Karen Hellier Interviews MelChi
Insights from a talented Hubber who lives her dreams
MelChi has been a HubPages member for sixteen months. Born in Namibia, she moved to South Africa at the age of fourteen and continues to reside in South Africa today. She currently lives with her husband and two cats. In August, 2012, she quit her job in HR and Accounts with an IT firm to become a freelance writer.
The topics that you cover in your Hubs are quite varied. They include freelance writing, food, entertainment/entertainers, ideas for couples, and so much more. Can you please pick your three favorite topics you enjoy writing Hubs about and tell us why?
That's a tough one because it depends on my current mood. That's the beauty of HubPages: being able to write whatever you feel like writing. If I had to pick my top three favorite topics, they would probably be articles on food, inspiration, and celebrities.
I've become very passionate about food ever since I found out I was gluten-intolerant last year. We (my husband and I) definitely see and treat food a lot differently these days. We're trying to grow an herb garden; we get organic fruit and veggies once a week, and we're also planning on writing a recipe book later this year.
I write inspirational articles on finding happiness, being less stressed, and making your dreams come true. I've realized how much I enjoy writing about things like this because it's how I try and live my life. I'm a creative dreamer and I believe that it's important to do what you want to do in life and enjoy it- we only live once after all!
I like writing about celebrities who are involved in humanitarian work the most because I feel that more people need to be made aware of it and get involved by these types of efforts. When people come together to help others, or to help animals, the difference their invovlement can make is mind blowing. These celebrities have voices that will be heard, and I think what they're doing (for example, Leonardo diCaprio and Angelina Jolie) is nothing short of incredible. They really do make a difference with their efforts to help those in need and inspire others to want to help and do something as well.
Seven months ago you wrote a Hub about quitting your full-time job and starting a freelance writing career. Can you bring us up to date on your progress with your new career? What are your goals for your writing career five years from now?
Time has flown! It's been an interesting journey to say the least since I left my full-time and stable job in September of last year. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses, that's for sure. There have been days when I've questioned what I did and occasionally I still do, but luckily there aren't too many of those days. I know in my heart that I've made the right decision and that I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
Since September I've thrown myself out of my comfort zone quite a lot. I'm an introvert and very shy, so calling up or emailing prospective clients to write for is terrifying for me. But I've done it a few times and even landed a job where I wrote the content for a recruitment agency's new-look website. I joined a blogging support group on Facebook and a few of these bloggers have become friends who I hope to meet in person someday. We support each other and our work because being a freelance writer is no easy ride. It can get depressing and very lonely some days.
I signed up to write on Elance for a few months and got some good experience writing blog posts, website articles, and sales advertisements for various clients.
I also reached out to a few blog owners and wrote guest posts for them which brought in some traffic to my blog.
In November of last year I took part in NaNoWriMo (a writing contest for which you have to write an entire novel in 30 days, or 50,000 words). I wrote 80,000 words in 28 days and completed a novel, but I never published it because it wasn't what I wanted to put out there as my first book.
In January, I entered a competition to intern for an online women's magazine and won. I was offered a job a month later to write three health articles a week on a freelance basis and I am loving it! That same month I also set up a career blog called Steer Career Success. I want to help inspire others to reach their career goals and dreams, and to help with job stress management, etc. In April I started my own health blog called Good Health Buzz where I write about living a healthy lifestyle, and getting fit and feeling good about yourself. I also include some healthy recipes I've tried.
I've just published my first eBook called 'Make Happiness Happen: How to Quit Daydreaming and Just DO IT!' It's a non-fiction book about how to use your dreams on what you want out of life, and how to turn them into reality. I offer advice, goals, and tips on how to do it, step-by-step.
In five years time, I hope to have published a few more books, maintain two thriving blogs, and have a full-time writing career working for a magazine or a few clients. I hope I will be earning a stable and good salary by then, and be exactly where I imagine myself to be right now, or somewhere pretty close!
Please describe what your current office or writing area is like. Now describe what it would look like if it could be your ultimate writing place, anywhere in the world, and if money were no object.
Right now, I write from home in a second bedroom which we've converted into a home office. It's nice and quiet and has a view outside which is great. If money were no object and I could write anywhere in the world, I would still want to write from home in a home office. My dream is to live in Italy or somewhere in America that has an abundance of nature. This home office would be bigger with wooden floors and huge glass windows overlooking a breathtaking landscape. This office would double as my art studio and it would be filled with colorful paintings on the walls, a few big pot plants on the floor, and a huge rug. There would be small speakers built into the walls to play soft calming music when I write, and energetic loud music when I paint. That would be my dream writing area!
Who are the people in your life that are the most supportive of your writing career, and how do they offer you their support?
My husband has been my best supporter, not only because he stood by me when I spoke to him and told him that I wanted to be a freelance writer, but because he really makes an effort to support my dream by reading my blogs and articles. My parents, brother, and two of my closest friends have also been very supportive and encouraging. The new friends I've made through writing who I haven't met in real life, many of who I've met right here on HubPages, have also been there, supporting and inspiring me to not give up.
There are HubPages members who hope to someday follow in your footsteps, or who would just like to earn some part-time money from freelance writing. In your opinion, what are the best ways for writers to market themselves?
I would say that social media and online networking are the best places to market yourself these days, but there are millions of other freelancers trying to do the same thing and the competition is fierce. I'd say that what's worked for me is some advice I received a while ago: you need to make the effort to connect with people and take an interest in what they do. It doesn't help that you market yourself all over the place because honestly, people are just going to ignore you. Make the time and the effort to read other people's blogs if you expect yours to be read. If you want people to re-tweet your tweets on Twitter and to follow you, then take the time to interact with them or others. Offer interesting pieces of information, be yourself, and share a little bit of what you do.
Guest posting is another great way to market yourself, especially if you find the right types of blogs with good exposure. Something I'm still learning is that people won't flock to your blog or to view your writing overnight, or even in a few weeks or a few months. It takes time to build a name for yourself, so don't give up. Network with like-minded people, read up as much as you can about what it is you want to do, and try different things such as content writing, blogging, guest posting, etc., to see what works the best for you.
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