Guest Post: Making Dreams into Reality

Note from Ada: This week I'm asking some of my bloggy friends to help fill the Of Woods and Words soundwaves. Today Amanda of Digital Zen Ink shares the story of her freelance writing journey. Prepare to be inspired!

Amanda

I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately from several of my readers about how I started a freelance writing business, so when Ada asked me to guest post I saw it as the perfect opportunity to share my story.

The long version is that I’ve been in love with the written word for as long as I can remember. While the rest of my family worked in computers and technical fields I always had my head in a book or a pen in my hand. When people asked me what I was supposed to do with an English degree I would simply say “Write. Duh.” The answer was always crystal clear to me and I’ve really never imagined doing anything else.

The short story is that I didn’t have a choice but to start making my dream a reality. Like many members of my generation, I had fallen victim to a horrible economy with no particular path right after college. So I fled to Europe in an attempt to have some sort of epic self realization, or at the very least some semblance of one.

When I came back to the States and realized how bad the situation actually was, I found myself with two options: a) cry about it or b) do something about it. Consequently, I strapped on my boots and dove head first into starting a freelance writing business.

Caroline

I started like most everyone does. Writing for pennies for content mills until I worked my way up to $15 an article, then $75, then $125. I founded my own freelance business in December 2010, Abella Media, and just launched a joint venture with another freelance writer and friend this month, Digital Zen Ink. In just a couple of days our page views on our individual blogs have soared and we’re getting a lot of support from people we’ve never even met. Most of all, we’re just excited to help others of our generation do the same.

But aside from all of that, my favorite project has been writing my personal blog Grad Meets World, where I discuss topics that are relevant to today’s generation. I basically chronicle my adventures into adulthood while helping others get their foot in the door of the rest of their lives. That alone is enough to make me want to get up in the morning and write.


Of course, this has all been a learning process. Even as I write this now I am still learning new things about running a business. But I am living proof that someone can find ways to turn their dreams into actions.