A day meant to celebrate us does nothing more than show us how alone we really are.
My first Mother’s Day was only a few days after I had my son. His father’s family wanted to go out to eat and offered to take us out to Applebee’s in the next town over. I remember loathing the idea of trying to squeeze my four days postpartum body into acceptable clothing to go out to eat at a busy restaurant. If it had been up to me, I would have stayed home and cuddled my son, who was barely getting a handle on breastfeeding.
But as I awkwardly climbed in my ex’s small car, feeling out of place…
A lesson about love learned in five years time.
Five years ago, I met a guy on Tinder.
I know, I rolled my own eyes at that sentence too, but alas, that is indeed how this story begins. J was the quiet type, who kept to himself. This was a kind of a pleasant rarity in the town we lived in, where everyone is always into everyone else’s business.
I was somewhat new to town, a transplant from up north a year before we met. …
Being honest with everyone, including yourself, is the first step to getting back on your feet.
I was standing on the deck in front of my apartment in my pajama shorts in the freezing cold. It was only a few days after Christmas, and instead of sleeping soundly with my boyfriend, I watched as the police made him get to his knees on the ground and put handcuffs around his wrists.
For months, I had watched as he spiraled toward drinking excessively and giving in to depression. Suddenly the tiniest thing upset him, and what used to be just little spats became screaming matches. …
Sometimes, a scam doesn’t always look like a scam.
Through my time in the publishing industry, I have become acquainted with many writers, editors, content creators, marketers, and other industry experts. A few of those I have even worked for as a virtual assistant, designer, intern, and content creator. I’ve been to events where I got to see firsthand how they run their businesses, create their products, and how they sell them.
When I first started, I was like a sponge. I constantly listened to podcasts, read articles and books, and soaked up as much information as possible. …
How do you choose between taking care of yourself and making a living?
I’ve been a full-time blogger for a year and a half now. I love what I do, and it has opened some pretty amazing doors. I now have a podcast about writing and publishing, I’ve published another book and have more on the way, my writing has been featured on some large websites, I purchased my dream car in cash, and I am getting ready to move into a fantastic house. Best of all, I get to work from home and spend a lot of time with my children.
My days are planned by and for me. If the kids…
It’s more important than it might seem.
Growing up, there were a few key phrases that my mom used to teach us lessons. I don’t know if she thought it was easier to hear lessons in the form of idioms that made them easier to remember or learn, but whatever the reason, she had a lot of them.
“Don’t shit where you eat.”
“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”
The one that stuck with me the most throughout life and is something I use in my business is “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
The premise of most of these lessons is pretty sound…
even if you aren’t into outlining.
Each person reacts differently when they realize they want to write a book. It’s the easiest part of the process for some, whereas it may be the hardest for others. It could be as simple as “I have this idea, I’m going to write about it!” or it could feel like a mountainous task. So, how do you start writing?
When I decided I was going to write a book, I had more of the second reaction. I knew that I wanted it to be something serious, not to approach it as a hobbyist, but to create a successful career…
and when you should start building yours.
Much like moving to a stage and standing behind a podium to deliver a message, your author platform is where you share your thoughts and ideas. Loosely defined, it comprises all the places where you communicate, such as your social media posts, podcasts, author website, YouTube videos, newsletters, TikTok, and more. It is anything that you use to reach the world. So if you’re prone to sending tiny pieces of rolled-up missives by carrier pigeons, then that’s part of your platform.
Having an effective author platform serves many purposes. It can help curb the cost of paid marketing, turn followers…
Now might be the exact right time to find the job you deserve.
One of the most important things is having a job. We work to pay the bills, and let’s face it, job security is almost nonexistent as we come into the new year. In the last year millions of people in the U.S. have lost their jobs.
If you are one of the people lucky enough to hold on to your job through 2020, the last thing you’re thinking about is leaving your job, right? Wrong.
There are plenty of reasons to leave a job when the economy is good, and the world isn’t struggling with a pandemic. But many of…
Odds are you’ve seen these in other people, and even in yourself.
Wherever you look these days, you come across toxic people. We have all seen them on social media and met them in real life. Unluckily, some of us have even dated them. We have even been them.
They are an epidemic plaguing the world around them, feeding on attention, likes, and social validation. At times it feels as if they are multiplying, like some sort of nightmare episode of Black Mirror, inflicting us with their narcissistic tendencies. They infest our Facebook feeds, YouTube comment sections, and our dating app DMs.
But how do you know when their profile picture looks…
Ashley Shannon
Thirty something queer mom of two, one with autism. Lover of sushi, coffee, and wine. Living a life of travel. Top Writer ashleyshannononmedium@gmail.com
