I Smell Like Vacation

August 5, 2014

I’m writing again. I’m obsessed with writing. I’m sitting here on a couch with my legs propped up looking out at the ocean. It’s better than perfect. I’m staying in Laguna Beach with my stepmom, and I have my own beach front unit with an ocean view. Here, crickets make sounds in the daytime, and a red trolley passes by every fifteen minutes or so. I’m popping mini dark chocolates and watching the people breeze by. It’s life right out of a movie, meaning it is unreal.

I wasn’t able to get you shareables last Friday, and for that I apologize. I was on a plane to Florida with the boyfriend. We left early last Friday to go to his cousin’s wedding out at Del Rey Beach. It was hot, humid, and magnificent. I’d never been to Florida, and I didn’t see much of it, but the part I did see was nice. The beach had no waves and it was warm as a tub. The wedding was lavish and wonderful, and Adam and I got teased about getting married ourselves. Weddings bring out the best in people, and I cried on multiple occasions. Tears of joy, of course.

I’m on this fantastic writing kick. I have this whole week off work, and I’m in dreamland. I started writing for Info Barrel, an article farm type site but with better pay out (75% revenue share) and legitimately researched articles. You can’t publish them until they’re approved, which is the best damn thing out there because Examiner lets you publish whatever the hell you want, and you can’t even sign into your dashboard to write without being hit with 3 huge ads. Granted, they’re in it for making money, but it really drives down the quality of the writing when no one approves it, and you can’t read the thing unless you mute about 3 of the auto-play audio ads on the site.

So I’m writing for Info Barrel for awhile to make some passive income while building up my writing portfolio and website (moniquemuro.com – under construction). I’m taking a freelance writing course by Sophie Lizard of Be A Freelance Blogger, and the beginning part of the course talks about getting a site together for people to find you, that lists all of your work, testimonials from people you’ve worked with, and where to find you on the web. It’s taking a bit longer than I expected because I’m a crazy perfectionist and I can’t just have it there without it looking decent. Meaning I won’t start trying to get freelance clients until my website looks decent. Meaning it’s taking awhile in general. So I’m writing for Info Barrel while I figure all that out.

If you haven’t been to the blog in awhile, you’ll notice if you go now, that I also signed up with Google AdSense. I really, REALLY didn’t want to for years, but I’m trying it out. It was really pretty easy to set up, and so far none of the ads have been too crazy, so we’ll see how that pans out.

I just got back from an amazing fish taco lunch at Tommy Bahamas with my stepmom and step-grandma, and am chillin like a bloody villain. I even wrote a page and a half in my “novel”, which is just something that came out of me that I just started writing today. I’m not sure if it’s even a novel, but sitting down to your laptop with an ocean front view really pulls it out of me. The last thing I wanted to do was anything social media related, or ‘make money from your writing’ related. I just wanted to write. I used to love writing fiction, and then I started really loving non-fiction, but now I’m getting back into fiction more. I’m 28 years old, childless, and free, so I just want to write whatever the hell I want at whatever time I want and not think too much about it. When the mood moves you to write fiction, write fiction. When the mood moves you to read, read. When the mood moves you to lay on the ground and take a nap, lay on the ground and take a fucking nap. Life is short, and we made up right and wrong.

The crickets chirp in the day time here. Did I mention that?

Sending lots of love your way, and if you haven’t entered to win Cocktails for Book Lovers yet, do so, I’ll announce the winner in Friday’s shareables post.

Here’s a nice goodbye quote, until next time:

Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created. – Esther 4:14

Happy August!