A Debbie post

Some of you already know this but for the record, I would like write about my new hobby. Since March 2013, I have been writing articles for FamilyShare.com. I found their website from an article someone posted on their Facebook page. From there I researched how people became regular contributors to the site and found out that many of them are just regular people sharing their experiences and tips on how to strengthen and nurture family life. I kept thinking, "This would be fun. I'm no marriage/family therapist, but I definitely have some crazy and somewhat informative hands-on parenting experiences worthy of sharing." From there I contributed about one article per month. In May I received an email from FamilyShare's editor asking for a certain amount of people to become "FamilyShare Fivers" (basically you would commit to contributing 5 solid articles a month and get paid a little for each article). With Nick's encouragement, I applied. I kept thinking I was completely under qualified and hadn't submitted enough articles for them to even consider me. To my shock, a few days later I received and email from an editor welcoming me to their Independent Contributor writing team! I was beyond excited - but also a little nervous about the commitment. I knew right away I had to set some goals. Goal #1 - Protect my family time. I do my best to work on articles only when the kids are sleeping or out with daddy. Goal #2 - Submit articles 1-2 times per week. I've done pretty well on the 1st goal. The 2nd one, let's just say I've had some weeks quite similar to my cramming days in school. Yikes. Gotta work on that.

23 articles later and I'm still feeling good about this commitment. It's been extremely fulfilling and rewarding - as well as a nice outlet for me during my down time. I look at some of my articles and think "I made that. And people are reading it. This is crazy." I'm reminded of the quote by President Uchtdorf: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before."

Even though I'm grateful for mostly a positive response to my articles, I still lack a lot of confidence in my writing ability. Almost every article I write will go through this thought process: "This is a pretty good article...It's OK...This kind of stinks...What was I thinking?" Then when I submit it for editing and receive good feedback, I am always surprised and then think, "Alright, I guess it's not that bad."


So there you have it. I think I've found my niche. I've never been a crafter, gardener, home decor person, fashionista, or creative party-throwing mommy/wife. But writing, I can do. Somewhat. And FYI - I will be keeping an ongoing list of all the articles I've written. Click here if you are interested in reading a few of them. And keep in mind that I'm still learning the ropes of writing (and motherhood. and marriage). So be kind as you read through them. :)