I think to myself, "I just want to write." But I wouldn't mind getting paid for it, thank you very much. That's where Writer Mama by Christina Katz comes in. I stumbled on this book at my local independent bookstore early last year. Despite the excitement I felt reading the book, I was still reluctant to consider some of Ms. Katz' advice at the time, even though she made free lancing sound so possible. According to"Writer Mama," much of the work of a free lance writer involves researching markets and promoting yourself. In short, being a free lance writer sounds an awful lot like being an independent business woman, a role I never envisioned for myself.

I picked the book up again just the other day and realized that I'm ready to take Ms. Katz' advice much more seriously now. What has changed? The economy, for one thing, has changed significantly and supplementing our income would be welcome. Another thing that's changed is that I have gained some personal confidence while teaching English to 8th graders at my sons' coop school.

Additionally, I have become an avid blog reader. Reading blogs of women like me who are raising a family, homeschooling, and writing has been pretty inspiring. The message these women c0nvey echoes Christina Katz' in "Writer Mama." A woman who decides to work at the craft of writing, and promote her writing with dedication, can and will be published and in many cases will be paid for her work. Is it time for me to be one of those women?