Writing to Help Yourself Part 4 - Money Issues

Welcome to this month’s Writing to Help Yourself, the monthly blog I write to explore the power of writing in dealing with life’s issues and events.

For those of you who prefer to watch and listen, this blog post is also available as a video on YouTube.

Also on YouTube, I have some FREE mini writing courses available. The latest ones are ‘Write a Poetry Pamphlet in 30 Days,’ and ‘Write a Novella in 30 Days.’

There’s more coming up, so do subscribe to the channel to be kept posted.

Following on from last month’s writing activities around the theme of Career Change, this month’s topic will delve into one of the most taboo topics there is... money.

living a writing life

The activities I am going to suggest this month will help you look at how you view money, and think about what it is you really want. I will also make suggestions on how you can make additional money with your writing.

You can approach the following writing activities in note form, poetry, letter, description or story.

How has money looked after you so far in life? How has this been directly affected by decisions you have personally made?
How have you looked after money? How have you treated it?
How would your life look in a world where money wasn’t an object? You could write about your ‘perfect’ day – this act of visualisation can be powerful.
Write a letter to money. Personify it and express your hopes for your future together.
How do you feel about money? What are the differences between having enough, too much or too little?

It might be helpful to jot a few notes in preparation for your piece first.

Here’s a sonnet I have written on the subject of money:

Poverty and Wealth

Dividing people like nothing else can,

offering chances or holding them back.

Polarising into rich or poor,

deciding between decline or cure.

Choosing well-travelled and who will stay,

based on who can afford to pay.

Causing family feuds and all-out war,

stress and misery at poverty’s core.

So much enjoyment when all is good,

Much sought after and misunderstood.

Bringing the best, and then the worst.

So many lives where money is first.

I never want to feel poverty’s pain,

My pen will make my fortune and fame.

Not all writers will admit to wanting to make money from their writing. And you won’t need me to tell you that it takes time to build up a large enough backlist of books and a reader following to make money solely from your writing.

Most writers have other streams of income too, as detailed below.

Editing and Proof Reading

This can be a high earner but time intensive. There are different levels of editing:

Developmental/Structural
Copy/Line editing
Proofreading

If you are good at this, it can be a very solid income stream. It provides an essential service to other writers and has the added bonus of honing your own writing craft. You would do well to get yourself onto an approved list of service providers, such as with Reedsy.com or The Alliance of Independent Authors.

Teaching

If you have any experience of teaching or running workshops, this can be a great way of supplementing your writing income and is what I do!

More experienced and qualified writers can offer in-depth writing courses and writing workshops, whilst space to write events can be held by writers at an earlier phase of their career.

Coaching and Mentoring

In an ideal world, every writer would have someone to coach and mentor them! You could offer this valuable one-to-one service on a paid-for basis for someone not quite as far along their writing journey as you are, or you could just ‘buddy’ with a writer at the same stage. Company and accountability are great motivators.

Personalised Poetry

The poets amongst you could offer personalised poems. These go down well at weddings and as general gifts for someone special. Gather some information from your ‘sender’ first and charge them a flat fee for a certain number of lines in a frame.

Feature Writing

From a regular column to a one-off magazine article, this can help get your name out there whilst bringing a little money in.

Writing Competitions

Winners have the promise of monetary prizes but shortlists will also build your ‘writing cv.’ They are great for giving you the discipline of writing to word count constraints, and writing to deadlines.

I have tried all of the above, but teaching is definitely what I enjoy the most. And it is important to do what you enjoy!

You can check out what I offer through my website and if you are interested in receiving a free first session of any of my courses then drop me a line.

Choose between

Write a Novel in a Year

Write a Collection of Poetry

Write your Life Story

Write a Collection of Short Stories

Introduction to Creative Writing

Thank you for joining me again this month for ‘Writing to Help Yourself.’ The focus next month will be on writing to help with insomnia.

Have a great September and keep writing!

With best wishes,

Maria Frankland