Wholly Buckets, I'm Back

Don't you just love it when you're purusing around the Internet, looking for some of your old work online, not really knowing what you're going to find, then...BAM...you find a blog you haven't posted on in 13 years. Wholly buckets. 

Okay, so hi. I'm Christine Graves (formerly known as Christine Senter), and I created this blog back in 2007...almost 20 years ago. DUDE!!!!!

My life has been a whirlwind these past 19 years. Back then, I was a consummate content creator. I did a lot of ghostwriting, a lot of ad content, and I entered just about every blog contest online. You don't find those anymore. 

In 2012, my entire world flipped upside down. My husband and I got divorced, my daughter had a daughter of her own, and I ended up working three jobs just to make ends meet. I didn't have time to write anymore, so I just pushed it off to the side.

Less than a year later, I married husband number 2 and went from being a Senter to a Graves. And now? Yeah, we're divorced too. We had been friends in high school, and when we both found out our marriages of over 20 years each were coming to an end, we found solace in each other. Turns out, we were better friends than we were lovers. 

It took me almost 6 years, but I did manage to get back into writing. However, the online writing game had changed dramatically in that time and I had to start all over again. I can't complain, I think I'm doing better than I ever did before. I'm not making a living as a writer, but I am enjoying being able to write whatever I want and not worry about the technical end of it.

In 2018, I began writing for a place called Medium.com and I found my way in the writing world once again. I was writing a lot of fiction and poetry, then I landed a spot in a writer's publication and started doing writing prompts again. That's all it took. 

I'm not writing for Medium anymore as they're no longer as accepting of fiction writers as they used to be. They still allow it, but fiction and poetry tend to get buried a lot faster than boring, monotone non-fiction. 

When I left Medium, I was determined to keep writing but on my terms. I still have a ton of blogs, most of which I keep updated on a regular basis. Not always, but fairly often. I decided that I don't really care about the money anymore (yes, I got paid on Medium...until I didn't anymore), I just wanted to write.

Now, that being said, I will be adding Google ads at some point. I need to get this site updated and going again before I submit the site for monetization. I could probably do it now, with the age of this blog and the number of reads a few of the posts have, but that's not right. I want to do this the right way.

I won't lie, I have no idea where I'm going to take this site, but I'm going to bring it back to life. I figure if I can start keeping all my blogs updated and add a few Google ads, I might have a shot at making a little something. Don't worry, I have a real job. LOL

Once I have a game plan, I'll be sure to post it here. I found another blog recently that I'm going to use to post a lot of my fiction. I might come up with something similar for this site, but then again, I might decide to use it for other forms of creativity. Hell, I might just use it to write letters to fictional characters. It all depends on what the little person who lives in my head tells me to do. No, you don't need to call for help, I call the voice in my head The Muse, as she's the one who gives me some of my best writing ideas.

So, stick around and see where we go. I'll have the Muse come out and play on occasion, but fair warning, she's not the sweet little fairy everyone thinks she is. She's mean, and a drunk, and she goes missing for months on end. But...she's a helluva lot of fun. 

Let's have some fun, shall we?

Until next time,
Miss Chris!!!

I Am A Writer

There I said it.  I've always been told that if you really want something, you've got to profess it.  So that's what I'm doing.  And I am a writer.  I've been writing since I was old enough to realize that all my "imaginary" friends could be put to paper and a real world would emerge.

Though I'm not exactly back to the point I'd like to be, I'm well on my way.  The more I write, especially on this blog, the more my confidence is beginning to grow.  I'm loving it too.  I'm starting to feel like I'm accomplishing something real.  That's a huge deal for me.  I'm getting past that whole "I don't think I can do this anymore" stance.  I'm starting to get into this whole "I think I can, I think I can" mode.

I know I have a long road ahead of me, but it's one I'm starting to get excited about once again.  The more I work toward achieving my goal, the happier I'm becoming.  I just have to keep at a steady pace.  I want to just jump in with both feet and go for it, but I also know that with not writing for over a year, I've got to make sure I know the in's and out's of the industry.  One thing I have learned is that trends change quickly on the Internet.  What was the "in" thing a year ago may be a huge no-no today.

I will get there, one way or another.  It's going to take me some time to get there, but everyday is another step in the "write" direction.  I can't give up and I have to keep moving forward.  After all, I can do this because I am a writer!

Be A Freelance Blogger

In my ongoing quest to get back into this whole writing and blogging thing, I found a site that may well be just what the doctor ordered.  It's called BeAFreelanceBlogger.com and it's not your run of the mill type site.

I must say up front before you think about heading over there to check the site out, be prepared.  The site is run by a gutsy little lady called Sophie Lizard and she lays it on the line.  There is some strong language on her posts, but it's not for shock value.  She tells you the way it is and she doesn't leave anything to the imagination.  If you're not ready to hear all the things you didn't want to know, don't bother.

Now, with that being said, let's get to it.  This is the site you need to check out if you're serious about making money as a pro blogger.  She gives you great advice on how to find the markets that pay you real money for your blogging talents, as well as ways to improve those talents.  She makes it quite clear that the only real thing holding anyone back from being a well-paid blogger is their own inhibitions.

Sophie also offers any and all readers a chance to download her e-book, The Ultimate List of Better-Paid Blogging Gigs, for FREE!!!!!  This is a killer list of sites that will pay bloggers to help out their readers.  All she asks in return is that you give her a helping hand in promoting the list.  Furthermore, if you think you have it in you, Sophie will pay you to do a guest post on her site as well.  It's got to be your best work in order to make the cut, but if you get it there, she'll pay you a mere $50 to do so.  That's damn good for those who don't know.

If you're looking for a way to make it as a professional blogger as I am, this is one of those sites you've got to check out.  You won't find a bunch of fluff and flash, but you will find the information that will get you one the right track to making it in this highly competitive field.