Freelancing for Pleasure and Profit

Issue #21

Announcing a Winner!

Greetings, Gather writers, and welcome to this issue of Freelancing for Pleasure and Profit. In the last issue I put out a call for entries for a contest. The theme was "success" and the term was defined very loosely. I read some excellent entries. As a writer I could feel the sincerity, the defeat and the determination in each of the short written pieces. Then I looked into each entrant's writing. I haunted their Gather pages and read a little about each one. I wanted to find out what made each entrant tick. In doing so I compiled both my newfound knowledge and their written entry. I saw lots of success on many different levels.
 

One entry struck me. It stood out more for its admission of defeat rather than its claiming success. Yet when I read the writer's Gather work I saw success in the making on many different levels. I saw good writing, and with each subsequent piece I saw it get even better. I saw a service to other writers in good format and providing exceptional content. In addition this writer is providing a service that may one day make an impact on the human spirit. When that day comes the writer will truly enjoy success.

Her entry was simple, but spoke volumes to me. As one who has overcome numerous adversities, I admire those who fight the good fight. We're survivors, and survivors make good writers. They never run out of material because they've frequently "been there and done that" and lived to write about it! This writer will undoubtedly do just that.

The winning entry follows:

"For too many years to count I have wanted to write true crime stories. I, too was raising children and after they moved out of the house and I quit my second job I was able to finally embrace writing. In the meantime I got sick and wasn't able to work. I love the freedom of being able to put words down on paper, having them tell a story and having people want to read it!! I haven't made any cash -yet. I'm learning everyday how to convey my thoughts into the written words that people will clammer over each other to read. I procrastinated too long and I'm trying to make up for lost time!"

Congratulations to Donna ~ 3rd. grandson due Dec.13th ~ B. for her winning entry! She will receive a copy of the book "Freelancing Later in Life." Donna B. has been writing articles about unsolved murders. I truly believe one day her information will strike a note and ignite a thought or memory; ultimately helping to solve one of these heinous crimes. The peace she'll provide the family of the deceased will be worth more than any paycheck earned by writing could afford. A sense of closure can't be purchased.

In light of the holiday season, I'd like to wish the very warmest of Christmas blessings to each and every one of you. I leave you today with a short piece I wrote a couple of years back...intended for writers, and how they can and should use their talents as a way to make and gift holiday gifts.

Give the Gift of the Craft

As writers we possess the ability to give of ourselves in a way that non-writers cannot. Expressions on the written page are sometimes far more eloquent and meaningful than the spoken word. There for a lifetime, their recipient can peruse the words at will, only to put them away for reviewing at another time.

This holiday season, give the gift of the craft with which you have been doubly blessed. The first blessing is for the fulfillment writing brings. And the second  blessing is for the joy your writing brings others. Share the gift. It will be worth its weight in gold.

Grandparents would love nothing more than a detailed reminiscence of summers spent with them, walks in the woods, or baking cookies in Grandma's kitchen. So often our elderly relatives wonder if they've mattered at all, and this treasure chest of memories will ascertain these facts for them.

I am making a cookbook of my great-grandmother's recipes, and giving it as a gift to many of my relatives. In addition to the recipes included, stories from childhood memories, holidays spent together, and funny tidbits of information only deemed humorous by my family members will be included. Creating the book will be a breeze. Once written, between my computer and a visit to the local printer, these books can be easily made for about two dollars apiece. I'll use a heavy stock paper, with a heavier stock for the cover. There will be no lamination, so that helps to keep the cost down. What kind of gift could you possibly purchase for two dollars that would hold as deep a meaning as this one?

Something else I'd like to do is create a book of memories for each of my children. Far more detailed than the traditional "baby books" many families keep, these books would describe not only details of my children's lives, but emotions I experienced watching them grow from year to year. These books would undoubtedly become keepsakes passed from generation to generation.

Photographs are easily incorporated into these books as well. Anyone with a computer image scanner can swiftly and efficiently add pictures to their books. Baby pictures, pictures of elementary school friends and teachers, and cherished family pets all would make excellent choices. In my recipe book I will use pictures of my great-grandmother, and pictures of my cousins and I as children. Also included will be my great-grandmother's home, and the wood stove from where so many of her creations originated.

There are countless ways to utilize the art of the craft into creative and cherished Christmas gifts. A little imagination and forethought is all that is required. And as writers, these qualities are a given, aren't they?