Whew, y’all… August was a whirlwind!
Lots of good stuff. And a BIG business change.
Let’s get into it.
Since it’s been pretty warm out, I’m still hibernating indoors quite a bit!
That being said, my husband and I did manage to go on a pretty fun outing a couple weeks ago.
(Well, it started out being fun, at least. Lol. I’ll get to that in a minute.)
We had lunch at a sandwich shop then went to a sprawling outdoor sanctuary.
…And it was gorgeous.
We spent probably an hour and a half walking around together and taking in all the nature.
When it was time to leave, we got in our car and drove off and…
I noticed a weird thumping noise.
We pulled over to the side of the road, and lo and behold:
A huge screw was lodged in our tire.
🥲
Obviously, we couldn’t drive all the way home with a busted tire. So we had to call roadside assistance to come help us out.
(It was Sunday and all the tire shops nearby were closed.)
About an hour and a half later, roadside assistance pulled up.
Super friendly guy. Gave us some helpful advice, put on the spare tire, and sent us on our way.
…Unfortunately, the spare had a blowout before we even left the parking lot. 😭
So, the guy came back to put our old tire back on and had us drive to a nearby auto parts shop.
He told us to use some Fix-a-Flat to at least get home (and drive very slowly and carefully), and then take the car in the next day to see about getting the tire patched or replaced.
By this point, we were tired, y’all. It’d been a long day of car troubles!
But we did as he said and picked up some Fix a Flat so we could (hopefully) get home ASAP.
Well:
The Fix-a-Flat didn’t work.
The hose on it broke, and the sealant spewed all over my husband right there in the parking lot.
…On top of that, I couldn’t even tell how much went into our tire or how safe it was to drive on.
At that point, I realized I could either have a mental breakdown (lol) or just be like:
“You know what? Fuck it. I’m calling a tow truck. And getting a rental car. This isn’t worth the stress!”
I chose the latter.
So I called the tow truck…
And he told us it would be 70-90 minutes before he could get there.
I looked around. There wasn’t much we could do while waiting for him, and we’d already been sitting in the car for so long.
But there was a grocery store across the street!
I decided that instead of sitting around scrolling on our phones or worrying about the car, we were going to make the best of our sabotaged date night.
So we walked around the grocery store and got a bunch of snacks.
(I got Peanut M&Ms and Smart Sweets, for the record.)
Then, we walked back over to our f’d up car in the auto parts shop parking lot, sat on the curb, and ate our snacks / laughed about the series of unfortunate events until the tow truck arrived.
After that, we had to get an Uber to the AIRPORT (lol) because it was the only nearby car rental place open.
But thankfully, we were able to secure a rental car and drive home before it got too late.
We got our car fixed the next day, and now, it’s good to go.
But whew. What a freaking day!
It was definitely a big test of my patience and ability to keep a positive attitude during stressful situations. But I just kept reminding myself:
All that matters is that we’re safe.
And we were!
Plus, we turned around the day a bit by laughing about the experience and embracing our “grocery store date.”
So overall, I’d call it a win. :)
Ahhh! Big, BIG news to share here!
First, a little background:
Over the summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to update my best-selling Killer Cold Emailing course (AKA my step-by-step “how to get high-paying writing clients” program).
And I realized:
More video lessons = not the answer.
(Who wants to watch a bunch of boring videos? Not me. Just gimme the quick, easy shortcuts!)
…Instead, the answer is to give my students pre-built, done-for-you assets that make getting clients 10x faster and easier.
So that’s exactly what I’m doing! 🎉
I haven’t formally announced this yet (you heard it here first!), but I’’m bringing BIG updates to Killer Cold Emailing, including:
A completely pre-built freelance writing portfolio website (as in, you literally just download the ZIP file and drop it in the site builder and BOOM – your pro website is already built) to get your site up, copy and all, in about an hour!
A niche-finding and client-finding AI bot (custom built by me based on my proprietary method – updated for the 2024 market!) to help you validate your niche + find your target clients in about 2 minutes
Pre-written, copy-and-paste cold emailing templates and follow-up templates proven to convert clients
…I am so freaking excited to offer this! 🎉
Because it’s going to make it quick and easy for you to:
Pick a profitable niche and clientele (~5 minutes!)
Get a pro website up (~1 hour)
Send cold emails (As fast as you can copy and paste!)
Want to get on the waitlist for the Killer Cold Emailing: Done-For-You Edition?
…All you need to do is click here and subscribe to my free Writing Revolt (freelance writing tips) newsletter!
(You’ll be in good company – over 30,000 writers like you are subscribed!)
I’m going to be back sending regular Writing Revolt newsletters in a couple of weeks – full of advice on how to get clients, how to avoid competing with 100s of cheaper writers and ChatGPT, and more!
So definitely hop on the list ASAP because I’m also offering a special bonus for Killer Cold Emailing waitlisters during the October launch.
Waitlisters will get a chance to work with me 1-1 at no additional cost (something I have NEVER offered before!).
More details coming soon. :)
👇
Hop on the waitlist/free newsletter list here so you don’t miss out!
In August, I decided to map out my entire novel, scene by scene, based on the first draft.
So the work for me now is:
Analyzing the outline to see where I need to add more scenes – and figuring out exactly what those scenes should be.
I’m also going to really get clear on my characters this month and create more fleshed out character sheets. And hopefully, fix most of my plot issues by revising the outline.
I’m going to work on this fleshed out, scene-by-scene outline all of September, with a goal of finishing it by the end of the month.
That way, I can start writing my second draft in October!
If you have any advice for me or any questions about the novel writing process, I’d love to hear from you!
(I read every comment!)
In August, I got serious about mindfulness and meditation.
Since I developed chronic fatigue earlier this year, it’s become more important than ever for me to manage stress and support my body.
Especially with a big course launch coming up…
I need to make sure I’m finding balance.
And y’all…
This little meditation habit has already completely changed my life.
After just a month of daily meditation and mindfulness (slowing down my walking speed, taking breaks while working instead of hyper-focusing for hours, taking “Wonder Walks” in nature), I’ve noticed:
Better sleep
Less emotional reactivity
Way less fatigue and joint pain
…So, yay!
I’ve been using the Insight Timer app. If you want to try it out (it’s free!), here are my top 3 go-to meditations:
The 5-minute one is great because I have no excuse to not do it – it’s just 5 minutes of my day!
The NSDR is a game-changer for me. Seriously. When I do this one in the middle of the day, I’m actually able to take a nap and wake up feeling rested (!!). Which might not be a big deal for some people, but for me, I’ve never been able to nap during the day. So it’s a huge thing!
And then, the 15-minute mindfulness meditation is sort of what I aim for on a daily basis. I’ve seen studies showing that 10-20 minutes of daily meditation will lower your cortisol, so this fits perfectly into that while also reminding me of mindfulness practices I can use throughout the day!
Here’s a tip if you feel like you “can’t calm down enough to meditate” (I’ve been there!):
Don’t jump right into a long meditation. Instead, look up a 1-minute EFT tapping video on YouTube and do that first (or do a 1-minute breathing exercise on the Breathwrk app).
After that, you should feel a little bit calmer – maybe in a place where you can transition into stillness and meditation.
I’d love to hear about your experience with meditation!
Love it? Hate it? Curious about it? Got a question about it?
Let’s chat in the comments! 👇
Thank you so much for reading! For real. I appreciate you being here. <3
I’d love to hear from you!
What are you working on business-wise?
Any fiction projects you’re excited about?
Or meditation/mindfulness questions?
…I want to hear alllll about it!
Comment below and lmk:
I love hearing from you and read every comment. :)
In your corner always,
– Jorden
P.S. Here’s your monthly dog pic…
This is a photo of Tito from 2019, when my husband and I (and our dogs, obvs) traveled full-time.
He was so graceful and athletic! I’ve been missing him a lot lately as his birthday recently passed.
…You know how people always talk about “that one special dog?” He was that for me, 100%. And I still think about him and talk to him every single day.
If you’re missing a beloved animal friend right now too, please know that your grief is so valid, and you’re not alone. This kind of loss is HARD, and it’s not talked about enough. ❤️
P.P.S. Quick reminder – if you want to learn how to make a full-time income freelance writing in 2024 (even in the age of “AI” and “competition)…
Get my free Writing Revolt newsletter right here.
^ It’s completely free, and I’ve got a series coming up later in September all about how to get clients in the 2024 market!
You can also subscribe to my freelance writing/copywriting tips YouTube channel (55,000 strong in our community over there!)… new videos are coming in September!