Freelance Writer Gone Mad: The Trek Into Novelhood
In this edition of Freelance Friday I want to highlight freelance writer Angela Swanlund. Angela has been around the Internet for many years and published on many websites. Her best work has been for places like The Encyclopedia of Arkansas, where she did extensive research into the gruesome killing spree of Ronald Gene Simmons. She’s also been published in Cuckleburr Times and Ozark Farms and Neighbor Newspaper.
Angela is a prolific writer with a style that is uniquely hers; sometimes extremely serious, sometimes light and funny. No matter what topic Angela tackles she handles it with panache and professionalism.
Last year she did something almost unheard of in today’s society; she unplugged for an entire year. Yep, that’s right. She disconnected her phone service and her Internet service and devoted the entire year to writing her first full length novel. Actually, she went a bit overboard and it ended up being the length of two novels. She is now in the process of trimming it down and getting ready to send it off to publishers. She’s also begun working on her second novel. This one has been a bit difficult due to that fact that she’s contending with the Internet this year. She may have to unplug to see it’s completion.
Most writers would never dream of walking away from their freelance career for a year to pursue writing a novel. Many try to juggle the best of both worlds and end up frustrated in the process, never giving due diligence to either project. Angela is living proof that you can go off the grid, write a novel, and survive life without the digital age.
Many of us need the income we receive for our freelance work. Angela just buckled down and lived frugally for a year so the loss of income would not be such a strain. You have to decide which is more important; ordering pizza every week or getting your novel out.
When asked why she took such extreme measures, she admitted that self-control can be more difficult than actually unplugging. Without the tease of getting online for just a few minutes, she was able to focus her sole attention to her novel.
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