This week, meet writer Michi B from Aberdeen, WA! Check out our blog every Wednesday for a new interview with our super talented and very interesting WriterAccess writers. For more featured writers, visit our Writer Wednesday category.
The obligatory intro question—what got you interested in writing in the first place?
I’ve always been interested in writing, as far back as I can remember. As a child I was very shy and got teased a lot for being smart and getting good grades. I didn’t relate to other children very well, so I spent a lot of time by myself. I loved to make up creative stories in my own head, and also loved to read and learn.
When I won a county-wide writing contest in grade school, I started to think that maybe I really had some talent. My parents read to me a lot and always encouraged my education and goals, so that helped a lot, as well.
According to your profile, you’ve published a few of your own books. This is probably a bit more in line with what the general public thinks about when they think about writers. Do you feel like your experiences as both a literary author and a content writer have informed each other at all?
I do feel like the experiences informed one another. The ebooks I’ve produced so far have all been nonfiction, and having success as a content writer over the years definitely made me more comfortable and willing to try my hand at longer works. In turn, more clients seek me out for content work when they realize I’m also a book author.
The print book that came out in 2011 is a memoir and self-help book about my life as a codependent relationship addict, which was something I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to write about if I hadn’t already been a writer for so long. With that book, I just wanted to help other people who might have similar issues, and knew I needed to be able to get my message across in the right way.
Many content writers feel they’re too busy producing content to pursue their own creative projects. How have you managed to pull off both?
Honestly, a lot of long hours. I spend most of my time at home, and I almost always have my computer on my lap. I work on content during the day, and if I have time in the evenings I work on books. Right now I’m focusing my evenings on a couple of fiction books that I really want to get to my agent, so I’m looking forward to that. The content work pays the bills, though, so it has to come first.
I also don’t worry too much about material things. My car is several years old, I have a modest home, and most of my clothes come from thrift stores and sales. I don’t have to make a huge sum of money just to live, and I’m very happy that way. I appreciate the small things in life a lot. Choosing that kind of lifestyle has helped me have more time to work on creative pursuits once I’ve written a set amount of content for the day.
You’ve got a lot of interesting certificates listed in your profile, like your International Ghost Hunters Society membership! Can you tell us a little about what got you interested in the paranormal?
I’m fascinated by so many things. I was raised with a belief in God, and that has carried over into what else might be “out there.” I’m not sure what the answers really are to all the big questions in life. I only know that I think there’s more to life, the world, and the universe than we can really see or understand at this point.
Learning about new things is always interesting, and the possibility of a spirit world is definitely something that needs more research. I’ve had some very odd experiences that I can’t explain, so I’m open to the idea that they might be paranormal in nature. I’d love to know for sure, but I don’t think that’s how this life works.
Do you have any advice for the other writers in our community here?
Write. As much as you can. About anything that interests you, any time you have a chance. The only way you’ll get better at what you do is to keep writing and researching and learning. There are so many writers who have big dreams but they never accomplish their goals. Many of them have the talent, but they don’t practice and they give up too easily. You’re going to get rejections and you’re going to get knocked down, but the only way to get any closer to your goals is to keep pressing forward.
Michi B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
Louis Roe is a content marketing intern at WriterAccess. Contact Louis on Twitter @lojoroe or by email Louis.Roe (at) WriterAccess.com.
