If you think there’s nothing to do in Birmingham, Antwon Ervin is eager to prove you wrong.

In the fall of 2012 Ervin launched Discover Birmingham, a website that celebrates what’s going on in the city — from concerts to food festivals, gallery openings to fitness classes, and so much more.

We recently had a chat with Ervin about his vision for Discover Birmingham and his vision for the city.

What inspired you to start Discover Birmingham?

Two things have always been true for me, first being my love of Birmingham and the second is being assigned the weekend planner for my friends. One day after making a case for how cool Birmingham was and was becoming, I decided to show the world and Birmingham just how great this magic city really is and could be.

What do you love most about Birmingham?

I love many things about Birmingham but the thing I love most is the diversity in people, places and events. There is a little bit for everyone here in Birmingham and I love that.

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What do you wish you could change about Birmingham?

I would be the first to tell you that Birmingham is a beautiful mess. We have some hills to climb as we embark upon a renaissance. If I could change anything about Birmingham I would change Birmingham’s perspective of Birmingham. I think there is a large part of the city slow to appreciate the comeback Birmingham is making because of outdated perceptions.

What things have you learned about running a website that you wish you’d known before you started?

The time commitment has slowly grown over time but as we work to offer more, of course, it takes more. I wish I had known how fun this would be, I would have started earlier.

What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of running a hyperlocal website?

A disadvantage can be running the risk of creating an echo chamber- hearing and saying the same thing to the point of lacking clarity. A great advantage is being able to step out from behind the keyboard and getting to know the people you are creating content to serve.

What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a hyperlocal website?

I would suggest that you have a vision and passion for the website and people that visit it. People connect to people — that energy behind the words and content. As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

For our Man of the Hour feature we take down the “No Boys Allowed” sign and share stories of men who are doing great things in the writing world or blogosphere. Send your nominations for Man of the Hour to javacia@seejanewritebham.com

I met Amy Bickers on March 24, 2011, the night of the very first See Jane Write Birmingham event. That night Amy told me about a book she wanted to publish — a memoir. “What’s it about?” I asked jovially. “Well,” she said, “my husband killed himself in front of me.”

I was speechless. I wanted to know how she could survive something like that. I wanted to know how she could ever be whole again. But I didn’t ask her because I knew these were questions only a memoir could answer.

Now four years later, Amy has written that book — The Geography of Me and You: A Memoir — and she’s raising money via Kickstarter to self-publish.

In this candid interview Amy talks about how she found the courage to finally share her story.

When did you decide to write this memoir and how long did it take you to do it?

I kept a journal in the year following my ex-husband’s suicide and writing in it was incredibly therapeutic. Writing everything down as I felt it was a huge part of my healing process.

The idea of a book was always there, though. I’ve been writing since childhood, when I first wrote short stories that were very obvious rip-offs of Sweet Valley High. For me, the best way to give myself peace from something is to write it down. I told myself that maybe if I told the story now I wouldn’t have to spend my entire life rewriting it in my head. It was, in part, an exercise in acceptance.

It took me about a year and a half to complete the memoir. I began it one evening in the summer of 2010 at the Hoover Library in one of the study carrels. Now I can’t remember how many words I wrote that first time, but I remember feeling a great sense of accomplishment. I wrote most of the book in that library or at coffee shops. Cliché, I know! But I cannot write at home unless everyone is gone and all the laundry is done. Otherwise, I’ll just procrastinate, fold clothes, and watch Sex and the City reruns.

What doubts did you face about writing this memoir and how did you overcome them?

The amazing thing is that I never really had any doubts about writing this book. I felt driven to do it. Since childhood, I’ve wanted to write a book, although I always thought it would be fictional, and, as an adult, I always worried a bit about revealing too much (even in fiction). Something about the traumatic experience loosened whatever chains I’d put on expressing myself for so long.

Whenever I did worry about what others would think, I would remind myself that I wanted to share the truth of this experience so that others could know they weren’t alone. I wanted to give people, who otherwise might not understand, a glimpse inside depression and grief and the complexities of grappling with suicide. And I was very focused on sharing that truth from a place of love and understanding for the humanity of everyone concerned.

You’ve described the book as “a memoir of suicide, grief, healing, dark humor, too much cursing, some vodka, and a perfectly healthy fixation on George Clooney.”  How did you approach writing about a topic like suicide with the care and compassionate one might assume it would call for while still maintaining a bit of an irreverent tone? 

I’ve always been a fan of dark humor. I love Kurt Vonnegut, who had an excellent way of expressing serious things with humor. I love comics like Louis CK who can take something rooted in sadness and make you laugh your ass off about it. I adore Tig Notaro. She did a set about her cancer diagnosis that became sort of legendary in stand-up circles, and it is one of the most raw, funny, real examples of how we can use humor to find a way through the hardest times.

Humor has been my coping mechanism for as long as I can remember. It’s my go-to for alleviating some of the weight of a difficult experience. Plus, it’s a good reminder that things aren’t always going to be so terrible. You can find a way to laugh again. I often call my mom crying and I always, always get off the phone laughing. She’s like a magician. That laughter is a sign that I’ve regained some perspective.

Humor also can be a way to share an experience with someone else while making it easier for them. It can put the other person at ease. I would rather make someone laugh than cry, but if I can make them laugh AND cry, all the better. Feel the emotions, people!

All that said, I write early on in the book about how my go-to coping mechanism was no longer the appropriate one and it left me lost. I had relied on that so heavily all my life. Eventually, I found it again, that balance between grappling with trauma and putting it into perspective with humor. One of the ways I did this, for my children, and myself was to tell them funny things their dad said or did. I wanted them to remember those things, how he danced to “Ice Ice Baby” or made up silly words to country songs, and I wanted them to know they were free to laugh. Sometimes people feel like the rules of mourning are that you must wear black, you must cry, you must never laugh heartily. I say laugh heartily as often as possible, because it is going to give you the strength to make it through the crying you do alone.

Tell us a bit about your writing background.

I began my career at The Times, a newspaper in Shreveport, Louisiana. I spent about seven years there as a features writer. In 2003, I moved to Birmingham to work for Southern Living, where I was a homes editor and then a travel editor until 2010. I’ve also written freelance articles for shelter magazines like HGTV Magazine and Coastal Living. If I weren’t a writer, I would love it if people would just pay me to pick out their paint colors and then paint their rooms for them.

Any advice or words of wisdom for other women who want to write a memoir, especially those struggling to do so because the topic is so difficult? 

I think my first piece of advice would be to keep a journal. Write about the experience for your eyes only. And then, when you’re ready, you can refer back to those emotions and experiences you wrote about freely. Remind yourself of the things you said when no one was looking.

Too often we write as if there is an audience already there judging every sentence we put down. There is no better way to stymie your writing voice than to turn every sentence into an imagined public performance. People say of public speaking to imagine the audience naked; writing a memoir is to actually force yourself to be naked in front of a mirror. You cannot write a memoir without acknowledging painful truths about yourself.

Like, yes, you do have cellulite and so does everybody else. No matter what “secret shame” you share about yourself, so many people will say, “Oh, me too!” This is a gift we can give to one another.

So write it the way you want it. No boundaries. For me, nothing was more important than putting the truth into words. Too many people try to make things a little glossier, a little flashier, a little more socially acceptable. I wanted it to be real.

My other piece of advice is, if you have experienced something traumatic, to go to therapy. Therapy was incredibly helpful to me and it helped me to say aloud the things that kept me up at night, to have someone else say those things back to me and make me see how hard I was being on myself.

Take plenty of breaks! Unless you already have a book deal – and if you do, shut up, don’t talk to me, I’m kidding, I’m so happy for you – there is no deadline. Don’t tell yourself you have to get it all down in a month or a year or even two years. If you need to take a two-month break to do nothing more than drink cocktails on the back patio with a cute guy all summer, do it. OK, yes, I did that. I needed a break from all the thinking and feeling. And I gave myself that break. When I was ready, I came back to the story I needed to tell.

Over the course of this, I’ve given myself several breaks along the way. Somehow, during those breaks, I was finding my way back to being the person I want to be.

Your Kickstarter campaign has been a huge success. What do you think you did right to promote it and why do you think so many people were willing to back this project?

Over the past week, I’ve joked a few times that the key is to “Write a blog and, in that blog, be sure to whine for three years about how no agent will take you on as a client.”

And that’s really just a funny way of saying what is true, and what is the most annoying phrase writers will hear today, and that is “Build a platform.” My blog readers are loyal and ready to support this book. And that only happened over time by sharing my story, my love for George Clooney, my taste for vodka and cranberry cocktails, in bits and pieces on the blog.

Once I knew I was going to do a Kickstarter, I did a lot of research. I looked at successful Kickstarter campaigns. I looked at unsuccessful Kickstarter campaigns. I watched videos. I read article after article about what to do and how to do it. And only after I’d done all that for months did I begin my own campaign. This sounds like I’m very organized, but this process was probably two-parts preparation, one-part procrastination. Sex and the City airs daily on E!

I mentioned before that I love to paint rooms (crazy, I know) and I always say that prep work is the secret to a good paint job. It’s no different for Kickstarter. Prepare your product, prepare your pitch, prepare your emotions. It’s a roller coaster, to say the least. I have been overwhelmed and humbled by the success of this. The first day, I burst into tears every time a pledge came through.

The best piece of advice is to build a team of people who believe in you and believe in what you’re trying to accomplish. Have people in your corner who are ready to celebrate with you or comfort you.

What other advice would you offer to aspiring authors?

If you’re thinking of writing about something, do it. Just begin with one sentence, even if that sentence is only “Once upon a time this really crappy thing happened.” The rest will come. Eventually, you’ll find yourself looking at a word count that seems incredible. It’s really kind of thrilling. It’s like adding steps to your pedometer! (I just got a Fitbit and I’m obsessed with my step count.)

If you need a break from writing, take it. Be kind to yourself. Self-care is vital in a world so full of expectations and rushing about. Write your book for you first. Forget everyone else.

If you become discouraged, wallow in it a bit. You’re allowed. The world is full of dumb celebrities writing dumb books and getting huge, dumb book deals! Rant and rave and curse. (I love cursing.) But then try again. If one road is blocked to you, stomp your feet a bit and then find another path.

I like to listen to a certain Ludacris song when I’m angry as hell and I can’t take it anymore. I highly recommend this. I believe the best way to tackle any challenge is to enter it the way Ludacris enters a song – with boldness and by telling the world your name. Luda!

When you ask yourself “Why bother?” remember this quote from Kurt Vonnegut in response to that question: “Many people need desperately to receive this message: ‘I feel and think much as you do, care about many of the things you care about, although most people do not care about them. You are not alone.'”

Amy Bickers’ Kickstarter campaign ends May 14. Click here to make your contribution today.

Over the years Yakinea Marie Duff has met so many women in Birmingham, Alabama with great passion and bold dreams.

“But they were paralyzed by a lack of support, resources, information, and exposure,” Duff says.

So she decided to do something about it. She launched the I Am Woman Network, designed to connect, equip, and promote businesswomen and female entrepreneurs and professionals who desire to develop and grow their products or services.

Based in Birmingham, I Am Network offers various workshops and seminars and a membership program to help emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Benefits to the I Am Woman Network membership program include:

• Ability to network within the network with like minded women.
• Access to free coaching and resources to develop and grow your vision or business.
• Discounts to regional and annual IAWN Visionaries and Innovators Impact Conference.
• Invitation to participate as a speaker, panelist, or workshop facilitator.
• Brand Awareness – Display company business banner as advertisement for 6 months on IAWN’s website.
• 20% discount on coaching and consulting products and services.

Duff is an author, motivational speaker, and business strategist who has received numerous awards for leadership, including the 2008 Coretta Scott King Humanitarian Award for outstanding leadership. Under the leadership of Pastors Dr. Michael D. and Kennetha Moore of Faith Chapel Christian Center Duff received her ministerial license and is a vision partner at Faith Chapel Christian Center and serves on the ministry of intercessory prayer.

Born in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Duff has lived in Birmingham since she was 5 years old and she is confident that the I Am Woman Network will help make her city a better place.

“Our mantra is ‘When You Empower One, You Empower Many,”” Duff says. “By empowering women with the necessary resources to participate in economic development within the city of Birmingham it will continue to increase a level of leadership that offers strength, coupled with compassion and nurturing.”

The Birmingham Jane is a See Jane Write series of profiles on women in Birmingham who are making a difference in our city. If you know of a woman who is making a difference in Birmingham please send your nominations to javacia@seejanewritebham.com. And don’t be ashamed to nominate yourself!

I’ve been riding the freelance roller coaster since 2011. I eased my way into this wild ride by first working a corporate job that demanded immense travel, which meant working from airports, hotels, and—sometimes—home. I then took a job as art director for a real estate content company that allowed me to work remotely full-time. Finally, I moved to a small, remote Hawaiian Island and took the full freelance plunge. I’ve recently moved back to the mainland and I’m working from home as an editing and writing (and occasional design) freelancer in Louisville, KY.

It has not been easy, but it has been a rewarding journey and I have learned so much about myself and about how to be a freelancer. The skills required to be a successful freelancer don’t usually pop up when you’re fantasizing about finally standing up to that awful boss, shouting “See ya later, suckers!” and proudly striding through the cubicle maze to freedom. I hate to ruin the dream, but if you really want to become a full-time freelancer, you need to put in the work.

With that in mind, I offer you the big lessons I’ve learned over the past four years as an independent contractor:

Keep your day job. I know this is not what you want to hear, but in order to support yourself as a freelancer you will need multiple clients. When you are freelance, work tends to be feast or famine. For example, just this past January I went from no work at all to three projects happening at exactly the same time for three different clients and with three different skill sets. You’ll need to manage your schedule and your money to survive the lean times. It has taken me four years to build a reliable stable of clients: some offer frequent work, some I hear from quarterly, and many (especially friend-of-friend referrals for things such as wedding invitations) are one-time deals. I heartily recommend you start building your client and referral network before you leave a reliable paycheck and health insurance.

It may rain Benjamins, but it won’t rain bennies. Harsh reality but true, my freelancing friends. (And, really, it rarely rains Benjamins, either.) You will need to organize your own:

• Health benefits: Good news there as this got a whole lot more affordable thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Thanks, Obama! (Seriously, pre-ACA, did you ever look at the premiums for COBRA self-insurance? Just take my first-born child, please! Who could afford that?)
• Retirement savings: You’ll need to investigate and invest in your own 401(k), IRA, or other savings plan. You’ll also probably want to start saving money more in general to address that whole feast/famine freelance thing.
• New tax obligations: You will owe Uncle Sam more money without an employer offsetting and managing your tax contributions—it’s called self-employment tax and it totally blows. I set aside between 35 and 45 percent of my income to pay taxes. Usually, I make quarterly payments in advance. Talk to an accountant, who will become your best friend and commiserate with you about how poorly 1099 workers are treated in the tax world, regardless of actual income.
• Vacation: OK, so this is actually the good news! As your own boss, you get to decide when to work and when to sneak away for a week with your girlfriends to sip bourbon on the beach. Two weeks of vacation a year? I don’t think so! More like two months! The tough part: Making enough money to afford to go on vacation. I rarely turn down work because of that whole feast/famine issue. My time off usually just means I get to spend more time painting, reading or exploring my city. It takes a special planetary alignment to have money and time off at the same time in this line of work, but it does happen and as I’ve stuck with the freelance path, it has gotten easier and more financially rewarding.

Networking will be your life. Saddle up, Sally – get ready to schmooze your way through cocktail parties, conferences, online groups and old Facebook friends. To build clients, you must promote yourself and charm people—offline and online. Just remember, I said, “charm,” not strong-arm or bore-to-death people you know tangentially. Your ability to engage potential clients is crucial. I belong to multiple writing and editing societies, forums, and groups. I pay dues, I wade through emails full of tips in search of ideas to apply to my own business, and I’m always looking for new clients via organizations, websites, and more. It’s part of the job when you are a freelancer: You need to build social networking and self-promotion into your workweek.

You’re the IT Guy. You want to be a writer (or editor or other) on your own terms. You want freedom from a patriarchal, dismissive corporate culture that feels toxic, unfair, and unappreciative. Maybe you just want the freedom to wear flip-flops every day. I don’t judge. But know this: You will be getting a crash course in repairing modems, Wi-Fi routers, laptops, keyboards, VPN issues, monitors, printers, Word crashes, and more. You will spend a lot of time Googling technical issues and using the Internet as your IT bible. And you will do it on deadline. And you will curse the technology gods. And you will run out and buy new and expensive office equipment at 8:45 p.m. on a Tuesday because you are the only person responsible for making sure your work is done and delivered. Personally, I love technology and I am drawn to writing and editing work that involves IT and networking and computer science—but you have to drop the whole “I can’t do that!” attitude and embrace your inner AV nerd. “JFGI” will become your mantra—and I recommend you Google that.

You need a website. As mentioned above, I’m comfortable with technology, so I built my own website. With the wide array of cheap, user-friendly website-building tools available online these days, you have no excuse for NOT having a website. My site serves several purposes: I sometimes use it to blog about things related to writing and editing, and I try to keep it light and playful, but still educational and professional. I never write about anything personal since this is my work website, not my “OMG! I LOVE BOURBON” website. I use it as a calling card, giving potential clients the URL. I use it to connect my multiple social network accounts (just the professional ones) and I use it to promote myself, sharing details about my resume, positive feedback from previous clients, and more.

Pick a Platform. Really, you’ll probably need most of them, from Twitter to Facebook, LinkedIn, and even those wacky Google+ Circles. You need to build a professional online version of yourself across multiple social networks. It’s a great way to find clients, referrals, and job sites, and to connect with other freelancers. It’s also—in 2015—an absolute requirement. You are e-schmoozing.

Time management. This is so important. I mean, it’s an art, a science, a religion, and the reason there are so many books, apps, and articles out there to help you manage your time. As a freelancer, nobody is checking your hours; nobody is guiding your schedule or verifying your progress on a project. It’s just you. I started in newspapers, so I have a deadline-oriented mentality; my biggest challenge was figuring out how to translate daily deadlines to monthly projects. It was a bit tricky at first and I put in a lot of late nights to make sure I met long-term deadlines in the first year. These days, though? I’m a master. I plot out my projects using online calendars and project-length to-do lists, breaking the work down into daily goals and weekly deliveries. I have my weekends off after three years of manic, panicked last-minute pushes thanks to taking time management seriously. It’s partly about putting in the organizational work and partly about realizing that you must separate your freelance work life from your personal life or risk your sanity. Defining work time and you time is a big challenge when freelancing. Most freelancers work from home, so delineating personal and work spaces is important. I have a home office upstairs and I find that physically walking upstairs to go to work helps focus my mind, while walking down those stairs at the end of the day helps me relax. You set your hours; the hard part is sticking to them. Only in the last six months have I finally committed to ignoring emails between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m.

Get organized. Speaking of organizing your time, there is so much more you’ll need to be on top of as a freelancer. When I first started, mainly as an editor, I already had experience working remotely so I was familiar with Google Drive, Dropbox, Basecamp and other software that can help you track documents, projects, and versioning. On top of being very smart about how you organize project files on your computer (think about versioning, easy access, and a system that will help you locate a specific answer to a question that pops up three weeks after you finished the project), you need to track your income for tax purposes, your upcoming work schedule, your home office costs, your actual working hours for various projects and clients, your data usage, your communications, your invoices, your account passwords, etc. I record my income, outstanding invoices, and my hours using spreadsheets. I use a combination of paper and electronic files to organize my work and correspondence, though I have been moving towards electronic more in the last year. Since it’s just you at your business, you have to be ready to account for your work, your communications, and your history with dozens of different clients. And you have to consider legal and NDA (non-disclosure agreements) issues when talking to anybody about your work. My general rule: I don’t name names, ever.

Be professional. It’s all riding on you. Your work, and your behavior, represents your business and affects whether a client will want to work with you again. Being sure to communicate clearly and regularly via email/Skype/phone is important. I prefer a playful and collaborative tone in my freelance communications, but I never use humor in written comms until after I’ve spent some time on the phone, in person, or in video chats with clients. Once they know my personality, my humor—always professional, never self-deprecating, complaining or distasteful—can be a great tool for connecting with clients, especially if we’re both under deadline. My ability to work quickly and efficiently under pressure, to meet deadlines, to produce clean copy, to voluntarily take the extra steps to the best job I am capable of… all of this is facilitated by my sense of humor. Except when it isn’t! I have worked with many people who do not see a place or a need for levity in work. I don’t understand these people, but I make every effort to conform to their tone. As a freelancer, while you may feel like you are boss-free, in reality, every client is your boss. You are always working to make their jobs easier, to provide great work, and to help them improve processes and workflows on their end. Professionalism must be reflected in everything you do, from your personal appearance in video chats to your business website and your phone voicemail message.

Get dressed. Oh, sure, in my early years of remote work and freelancing, I spent many a week un-showered, letting my teeth gather fur as I typed away in yoga pants and t-shirts. Please learn from my mistakes. If you are going to freelance, you must get dressed every day that you are working. Much like having a separate workspace, putting on “real” clothing helps you get into work mode and actually get things accomplished. A woman in her PJs at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday is a woman who is more likely to do the dishes or fold laundry. Whereas a woman who is dressed up, made up, and smiling with a sparkly, minty mouth of clean teeth is far more likely to actually be at her desk working on the project due Friday morning. You don’t have to shower every day (I love TRESemme’s Fresh Start Volumizing Dry Shampoo for sprucing up my un-showered hair up for an early-morning video call.), but you need to get out of your sleepwear and into daywear every day.

Know your value. This is especially meaningful for me, because when Javacia asked to interview me, I was somewhat dismissive and self-deprecating about my freelancing career, and putting myself down a bit. I realized after we talked that I was undervaluing the great lessons I’ve learned, the careful and conscientious—and just plain good!—work that I do. I genuinely care about every project I’m involved in and my big problem is taming my work ethic, not growing it. I’m still standing after all the hard lessons, lean times, and maddening deadlines. And more than that, I’m experienced and in demand as a writer and editor. I’m living the dream. But, aside from emotional value, I want to touch on your actual monetary value. It will depend on your field, your experience, and the specific work you are being asked to do. One thing I know many freelancers do at the start is undercharge. Do your research to find out what the going rate is for the work you’re being asked to do, and not just online but reach out to other freelancers and headhunters for input. Negotiate your fees if you want to—I will for charity or to support anything education-related—but don’t apologize for them. I can’t tell you how many friend-of-a-friend referrals I got for somebody’s aunt who “just wrote a book” and needed an editor. I would offer the reduced friend-rate, but old “aunt author” hadn’t done any research into what editing actually costs and after receiving my estimate would never contact me again! (Rude.) Know your audience, know your value, and know how much you can afford to charge. I have worked on projects, especially in the beginning, that wound up earning me $10 an hour. Remember, I’m paying almost half my income to the IRS so that meant I was really making about $6.50 an hour. Never again. It’s up to you to know how much money you need to make to break even. It’s also up to you to know when to walk away. After all, you’re the boss.

Danielle Hayden is a freelance writer and editor who transforms technology and business info into engaging, relatable content. Danielle, who has a background in both journalism and software, has been freelancing since 2011 and has worked on a wide array of topics and media, from computer networking course development to book editing to web site copywriting and editing and much more. Learn more about her work at http://dbhediting.com.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

Would you quit your day job?

Would you finally start a blog or use the blog you have to build a business?

Would you write a pitch letter to your favorite magazine or a query letter to the agent you dream of representing you?

Would you write and publish that book you’ve been carrying in your heart for years?

Or have you already written and self-published a book, but you haven’t had the courage to market your work the way you know that you should?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

I have another question for you: What could be your game changer? 

Consider all your goals, dreams, and aspirations. Now pick one. What goal – that you could accomplish in 6 months – would have the greatest impact on your personal and professional life?

That’s a game changer goal and that’s the goal I want to help you reach.

Introducing the See Jane Write Mastermind, a 6-month personalized coaching program designed to help you achieve your game changer goal.

A mastermind group is a group that offers accountability, support and a safe space for brainstorming to help you achieve your goals.  But the See Jane Write Mastermind program offers this and so much more.

The See Jane Write Mastermind program includes the following:

• You‘ll get 6 monthly one-on-one consultations, which means we’ll work together to develop a personalized plan to help you achieve your game changer goal and I’ll guide you through each step of that plan.
• You’ll get 6 monthly live group coaching sessions with the other members of the See Jane Write Mastermind, which means you’ll have the support of a community of like-minded women who will also provide insight and inspiration along this journey.
• You’ll get access to a private Facebook group to communicate and collaborate with me and the other See Jane Write Mastermind members as often as you’d like.
• You’ll get free admission to See Jane Write events (excluding Blogging Boot Camps) that take place between June 1, 2015 and November 30, 2015 – including our annual blogging conference, The Bloganista Mini-Con. These events will give you access to even more resources and networking opportunities.
• You’ll get a free one-year membership to See Jane Write, which means you’ll be able to register early for events with limited seating, invitations to private members-only events, the opportunity to be featured as a See Jane Write Member of the Month, and the chance to be assigned an accountability partner for even more support.
• You’ll also get additional online training, worksheets, and personalized weekly assignments to help you achieve your game changer goal.

And in December we’re going to party! We’ll have a special event to celebrate what you accomplish during our six months of working together and have a goal setting workshop to help you make plans for 2016.

The ideal mastermind group consists of only 8 to 10 people, so less than a dozen spots are available and I can’t guarantee I will offer this opportunity again.

The See Jane Write Mastermind program will begin June 1, 2015. Registration will close May 31, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. Sign up by May 15 and I will also critique up to five writing samples for you during our time together.

Are you interested? Then, let’s chat! I’m offering a complimentary 15-minute strategy session for anyone interested in this program. This session should help you determine if this program is right for you. During this session we’ll decide what your game changer goal should be.  We’ll also discuss the monetary investment for the program.

Click here to schedule your free strategy session today.

At the start of 2014 I announced that I planned to exercise every single day for a year. I even made the declaration on WBHM 90.3 FM and all across social media. And guess what…

I DID IT!!! I exercised for at least 30 minutes every day for 365 days!

But wait there’s more!

Tomorrow morning I’m going to be featured on the ABC 33/40 television show Talk of Alabama. One of the show’s producer reads my blog (!) and saw my post about my 365 days of fitness. So tomorrow I’ll be on the show discussing exactly how I pulled this off.

When I told people I planned to exercise every day for year some folks said I was “crazy” to set such a goal. But I did  it anyway. And now I’m going to be on TV because of it.

Sure, I’ve been on Talk of Alabama before. In fact, I was on the show summer of 2013 to discuss the launch of this magazine. But this time I didn’t have to send a pitch. This time they came to me. And that makes this opportunity even sweeter and even more of an honor.

The moral of the story is this: Do something crazy!

Do something daring and bold that other people wouldn’t even think about doing. I am convinced that this is the key to making your dreams come true.

Each November I challenge the women of See Jane Write Birmingham to blog every day for 30 days. Lots of folks think that’s crazy, too. In fact, I even call the challenge #bloglikecrazy. But it was through this challenge that the See Jane Write began to transform from just an ordinary writing group to a thriving community.

So what crazy thing am I doing next? My personal fitness challenge this year is to run/walk 1,200 miles by December 31. With regard to writing blogging and business I want to see my byline in at least one of my favorite national magazines, I want my website to be recognized by Forbes magazine, and I want to earn $100,000 in my business.

Do you think this sounds crazy? I sure hope so!

What “crazy” thing will you do in 2015? 

Each November I challenge the women of See Jane Write Birmingham to publish a new blog post every day for 30 days. I call this challenge #bloglikecrazy.

If you decide to join the fun, be sure to use the hashtag #bloglikecrazy when you share your posts on Twitter.

Usually, I #bloglikecrazy on my personal blog WriteousBabe.com. But this year I’m going to publish a new blog post every day for 30 days at the See Jane Write Birmingham blog.

I’d love for you to follow along.

So each day I will update this post to include a link to my latest entry to my See Jane Write blog. I hope you enjoy!

Nov. 1 – Why should I #bloglikecrazy? 

Nov. 2 – What if I run out of blog post ideas?

Nov. 3 – Can I overcome stage fright? 

Nov. 4 – How can I get more done?

Nov. 5 – How can I build an authentic brand for my blog?

Nov. 6 – How do I find my ideal reader?

Nov. 7 – Do I need an elevator pitch for my blog?

Nov. 8 – Should entrepreneurs take a day off?

Nov. 9 – What blogs do you read?

Nov. 10 – Blogging – What’s the Point?

Nov. 11 – Why did you start See Jane Write? 

Nov. 12 – Why do you call yourself a feminist?

Nov. 13 – What should I do this weekend?

Nov. 14 – How can I improve my blog?

Nov. 15 – What should a writer do on her day off?

Nov. 16 – What is a Twitter chat?

Nov. 17 – Do I need business cards?

Nov. 18 – What should I include in my blog’s media kit?

Nov. 19 – What is Bloglovin’?

Nov. 20 – How can I get more involved with See Jane Write?

Nov. 21 – Have you heard the new Beyonce song?

Nov. 22 – Did I hear you on NPR yesterday?

Nov. 23 – What do you want for Christmas?

Nov. 24 – Can I touch your hair? 

Nov. 25 – What are you thoughts on the Ferguson grand jury decision?

Nov. 26 – How can I give back this holiday season?

Nov. 27 – What are you thankful for today?

Nov. 28 – How can I “shop small” this holiday season?

Nov. 29 – What blogging and writing conferences should I attend in 2015?

Nov. 30 – What did you learn from this year’s #bloglikecrazy challenge? 

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? 

I have a long list of answers to this question: do a one-year blogging challenge, write and publish a book, strive to run a profitable small business, launch a Kickstarter campaign. But my list could be summed up with one statement: Be Carrie Rollwagen.

Rollwagen is a small business owner, a prolific blogger, a social media guru and much more. She also has the cutest nails in town. And now she’s about to add something else to her resume — published author.

Rollwagen, co-owner of Church Street Coffee and Books and the writer behind the Shop Small blog, is now about to publish The Localist, a book that’s all about shopping locally. Rollwagen decided to self-publish the book and recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund her project. She reached her fundraising goal in less than a month!

I had a chat with Rollwagen recently — at a locally owned coffee shop, of course — about her book project and her secrets to success.

Becoming a Localist

Rollwagen’s interest in local shopping began when she managed a small book store in Mountain Brook. She believed that the camaraderie she experienced at that store was unique to locally-owned shops. But then she worked at Starbucks and found the same sense of community there as well. Rollwagen, a former full-time journalist, wanted to investigate.

“I’m a frustrated journalist,” she says.

And so in 2011 she challenged herself to only buy from locally-owned stores for one year. She launched the blog Shop Small to chronicle her adventure.

Rollwagen admits that she thought her “Shop Small” challenge would be extremely difficult and extremely expensive.

She was wrong.

“I spent far less money that year than I usually do,” Rollwagen says.

She explained that when you shop small there’s less of a chance for impulse buying. There are very few, if any, displays set up in locally owned shops to entice you to purchase things that aren’t on your shopping list. Furthermore, because local shops weren’t as easy to get to as big box stores, Rollwagen would often talk herself out of buying things. And she wasn’t eating any fast food.

Finding stores at which to shop was easier than she expected. She often found what she needed simply by asking friends or doing a quick Google search. Rollwagen was even able to go to the movies thanks to the Birmingham-based theater The Edge opening that year.

What was Rollwagen’s conclusion after this year of shopping small?

“Local is almost always better,” she says.

Rollwagen is a localist, but she’s also a realist and she makes no claims that small business owners are somehow better people than the owners of big box stores.

“It is in the financial interest of a small business owner to be a nice person,” she says. “Small shop owners have a better incentive to treat people well and build community.”

If you have a bad experience at Target most likely you’re going to go back to Target nonetheless and even if you don’t chances are the Target employee you had a bad interaction with doesn’t care. Small shop owners know that it’s good customer service and a sense of community and camaraderie that will bring you back.

While Rollwagen doesn’t recommend that other people take on her extreme shop small challenge, she does stress that we should all buy local as often as we can as this is a great way to improve your community.

As Rollwagen explains in her Kickstarter campaign video, for every $10 spent at locally owned stores four to seven dollars goes back into your community. When you shop corporately only three dollars, at the most, goes back into your city.

Think of the local place first, she says. Amazon doesn’t pay taxes in your state.

Deciding to Self-Publish

Rollwagen admits that she hasn’t been a fan of self-publishing in the past — and for good reason. As many avid readers know, a book needs good editing, good design and a good marketing campaign to be successful. Most self-published authors don’t have all these skills or the resources to hire someone who does.

But Rollwagen’s book is centered on Birmingham and she thought a book a that was this, well, “localist” wouldn’t appeal to traditional publishers.

“Just because it doesn’t have a national market doesn’t mean it shouldn’t exist,” she says.

Rollwagen’s Shop Small blog was quite successful thanks to her fresh, informative content and effective social media marketing. But she knew she had more to say.

“I wanted to tell this story in a new way,” she says.

So she decided to write a book and self-publish it.

The book is part memoir, focusing on her life as a localist and even offering a few tips on how people can shift their own shopping habits to support small businesses more often.

The book is also a study of buying patterns — why you like big box stores, why they’re not all bad, and the effects of our shopping on us as individuals and on our communities.

The book also offers a behind-the-scenes look into Church Street Coffee and Books.

To ensure that her self-published book would be of high quality, Rollwagen launched her Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to hire an editor and designer.

How to Rock Your Kickstarter Campaign

Rollwagen reached her fundraising goal of $5,000 in less than a month. Now she’s working on her stretch goal. She’s hoping to raise an additional $3,000 so she can go on a book tour to spread the localist gospel to other towns.

Rollwagen offered these tips on how to run a successful Kickstarter campaign:

• Apply the tips that Kickstarter gives you and look at projects similar to yours for promotion ideas.
• Produce a great video and in it be sure to convince people that your project is something that you can actually do. Also, explain exactly how you plan to use the money.
• Have enticing and creative rewards and be sure to include their cost in your project budget. One of Rollwagen’s rewards was nail art! For a donation of $10 or more, Rollwagen would decorate her nails with the name of your company. Nail art was a perfect way for Rollwagen to help promote her project because whenever someone would say “Oh, I like your nails!” she could strike up a conversation about her Kickstarter campaign.
• But these conversations could only happen if she was out and about. So Rollwagen’s other piece of advice is to be sure to network during your campaign. And carry business cards that include a URL for your campaign.

The Birmingham Jane is a See Jane Write series of profiles on women in Birmingham who are making a difference in our city. If you know of a woman who is making a difference in Birmingham please send your nominations to javacia@seejanewritebham.com. And don’t be ashamed to nominate yourself!

This story was originally posted Oct. 6, 2014 at SeeJaneWriteBham.com.

Though TJ Beitelman is a published author and poet he often refers to himself as “a frustrated visual artist.” As soon as you begin to read his latest novel John the Revelator you will understand why. The book is packed with rich images that captivate you, pull you into the story, and haunt you in your dreams. Black Lawrence Press, Beitelman’s publisher, describes the book this way:

Part reluctant Tiresias, part locusts-and-honey outcast, teenaged John stumbles into the darker thickets of human insight—the high arts of vice and violence—and the small Alabama town he calls home will never be the same when he comes out the other side.

Beitelman is a native of Virginia and though he has lived in Alabama for 18 years, he admits that it has taken a while for the state to feel like home. John the Revelator, oddly enough, has helped.

“For that novel in particular the sense of place is so important,” Beitelman says. “It was a way for me to connect with this place and to put my emotional truth squarely in this place.”

Each scene of the book plays out in your mind like a movie reel. So I wasn’t surprised to learn that Beitelman first wrote John the Revelator as a screenplay.

The idea for the novel was born of a short story titled “Tiresias the Seer” that was published in 2004 in the New Orleans Review. First, Beitelman tried to expand the short story into a novel, but with no luck. Then he got another idea.

“I’ve always wanted to write a screen play and I also subscribed to the theory Alfred Hitchcock once said that films are more like short stories,” Beitelman says. “So I figured maybe I will go back to the original short story and try to make that into a screenplay.”

Beitelman completed the screenplay but then considered the reality of both the film and publishing industries. He knew it would be much harder to produce a screenplay than it would be to get a book published.

“I thought this might be an outline for the novel,” he says. “So I went back through the screenplay and fleshed it out into a novel and it worked. I wouldn’t recommend that process. It took a long time and it was very frustrating and I probably wouldn’t do it again, but it worked.”

Along with its rich imagery, John the Revelator also has a distinct lyrical quality that you would expect from Beitelman considering he has an MFA in poetry from the University of Alabama.

“Things like how it looks on the page is important to me and white space is important to me,” he says.

Furthermore, Beitelman says he typically writes his narratives in pieces. The “frustrated visual artist” says he would even describe John the Revelator as a collage.

“There are different voices in the book,” Beitelman says, “So it’s a collage of voice as well as narrative and images.”

As a high school student in Springfield, Virginia, Beitelman took all the visual arts classes he could as they were the only creative outlet at his school. Though, he admits he wasn’t the greatest artist in the class, he appreciated that his teacher treated all the students like artists and took their work seriously.

“I still think of my teacher and the things he said about visual arts,” Beitelman says. “He always used to say that if you’re going to draw a crooked line on purpose, make sure it’s really crooked. Otherwise people are going to assume you were trying to draw a straight line and you couldn’t do it. It’s surprising how applicable that is to all forms of art.”

Beitelman teaches creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine – a public institution in Birmingham, Alabama for gifted junior high and high school students. I teach English at the school and, in the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that Beitelman is one of my favorite colleagues.

Curious, I wanted to know how Beitelman found time to write while working such a demanding full-time job.

“Early on I felt like I had to have the Stephen King attitude towards it where you have to write a certain amount every day,” Beitelman admits. “I thought that was the only valid way to be a writer. I discovered I am the other kind of writer. There’s at least two. There’s that writer that sits down and invites the muse to come every day and it’s very compelling when you hear that, but I’ve been doing this for 20 years now and I have produced work and I am the type that writes in bursts. I need a burst to create raw material and then I tinker with it for a long time.”

For writers stressing about not writing daily, Beitelman says you should let yourself off the hook.

“I don’t worry myself over when I’m not writing anymore because I feel like the stuff that happens when I’m at the keyboard is only 10 percent of it,” he says. “Ninety percent is feeding the process.”

Beitelman says he feeds his writing process through reading and traveling and even doing things as simple as taking walks.

“Mostly it’s something more nebulous and vague than that,” Beitelman adds. “It’s a mindset of not turning off the impulse to the create something. I filter everything through that creative impulse. So there’s a permeable wall between the real world and the art you make from it.”

Javacia Harris Bowser is founding editor of See Jane Write Magazine. 

For our Man of the Hour feature we take down the “No Boys Allowed” sign and share stories of men who are doing great things in the writing world. Send your nominations for Man of the Hourto seejanewritemag@gmail.com.