected like appointments, will beat erratic bursts every time.

Q2: What if I’m starting completely from zero again?
Treat this like rehab, not punishment. Start with 10–15 minutes, three times a week, for a month. Your only goal is to rebuild trust with yourself: “When I say I’ll show up, I do.”

Q3: Should I focus on craft, platform, or money this year?
Pick a primary season. You can have mini-goals in each area, but decide what this quarter is mainly about: skill-building, audience, or revenue. That choice will simplify every “Should I do this?” decision.

Q4: How do I handle comparison to other writers?
Shrink the comparison set. Instead of scanning the entire internet, choose two or three writers as “quiet mentors.” Study their work for technique and process—not as proof you’re behind.

Micro-Reset Checklist for Your Next Writing Week

Use this once a week. Don’t overthink—check as you go.

I chose one primary project to be my “north star” for the week.
I scheduled at least three specific writing sessions on my calendar.
I decided in advance what “done” looks like for each session (e.g., “500 messy words,” “revise intro,” “outline three scenes”).
I prepared my tools the night before (charged laptop, notebook, files open to the right doc).
I picked a tiny reward that doesn’t derail me (nice tea, a walk, or an episode of a show after the session).
I set one boundary: something I will not do during writing time (email, social media, chores).
I planned a five-minute Friday review to note what worked and what I’ll tweak next week.

You can screenshot this, stick it somewhere visible, and run it on repeat.

One Online Tool That Makes Daily Pages Easier

If you like the idea of “morning pages” but struggle to stay consistent, you might enjoy 750 Words, a site designed to encourage writing 750 words a day in a private space. The platform gives you a clean, distraction-light screen, automatically tracks your word count, and saves as you go, so you can focus on pouring words out instead of watching the clock. It also uses streaks and simple stats to nudge you into regular practice, turning “I should write” into a small daily challenge you can actually win.

This Year, Make It Smaller and Truer

You don’t need a reinvention montage to restart your writing life. You need a handful of sturdy rituals, a clearer project list, and a kinder story about where you are in the process. Treat your sessions as experiments, not verdicts. Let systems carry what your willpower can’t. And remember: a year is just 52 chances to start again next week—one honest, doable session at a time.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jenna Sherman is a mom of three (two girls and a boy). She created Parent-Leaders.com to help other parents acquire the skills they need to raise future leaders by providing a collection of valuable, up-to-date, authoritative resources. Take a minute to visit Jenna Sherman’s blog for helpful tips.

8 01, 2026

Guest Blogger Today for Romance Readers and Writers

By judythemorgan|2025-12-27T10:25:50-06:00January 8th, 2026|Guest author, Guest blogger|4 Comments

Thursday’s are guest blogger days here on the blog. Welcome today’s guest: romance author, Monique DeVere.

She writes heart-pounding romantic suspense and funny, feel-good romances filled with faith, heart, hope, and a dash of sass. Check out her titles here: Amazon Store.

After years of reading craft books, studying published novels, completing writing courses, and learning through trial and error, she realised that romance writing isn’t mysterious in the way it’s sometimes made out to be. There are mechanics at play and understanding them can be empowering. She wrote a craft book to help other writers understand, too. That’s the featured book today.

Why I Wrote This Book

I wrote How to Write Compelling Romance Novels because I wanted to help other writers shorten the learning curve in a way that’s encouraging. Writing romance should be joyful, but a lot of the time it’s more frustrating and lonely than thrilling. It is a labour of love, and truly the book I wish I’d had when I first started writing.

What’s Inside

At its heart, this book is about understanding the mechanics that make romance work, from emotional beats to chemistry, tension, and subtext. My hope is that it helps writers feel less overwhelmed and genuinely excited about the stories they’re trying to tell. If this book helps even one writer feel more confident as they sit down to write, then it has done exactly what I hoped it would do.

I’m a visual learner, which is why I’ve written examples to help writers see the elements put into practice. These are original examples created exclusively for How to Write Compelling Romance Novels. They exist to illustrate concepts clearly so writers can immediately see how to implement the tools.

At its heart, this book is about understanding the mechanics that make romance work, from emotional beats to chemistry, tension, and subtext.

My goal is to help authors write the kind of romance stories readers devour in one sitting—and remember long after they finish.

No matter where you are in your writing journey, this book is designed to meet you there. If you’re just starting out, you’ll find clear, actionable steps that demystify the process. If you’re an experienced author, you’ll gain new tools and insights to elevate your craft.

My hope is that it helps writers feel less overwhelmed and genuinely excited about the stories they’re trying to tell. If this book helps even one writer feel more confident as they sit down to write, then it has done exactly what I hoped it would do.

If you’re ready to take your romance writing to the next level, you can grab your copy today and start building stories full of emotion.

How to Write Compelling Romance Novels is available in eBook, Paperback, & Hardback.

Grab your copy today!

AmazonUS | AmazonUK | Amazon CA | AmazonAU

About Monique

A true romantic, she believes falling in love should come with belly laughs, awkward moments, and that delicious slow-burn sizzle. Originally from Barbados, Monique lives in the UK with her real-life hero, their four grown children, five grandchildren, and an adorable Yorkie. She loves writing stories about strong, smart heroines and the swoon-worthy men who fall for them—whether in rom-com, contemporary, or Christian romantic suspense. When she’s not dreaming up emotionally satisfying love stories, she’s collecting new ideas, enjoying family time, or learning something new. Monique loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her at monique@moniquedevere.com

Connect with her on Social Media Links:

4 12, 2025

Keeping Kids Active and Engaged While You Work Through the Holidays

By judythemorgan|2025-11-19T14:35:29-06:00December 4th, 2025|Christmas, Guest blogger, Holidays|0 Comments

A Guest Blog by Jenna Sherman

The holiday season brings plenty of joy, but for parents who also write for a living, it can create real tension. Kids are home more, energy runs high, and deadlines don’t disappear just because the calendar fills with celebrations.

The challenge isn’t only about getting words on the page; it’s about creating an environment where children feel included and stimulated while you maintain focus. With a little structure, clear planning, and smart activity choices, you can strike a balance that keeps both family and work humming along.

Keep a Steady Framework

Even during festive weeks, kids respond well when the days carry some kind of rhythm. Predictable touchpoints anchor their energy and help you avoid constant questions about what comes next. Something as simple as breakfast at the same time or a consistent mid-morning break helps everyone know where they stand. You don’t need to fill every slot, but if you can layer your days with structure, children will settle faster and you’ll have a clearer mental map for your own work windows.

Think of it as scaffolding: flexible enough to leave space for spontaneity but solid enough to keep the day from unraveling.

Protect Your Writing Hours

Work doesn’t happen in scattered five-minute bursts. It requires windows of attention where your mind can stay tethered to the page. One of the best ways to defend this time is by planning it early and communicating it clearly. Mornings before the day ramps up often work best, but the key is consistency.

If kids know that you’ve reserved deep work windows early, they’re less likely to barge in because they trust that another moment with you is coming. Frame it as an agreement, not a restriction, and you’ll reduce pushback while strengthening boundaries.

Align Plans with Your Kids

Holidays often come with heightened expectations. Kids want presence, parents need progress. Instead of treating these as competing demands, fold them together. Bring children into the planning by talking openly about which hours are work hours and which belong to family. That conversation creates buy-in and models responsibility.

A big part of this is showing them how you build a family-first work plan. It’s not about perfection; it’s about designing a structure that gives writing its place while honoring togetherness. Kids who feel included are more cooperative, and you’ll be less likely to carry guilt as you sit down to draft.

Encourage Independent Engagement

Sometimes the simplest solution is to give kids something they can own without you hovering. Stock a box with puzzles, art supplies, or tactile toys that spark curiosity and don’t need constant oversight. Rotate the items so they don’t lose appeal. The goal is to create short bursts of time where kids are absorbed enough for you to focus.

When you build independent play toolkits, you give children a chance to practice self-direction, and you buy yourself concentrated minutes. Even 20 minutes of uninterrupted writing can be more valuable than an hour chopped into fragments.

Add Creative Seasonal Projects

Winter and holidays are tailor-made for activities that feel special without requiring big budgets. From handmade ornaments to homemade cards to gingerbread houses, projects give kids a sense of accomplishment while filling afternoons with meaningful work. Set them up at the kitchen table with supplies, offer a little guidance, then let them run with their imagination.

The beauty is that while they dive into a mini holiday workshop, you can knock out a block of editing or plotting. Later, everyone gets to admire the results, creating a positive feedback loop that makes them eager to repeat the cycle.

Be Smart About Screens

Technology can either drain focus or give you space to recharge, depending on how it’s used. The key isn’t elimination but calibration. Decide in advance when and how screens will be part of the day, and communicate those limits clearly. A short show while you handle email, or a movie night after dinner, feels different than endless scrolling.

By choosing programs that fit your family’s values, you curate screen time for focus rather than letting devices dictate the schedule. Structure turns screens into a tool, not a crutch.

Get Moving Outdoors

Fresh air shifts moods and burns off excess energy better than any indoor distraction. Even in cooler months, families benefit from time outside. Bundle up, take a short walk, or send kids to the yard for scavenger hunts, leaf collections, or chalk art if the ground is clear. When children get to enjoy seasonal outdoor adventures, they return with calmer bodies and clearer heads.

That transition creates a window where you can lean into your writing with fewer interruptions. The bonus is that outdoor time builds seasonal memories that stick longer than an hour on the couch.

Balancing writing deadlines with holiday parenting isn’t about juggling endlessly; it’s about designing an environment that supports both.

Structure the day so kids know what to expect.
Guard your work windows and invite children into the planning so they feel invested.
Fill their hours with independent projects, creative crafts, and outdoor play. Be deliberate with technology rather than reactive.

When you approach the holidays with strategies like these, you reduce friction, increase focus, and create space for the season’s joy. Writing gets done, kids feel engaged, and the holidays unfold with more connection and less chaos.

~~~~~~~~~~

6 Tips for Balancing a New Baby and New Business

Freelancing for College Students

Reignite Your Creativity: How to Fuel Personal and Professional Momentum

25 09, 2025

Guest Author Today – Pamela S Thibodeaux

By judythemorgan|2025-09-07T17:04:12-05:00September 25th, 2025|Author Interview, Guest author, Guest blogger|2 Comments

Welcome Pamela S Thibodeaux, my Guest Author Spotlight today. She’s here to tell us about her novel, My Heart Weeps.

Meet Pamela ~ Award-winning author, life coach, and spiritual mentor.

“Inspirational with an Edge!” ™ is her author tagline and also defines her life, her writing, and her coaching style.

You can find and follow Pam everywhere through LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/pamelasthibodeauxauthor
Sign up to receive her newsletter and get access to a free short story!

~~~~~~

Pamela is sharing with us why she wrote My Heart Weeps.

My beloved passed away in 2009. A couple of years later, while talking with a gentleman whom I’d been seeing, I made the remark, “I feel your love for me in every fiber of my being, and my heart weeps because I’m just not ready for anything more than friendship.” My next comment was, “That sounds like a book title.”

This book took eight years to write, was released on the anniversary of my husband’s death, and is the story of one woman’s journey from grief into new life and parallels mine.

When life takes everything, your world stops. Can a retreat heal the broken lives of two wounded souls?

Melena Rhyker’s world shattered the day her husband died. Lost without the man of her dreams, she digs deep to find a path out of her sorrow. Discovering an artistic retreat, she vows to find a reason to carry on and focus her life in a new direction. Can she heal her own heart and find her new beginning?

Garrett Saunders knows pain. He’s spent most of his life hiding from his past. Regrets and lies haunt him, but he longs to leave them behind and embrace his true self. Will Melena’s efforts to rebuild her life in the face of such grief encourage him to exorcise his own demons of guilt and shame?

Will two hurting people find peace, wholeness, and perhaps love in the heart of Texas?

~~~~~~

~EXCERPT from My Heart Weeps

At 6 p.m., she pulled into the carport, turned off the engine and laid her head on the steering wheel.

“Well, I’m home again. Made it through another agonizing eight hours or so, now to get through another night.”

Gathering every ounce of courage she could summon, she disembarked from her vehicle, retrieved the mail from the box beside the door, and entered the house. She thumbed through the envelopes and advertisements, then laid them on the table and poured a glass of juice. She reached for the bottle of over-the-counter pain reliever and froze.

It would be so easy to end this pain.

Oh, what an enticing thought. Just take a handful of pills and end it all. Would she wake up in heaven? Would Jesus meet her there? Would Jonathan? What about the kids or Mama—would they understand? Or would she destroy them? Where was the faith she claimed to have? Why was it failing her now?

~~~~~~

To see how love and faith conquer all, grab your copy of Pamela Thibodeaux’s second-chance women’s fiction at these retailers:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4lN4mr4

Other Online Retailers: https://books2read.com/MyHeartWeeps

~~~~~~

DISCLAIMER: I do not read every book/author I host. Please do your book research before you buy.

18 09, 2025

By judythemorgan|2025-11-19T14:27:31-06:00September 18th, 2025|Guest blogger|0 Comments

Reignite Your Creativity: How to Fuel Personal and Professional Momentum

A Guest Blog by Jenna Sherman

Image: Freepik

You’ve probably felt that flat, uninspired lull where everything feels recycled. The deadlines don’t slow down, but your spark does.

You’ve read the mantras, made the lists, and drank the coffee. Still, you can’t shake the sense that your best ideas are stuck behind some invisible wall.

Creativity isn’t a luxury; it’s oxygen for both your breakthroughs and your balance.

To shake the dust off, you don’t need a reinvention—just a few well-placed ignitions.

~Break out of habitual patterns
Routines offer safety, but they rarely spark brilliance. Shake things loose by changing your route, rearranging your workspace, or tackling the first task of the day from an angle you’ve never tried before. Even something as simple as switching coffee shops can make you feel like you’ve got a new set of eyes. Fresh surroundings generate friction—and friction creates the heat you need to make something new.

~Embrace playful improvisation
Creativity thrives when you drop the pressure to be right and instead allow yourself to experiment. Techniques such as loose sketching, absurd prompts, or chaotic brainstorming can help jolt you out of stagnation. It’s not about the result. It’s about tricking your brain into motion by giving it permission to fail loudly and learn quickly.

~Let quiet reflection fuel ideas
Silence can be productive. After enough external noise, your creative system needs room to metabolize. Instead of brute-forcing the next big idea, lean into low-stimulus space—go analog, pause, notice. That space between inputs, where your brain meanders without a plan, often holds more potential than any list of tactics. Let the silence work on you before you try to work through it.

~Shift career paths
Sometimes creative burnout isn’t a signal to rest—it’s a nudge to redirect. When you step into a different field, especially one that challenges you to think and act in new ways, your brain wakes up again. For those balancing work and personal life, online programs offer a practical way to pivot without hitting pause. Changing your career doesn’t mean abandoning your past—it means repurposing it with intention.

~Let ideas spill like confetti
Creativity isn’t always tidy. Sometimes, it’s a flood of scattered, unfinished thoughts. In those bursts, let go of the urge to prune as you go. Give yourself the license to capture wildly, sloppily, even embarrassingly. Editing comes later—what matters first is getting enough raw material out to work with.

~Use mindfulness to clear mental noise
Mental clutter piles up, especially when your brain is bouncing between unfinished loops. Before you try to brainstorm your way out of the fog, pause. Mindfulness helps clear noise, and what’s left is attention—sharp, useful, and available. A few minutes of focused breathing or sensory check-ins can make the difference between circling and striking. It’s not meditation for show—it’s for oxygen.

~Channel creativity through habit and curiosity
You don’t need to wait for a flash of insight to get back in motion. Momentum builds through rhythm, not lightning bolts. People who generate meaningful ideas on repeat rely on consistency. Curiosity fuels innovation and creativity more reliably than any morning routine ever could.

You don’t need to be someone else to be creative again—you just need to reroute what’s already there. A new setting, a playful riff, a quiet pause, a messy outpouring, a moment of breath, a flicker of curiosity—these aren’t hacks. They’re moves. Use them. Not all at once, not perfectly, but enough to break the seal and let the energy through. Your creativity isn’t gone. It’s just waiting for an invitation back to the surface.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Take a minute to visit Jenna Sherman’s blog for helpful tips. Or visit her blogs here:

6 Tips for Balancing a New Baby and New Business

Freelancing for College Students

21 08, 2025

We have a guest author!

By judythemorgan|2025-08-16T09:00:14-05:00August 21st, 2025|Guest author, Guest blogger|2 Comments

Today, we welcome my writer friend from France. J. Arlene Culiner is here to talk about story settings and her novel, The Unpredictable Colors of Love

Meet Ms. Culiner ~ Writer, social critical artist, and impenitent teller of tall tales

Arlene was born in New York and raised in Toronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a mud house on the Great Hungarian Plain, in a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, a haunted house on the English moors, and a Dutch canal. She now resides in a 400-year-old former inn in a French village of no interest where, much to local dismay, she protects spiders, snakes, and weeds. Observing people in cafes, in their homes, on trains, or in the streets, she eavesdrops on all private conversations and delights in hearing any nasty, funny, ridiculous, sad, romantic, or boastful story. And when she can’t uncover really salacious gossip, she makes it up.

Author Websites http://www.j-arleneculiner.com

Author links: https://linktr.ee/j.arleneculiner

~~~~~~

Thank you, Judythe, for inviting me to be on your blog and present The Unpredictable Colors of Love.

I love setting my romances in the out-of-the-way places I’ve lived. The three books in my Blake’s Folly Romance series take place in a Nevada semi-ghost town where roads are unpaved ruts, and the doors of abandoned shacks slap in the endless wind. Felicity’s Power is set in an isolated cove on the California coast, and in my romantic suspense, The Turkish Affair, I present an archaeological site in central Turkey where theft is rife and the police are untrustworthy.

Yet, somehow, I’ve avoided writing about the country where I now live: France. Is it because the France portrayed in so many romances is nothing like the real country? Because people want fantasy more than reality? They want cafés where people engage in deep philosophical conversations and beret-wearing men with baguettes under their arm pass by on creaking bicycles.

In that mythical France, food is always wonderful, and Art is important to all.

In reality, people in cafés talk about football, television, or social media. Those beret men are long gone, and food is often — like elsewhere — created industrially, then frozen and shipped to restaurants where it’s heated up in a microwave oven. As for Art…

Fine. What would happen if I wrote a romance set in an artist’s retreat in the real France? If I describe what is actually going on in the countryside, add in a château that, like so many, was almost doomed to disappear?

If I do all that, would it still be a good setting for a romance?

Of course, it would. Thus: The Unpredictable Colors of Love,

Callie Patterson, an unsuccessful artist, hopes that a relationship with the irresistible and magnetic Nicholas Trier will pave the way to success. She follows him to France, where, in a magnificent château, he holds his artists’ retreats. But famous men surround themselves with hangers-on and demand complete loyalty.

Callie soon finds herself far more attracted to Michel Alexandre, the estate gardener, who loves and protects trees and every living creature. But if she wants to make a name for herself, she’ll have to choose Nicholas and his world.

Except nothing is quite the way it seems, and perhaps success isn’t the most important thing, after all.

~~~~~~

Excerpt from The Unpredictable Colors of Love

Callie dropped the backpack filled with art supplies and, uninvited, sat down on the soggy ground not far from where Michel was digging. She didn’t even own a houseplant, but a banal conversation about twigs and saplings was what she craved at the moment. “Okay, tell me why there isn’t a hedge here now.”
“Because, years ago, the farmer ripped out all the hedges to have larger fields for his agricultural machinery. Now we’re bringing back a balanced environment.”
“You’re not planning to replace every single hedge on your own, are you?”
“Of course not,” he scoffed. Picking up a small spade, he loosened another patch of earth. “There are thousands of trees and shrubs to replant, and that would be an impossible task for only one person.” With gentle fingers, he spread the delicate roots of a tiny shrub, tucked it into place in the little hole, then tamped down the moist soil with his palm. Reached for another, and then another.
She watched silently as he planted, and strangely enough, it was almost a sensual sight. His hands were broad, strong, and deeply tanned from working outdoors; his long fingers were beautifully shaped. And under that denim shirt of his, there was the alluring suggestion of tight sinew and warm, fragrant skin. Did she still find him bear-like? No, not exactly. Something more, something…
“A penny for your thoughts.” Michel was watching her with those disconcerting eyes of his, very dark, with heavy lids and thick lashes.
She felt the blush as it traveled upward, flooding her neck, her face. He hadn’t caught what she had been thinking, had he? Perhaps he had. Surely, he’d seen how her gaze had slipped over his hands, his arms, his chest, and shoulders. How incredibly humiliating! What vaguely plausible answer could she give? “Oh…just remembering something.”
“Ah.” Eyebrows raised in overt amusement, he smirked—rather cockily—then went back to working on the next hole, the next shrub.

BUY LINKS:

https://www.amazon.com/Unpredictable-Colors-Love-Arlene-Culiner-ebook/dp/B0DCZWF836

https://books2read.com/TheUnpredictableColorsOfLove

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/27nE-cCHNqM

2 02, 2023

Freelancing for College Students – Guest Blogger Jenna Sherman

By judythemorgan|2023-01-30T07:24:09-06:00February 2nd, 2023|Guest blogger|0 Comments

Image via Pexels

How to Achieve Success as a Freelance Writer in College

A Guest Blog by Jenna Sherman

As a college student, you may be considering freelance writing as an income source. While there are many benefits to taking this route, it’s important to understand the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. With the right research, portfolio development, work ethic, marketing strategies, payment negotiations, and taxes preparation, you can achieve success as a freelancer while still in school — these tips shared by judythewriter.com can help.

Investigating the Freelance Writing Industry

Before you dive into freelance writing while in college, research the different types of jobs and articles that writers are paid for and decide which ones interest you most. You should also read up on various publications’ submission guidelines so that when you come across a job posting or assignment that appeals to you, you will have all the necessary information at your fingertips. It is also beneficial to keep track of current industry trends and market rates for writing services.

Creating a Portfolio

As with any creative career path, having an impressive portfolio can make all the difference in getting hired for gigs. Consider starting a blog or website where you can display your writing samples online. You can also create a PDF version of your portfolio if potential clients prefer hard copies or if they request something specific for their own record-keeping purposes. Keep adding samples of your best work overtime to solidify your skillset and showcase your growth as a writer.

Creating a Solid Work Routine

Having an established work routine is crucial when it comes to meeting deadlines and delivering quality work on time. Before committing to any project, make sure that you understand exactly what is expected of you and set realistic goals for yourself based on that information. It’s better to under promise and overdeliver than vice versa; this way, clients won’t be disappointed when they receive your final product.

Using Business Cards as a Promotion

Promoting your writing services can be easily done by creating a business card. This leaves a lasting impression and is more visible than email, offering potential customers and clients something tangible to remember you by. Designing a personalized business card doesn’t have to be hard — pre-made templates are available that you can customize with images, text, color schemes, and the font of your choice. Check out this example of a great business card design tool that you can use.

Establish Clear Payment Terms

It is important to discuss payment terms before the start of any project to avoid surprises. This includes discussing payment amounts per article or hour and any other negotiations between both parties. It is essential that these discussions address the client’s budget and needs so that both sides remain satisfied throughout the duration of their agreement.

Identifying as an LLC

Forming an LLC for your writing business is a great way to protect yourself from potential liabilities. An LLC offers several benefits, like limited liability, tax advantages, less paperwork, and flexibility. However, it’s important to check the rules in your state surrounding forming an LLC before getting started – and if you don’t want to handle the legwork yourself there are formation services available that can help without costing you hefty lawyer fees.

Keeping Taxes Straight

Freelancers must manage their own income and expenses throughout the year in order to submit proper tax returns. Establishing monthly spreadsheets can help with organization and compliance, but failure to do so can be costly due to penalties or interest. Furthermore, freelancers should check for any local or state taxes that may be applicable.

Freelance writing offers college students a great opportunity to gain experience, increase their income, and support themselves during their studies. To be successful requires careful planning ahead and researches into industry standards and rates. It also requires a strong commitment to meeting deadlines and providing quality work every time in order to maintain good relationships with clients.

Following these steps should put students well on the path to achieving success as freelance writers while still attending college.

28 07, 2022

GUEST BLOGGER – Jenna Sherman

By judythemorgan|2022-07-26T14:55:35-05:00July 28th, 2022|Guest blogger|1 Comment

6 Tips for Balancing a New Baby and New Business

A blog by Guest Blogger Jenna Sherman

A new baby alone brings plenty of life changes. But when you add a new business into the mix, you might feel overwhelmed.

Fortunately, if you’re a new parent and a new business owner, these tips can help you establish a healthy work-life balance while your baby and business grow.

1. Establish Your Routine

A flexible routine is a must when you’re balancing a new baby and a new business. Find the routine that works for you. With a newborn or infant, you might choose to work around your baby’s schedule, ensuring you’re available when the baby is awake and hungry and working when the baby sleeps. Keep in mind that your baby’s schedule will change as they grow, so you’ll have to adapt your routine every few months.

2. Explore Child Care Options

Consider full- or part-time childcare to help you focus on your business during working hours. You might choose an in-home care option, such as a nanny, when your baby is young. Having a nanny scheduled allows you to establish dedicated work hours to focus on the launch of your business. When choosing a childcare option, consider the price, schedule, and location, among other factors.

3. Write a Business Plan

A business plan is a document that outlines the key components of your business, including your business model, product or service, target market, growth strategy, and financial projections. It is an essential tool for any startup or small business, as it can help you to secure funding, attract investors, and get your business off the ground. To learn more about writing a business plan and starting your own company, refer to this ZenBusiness page on starting a new business.

4. Network With Other Professionals

As a business owner, it’s wise to connect with other local businesses to help yours grow. Plus, connecting with these businesses may allow you to outsource some of your work, freeing up time as you try to balance life with a new baby. For example, if you don’t have the time to build your business’ website or lack the experience, try connecting with a local web designer (or trade services) to lighten your load during this busy time.

5. Create a Multifunctional Space

Whether you’re working remotely full time or simply working behind the scenes from home as your business launches, you need a dedicated space to work. However, you also want this space to be flexible and inclusive, so your baby can join as needed. Consider adding a bassinet, mini-crib, or baby swing to the space to keep your baby close by when you’re working. Baskets or shelves filled with baby gear can allow you to multitask in your home office.

6. Tap Into Smart Business Resources to Market Your Business

Discover resources that help your business grow and save you time, so you can spend plenty of quality time with your baby. Marketing your new business is essential to increasing your visibility and building a customer base.

Having a well-designed logo for your business builds brand awareness, makes a solid first impression, and allows your business to stand out from the competition. If you’re on a tight budget, you can use an online logo maker for logo design made easy. Create a professional-quality logo featuring an icon, text, and colors that align with your business. You can also find programs that help you build email marketing campaigns and even develop a website without any HTML knowledge.

Both Your Baby and Business Can Thrive

By networking, outsourcing work, and maintaining flexibility, you can balance life with a new baby while marketing and forming a new business.

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Jenna Sherman is a mom of three (two girls and a boy). She hopes to help other parents acquire the skills they need to raise future leaders by providing a collection of valuable, up-to-date, authoritative resources.

She created parent-leaders.com as an avenue for parents who want to make sure their children grow up to be strong, independent, successful adults.

Take a minute to visit her blog for other great tips for home and parenting.

13 02, 2020

Tips to Caring for Senior Pets

By judythemorgan|2020-02-10T18:08:02-06:00February 13th, 2020|Guest blogger|1 Comment

A Guest Blog by Nick Burton

The bond between you and your senior pet is priceless. However, caring for senior pets tends to come with more measurable costs. You can keep those expenses low with these tips.

Save on Senior Pet Products by Using Online Coupons

The needs of older pets can be different from younger animals. Your senior pet may need soft organic food, a more comfortable bed or even a stroller. Or modifications to your home to help improve your pet’s quality of life; for example, anti-slip treads on staircases can help prevent slips and tumbles, while a doggy door will allow them to come and go as they please to take care of outdoor business.

Stocking up on these essentials does not mean sacrificing your budget. You can usually find all you need by shopping online or with major retailers, and you can find your pet supplies at the best prices for any budget if you do your homework. Better yet, you can boost savings on pet supplies by visiting online sites, like Amazon, Chewy, PetSmart or Petco and learning more about cash back deals from sites like Rakuten. It’s the smartest way to keep your senior pet healthy and your family budget happy all at once.

Cut Down Your Costs on Those Senior Pet Vet Bills

Vet costs for senior animals tend to be a bit higher than their younger counterparts. This can even deter people from adopting senior pets, but the love of an older companion animal can be truly priceless.

Senior dogs and cats typically require less training, which can help offset those increased care costs, but there are other ways to save on your vet bills as well.

Pet insurance can help with veterinary costs for your pet at any age and can be cost-effective for people with multiple pets. Additionally, most pet insurance policies provide you with rebates for covered pet care costs.

Clean Up After Senior Pets Without Cleaning Out Your Savings

Senior pets tend to have stomach issues and bladder control problems that can spell disaster for your carpets. If your senior pet’s bathroom problems seem to be severe or sudden, you should make an appointment with your vet.

However, you should also stock up on cleaning supplies to address stains and remove odors. You can also make your own pet-safe cleaning supplies. A little vinegar and water are all it takes to eliminate even the smelliest pet messes from your home, and you can score a bottle of vinegar for a couple of dollars.

Pet expenses may increase as animals get older, but your budget doesn’t have to suffer as a result. If you are willing to look for promo codes and research online, you can find ways to save and take care of your senior pets.

You can show your senior pets the love they deserve without sacrificing all your budget needs.

About Nick

Nick Burton is the co-creator of Our Best Doggo. Together with his wife, they are proud parents of three rescue dogs. After the passing of their 15-year-old lab/terrier mix dog, Willie, they decided to create this website to share all types of dog information and help people that are mourning the loss of a dog.

Be sure to check out his website You’ll find lots of dog-loving information.

1 08, 2019

LUCKY ME

By judythemorgan|2019-08-01T11:06:01-05:00August 1st, 2019|Guest blogger|3 Comments

A Blog by Guest Blogger – Jody Gilmore Payne

I’m from a long line of readers and storytellers. I can’t remember a time my parents and grandparents didn’t have an open book nearby. I realize now the value of the legacy and thank them for the memories.

~I have ignored Papa’s frowning and eloped with a Browning.

~I have fought beside Travis in the Alamo.

~I have discussed cabbages and kings with a walrus.

~I have crossed a vast desert with an Englishman in Arab robes.

~I have dined with a fat king and wept for his queen.

~I have grown older and wiser on Washington Square.

~I have excavated a site for antiquities of ancient cultures and dug a despot from a hole in the same ground.

~I have journeyed through a wardrobe into a land of eternal winter.

~I have advised presidents and a man who would be king.

~I have been horrified to watch Othello give his trust to Iago.

~I have permitted murderers to go free on the Oriental Express.

~I have disagreed with a Medici when he claimed the end justifies the means and then listened with horror as our leaders now quote him.

~I have learned about relativity from a genius and taught him how to tie his shoes.

~I have knit my way through the French Revolution and sought justice for my people.

~My beauty was celebrated, but I was cast aside when I couldn’t give a French dictator a child.

~I have sailed the seven seas on a schooner and navigated across a continent on a sea of grass.

~I have followed an ideal and founded the best government known to man.

~I have hiked the Inca Trail to watch the sunrise over Machu Picchu.

~I have drawn lines in the Nazca desert so long ago no one will remember their origin.

~I have built great pyramids in the Valley of the Kings and left a Sphinx to guard them.

~I have descended a mountain carrying stones etched with the sacred words of God.

~I have slain a giant with five smooth stones and changed history.

~I have set giant stones in a circle to explain the miracle of the heavens.

~I have caught words as they slid from the pooka’s mouth and meditated on power.

~I have listened to the caged bird sing and soared above the Grand Tetons with the proudest of all birds, the American eagle.

~I have been betrayed by a man and his church and worn an A on my breast.

~I have roamed the dark forest with werewolves and fled from vampires.

~I have thrilled to my first kiss many times.

~I have crossed the Delaware with brave men to follow the most virtuous of leaders.

~I have fought a war with my brothers and watched Atlanta burn.

~I have composed ballads with a poet and dreamed of returning to Mandalay.

~I have partaken of a moveable feast and baked blackbirds in a pie.

~I have watched in horror as barns burned through the night in Mississippi and found peace at dawn on Walden’s Pond.

~I have flown through space and walked on the moon.

~I have ridden a thoroughbred in the Derby and cried for the fate of a warhorse.

~I have bowed before a lowly donkey carrying a virgin with an unborn God.

Lucky me, I can read.

Jody Gilmore Payne is an author, a blogger, a horsewoman, an animal lover, and now a transplanted Texan …

I’ve always believed in the inescapable order of fate, but I can’t think of one good reason I wasn’t born right here in Texas. Oh the time I wasted wandering around looking for home!

Well, I’m here now and embrace it with open heart and welcoming arms.   

If my writing takes on a decidedly southern cadence, it’s understandable. I write about what I see and what I believe to be good and true.

You can visit Jody on Facebook or her website or her blog