Hi, I’m Abi and I am 22. I am a freelance copywriter/blogger by trade but a lifestyle blogger by passion. I use my lifestyle blog to share my adventures, recent reads, my eco-friendly attempts, my inner thoughts and feelings, and well just about anything I feel like ranting about! I use this space to share all of it.
https://abislifeinwritingblog.com/
Is it normal to not have a plan?
So I've decided; let's make it normal to not have a plan. Let's make it the norm to spend less time stressing about the future, and more time enjoying ourselves in the present day
A pressure free 2022
Why not celebrate our victories more this year? There's no point getting miserable trying to achieve unattainable perfection, so why not enjoy the good memories and celebrate successes of any size?
At what point will we feel like a Grown up?
After pouring my heart and soul into reading Grown Ups by Marian Keyes last month, I’ve determined that we will never feel like an actual grown-up. So, welcome to another Abi thoughts, rambles, and life revelations blog!
When should I decline work?
Knowing when to say no is always a challenge. As a human race, we are people pleasers; we want to be able to help. And when copywriting is always about helping and supporting businesses, it can be hard to know when to say no. Learning how to prioritise ourselves is a life lesson we are continually learning (has anyone ever actually fully figured this out?…asking for a friend), but it’s crucial to know when to do this in your copywriting business.
What can a copywriter do? The different ways to help a client.
The world of copywriting is a never-ending universe really. Predominately I’m producing content in the form of a blog post or article to a particular topic brief, but that’s not all I have done and can do.
How to quality check your work
I’ve had a real battle with typos and grammar over the years. As a copywriter, it actually feels a bit terrifying to admit that, because most people will think; “well isn’t that what you’re meant to be good at?” Spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPAG) is absolutely something I need to be good at for the work that I do. But, just because I have found it tough, it doesn’t mean that I’m not good at it. Back in school, my GCSE English teacher helped me after class to understand the correct way to use apostrophes… but, just because it took me longer than my peers to get there, it didn’t mean I couldn’t do it. If anything, it has made me more aware as a quality checker.
Licence to drive, but frightened to get behind the wheel
I am one proud Abi. I’m not afraid to pat myself on the back; You know why? because I have come such a long way in my driving. Less than 2 months ago I was practically a learner again after having earned my licence almost 2 years prior. I worked at it every day, building up bit by bit, and on Monday I drove on the motorway alone (for the first time) all the way to Totnes to visit Riss (my lovely friend from uni).
Why go freelance?
Graduating when I did (woooo pandemic grad of the class of 2020), played a huge part into this decision. When it took months to even get a supermarket job, I used my spare time to write pieces for independent magazines, charities, and then I got an internship with the University of Plymouth’s iMayflower scheme which taught me how to work in a freelance capacity professionally. I knew about freelancing but didn’t understand how to do it. But the internship showed me it’s actually quite simple and the only things I really needed to know that I didn’t was how to invoice. After my internship I found a few one off paid jobs, and then got my first long-term client who I still work with now. Going freelance gave me the capacity to create my own work at a time where the unemployment rates had sky-rocketed.
Free work dosen't mean it's bad work
Sometimes, I like to expand my audience and go beyond blogging and into feature writing.his week, one of my favourite pieces I’ve ever written got published by The Everyday Magazine. The piece is titled; Life Lessons From Climbing: How Climbing teaches us patience and simply just giving it a go. As I’m sure many of my regular readers know, I’m a big fan of climbing and sadly don’t get to go as often as I’d like too — saying that I did go bouldering this week (YIPPEEE — it was great!). So when I was self isolating, I lived and breathed the climbing’s first debut to the Olympics. I’ve always found climbing great for my mental health, but watching these athletes made me realise how universally the sport can help us. It teaches us patience, giving it a go, and taking a step back which are amazing lessons to apply to everyday life.
How I balance freelance copywriting and part time work
I don’t always get it perfect; I have been known to be working in an evening, or be in a writers rut and need to just call it a day. Scattering copywriting jobs across the week rather than cramming them all in a couple of days means that this is possible, which is why; knowing my limits and planning ahead is crucial to balancing copywriting around my part-time job.
Can we fake it till we make it?
Recently on my LinkedIn I touched upon confidence and how deceptive confidence is, and the last couple of weeks have only further developed my confusion. Sometimes, it feels like our brains undermine our capabilities. Why do we second guess ourselves? Underestimating helps no one, and it certainly doesn’t help ourselves. Perhaps it stems from my anxiety (and with mental health day having been last weekend, this had me thinking about this more), but equally it seems to be such a common trait in the everyday person to experience self doubt on some level most days. After asking google, it appears that self doubt stems from insecurity and lacking self confidence in our own choices. But a lot of the time, in real life situations, our confidence shouldn’t even be considered. If we are skilled at something, why would we second guess that we aren’t?
Will your content go out of dae
How to decide whether or not to date your content, and the worries of content 'going out of date'
Postcards from Buckinghamshire
Might be a little late in posting this blog, considering Will and I took our weekend break to a beautiful Air Bnb in Knotty Green just over 2 weeks ago now. In my defence, I’ve only just got round to looking at all of the pictures we took to see if they are any good… thankfully, I have a few to share. Just in case you weren’t aware of my new hobby of photography, I’m a beginner trying very hard to get better with the help of my A Year with my camera Workbook. Will also loves getting creative behind the camera so we both really enjoy going for walks together and taking creative shots– annoyingly I think Will is much better than I am. I’ll attempt to correctly label each image with the ‘photographer’ on images that were taken on my Nikon D5600. So this blog consists of us doing just that, walking and photography in Bucks.
So what do you do?
As not just a freelancer, but as a freelance copywriter this is one question I get a lot, but the answer is one that I don’t like to give a straight forward answer to. Why? Well because; everyday, every piece, every client, every topic, is different. Simply I could say; Clients come to me with a project and ask me to write it for them. But why would I want to say that when each project, brief, discussion, style, research process is different and specific to each? That’s why I love the world of copywriting so much, it’s so varied, and I get to learn as I go: When I get approached and asked to write a piece on a business, or a charity, or write a case study, or a blog for a company; it’s always a brand new piece on a whole new topic.
Up Up and Away
Will and I finally took to the skies to celebrate our 21st birthday and wowie just look at the view in this photo diary blog post
My recent publications
I'm always so grateful for the opportunities that I get as a writer; stringing some words together for a variety of purposes brings me such much joy, and it remains an excitement to see each piece published
Why is being in my 20's so confusing?
I’m constantly conflicted with these overbearing ideas that I should be working hard for the sake of my future, but also having fun whilst I’m young. I agree that I want and should do things now so that I can live the life I want, but the pressures are all rather conflicting and confusing — I’m still just trying to find my feet as an adult and I don’t really know what I fully want…
Fresh starts and adapting to change
Fresh starts and adapting to change: why do we hate change when we can learn a lot from it?
Exmoor Holibobs
My parents took me and the dogs on a little UK staycation to the glorious Exmoor National Park, whereby a planned relaxing quiet holiday retreat turned into a bit of a mini-adventure and exploring week.
Abi's July reads
Abi's July reads What I read in July (and a bit of August to make the list look less sad) as I try to read 50 new books in 2021
Feeling left behind
It's great we have the option to jump back into life and activities again now, but I have to admit keeping up has been difficult ...
Accepting It's Okay to Switch Off Without Feeling Guilty...
For a person who is always on the go, or who tends to feel guilty when they aren't doing something slightly productive - today's post is a reminder that it's okay to switch off without feeling guilty! Take the much needed break and reset your mind, it's okay I promise!
Fun fall home decor Etsy roundup!
Are you ready for fall! If you need some fall inspiration, check out my fun roundup of fall Etsy finds!
