The Insane Writer

Free Podcast Reading of The Generation

2020-06-24T06:49:00.001-05:00

This is it! This is your chance to experience my Science Fiction novel, The Generation with an exclusive free reading of Two Chapters of my book you won't find anywhere else!

Only available by listening to my Podcast!

A Never before Released Free Reading of The Generation by Joy Smith

An exclusive reading of Chapters 1 and 2 of my Sci-fi novel, The Generation and behind the scenes of how it all got started.

The Generation is Available at Amazon.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE KNOW, I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Slicethepie-A Side Hustle Fashion Review

2020-06-07T13:07:00.004-05:00

Did you know you can make up to $7.80 an hour writing fashion reviews?

It is not a scam or gimmick.
It is not a get rich overnight success story either.

What it is, is work. You must be willing to

write a minimum of 60 words, about one paragraph, in order to get paid for the review. However, the more detailed your review is about the clothing item, the more money you can earn.

You can get paid weekly with a minimum pay out of $10 through PayPal. PayPal is free to sign up. I've used them for years to get paid.

Just keep in mind, this is a side hustle job only. It's a way to earn extra cash for those unexpected events.

Now if you are still pondering the question, Can you make this into a full-time job?

The Answer, probably not.

You would have to be really focused, love typing, type really fast and be really detailed with your reviews.

It also will depend upon if there are enough reviews available, and how much each of your reviews are worth.

And if you have ADHD like I do, you might burn out rather quickly doing this all of the time.

I honestly don't know anyone making an online living with Slicethepie alone, including myself.

When I was partially dedicated to writing for Slicethepie, I was also working 48 hours a week away from home. I made on average just in my spare time here and there $15 per a week for my reviews. Enough to pay my phone bill each month! So it's still worth considering if you're just looking for a side job.

I have been with SlicethePie for over 10 years now and still use them to this day.

Want more proof? I'm at:
https://www.slicethepie.com/join/UFF3538D

Related Content: A Slice the Pie Podcast Review with Joy Smith

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE KNOW, I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

The True Power of a Shark

2020-05-27T12:29:00.000-05:00

A funny thing happened today. I was talking to my fans about a story I wrote that involved a Killer Vacuum Cleaner brought to life. That story reminded me of just how powerful our vacuum is that we were blessed with a little over 4 years ago.

The power behind our Shark Professional True Pet Vacuum, is outstanding even to this day in my opinion. You can feel the power of the vacuum trying to move on it's own (I kid you not!) as soon as you turn that baby on! It has almost gotten away from me a few times. I swear that baby really does have a mind of it's own!

The Shark Professional can be used to clean hardwood floors, area rugs and carpet. I use it sometimes on my hardwood flooring, but I use it mostly for the two medium sized area rugs we have in our living room and bedroom.

I had to actually get out my video camera and show you just how powerful this vacuum actually is. Check it out here!

Right after the video, I decided to finish vacuuming both area rugs. I have to show you guys the photo I took of the dirt cup dispenser of the vacuum cleaner.

Look at that!

That is just from the two area rugs that gets vacuumed on a weekly basis! That's a lot of cat hair for two cats and definitely the power of a Shark Professional True Pet vacuum!

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE KNOW, I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

March 2020 Goals and working with SlicethePie

2020-03-13T13:29:00.001-05:00

I'm just going to come right out and admit it. I only accomplished 1 out of 4 goals I set for myself in the month of February.

The only goal I really worked on was working on my crafts. I have been a little busy creating some new paper mache jewelry and ornament pieces to sell.

My latest piece being moons. I have decided

to make it a 3 piece and I'm in the process of creating an outside layer on joint compound to the second moon. Once I've smooth it to shape, I'll begin working on my final moon piece for the set.

My goals for March:

Work with SlicethePie again, to increase income for March. I've already been seeing some progress with this one, so it should not be a problem. Right now the program is currently offering paid reviews in music and fashion. The reviews on average take about one minute to right for me and I make I can usually cash out at around $10 a day with them. It really just depends how much time you have to put into the reviews, but would be a great opportunity for those looking for a little up to part-time side income gig. If you're interested in the free program, feel free to visit: My SlicethePie Referral Link to get started.
File my taxes!
Cash in my reward points for a free phone card for the next two months, a $15 visa gift $10 Walmart gift card from Straighttalk and my local health insurance program.
Slowly transition from Environmental Services away from the home to an online income that will help support my family. My goal is at least make around $400 per a week to do this, which equals out to $10 per hour.

What are your goals for the month of March 2020? Did you accomplish all if your goals for the month of February?

Disclosure:
This POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE KNOW, I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

February Goals and Kicking Butt in Income Sales my First Month

2020-02-03T18:07:00.001-06:00

January was one of those months that seemed to just fly by. By the time I realized the month was almost up, I stewed and wondered if I would ever meet my January goals in time without ever realizing how far I was already there!

I must say, I was quite shocked at my accomplishments because there were a few like selling my motorcycle, I didn't think would get done due to it being the winter season.

I not only sold my motorcycle, but I promoted my novel and was able to get further with my youngest son's disability/SSI claim.

I'll be honest though, I didn't get around to cleaning out my last two chest of drawers or finishing one of my crafts as I was hoping to do.

But, three out of five goals isn't too bad! I'm just thankful that I accomplished some of my January goals!

How much did I make in Income for January 2020:

My novel: $.0.00 in sales. I had a few bites, but I only promoted my novel a few days. I had a few potential fans/customers I interested in The Generation, but that's as far as it went. I'm thinking I need to promote it to more than just my Facebook Business Account and personal page, which is the only social media sites I really promoted it on. Hmm.

My 1986 Honda Motorcycle: I sold my motorcycle for $550. It needed some work and a new battery, so I thought the price was fair. But, I had an offer of $500 for the bike several years ago, so the $550 was decent and more than I had been offered prior!

Total income for January 2020: $550

Not bad for stuff I had lying around that was not in use.

I honestly have no excuses for not cleaning or creating. Maybe, just maybe my ADHD kicked in high gear, or maybe it was because I was so tired from work 7 days in a row at my current job, that I got lazy. But, in all honesty I can only come to the realization that I just didn't do it! But, I'm looking at it this way, and I hope you do as well, $550 was more than I had last month that will be put towards moving!!! Yes, yes and yes!

When I took the step to move forward with my son's disability case for moderate Autism, I was able to get him the interview he needed for SSI in less than a day! This was such a victory for my son! Now we wait for their official final verdict!

But for now, I think it's time to make some new goals for February of 2020. Ready Set...

February 2020 Goals:

Work on a craft: Let's try this again. I have several and I mean several craft projects that I'm working on that really need done. I have three paper mache hearts I am hoping to turn into ornaments or jewelry pieces. I'm really hoping sadly it's due to my ADHD and not anything else such as lack of interest, because honestly I love creating things out of recycled items! Maybe I can even sell one!
Clean out those two chest of drawers: I'm fairly certain this is an ADHD issue. I've been trying to make some changes with my ADHD symptoms. It's been a one step at a time process and honestly, on some days I'm just to that point that I refuse to do anything and would rather play a bingo game to unwind and relax, sometimes a little too much. But, this is a minimalist must if we are going to live and in an RV.
Post about a product I Love: I don't do this often, simply because most of the products and services out there disappoint me, but when I find one that has my attention, heck yes!
Sells something on Facebook: I've tested the waters before with this one with DVDs and had some really good success. This time, I would love to test the waters with selling on Facebook by selling more than just DVDs.

Notice I only have 4 goals instead of the 5 I had last month? Well that's because I am going to try to accomplish one goal each week to try to make it a little more achievable with my ADHD.

I wonder, How have you tried to accomplish your own goals when struggling with a mental illness? What are your goals for February?

Hugs,
Joy

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE KNOW, I GET A COMMISSION IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

RV Traveling from a Small Town called, Coffeyville, KS

2020-01-07T12:14:00.001-06:00

Living in a small town has its challenges and Coffeyville, Kansas is no stranger to a challenge.

There are very few mental health options for my ADHD, or my son's Autism. As a matter of fact, there is only one facility, currently in town.

If you're interested in adopting a healthier lifestyle, there are a few businesses that cater, but they come with a StarBucks price tag. Most of the families in this town, simply cannot afford that luxury.

We are limited on the availability of jobs unless you don't mind working fast food at minimum wage or foundry work.

The town itself has a lot of downfalls. For example: The county is one of the highest county taxes in the area and small businesses like El Charros are feeling the financial struggle due to on going construction projects like 11th Street.

So with that said, we have decided it's time to move out of this town and travel the U.S. Moving out of Kansas has been a goal of ours for a long time, I just never considered traveling full-time until here more recently.

Nevertheless, the biggest challenge will be the financial goals we need to accomplish in order to travel full-time in an RV.

Currently, I'm busting my butt at a local business as a head housekeeper. The pay is barely above minimum wage. It's a job that really takes its toll on the body as well.

There are a lot of other challenges we will need to take before we can just hit the road also. Getting rid of all of the stuff we have accumulated over the years will be another challenge for us.

Not to mention preparing my youngest son for his own goals and challenges he will face.

One step at a time. One step at a time. So without further ado....

Goals for February 2020:

Sell my 1986 Honda Magna Motorcycle - This is a huge goal for me, because I purchased the bike on a whim. At one point in my life, I thought I wanted to own a motorcycle, but over the recent years, my goals have changed. The funny thing is, I've owned my bike for several summers now and not once have I tried to learn to ride it. The only thing I am doing is wasting money just to own it, in tags, insurance and taxes on a yearly basis. Plus, it's one less vehicle we have to take when we travel. So it's just time. I am hoping to get $1000 out of it at least.
Promote my Novel series, "The Generation." - It took a decade to write the book and another decade to decide to publish my Novel, "The Generation" through Amazon. Now let's hope it doesn't take another decade to be on the best seller's list, shall we?
Clean out the last two drawers of my chest of drawers - This one seems fairly simple enough, but not when you have ADHD. It's a must to minimize everything if we are going to travel in an RV, however.
Finish one craft - Here we go again with the ADHD. But if I can finish one craft, not only am I pairing down stuff I have, but I can also sell it for a profit! Side hustle?
Set Up Disability for my son's Autism - I'll be honest here. This one is already ongoing. We are actually waiting to hear back on the claim, so I may have to check up on this one since I have not heard anything from the government since Christmas Break. The one thing I did not do was guardianship for now, simply because it's a costly court date I cannot afford. We chose Power of Attorney instead, since the only two needs for him currently are financial aid and medical.

And let the goals begin!

Joy Smith, also know as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation and the website, The Fight Within Her. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

How To Create a Sturdy Paper Tube Using Recycled Magazine Pages

2018-05-18T15:51:00.003-05:00

I love recycling and have been using magazine pages to create paper tubes and other paper products lately. I have been doing a lot of research on creating paper coils (tubes) for my projects. Most that I found from other crafters did not meet my expectations, so I decided to create my own technique.

I hope you enjoy and please feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel if you liked my video and this technique worked for your own paper crafting projects.

Products Used in This Video:

Crazart Glue Stick
3/16" Dowel Rod
Recycled Magazine Page

Note: This post contains affiliate links that I believe may be useful to you as a reader. You are in no way obligated to click on my links, but if you do, thank you in advance for allowing me to be able to make and share more crafting videos! Thank you so very much for your time and generosity. You keep me going!

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

Join shareasale.com, Earn Cash!

How I Increased Traffic to My Affiliate Marketing Pinterest Board

2018-04-30T16:19:00.002-05:00

Recently, I started tweaking My Pinterest Board, so that other pinners can find me easier.

My first focus was on my Affiliate Marketing For Beginners Board because I have been really focused on the topic as an entrepreneur.

After much thought, I decided to move the affiliate marketing section I had created under My Blogging For Money as a Stay at Home Mom Board. I did this because I really want to narrow down my niche for the affiliate marketing area instead of just being a popular topic for Moms who work from home.

There's a whole lot of re-naming going on -

My next goal was to change the name from affiliate marketing to Affiliate Marketing For Bloggers after doing some keyword research.

While I use affiliate marketing on just more than my blog, the platform is a good start for moms wanting to start a blog to make money from affiliate links.

I also went back and re-named two sections I had created last week under my Affiliate Marketing For Beginners Board to make them more keyword friendly.

Step by step -

My next step was to add several additional sections for my affiliate board to organize all of the pins I had pinned for later.

I also took advantage of Pinterest's reorder feature, which allows users to alphabetize the sections for their followers to find easier!

The final step I took with took my Affiliate Marketing Board was checking to make sure I didn't have duplicate pins. Duplicate pins are a waste of precious pinterest board space and can seem spammy to your followers. Luckily I only found a few! Whoo hoo!

Follow Up:

After about a week, I went back to view the analytics of that board and found a significant increase in repins from my Pinterest followers! Yes! Success! Time to edit and focus on a new niche!

Why I Stopped Blogging and How I'm Focusing on Pinterest

2018-04-20T18:44:00.001-05:00

I have finally learned that I can't do what most entrepreneurial bloggers want for me to make money online. No matter how simple the formula, I just can't do it. It's not how my brain works and honestly, I find that building an online business is not only confusing with all of the information available out there, it's also BORING!

I'm all about fun, even at work! I would rather my posts be just as fun where you get to know the real me and not some technical how to get rich quick post that's obviously fake as hell!

But because I stopped being me, I stopped everything in my life, including blogging. I was burned out from information overload while learning how to build my business around my blog. It just wasn't working for me.

Let's Slow Things Down, Way Down -

For those that don't already know, I'm the kind of girl that takes my time on anything I'm passionate about and not! It's my pace or the highway (with the exception of deadlines)!

And, I have ADHD, but I can also admit, part of it is just me being plain lazy.

Note: I never claimed to be perfect and I never will!

But unfortunately, My ADHD and laziness I realized was getting in the way of my goals or maybe it was simply me getting in my own way.

Either way, I'm slowly beginning to open my eyes to everything around me. Life is calling and it's time (as scary as it may be), I answered.

So, I'm starting to make little changes to manage the procrastination and focus side of my ADHD. The good news is, it's working as long as I stick with it. That's the hard part, sticking with it.

Getting to the Chase -

You will find that I post a variety of topics on my blog, everything from writing to crafting, because it's who I am. You will also discover that my goal in the end remains the same, to work full-time online so that I'm able to focus on being a mom and living life to the fullest.

I will continue my research for what I believe is essential to my blog's success, but on my terms, not on someone else's. Something I'm hope others with ADHD can relate to.

One of the steps I took to work on my goal was to organize My Pinterest Boards. They're a disaster zone because I have a mix of both work and personal boards on my page since they go hand in hand with my current focus.

Breaking Down My Pinterest Boards -

It's going to take some time, but I feel pretty accomplished so far after I spent a good hour just chipping away at my Pinterest page. I didn't realize just how many disorganized boards and pins I really had!

Let's Begin With -

I started by re-naming my affiliate marketing board to Affiliate Marketing For Beginners so that it is keyword friendly enough where other pinners can easily find me on Pinterest.

I have found the best way to accomplish this is by using the search tool provided by Pinterest. Once I typed the words Affiliate Marketing into the search box, Pinterest pulls up a list of popular keywords searches from other pinners. I chose to include some of those keyword results that were listed at the top, in my board name and vola'!

But I also had several other boards that were related to my Affiliate Marketing board (the very reason I chose this area), so I created sections for those specific affiliates like Clickbank and JVZOO.

One thing I have not done yet is updated the topic and description features of the board. It's too much keyword research for me all in one day.

Instead, my focus turned to sorting and organizing my dream home pins. I was able to clear out quite a few boards and create several sections for this area. A huge accomplishment for me!

The only thing I wish is, Pinterest would allow the option of breaking down the sections as well. I have so many kitchen ideas and decor that it still needs a lot of organization!

While I haven't ventured back over to the business side of my Pinterest boards, I know I've accomplished a lot, since I now have fewer boards for my followers to search through!

One step at a time baby, one step at a time!

What to Do When Your ADHD Effects Your Online Business

2018-01-14T14:54:00.001-06:00

Sooner or later it's bound to happen. Your ADHD will go into overdrive and your business will suffer because of it. And if you're like me and choose not to use prescribed medications to help settle those ADHD symptoms, then your struggle may be a little too much on any given day.

Mine happened a few weeks ago and I couldn't get back into writing even if my life depended on it! Yep, the struggle is real!

While not everyone will have every symptom of ADHD, the most common are:

Disorganized: This is definitely me. Have you seen my office area?! My crafts are all over the place and of course I'm working on more than one craft that never seems to get done!

And my work bag is definitely a mess. I'm pretty sure there are receipts in there that I should have scanned for receipt hog months ago.

And then there's my to-do list! I have tried to at the very least my to-do list because it is supposed to help me get organized, right? Wrong! My to-do list just keeps growing and growing with no real direction of where I'm going with my blog and writing business. Believe me, I've tried!

I have even gone as far as listening to Chalene Johnson who keeps it real with her build your tribe podcasts! I love her stuff! She has some great organization tips and even a journal planner that can help you organize your business and your life!

Distraction: My partner can definitely tell you how easily distracted I get, but it's also effected my business more times than I really care to count. There are many times I find myself actually writing and then boom, I'm wandering off to my email or Pinterest account. Or I'll start out on my Pinterest account ready to tackle some of my business pins and I'll find myself pinning other stuff instead.

Procrastination: This is one of my biggest problems with my ADHD. I am always waiting until the very last second to get my work done. Sometimes it is not such a bad thing, especially when I know there is a deadline to meet, but when I'm on my own and I know I don't have to meet any deadlines, I tend to ignore my blog and business all together. It's pretty obvious from the lack of posts at times.

Scatterbrain: My thoughts tend to be all over the place and it's hard for me to focus a lot of times, which in return leads to procrastination. But there are also some advantages to my thoughts being everywhere. Sometimes I'm able to think of new ideas for my crafts or blog posts, but it doesn't happen as often as I would like it to or when it does I tend to give up easily and move on to something else. Hence the reason I have so many crafts started, but not finished and the same with my stories.

Depression: This can be just as big of a problem as my procrastination if I let it and then no work gets done! Ugh!

Fatigue: This is another symptom that can effect my business, that I often tend to chalk it up as procrastinating. Bad move!

For most people who suffer with ADHD, a prescribed medication may be the answer, but unfortunately for me, that was not the case. I always found myself allergic to the medication or the side effects were huge for me, so I decided to go natural for my ADHD.

Now my son who is autistic is a much different story that I'll talk about in another post.

Because I decided to go natural and leave the chemicals alone, my choice continued to post challenges that I had to find solutions for, some of which I'm still trying to resolve along the way.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is, never give up. It may take me several days to accomplish a task, but it's a huge improvement compared to years ago when I was working at a slow pace. It took me 10 years to finish my first novel!

Another way I have learned to manage my symptoms of ADHD is, giving myself a specific goal and setting a deadline for it. This one is really hard, but if I post that deadline and goal for my readers, oftentimes I'll get it done because I want my followers to see that it can be done if you truly set your mind to it.

Oftentimes I tend to find myself looking to others that have created a successful business for inspiration. Online Entrepreneurs like Chalene Johnson, Pat Flynn, Problogger and John Chow have found their way in my inbox or on my podcast!

While a prescribed medication isn't the answer for my ADHD, there is one over the counter natural medication called focusfactor that I have used with some success. It was recommended by a co-worker, which I'm grateful for. Focusfactor only helps with my focus and not being so distracted, but it's a big help in my opinion.

While I must admit, I haven't had luck with apps that offer specific help with ADHD, I can recommend the Pandora music app which has been a great blessing for me because music allows me to be in a positive uplifting mood when I work. I can customize different music genres for my moods or specific tasks I'm working on like scenes for my novel The Existence, which helps my focus as well.

Eating right is something I have been working on for a while now. Believe it or not, years of research has shown me that all of the cheap junk we put in our bodies can cause fatigue, depression and more. Unfortunately, I'm a foodie at times and I'm on a budget, so this area needs a lot if work, but in the end will be well worth the investment.

Do you have some great solutions that have helped you power through your online business? If so, I would love to hear about them! Feel free to leave me a comment!

The Biggest Mistake I Made as a Profitable Blogger and How You Can Avoid it

2017-12-15T11:38:00.001-06:00

One of the biggest mistake I made with my blog was creating posts that had no value to my readers.

My Story:

It really hadn't sunk in until I sat down one day and began reading some of the Pinterest pins I had saved on blogging for profit. Almost every pin I had saved on the topic warned against blog posts that carried on about boring days and so forth, posts that offered no help or real information to readers. Was this really me? Well needless to say I realized it was as I looked back at my older blog posts. Those "whoa is me posts" had a big drop in views from my readers verses posts that offered some form of information. I had lost my readers interest and definitely learned my lesson!

Now this didn't mean avoiding a personal post all together. Readers want to know their bloggers and not read some cold post that just pitches a product or service. Sure, it might work once or twice for readers who know you, but you won't gain any popularity points, especially when you are trying to attract new readers, and eventually those faithful followers will feel like their just a meal ticket and move on.

The right mix of being yourself and solving a problem will increase your traffic flow. Mine went from 5 views to 345 views! What a difference!

What Your Post Really Needs:

Show the Real and Honest You -

I know this isn't easy, but if we are faking it (people really do this just to get readers to buy their product) you will lose readers, which will result in a loss of income.

Share your story with others. Dig deep. No one wants to hear about your sucky day unless you had car trouble and found a way to fix it. Sharing a post about grieving over the loss of your own parent, and then offering a solution, such as an e-book that you would recommend like "The Loss of a Parent and How to Cope" to a reader who is going through a similar situation provides both a personal touch they can relate to and offers your readers a possible solution for their own grievance.

A Solution to Their Problem -

Again, just like the example I gave above, educate your audience and give them a solution to their problem. If the post doesn't solve anything or offer any real advice, your setting yourself up for a profit loss because chances are your readers won't be interested in reading future posts.

A Useful Title -

Again, there is a need here and that need is to make sure your blog title clearly solves a problem. "The Worst Day of My Life" tells very little and does not give viewers a reason to click on the blog title. "5 steps to a Stress-Free Day" offers a solution to a problem.

The key is to make sure you are solving a problem in both your post and post title. Once you have done that, you increase your chances for profiting from your blog just as I did!

Getting Started with Blogging as a Source of Income

2017-12-11T14:50:00.000-06:00

Earning money from home is my number one priority since I'll be laid off from my job outside of the home by the end of the year. My first step in getting started with using my blog as a source of income is to continue to learn as a blogger. While I'm not new to using my blog to create income, there is always something to learn. Knowledge is limitless!

Choose Your Blogging Platform:

If you're new to blogging, you'll want to choose a blogging platform for your niche. If you're on a tight budget like I am, both WordPress and Blogger are free. I have tried them both and in my opinion, blogger is still the best.

Blogger's platform is simple to work with and you don't need HTML or any high tech fancy knowledge to get started. Blogger's even has a guide on setting up your own blog.

If you're setting up a new blog, keep in mind, you'll need a lot of patience. You want a catchy blog title and you will need to grow your blog with at least 20 or more blog posts before you will see any real progress with your blog. You will also want to gain the right audience for your niche before you can expect your blog to become profitable.

For some, a month of blogging or at least 20 posts with the right audience may result in a small profit as long as you are willing to put in a lot of hard work. For others, it can take several months before seeing a profit, especially if you don't have a lot of time to invest in your blog.

For me, it took several months before I saw a small profit, because I worked outside of the home full-time.

Your Blog Posts:

Most newbies think that writing about their day (I was one of these people) will make a great post. Unless you're a celebrity, no one wants to read about how your day went.

What your readers want is a post, a niche that solves a problem for them or is useful in some way, but profitable for you. If it doesn't do that for your readers, chances are you will lose your audience and your blog will be a huge flop.

Your niche should be one that you have knowledge in. For example, my niche is creating income online while living in a small town with an Autistic child. Two other niches I have knowledge in are creating recycled crafts and publishing books.

If you're not sure if your niche will be profitable, you can do a Google search for your topic. Are there a lot of websites devoted to that niche in the search results? If not, you may want to consider another niche.

Some hot niches that are turning a profit:

Making Money Online
Relationships
DIYers
Recycled Crafts
Flea Market Flipping
Health and Fitness

Growing Your Blog:

If you plan on making only enough money to quit your job like I am, you probably won't need a domain name. However, if your goal is to make as much money as you can, you will want to invest in a web domain name for your blog, which can cost as less than $5 a month. If not, you can lose all of your hard work and believe me, it has happened. So please don't risk it.

If you're one step ahead of me and you want to learn more about how to make bigger money with your blog, I would suggest investing in a blogging program like The Money Mom Masterclass. I'm not there yet because I'm still working part-time away from the home and my day is booked, but these guys have a lot of good information and many moms are making thousands of dollars a month with the program.

My goal is to start with affiliate links as a source of income. I'm currently focused on Clinkbank for affiliate links, but there are other programs out there that are just as profitable. But before we get that far ahead, you want to make sure you have valuable posts and enough of them before you begin adding affiliate links or other sources of income for your blog.

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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My Journey as a Mom of an Autistic Child and Working at Home in a Small Town

2017-12-08T21:24:00.001-06:00

Yesterday my world fell apart as my boss sat down with me and explained the new regulations required to keep my job as a caregiver. I would need to go back to school in less than a few weeks, something I cannot afford to do at the moment even with the option of a loan, as I am the only income currently supporting my family.

I'd quietly listen to every detail, not fully realizing how much of an impact her words would have on me until I began my journey home and cried like a baby, as I frantically panicked about where I would find another good paying job in my small town of Coffeyville, Kansas.

Jobs have been far and few in Coffeyville, and after the loss of Amazon several years ago and things have simply gotten worse.

Picking up and leaving isn't an option because of my youngest son who is Autistic. If you have a child who has autism, then you know the struggle of new places and moving.

Unfortunately, because I was hired by a private family, I will be unable to draw unemployment since I am considered self-employed.

Since my options were limited, I decided to call my old boss whom I had done some freelance writing for and soak in his knowledge.

I wasn't new to working online, but I hadn't really been keeping up with my blog or any of my social media sites I had dabbled in as a way to generate a extra money online. I was never one of those full-time entrepreneur mom's partly because of my ADHD and partly because I never had time due to my job.

But my old boss has always believed in me and helped me realize that now was the perfect opportunity to change our lives for the better.

To be quite honest, as I had stated above, working from home wasn't new to me, but I'd never really pursued it as a full-time source of income primarily due to my ADHD. If I wasn't seeing immediate results from what I thought was hard work, I gave up.

Now I was in a situation where my choices were limited and my family needed me. In my reality I had no choice. I needed to work from home (who am I kidding, I wanted this), I had visions of teaching my Autistic son about creating multiple streams of income online or at the very least, making enough money to set up a fund for him once I am long gone.

I'd need to overcome a few hurdles, namely my ADHD and change my frame of mind, but if one very outstanding and successful online entrepreneur believes in me, then what do I have to lose?

I am already an expert in blogging, social media and network marketing, so I just need to use my knowledge and begin my journey as a Mom entrepreneur once again.

Now I know this won't be an easy journey and it certainly won't be an overnight success, but I invite you to follow me as a parent of an autistic child or simply a parent who wants to work from home, but you're not sure where to start.

But I must warn you. When I share my journey, it won't be all glory. I will share both the successes and yes, failures because how else will we learn?

Just His Luck

2017-03-30T19:12:00.004-05:00

"Good afternoon, can I help you pick out the perfect guitar for your gig? "

"Huh?" David turned to the feminine voice, an angel with dark chocolate eyes and olive toned skin. She smiled and he suddenly felt like that angelic smile was meant just for him.

"I'm sorry, you just look like you play guitar in a band." She said.

A slow smile form across his face. She thought he was a guitarist in a band? Really? "I, umm, not really." Was he blushing? She really thought he looked like he played guitar?

"Oh." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice that put him to shame. Damn his luck, A beautiful brunette and he had to go and screw things up.

"I mean I'm not in a band. I'm just-" What had she called it? "" He smiled.

"Really?"

He nodded, suddenly wondering what the hell he had been thinking.

"Then you wouldn't mind buying one? I really need a sale!" That once an angelic smile had just suckered him into another guitar. Just his luck!

How I Got 25 Likes On My Facebook Page in 17 Days

2017-02-05T17:02:00.001-06:00

When I started my journey to success last month, I decided that Facebook was my first target. It's one of the biggest social media sites that I have been a part of for many years, so I am very familiar with them, or so I thought! Let me tell you I have a lot to learn, but I'm determined and it all started with a comment made by a Podcaster named Goal Digger about how your Facebook likes wouldn't make a six figure profit. Well, I'm determined to show her it is possible!

In 17 days I've gained 25 likes on my Facebook page! I am extremely excited about this! I have 25 new fans and my page is still growing every day!

For those who are still a work in progress like I am, here are the exact steps I took to increase my Facebook Page Likes:

My First Step was to see exactly where I stood with the big boys (competition) or rather my favorite pages. As it turned out I was low man on totem poll with only 118 Likes. Really it could be worse.

118 Likes The Insane Writer Facebook

This is a far sad cry from my favorite competitor, Chalene Johnson. Look at those page likes! Now this is a goal to really aim for! Heck, I'd even be happy aiming for Pat Flynn's Likes.

I also dove a little deeper and took a look at each of my Competitor's number of posts and their engagement activity. That exact information is the result of what they posted and whether it caught their reader's attention. So it really is all about the posts once you have built your readership.

My next step was to focus on my profile photo. I wanted something fun and real, so I chose one of my photos from my more recent years. You would not believe how many photos I have! One thing I do want to do as a side note is re-create that photo as the 2017 me. But for now, this one is really popular!

Then, I wanted to change my cover photo. I had been primarily focused on promoting my novel, "The Generation", so I decided to use my novel's front cover as the cover photo for my Facebook page. This was a rookie mistake! It stretched out and looked pathetic, yet for some unknown reason I kept it there for a long time thinking it looked just fine! Ha!

I had no clue what I was doing, so I researched it! Let me tell you research is a wonderful tool! I learned the exact dimensions 851x315 my cover photo needed to be in order for it to look decent. I have to say decent because I'm still not 100% happy with the cover page photo, but alas, it's a start.

The final step I took, was sharing my blog posts from here to my Facebook Page.

In the past, blogging has been very hard for me due to my depression and ADHD. My blog posts were far and few to the point at times I was posting maybe once every two months and the posts weren't even good. They provided no real information to my Facebook readers which could easily lead to a dangerous drop in likes.

So with that said, I'm definitely learning a lot and will continue to do so. I just need to remember one very important detail, hard work is a must!

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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Why I Must Disagree with Goal Digger's Opinion on Social Media and Email List Building

2017-01-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

I have really been into listening to podcasts and have really enjoyed them! Most of the podcasters I follow have been very informative, especially those that offer entrepreneurial advice to their listeners. Right up my alley!

Recently I ran across one such podcaster, called Goal Digger with Jenna Kutcher. I was intrigued with her podcast simply because she's a small-town girl like me and she knows quite a bit about business marketing, or so I thought. Today as I was listening to her podcast about building an email list, I was floored when she said social media is not the way to build your business and that's you'll never make a 6 figure income from there. She explained how social media is mainly for entertainment purposes only and that an email list is the way to build your business.

Here's the thing. From personal experience, an email list is not always the way to build your business. I have been a subscriber of millionaire bloggers like John Chow, websites like Oprah, etc. for years. When I first started receiving emails from them, I had the time and patience to sit down and read what they had to say. But over the years, I've been putting those emails in folders and they've sat there unopened for months. I got bored with just reading emails. I got tired of seeing, you need to buy this even though I enjoyed the information they offered, and I simply got tired of all of the reading. I just don't have time. I hardly ever check my email account, unless I know it's urgent.

Instead, I'm spending time on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, building a relationship with my readers. People have enough stress as it is without having to wade through tons of junk mail just to sit down and try to read a page long email without any distractions. I don't know about you, but I never have time to read a page long email, and I'm doing good just to read a paragraph if I know it's of real importance. It's one of the biggest reasons I listen to podcasts! I can listen and work at the same time.

Facebook is my go-to for people I'm interested in who are setting goals like me, it's where my family and friends are at, and it's where my readers are at.

Pinterest I'm always on, pinning great recipes, crafting ideas and looking for information on a particular subject I'm interested in at the time.

Twitter I don't do a lot with, mostly because it's mostly advertising and who wants to see that all of the time? But I'll admit, I do visit it once in a while more than I check my email account.

Instagram, I love for the photos! I not only post my own photos, but I'm always viewing others and seeing what's new.

Both Facebook and Instagram have a live video feed too, so that looks like a lot of fun and people love videos!

And then there's Youtube. Another fantastic social media site that people use to find videos they're interested in.

Yes, an email list can be handy when you want to send a personal note, but it's boring and I learned long ago, never put all of your eggs into one basket! Get out there baby and let the world know who you are!

And as for good luck on making those six figures on social media, Thank You for the luck and......

Challenge Accepted!

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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Guitar Talk

2017-01-17T07:34:00.000-06:00

When I worked retail, one of the biggest sellers was clear guitar strings by Cleartone. When we received a big shipment of them, they never lasted long and always seemed to be the first to clear the shelves.

I'm not a guitar player myself, but my guess is guitarists really love the strings. I'll have to ask my oldest son the next time I see him, who simply loves guitars. I now wonder if my youngest will follow in his footsteps since he started learning and picking up the electric guitar really easily yesterday. I also have an uncle and several friends who are all guitarists. Sometimes it makes me want to learn myself! But back to those darn strings!

My oldest son - The Insane Writer

I'm curious, what is your opinion on these guitar strings? Why do you think they are such a popular item or is there another brand you prefer?

Georgia -Revisited

2016-08-15T14:07:00.000-05:00

Georgia took the prepaid visa card out of her wallet and handed it to the cashier. The faster she could get out of this place, the faster she could get back to her hotel room, safe and sound. If it hadn't been for that damn kid she'd hired to run her errands, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place. She had too much on her plate and didn't need another distraction to delay her next job.

She watched the puzzled look on the cashier's face as she handed the card back to her, "I'm sorry, but your balance shows zero dollars. Would you like to add funds to the card?"

Georgia shook her head at the cashier's question and let out a frustating sigh. She hated using a prepaid card, but cash was too risky and a prepaid card was the only way she couldn't be traced. And, she expected all of her clients to honor her prepaid request. This client apparently hadn't, and it didn't take much knowledge to know it meant he wasn't planning on paying her for this job.

Georgia's frustration quickly turned to anger as she walked away without a word to the cashier and headed out of the store. No one bailed on payment. No one. And the teenage kid tied up in the trunk of her car was proof enough of that. She just hoped no one could smell his fresh dead corpse from the blasted heat wave.

She had one last stop to make before she finalized her job with the client. He would regret his greed. Then, she needed to pay a visit to the Nursing Uniforms store. She'd need a uniform to dispose of the kid's body. It would be no easy task, but it had to be done. She would have to take the body to the morgue since she couldn't very well walk into the hospital dressed as she was.

Once she disposed of the kid, she could focus on disposing of her client and move on to the next job. Or maybe she would just take a much needed break. After all, she deserved it.

The client she was looking for worked in the Materials Manager department on the third floor of the Hastek building. She rarely met with clients face to face unless there was a problem, and this was a problem.

She waited for his secretary to head to lunch, then slipped into his office. He wasn't there and the stack of papers that had accumulated on his desk indicated he hadn't been there for at least a week. She should have known. He'd hired someone to do his dirty work and hadn't bothered to pay up. He certainly wasn't going to just hang around.

You lied!

2016-07-11T15:23:00.002-05:00

We have a serious problem. A few days ago, I caught you looking at the san diego guitarcenter.com page. Okay, what's the big deal you say. You just don't know. You don't know because you have no idea. No idea that I'm right here watching you. Ya, you heard me right. I'm right here, and you've never even noticed.

Damn you! Damn you to hell and back! I have feelings too! You just don't understand! I love you and you just don't care. Why should you? But you tossed me aside like all of the others. You lied! Don't you remember? You told me once we would always be together! Always!

But I saw you! I saw you checking out that other guitar! I saw that smile on your face and heard you whisper its name. I remember how you use to look at me that way. It won't last, I should know. But you have no idea. I watch you every day. You walk by me without a second glance, without a word. You never touch me anymore. It's been months, damn you! What happened to our relationship? I have feelings too. I miss it when you run your fingers down my front. All I've ever wanted to do was please you. I thought I was the one. Now I see I'm not. We played so well together, you and I, so well. Ahh hell girl, you lied.

Photo of the Week - Tuesday Mayhem

2016-05-17T07:17:00.001-05:00

Photo of the Week -Wednesday Madness

2016-04-06T12:05:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend as dramatic changes were being made (aka remodeling a rotted front porch) , the sudden appearance of a little bird found it's final resting place on the tool bed of Green Arrow ' s truck. It hadn't been there moments before and no commotion from it's natural enemy of a feline or other bird prey had caused this bird to suddenly appear. Was it perhaps natural causes or something more?

Green Arrow ' s thoughts were something a little more creepy such as a warning sign of an apocalypse or a restless spirit. His reasoning behind these thoughts:

1) About 3 months prior, a friendly dog who did not belong in the neighborhood suddenly fell over in passing in the driveway next door. Only moments before he had been playing and appeared perfectly healthy. His owner verified his healthy state the very next day after discovering he had been missing and learning of his whereabouts.

2) About a month ago a music box that was locked away in a glass cabinet suddenly started playing one night as we were all sitting in the family room watching a movie.

Soo about that bird.... Thoughts anyone?

Dear Chlois - The Superman Lois Lane Letters

2016-03-21T20:23:00.000-05:00

Dear Chlois,

How are you? Been crazy busy with new job..groundskeeper at a major company means long working hours. Early mornings and late nights six day a week. Nothing new here except the job. Hoping to get things done this year, last year was a bust lol. Miss talking to you and our excursions to different places.

Yours truly,
Superman

Get Superman's Shirt!

Another Fantastic Review From A Fan With Amazon

2016-03-02T06:40:00.000-06:00

I'm waking up this morning to the discovery of another great review as an author to my novel, The Generation with Amazon.com.

Being an author is fun, but also a lot of hard work. We must pay the bills just like everyone else, so the more reviews I receive the higher of a chance I have of becoming an upcoming author with Amazon.com.

Not to mention, it allows me to become a writer full-time and move on with some goals in my life, like helping my local community.

So, a small toast to another victory with my novel and to continuing on my journey as an author and writer in Kansas.

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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My Novel, The Generation, Now Available on Amazon

2015-08-26T07:40:00.000-05:00

My novel "The Generation" is now available at Amazon and it's sister sites: The Generation.

Four strangers deemed by society as low class outcasts have just awakened on an abandoned military base.

Now they must fight for survival against a madman's military plot to test his android soldiers against them, or die trying.

The Generation is the first novel in this 3 part series.

Available at:

CreateSpace eStore: Immediately
Amazon.com: 3-5 Business Days
Expanded Distribution channels: 6-8 Weeks

3 Unorthodox Habits as a Highly Productive Freelance Writer

2015-07-14T14:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks, but I'm really not that, Get it Done Freelance Writer that everyone wants to be. Nope, I'm that, I Just Don't feel Like Doing This Right Now Freelance Writer simply because I have so much on my plate and live a real life as a mom! Even so, bills must be paid and deadlines need to be met, so I tend to take the unorthodox method of those Getter Done Rules. I like to just do my own things folks and say "F$#@! It" to following the rules.

Prioritizing Doesn't Work For Me - Sticking with one Goal Does

Most habit forming rules tell you to prioritize. I can write lists all day long and put big goals at the top, but it's not going to help get me going. If I've got a long lists of tasks I tend to take one look at them and realize this is just too much, time to put it off. So I don't start a bunch of jobs all at once. Instead, I tend to work towards one goal/one job and stick with it until it's done. That way I don't have an excuse to blow it off.

Setting Goals is a NO NO - Last Minute Deadlines and Playtime is a Win-Win

Ask any parent and they can tell you their kids don't like rules. I'm just like a kid. I don't like rules and refuse to play by them. I've tried believe me I have tried, to set goals and to get my writing done before my real-life. Life gets in the way, my mind gets bored easily and I can't focus for hours on just work. Instead, I'll write a paragraph or two, play one game or do a house chore that needs to be done, then write another paragraph or two and start that routine all over again. It keeps me from getting bored and I can accomplish a hell of a lot more that way. Now as far as deadlines, I'm not saying I'll wait til the very last second, but who says you need to turn in your work 2 weeks in advance! A day head of a deadline when life gets busy is more real to me.

Sleep isn't Always the Answer - Hello, Beer

They say sleep helps you focus better when you work. While you do need sleep to help keep you going, sometimes what I need is a beer to help me relax and focus better when I write. Okay maybe two beers! While I'm not saying you should be getting drunk, I do not see any harm in a drink just to mellow out so you can focus!

Joy Smith also known as The Insane Writer, is the author of the Sci-Fi novel, The Generation. She can be found on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and LinkedIn.

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