Twenty Something Writers

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Hope you’re all having a great week. Just think, we’re halfway to the weekend. I will certainly be welcoming this weekend with open arms.

On Friday, we had a writing prompt to write a letter to your younger self. 34 of you took part, and I was in my glory reading all of your letters. I personally read each letter, and commented on as many as I was able to. I can’t even begin to express how much I loved reading the responses. I think I checked the site every 20 minutes to see if there were any new submissions.

I found this prompt to be an emotional trip. We all agree, surely that it would have been great to have some guidance back when we were younger. One of our participators e-mailed her letter to her younger sister, which I thought was fabulous.

As you hopefully remember, I tied a giveaway to this one. The winner is to receive a $25 Gift Card to my sweet home away from home, Barnes and Noble.

Thank goodness this wasn’t based on a vote for the best letter, because I just wouldn’t be able to vote. I assigned all of your entries a number, and went to Random.Org. The first number that came out was #1. That was me. No one would believe that I won. So, I wrote that off as an error.

The second number that came out was 11. Clearly, random.org likes the #1.

And that corresponds to….

Wait for it… Wait for it…

Julie @ Wearing Mascara.

Congratulations, Julie! Please send me an e-mail to dontcallmekathleen@gmail.com with your address so I can send off your gift card this week.

My favorite thing about Julie’s letter was that she ended it with ‘Be You’. That was a central theme in all of our letters; to just be ourselves despite what everyone else is doing, or trying to tell us to do.

Thanks again to everyone who participated! Here’s Julie’s letter, which can also be found here. Enjoy!

Dear Julie at 13,

Hello, this is you writing this letter only at the age of 24 and not 13.

This is going to be the most challenging year of your life: 8th grade. You just moved from Pennsylvania where you felt comfortable, at ease, and had the best of friends. Now you are in Ohio where the people are not the same and your friends aren’t there. Here are some tips that I’ve come up with to help you get through middle school. Hopefully your experiences will be different than mine:

- Provide no reaction to people when they tease you. When you feel the tears coming on stop and walk away.

- Don’t try to be friends with people who don’t have your best interests or who make fun of you. They are obviously not worth your time.

- Befriend the classmates who are worth your time instead of being afraid of them because you think they’re prettier or smarter than you. Don’t become friends with someone just because they are convenient.

- I know you don’t like the swim team because it’s so different than the one in PA but join it anyways. Give it a shot – I’m sure you’ll love it.

- Talk to your mother and tell her your honest feelings about school and friendships (or lack of). She will give you excellent advice if you give her the chance.

- Don’t call a boy you barely know and ask him out over the phone. Get to know him first.

- Be proud of your body and take care of yourself.

- Continue taking art classes when you get to high school. Choir is fun but you will gain more from art. The choir teacher is nothing special.

- Help your mom around the house more. She does so much for you and you don’t reciprocate enough.

- Right now you’re not too fond of your older sister who lives in PA. Give her a chance because sooner or later you two will call each other everyday. Maybe she’d love to hear from you.

- Know that middle school does not define you. Nor does high school really. Try to see the future and look beyond.

- You’re going to be excellent someday and living a great life in DC for graduate school. Guess what? You’re going to be a psych*logist!

Julie, you can take this or leave it. If you take it, always keep this letter with you as reminders. In a way, if you do not take it you won’t end up the way I am now. Either way is fine – just don’t take anything for granted. Be you.

Love,

Julie at 24

When do you get your best writing ideas? Do you sit down to write and the words flow or do you think of ideas at the most inconvenient times–like when you’re trying to fall asleep, work out, or drive.

Please discuss your responses to this question in the comments. Note: you can respond directly to other comments by clicking the “Reply” link in the bottom right corner of each comment.

(Credit for this discussion question goes to Amber.)

Special Note: The giveaway winner will be announced this afternoon.

This post was written by Elizabeth from Bros Before Hos.

First and foremost, Happy Saint Patrick’s Day from a full blooded Irish girl. Now, onto business…

Typically on my blog, Bros Before Hos, I write witty anecdotes about living in San Francisco, pretending to study for classes I don’t care about, my horrific attempts at dating, drinking too much, and the hilarity that ensues. Recently however, I decided to get more serious and write about being diagnosed with clinical depression and subsequent medication.

I debated with myself about whether or not to write about my crazy pills on BB4H but I have noticed in the time that I have been writing my thoughts online that I’m kind of an over-sharer. I figured since I had already written about cashing in my V-Card and accidentally falling in love with my best friend’s brother that this topic would not be off limits. Finally getting help for a problem that has been plaguing me for years was a significant moment in my life and I didn’t want it to be pushed under the rug. Equally important is that I wanted people to feel sorry for me and read BB4H more often. Just kidding! But seriously.

Some topics, however, are off limits. For example, I am more than willing to share the crazy in my head, but less than willing to share about the crazy going on outside of it. I don’t write about tiffs with my roommates or any other friends. If I’m going to write about a personal friend, then it’s going to be positive or at least incredibly funny so they won’t be mad. I also refrain from writing anything about work except that I’m writing while there and I very, very rarely write about my family unless I’m praising my mother and father.

I try and keep in mind that my blog is no longer anonymous. Personal friends of mine and even some of my family stop by to see what I’m up to. Though sometimes I miss the freedom that anonymity provided me with, I do not write anything that I wouldn’t be willing to discuss person to person. My depression is something that I’m struggling with and if I skipped over this huge part of my life, my writing would not be as strong. It’s also very therapeutic to be able to write about it and get feedback from readers, either in the form of support or because they, too, are living with depression. Honesty, I’ve always felt, is the best policy. Much like drinking, drunk texting, and fighting with your friends, however, there are limits to what I’ll write. What are yours?

This video was made by Ashley from Writing to Reach You.

How do you feel about correcting other people’s grammar?

First and foremost, I wanted to say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who has been participating in our new Twenty Something Writers venture. I can tell you, that the talent I see in all of you is amazing. I’ve been reading all of your responses to the discussion questions, and have replied to some as well.

For those of you who don’t know, my name is Katie and I am over at Don’t Call Me Kathleen.

Hi. Hello. Nice to meet you.

In the 12 years that I had English class, I can’t tell you how many “Group Writing” topics were “Where do you see yourself in 10 years?” I never saved any of my journals from school. I wish that I had. I had a lot of dreams, and aspirations, but I can pretty much assure you that none of my responses to the question were “Single, unemployed, and living in a recessed economy.” If I was able to predict THAT, I wouldn’t have bought all of those butterfly hair clips, POGS, and mood rings, and I would have stock piled my allowance money. Despite the lack of concern with marital, employment, and economic statuses, I had my own issues that I was dealing with. Through the difficulty, I would have loved to have a bit of inspiration letting me know what direction to go in. A hint or two, at the very least.

If you were able to communicate with your younger self, what would you say? Would you warn yourself of the things that are to come? Would you tell yourself to avoid certain people? Write a letter to yourself at a younger age. Feel free to tell yourself anything that you’d like to. Let us know what age of yourself you are writing to.

What the heck does this have to do with the writing themed-blog, Katie? - I LOVE all of your blogs, and I love seeing your creativity. I’m here to defy normal expectations. This is just to get those mental juices going. Writing is about creativity, isn’t it? Now get to it! (Please!) I’ll help you start off:

Dear SELF,

Hey.

Now, you do the rest!

BONUS!–THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.  THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED.
As both a ‘Thank You’ and a bit of an incentive to take part in this creative writing prompt, I’m offering a special gift to a random contributor. All you have to do is reply to this post with the URL of your writing prompt response. You have until midnight Tuesday evening (March 17th) to submit your URL. On Wednesday afternoon, I will choose a winner at random, and the winner will receive a 25$ Gift Card to where else but MY favorite store, Barnes and Noble. Don’t forget to tell your friends about it! The more people the merrier!

The piece was written by Floreta from The Solitary Panda

Do you believe in ghosts? No, I mean really believe in ghosts? Mama says I’m crazy for believing in ‘em. She put me in the mental hospital ’cause I said I saw the virgin Mary on my bookcase with a pig nose. God must not like that. But it was there clear as day! Except it was night time when it happened. The shadows all dark and scary-like in my room. The virgin Mary all glowin’ like ya ain’t seen that before. I slept in the closet to keep the shadows out. The closet’s so dark I can’t see nothin’, not even shadows! Sometimes, when I’m bored, I talk with my hands like they was puppets. I said these hands are the Devil talkin’. The Devil is my friend. Mama didn’t like that. That’s why she put me away. Says I’m possessed. Says I need exorcising. Now, I’ve heard of exercising but I ain’t heard of exorcising in my life. The priest came but he wouldn’t exorcise me. Says he’s not qualified. That’s why she put me away.

There were nightmares. I’d sleep next to mama’s bed on the floor, in my favorite puke-green sleeping bag that wrapped me up tight, like a mummy. I felt safe there. I woke up with chills down my spine and my body all sweatin’ out heat, but I’d be shiverin’ all the while. Then mama’d try to comfort me and the shadows would come again. Eat me up whole. The shadows come for mama too. Her face looked different. Scary. She wasn’t my mama no more. She was somethin’ else. I screamed. I screamed for mama. What’d you do with mama? Who are you? That’s why she put me away.

Every day, after school, I’d play with this game I made! I could talk to ghosts that way. The ghost’s name was Pam. Pam was my friend since I didn’t have any. The schoolboys always spit on my face and try to beat me. I ain’t done nothin’ wrong to ‘em. Why they gotta be so mean for? They pushed me down and I tried to get up but the policeman come and told ‘em to git on goin’. They ran, and the policeman asked if I was ok. I wasn’t gonna cry until he asked. I hated the policeman for making me cry. Why should he care? I ain’t nothin’ to nobody.

I asked Pam how she died. She spelt the word F-I-R-E. I asked Pam if she could tell the future. If she knew how I would die. She spelt the word C-R-A-S-H. I been fascinated by car crashes ever since. I told mama I would die in a car crash. Told her Pam said so. She didn’t like that. That’s why she put me away.

I didn’t know where they was taking me, but they packed one suitcase. Daddy drove the car since mama can’t drive. She won’t admit it, but she’s too chicken. It’s true. It was night time again, so I knew we wasn’t goin’ on vacation. Mama sat with me in the backseat. She never done that before. They wouldn’t say nothin’ to me. Everyone was quiet and I cried ’cause they wouldn’t say nothin’. I tilted my head back and looked up at the stars. Thought I’d die right then, and I’d be happy. Just lookin’ up at how big the sky looked. We didn’t crash though. Instead, we drove to this brick buildin’. The wind was cold against my cheeks.

Oh, it’s not so bad here. The brick buildin’ is warmer than it seems on the outside. My favorite’s the arts and crafts room. I be cuttin’ and pastin’ and drawin’ everyday. It just brings light in my eyes to see them markers and pens scattered every which way and me doodlin’. I could doodle all day. They stick needles in my arms. Force me to drink liquid that looks like pee. I scream ’cause I don’t want any. I won’t let them make me. They have to call mama to come in and coax me. I take it, like magic. I want to scream more so I won’t be so alone here. So mama can come back. I haven’t made any friends. Don’t know why we all here. All of us kids. Don’t know what’s wrong with me. They don’t say nothin’. Why do grown-ups always gotta be so quiet for? “Because I said so?” If I ever have kids, i’ll never utter that sentence to ‘em. Not me. Why am I here? I’m still waitin’ for my car crash. Mama says I’m crazy. Maybe I am.

Do you plan to pursue writing as a career?

Please discuss your responses to this question in the comments. Note: you can respond directly to other comments by clicking the “Reply” link in the bottom right corner of each comment.

(Credit for this discussion question goes to Liz)

This post was written by Erin from College Grad Lessons

As twenty-something writers, most of us are students or young professionals that wouldn’t mind making some extra money. Although writing might be something that you just do for fun, you can use your blogging and other writing to help land freelance or part-time jobs.

I’m attending grad school full-time starting this fall and have been looking for a part-time job. I currently work full-time as a web developer and training specialist and recently interviewed for a part-time/contract web design position with an interactive design firm. One of the samples I sent to the firm was a blog template that I built for WordPress, so the person interviewing me asked if I had experience writing. Although I hadn’t planned on talking about College Grad Lessons (something that I do for fun and still needs a lot of work), it was the perfect writing sample for web content. The positive response that I received regarding my blog made me realize that I should consider freelance/part-time copywriting as another type of part-time job to pursue during grad school.

As a twenty-something writer, here are ten freelance/part-time jobs to consider:

1. Copywriter – Search job postings and contact local PR and design firms to find potential copywriter positions. Send a link to your blog and few other writing samples and highlight your computer skills.
2. Blogger – Blogs are becoming increasingly popular for small business marketing, but business owners often lack the time to research and write blog posts related to their business. Watch local job postings and search for businesses with blogs that need more or better content to find potential blogging jobs.
3. Web Content Editor – Small businesses and design firms may be interested in hiring a web content editor to edit copy and add content to web sites. Look for job postings with WordPress listed as a desired skill.
4. Tutor – Local schools or private companies may be looking to hire English tutors. Also consider posting flyers or an ad in a school newspaper to find interested parents and students. In high school, I tutored as a part-time job and made a decent amount of money. In addition to helping students with homework, you could offer creative writing lessons.
5. PR Intern – My first job after college was an intern position on the Digital Public Affairs team at a PR firm. I monitored blogs for clients and even wrote blog posts and web content. Small, traditional PR firms may be interested in learning from your blogging and social networking experience. Larger firms may have specific digital/online PR intern positions.
6. Freelance Journalist – Contact local newspapers and magazines to see if they need a twenty-something writer to review bars and concerts, cover local school events or other topics that could be covered by a twenty-something. If you’re flexible, consider writing stories in exchange for concert tickets, meals, etc. This could be a great way to cover your “going-out” expenses, build professional writing experience and have fun.
7. Custom Invitation and Greeting Card Specialist – This could be a great part-time business for writers with a passion for poetry and graphic design. Create samples and contact local gift shops, community organizations, wedding planners, party venues and other related businesses.
8. WordPress Consultant – Offer WordPress help to people in your existing network (think professors, friends of your parents with businesses, etc.) and ask them to recommend you to other people in their network. Your services could range from setting up domain names and installing WordPress to helping people create a blog theme and post ideas.
9. Online Community Manager – If you have a decent amount of blogging experience, you may be able to find a job managing an online community. This could range from approving comments to welcoming new members to writing featured posts.
10. Social Networking Consultant – If you’ve successfully gained a strong following through your blog, Twitter and other social networking, others might be willing to pay for your help. Offer assistance for writing bios, crafting profiles and creating a personal brand.

The best part about all of these jobs is that you get to do what you enjoy – write!

I’ll be posting the progress of my freelance job search periodically at College Grad Lessons, so be sure to come visit me there!

What part-time jobs have you landed thanks to your writing skills? How did you find the job?

This post was written by Jessica from Classy in Philadelphia:

Thinking back on my writing history, I realized that one thing has remained constant through my 15 or so years of writing. I’ve always kept some kind of diary, journal, or blog.

I started with a diary probably when I was about six. It had a tiny lock on it, and I hid the key ever so cleverly in my desk drawer. I’m not sure what I wrote about, but I know that I eventually lost the key and had to rip the small plastic diary open. Sort of defeats the purpose, huh?

In first grade, we kept journals in class. I wrote about the most random things in an attempt to fill my journal the fastest. On each page, I came up with a topic and briefly wrote on that topic. The topics were quite random….they ranged from odes to bacon to poems to my mom.

As I grew older, I kept journals in marble notebooks that I decorated with magazine cut-outs. Check out my post today to get a glimpse of my infamous notebooks. I filled these journals with stories about boys, school, and friends.

As the Internet became ever more popular, I moved my journal online to Blurty. After Blurty, there was Xanga. And after Xanga, there was Livejournal. Of course, after Livejournal, I moved to my newest and most current home Blogger. I loved the idea of putting my words onto the computer screen and getting instant responses from friends and readers. I still love the concept, and it’s what keeps me blogging.

After all these years of journaling, I realized: this is what makes me a writer. Some people might consider writing in a journal silly or cheesy, but I truly believe that writing every day has helped me to become a better writer. It doesn’t matter that the grammar is off, or the spelling isn’t perfect; it’s shaped my writing and given me inspiration to keep going.

I’ve mentioned this before on my blog, but one of my goals is to write a chick lit novel. Reading through my journals, diaries, and blogs has been a great source of inspiration for the kind of material I hope to write. Sometimes the easiest way to find a story idea, is through your own personal history. How will you remember those silly details and nuances without having the written or typed documentation? I feel lucky to know that I have whole books of my life already documented.

I think that it doesn’t matter what you’re writing, but just that you’re writing every day. What’s so great about blogging is that every day that we blog, we must think of a topic that will interest our readers. We’re constantly brainstorming, drafting, and editing. Every day, we start the process again.

I no longer hand write in a journal. I am relying on my blog to relay the history of my college years to me.

Do you write in a journal or diary? Why or why not? Do you think that blogging or journaling has helped to improve your writing skills? Discuss in the comments below!

Hey everyone! Thanks for an awesome first week here on Twenty Something Writers. Before we head into week two, we want to clear a few things up and let you know of some more ways you can contribute.

First, we’re interested in offering the most diverse content we can. That means that we’re open to all genres of writing and all different mediums (text, picture, video). If you’re not seeing the kind of content you’re interested in, then consider filling in the gaps by contributing! You absolutely retain the rights to anything you contribute, and we’ll give you credit for any prompts or questions you suggest.

Second, this blog is yours. So, there is no review process for contributions. Some of us are leading, and we do exercise some control over content–specifically, what to post when. But, your writing doesn’t have to meet a certain standard in order to be featured. Of course we hope you’ll contribute your best work and take the time to edit, but don’t worry about your contributions not being good enough. This is a collective effort and we want everyone to be heard.

Third, remember that you can send in all of your contributions and suggestions and ideas to twentysomethingwriters[at]gmail[dot]com. For now, it’s mostly just me (Ashley) responding. If I don’t get back to you right away, I’m sorry. I will definitely respond, and you can always email me again or bother me on twitter until I do. It would help me out if you could be as specific in your emails as possible.

Fourth, for those of you who are still a little uncertain of what we’re looking for or how you can contribute, let me list the ways!

• Discussion Questions: I think we all had a good time with questions this week. Questions should somehow be related to writing. This is your chance to ask other writers anything, so send in your question suggestions!
• Writing Prompts: Writing prompts are a little more open. The prompt might involve writing, and in that way be similar to a discussion question, though the responses will be longer in form. Or, you can ask a question unrelated to writing that will elicit creative writing responses.
• Blog Posts: If you’re considering contributing a blog post, keep in mind that the theme is writing, so we’re interested in any spin you might have on that. You can offer up your expertise on a subject, tell a personal story about writing, talk about your own writing style, etc. Blog posts should be about writing, but there are tons of different approaches you might take.
• Writing Excerpts: Let us know if you’re interested in contributing a piece of creative writing. We’re not sure exactly how this will work, but it could go a number of ways. If you’re interested in getting critical feedback on your writing, then you could specify that, but otherwise we’ll just put it up for readers to appreciate.
• Interviews: Liz had the idea to interview other writers. You might interview a professor, a professional writer, or even another blogger (consider especially those who participate here). Just make sure to get their permission to post the answers, and try to keep writing as the theme of the interview. You can submit interviews in text format or even video.
• Just About Anything Else: Remember that the only criterion is that content must in some way be related to writing. We’re trying to inspire creativity–not stifle it! So, if you have an idea, let us know. You absolutely do not have to stick to the above categories.

Fifth, we’d appreciate your continued help with promoting the blog, especially to people you know are interested in writing. Thanks to those of you who have helped us out this week!

Sixth, we’re really trying to make this a community, so if you have the time, respond to the other writers here, check out their blogs, give them your feedback, and try to get to know them. Many of you are already going above and beyond on this!

Seventh, we’ll try not to post administrative stuff like this too often. But, we consider this blog an open process, so we always want your input.

Finally, give us your feedback on week one. What’s working and what isn’t? We intend for the content to be more diverse in weeks to come (as we get more contributions from you), so let us know what you want to see. And, if you have nothing to say about the writing blog, tell us what writing you’re working on or what you’re up to this weekend.