Ask the Author: Amy Freeman
Answered Questions (6)
Amy Freeman
Write! Write as much as you can. Share your work with as many venues as you can. (God Bless the Internet.) Think carefully about material that harms or minimizes others. Hone your craft. Reading is important to writing well. It reminds us of the broad array of topics there are to write about and interesting ways to present information. Write about what matters to you. We live in a wonderful time where it is much easier to get public exposure to written material than it ever was, be it a book, a blog, an e-zine, or a newsletter.
Your pen is your Voice, be heard.
Your pen is your Voice, be heard.
Amy Freeman
Writers create the record. The one who writes it down is the one who controls the telling of history. The written word is the voice long after the speaker is gone. The writer chooses how the message is conveyed, and sometimes to whom. Writers share ideas between people of the world.
Anyone can do it with minimal resources (no electricity required to initiate it). Reading and writing are revolutionary tools, it is no wonder that many places in the world control who receives the education to read or write well; these are tools of power. I am always amazed at how many actually choose not to develop these skills, giving up an element of power in society. While I appreciate the effectiveness of social media, film and the occasional viral video, I still believe that writing remains a critical tool for implementing ideas that change the world.
Anyone can do it with minimal resources (no electricity required to initiate it). Reading and writing are revolutionary tools, it is no wonder that many places in the world control who receives the education to read or write well; these are tools of power. I am always amazed at how many actually choose not to develop these skills, giving up an element of power in society. While I appreciate the effectiveness of social media, film and the occasional viral video, I still believe that writing remains a critical tool for implementing ideas that change the world.
Amy Freeman
I am currently working on a book of poetry about women and work, be it the office, the home, or other venues. I have travel extensively, and one constant I see is that women around the world work very hard, often in service of others who may not appreciate the toll it can take when there is no room for self expression of joy or freedom. I completed two other works of poetry years ago that have to do with observations of surroundings when coming of age, and finding ones true Voice when the world doesn't always agree. Each poem is written as a story that calls attention to the little details missed in the normal traffic of life.These two will be re-released with the newest book as a set of three, each showing the complexity of thought as women age and evolve.
Amy Freeman
I go to a place I haven't been, or wouldn't normally go, to create an experience that takes me out of the place where I am mentally stuck. I write about the event, or experience, or what I learned from it. Sometimes it's drivel, sometimes it's inspiring, sometimes it's clear later that there were other lessons and opportunities I missed.
Writer's block with me is also correlated with not having TIME to think and write... When I make time just to write, think and be in tune with what is around me, the answer comes. If it comes to me all at once, I write until I get it all out. Other times, I collect scraps over a long period, waiting for the inspiration that ties it all together. Everyone has to find their own way.
Writer's block with me is also correlated with not having TIME to think and write... When I make time just to write, think and be in tune with what is around me, the answer comes. If it comes to me all at once, I write until I get it all out. Other times, I collect scraps over a long period, waiting for the inspiration that ties it all together. Everyone has to find their own way.
Amy Freeman
The idea for this book came through my own set of life experiences with learning to recognize and managing stress. As I did the research on stress and talked with others about this idea, I found that I was not alone. I wanted it to be understandable by the average person dealing with a busy life, and not too long because most of us who need this information have little time to read.
While completing my PhD in Workforce Education, one thing that became vey clear to me is that we all have different learning styles, and ways we learn best. For that reason, many of the messages in the book are delivered several ways. Each chapter has a factual portion about the topic, an anecdotal personalized take on the topic in a story format, worksheets for those who need to write down their thoughts, and video (QR codes) for those who prefer to listen to someone talking about the topic, and references on the topic for those who want to follow up with more information.
I know that I have start many a book, gotten busy, and put it down for a few weeks- only to return not remembering what I had read before. I've also read similar books with information that didn't really apply to me, but I was trying to skip to the part I could benefit from. For that reason, it was my intention to make each chapter stand alone, so it could be read successfully in short pieces.
At the end of it all, it was my hope to provide a tool that would encourage people to start to talk about and manage their own personal stress levels, and take the epidemic of stress and mental health seriously. Once I had completed it, it was also clear that I was talking to myself as well. While many of us know what the answers are, few of us implement them consistently. Hence, my ongoing mantra, Start Somewhere! Everything counts.
While completing my PhD in Workforce Education, one thing that became vey clear to me is that we all have different learning styles, and ways we learn best. For that reason, many of the messages in the book are delivered several ways. Each chapter has a factual portion about the topic, an anecdotal personalized take on the topic in a story format, worksheets for those who need to write down their thoughts, and video (QR codes) for those who prefer to listen to someone talking about the topic, and references on the topic for those who want to follow up with more information.
I know that I have start many a book, gotten busy, and put it down for a few weeks- only to return not remembering what I had read before. I've also read similar books with information that didn't really apply to me, but I was trying to skip to the part I could benefit from. For that reason, it was my intention to make each chapter stand alone, so it could be read successfully in short pieces.
At the end of it all, it was my hope to provide a tool that would encourage people to start to talk about and manage their own personal stress levels, and take the epidemic of stress and mental health seriously. Once I had completed it, it was also clear that I was talking to myself as well. While many of us know what the answers are, few of us implement them consistently. Hence, my ongoing mantra, Start Somewhere! Everything counts.
Amy Freeman
I've been writing since I was ten years old. I kept journals and used writing as a way to express my thoughts at a time when children were encouraged to be seen and not heard. I had a hard time not being heard as I had much to say (both my strength and my weakness). I loved to read and discovered that writing was an effective path to quiet, clear expression and private therapy, long before psychologists were fashionable.
Today, I am inspired by life. Everyone and everything has a story. I believe that as we share our stories, we find ourselves to be more alike than different, and we lend each other new perspectives and solutions for current conditions.
Today, I am inspired by life. Everyone and everything has a story. I believe that as we share our stories, we find ourselves to be more alike than different, and we lend each other new perspectives and solutions for current conditions.
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