Saga's Pros Copywriting

Saga's Pros Copywriting Freelance Copywriter, specializing in email marketing in the entertainment and festival niche.

07/05/2020

Where I've Been And Where I'm Going (Part Two)
A Renaissance Future

When I discovered copywriting, I knew from my years of booth work, and selling at fairs and conventions that I had at least some talent as a salesperson. When I figured out that I could make money selling stuff with writing, I was really excited. Once I started learning a bit more, and really thinking about how to make my living as a copywriter, I realized that I could actually help my rennie community.
Since the pandemic started, I’ve seen so much suffering and fear among this community. The rennie way of life has not only been disrupted, but there are some businesses that won’t be able to make it back from this disaster. One of the few ways to do so is to adapt, and grow a small business into something that many rennies don’t consider seriously, or not at all. The “new norm” for a small business is to have an online presence. Building websites and subscriber lists, blogs, digital catalogs, and email campaigns are all ways to move into the future for a business, now. Unfortunately, many rennie business owners just aren’t that interested, or capable, for whatever reason, in creating a digital footprint.
As a copywriter, I can help my community by offering affordable copywriting services to rennie owned businesses in order to get them functioning smoothly and lucratively online. This will not only help them survive the ‘Rona, but also help them become more successful in the future as well. By developing web-based business, a company owned and operated by a rennie will have a level of security and autonomy that they’ve never experienced before. Not only will they be able to do business while festivals are still closed due to the pandemic, but they will be able to pick and choose what events they want to do afterwards! For the booth owner who wants to cut back on the number of shows they do every year, or the businessperson who worries about too many “rain-days” in a season, an online presence is what can liberate them, and alleviate fears that come from being at the mercy of mother nature.

07/05/2020

Where I've been And Where I'm Going (Part One)
Love, Diversity, And Food-On-A-Stick

Hello everybody! I’d like to take a step back with this post, and just reminisce on some of the things I’ve learned and gained during nearly two decades of living on the road, and how that has shaped me as a person. I hope you’ll indulge me, and maybe find something of yourself here, or even a bit of inspiration.
So 19 years living on the road hasn’t all been corsets, hot men, and playtime, I’ll tell you. Some of the things I’ve survived during my time as a rennie would have killed or completely broken the old me, before I found this lifestyle. I’ve learned some important Life Lessons, fallen down, picked myself up (Wash, rinse, repeat--over and over!), and had some of the highest highs and lowest lows of my 49 years. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, and would love nothing more than to share every bit of it with you all, but since this is just a teensy weensy blog post, I’ll try and rein myself in!
Two of the biggest things I think I’ve gained are perseverance and determination. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a very determined individual (read: STUBBORN) once I have a goal in mind, but without some of the adversities and victories along the way, I don’t think I would be nearly as confident or able to accomplish as much. Heartbreak, discrimination, betrayal, less than ideal living conditions, natural disasters, and terrible working environments have all been strewn in my path as a road rennie, sometimes even all at once, and I’ve come through it all so far. Because of this, I’ve learned that I can handle a whole lot more than I think I can, whether it be physically or emotionally.
I’ve had to start over more times than I care to count, but I know that it’s possible, now, and I can have hope in some pretty dire circumstances where many other people would just give up. This brings me to another very important ability I think I’ve picked up along the way, and that is adaptability. Whether it’s been learning to live in a tent, or figuring out how to get me, all my stuff and two dogs to a different state without having a vehicle, I’ve learned that with persistence, determination, and a whole lot of flexibility, it CAN be done most times: it’s simply a matter of looking at things in a different way than you’re used to. I’ve learned as long as you are willing to bend, you usually won’t break, and doing so opens up a vast array of possibilities.
This mindset has also given me an unconventional way of looking at problems, a unique way of finding solutions that people who have never lived this lifestyle may never understand. Now I won’t be arrogant enough to say that I’ve come by this all on my own! On the contrary, I’ve had some amazing people to learn from and look up to along the way, and that’s one more thing that the road has given me. I now have an incredible, gigantic family of Mothers, Brothers, Fathers, Sisters and Children, who have all taught me something, given me love and encouragement, and been there when I needed them. Without the rennie community, I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person who wouldn’t be where they are, who they are, or even survived. Craftsmen, Poets, Hippies, Artists and “Thugs” have all been (and still are!) people I’ve called my family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! The amount of love, sense of community, and encouragement to be your own person and find your own individuality has shaped me into the “Calamity” I am, and I can’t begin to say how thankful I am to each and every one of those people.
Ok, I’m done being smarmy, I promise (fingers crossed!;), but I wanted to tell you all this so you might understand me a little bit better, and also to explain the choice in business that I’ve made recently. While I’m no longer on the road, my rennie heart won’t let go of my family out there.
I’ve always been a writer, and I find a sense of great joy and comfort in it, as well as using it as an outlet since my childhood. Once I figured out that I could write for a living, I was thrilled, but one “little” thing nagged at me: I felt I was being drawn away from the very people who made it possible for me to pursue this dream of mine. It was the one thing that I couldn’t reconcile, so when my ghostwriting didn’t pan out the way I had hoped, I felt a tiny little sense of relief. Not that I had failed, but that I could change direction, and maybe find a way to be closer to my people in spite of not being physically present in their lives.

06/28/2020

Here's a request, everyone! I've been worried about how the pandemic is affecting "Rennies" and other seasonal and transitory workers, so I've put together a survey. I'd like to use some of the information I get in some of my posts and would be greatly appreciative if I could get some of you to jot down some responses. Any direct quotes (Please let me know if you'd like to be quoted specifically by using "Quotation marks") will be attributed to the individual, if used. Please feel free to put your answers, whether it's the whole survey, or just an answer or two, down in the comments, or a PM. Thank you so much!

1) How much of your livelihood is made up of seasonal events
like Ren fairs, Pagan Fests, and comic cons?
2) Have you had any shows canceled that were on your
schedule for 2020? If so, how many?
3) Have you received any government assistance? If so, did
you have difficulty getting it?
4) Have you tried to supplement your income using the
internet in any way?
5) Do you have children to provide for?
6) Are you fearful about your future survival or income?
7) How much of the year do you normally travel, if at all?
8) What sort of live events do you normally participate in?
(Ren fairs, Pagan fests. Comic cons?)
9) Do you have, or do you normally have any employees? If
so, are they full time, part time, seasonal?
10) Other than monetarily, how have you been most impacted
by the pandemic?

Once again, thank you so much for your participation!

06/27/2020

I’ve been bad about posting again, I know. Remember, though, I warned y'all I was terrible about it. The reason I AM so horrible about posting, honestly, is that I have a hard time sharing what I consider “bad” news, or just plain depressing stuff. I don’t enjoy the thought of someone feeling pity for me, and I absolutely detest the thought that I may seem somehow vulnerable, or weak. When I feel like I’m in a tight spot, or failing at what I’m trying to accomplish, I tend to shut down a bit, and withdraw in order to try and find a way out. The thing is, though, when I sat down and really thought about it recently, I may not be the baddest bitch on the interwebs, but I certainly can’t be faulted for giving up. I always try to pick myself up from whatever fall has recently put me down, and come back swinging. On that note, my friends, on with my saga!
Once I realized that it was more difficult to get ghostwriting clients that I was happy with than it is to find a sober hippy at a full moon drum jam, I started looking for options. I also took advantage of LinkedIn’s free trial of their learning center, along with some other resources that I found, and decided to turn my sights to copywriting. Specifically, email marketing and website/blog writing. I’ve actually become really fascinated with this area, and I think I can go forward with it. I won’t bore you with all the ins and outs of content writing and marketing (yet), but suffice to say that I feel like this is a good fit for me for a few different reasons.
One other reason for being so late with this particular post is that I’ve been devouring any and all information I can find online for free. It’s been time consuming, and a bit frustrating because I haven’t had funding to pay for any “top-notch” classes or courses on copywriting, but I’ve finally come to a point where I feel comfortable enough to actively seek out some clients.
To that end, folks, you while you won't notice a change in the name of this Page I’m going to be using it exclusively as my business page, and adding content for my business and informational blog. Eventually, I’ll also be moving the blog to my own webpage as soon as I can get the funds to host a domain name. I hope you all will give Saga’s Pros Copy a warm welcome, and check out my price list, which I will have posted here ASAP.
Stay tuned for more news soon about what copywriting can do for you!

03/27/2020

3/27/20
Last time I explained how I got some government assistance, so that I could at least have the bare essentials, and the predicament I was in that made me need to try working from home. What I did next was what many people do in a situation similar to mine, I turned to the internet for answers. I wasted some time looking at various online money-making methods, Internet storefronts that you drop ship orders to customers from a warehouse located elsewhere, virtual assistant, and even tried my hand at transcription for a bit, but nothing was actually making me a living wage, and some of the things were just really not my style. I didn’t want to sell things to people from someone else’s stock. I never really wanted to do secretarial work, either on or offline, and my typing speed just isn’t up to s***f for transcription work, although, I still try my hand at it every now and then when I need a few extra dollars, and am desperate enough to work for eight hours for $30 (the frustration of trying to hear mumbled words, many times spoken with a thick accent, while trying to type as fast as possible, AND knowing someone will rate you on grammar, spelling, and how well you heard what was said, is generally not worth the time I spend, but I do it when I really do have a dry spell with no work at all, and no prospects looming).
What I DID eventually find was ghostwriting. I answered an ad that said they were looking for writers, no experience necessary, and they could guarantee work. All that turned out to be technically true, but the pay wasn’t the greatest. In fact, I have since found out that the books I was writing for $350, would normally pay a freelance ghostwriter closer to $1000. This was disheartening, but I kept at it, even when I needed to switch publishers because the first was more of a writing “mill” I guess you could call it. They have a pool of X amount of writers, and a list of ebooks to be ghostwritten. Then the writers request a book, give a second and third choice, and hope they get a book to write from that list. This worked ok for a while, but I noticed that I never got the book I really wanted, and rarely got a book on a popular subject. There were just too many other writers vying for each and every title. The publisher I was working at eventually started to make “mistakes” in their payouts. They even went so far as to tell me to send my draft a week later (apparently they were not only having trouble with their payroll staff, but got themselves backed up with so many writers demanding to be paid, they said they couldn’t even look at my work for 5-7 days.), then tried to deduct a late fee from my final pay.
I knew it was time to make a move, so I started looking for other companies. I actually got lucky, and found a private publisher (just one guy I needed to talk to, yay!) who liked my writing samples, and asked me if I would be interested in writing some projects for him. I agreed, we signed the contract, and I got my first book (a guide on puppy training) within a couple of days. After that, I did another book from him, and by this time Christmas had passed and we were on to January of 2020! Well, my wonderful publisher told me that his ebooks were on hold because of some Amazon mumbo-jumbo, yadda yadda, he wouldn’t have any books for me until March at the earliest. I waited for about a week and started looking into other ways I could write from home and make money, checked into some free internet courses to improve my skills in proofreading and such, and finally sent him an email at the beginning of March.
Much to my chagrin, he responded by telling me he had found someone to write for him in half the time and for half the price I was charging, and “would I be interested in matching their offer?” I answered back that since I was actually trying to GROW my freelancing business, and actually EAT every once in a while (ok, so I didn’t say that last part, but SERIOUSLY!!), I would be unable to provide him with the quality content that he was asking for. In other words, no, butthead, I WON’T write a 30,000 word book for you for $150 in two weeks! Sheesh!
So here I am, my friends, at the end of March, and once again, unemployed, (or not employed), whatever it’s called when you own your own “business” and don’t have any work, lol. I remain hopeful, though, because as you should all know about me by now, I’m not one to just say “I give up” and cry into my coffee cup (well, I may cry once in a while, but never into my coffee, gross!).
Next post, I’ll tell you why I’m not despairing (yet), and what I’m doing now!

03/27/2020

I want to thank everyone who has liked my page, I hope you are enjoying the blog, and other writings. Please feel free to request a subject you would be interested in hearing about from me. I'll try my best to respond or do the deed!

03/21/2020

Hello Folks!
Sorry I’ve been very remiss in posting since my initial one, I hope you’ll forgive me. It’s certainly been a bumpy ride for an out of work Rennie, but I guess for me, at least, that’s nothing new. In my “Surviving After” post, I said I would share some of my experiences while trying to “make it” in the world on-the-grid, so this will be the first in what is hopefully a series. The topic today is: Available Government Aid.
When I first landed in Louisiana, one of the first things I did was apply for food stamps, or SNAP, as they are called here. I already knew from previous extended stays in the area that this type of aid is relatively easy to get in this state. You can fill out an application online, talk to a case worker on the phone, and email any relevant documents needed. Honestly, for SNAP benefits, the process is relatively streamlined, so the hardest part, for me, was proving residency. To take care of that, I simply had to get my friend, who is renting me a room, to write a letter stating that I am renting from her, and how much I pay her each month.
Having no gainful employment, My friend is letting me pay what I can, as I go, and I help with groceries each month. I also do some work around the house, like vacuuming, and some heavy cleaning with chemicals she isn’t able to use due to her asthma, as well as being a live-in dog nanny when she needs one. This works out pretty well for both of us, but I don’t like to just sit around doing nothing, so I started trying to get more help from any government agency, so I could pay her what was stated in the “rental agreement” she sent to the SNAP office.
Fast forward another month or two, and I discovered that it’s pretty easy to sign up for Medicaid in this state as well. Once I started getting some doctor’s appointments, I realized that my chances of actually getting a J-O-B were going to be pretty S-L-I-M! First, I discovered that not only do I suffer from arthritis, but also carpal tunnel syndrome. This makes standing, lifting, and bending (pretty much everything you do as a cashier or clerk at a store), difficult, and pretty painful, now. I also realized that without a Driver’s license or a State ID, no one was going to (or really could, for that matter) hire me to work for them. I also had trouble getting any form of ID because my Birth Certificate was destroyed in the 100 Year Floods back before I left Louisiana the last time. Since I had no income, coming by even the $30-50 to get a new birth certificate sent from Ohio, was problematic.
Other than the SNAP and Medicaid, however, the only other real aid in the form of finances, is try to qualify for disability through the Social Security Administration, but this will take months, if not longer, and I needed something that was going to get me financially independent NOW! Well, I still don’t have an ID, but I’m starting to earn some money now, and in the next post, I’ll tell you how!
Love and Light, Kiddos, and wash your hands!

08/03/2019

Sorry, I'm a bit late posting this week, but any readers planning to stick around for a while may want to get used to these sorts of apologies, lol! In my ongoing struggles to survive, this episode, I'd like to talk about housing. My main issue in leaving "The Road" has been finding a place for my carcass to settle in. There are plenty of places I'd LIKE to go, but choices when you're on an incredibly thin, "shoestring" budget are slim to none, unfortunately. What I can definitely tell you with certainty is this: If you know you're going to be leaving the road, or maybe you're just toying with the idea, Start. Saving. Now! I can't tell you how stressful it is (many of you probably know, anyway) to not have a place to simply "exist"! When we travel the Road, we generally pick up our entire "life" and move it on to the next show every month or two. It's a lot different when you actually sign a lease, and all of a sudden you're going to be in that spot for six months, a year or two, or more. I was lucky enough that I had a friend who would let me rent a room, but many Rennies don't even have that kind of safety net. They are living independently, with no ties (either by choice or circumstance) to family or past friends. If I had known a few years back that I'd be looking for a permanent residence, I not only would have tried much harder to strengthen my financial position, but I would have also tried harder to cultivate more friendships, and acquaintances that could have helped me in my search for a "perma-home". I've since come to realize that even a Facebook Friend that you've only met online can be a great source of information if you want to know more about the place where that Friend lives. Not only that, but it also helps with the separation and loneliness people often feel when they are suddenly cut-off from the people they've been seeing, camping, working, and living with for the past however many years. It's a huge change, and it helps to have people to talk with about it. For me, I know that my Facebook Rennie Family are only a couple of keystrokes away, and it helps me to cope with not being able to travel, as well as keeping up with the Friends I miss so much. I guess what it boils down to, can be summed up in the old song lyrics "make new friends, but keep the old". The people we become close to on the Road are just as important as those we often leave behind, and when the time comes to settle in one spot, they'll both be an invaluable blessing if you make sure to keep people in your life.

07/30/2019

Surviving After "The Road"
Integration, or "re-integration" into "normal" society, can be a very frightening experience, especially if you happen to be over 40. There are many alternative lifestyles these days that don't necessarily force a person who is a part of these Lifestyles to integrate, or socialize with people outside of these lifestyles. This means, that unless you plan ahead of time, there may be a moment sometime in your future when you don't have the social skills, or the knowledge of how this society works well enough in order to survive. Renaissance Festivals, Comic Book and Multi-media Conventions, the Carnival Circuit, and some people who just felt the need to live "off the Grid" are all examples of the sort of people who are now coming to realize, that while they were out of touch with society, possibly even purposefully avoiding it, Society was quickly evolving and changing. These people now are looking for answers to questions like: "What sort of Government Assistance is available to me?" or "I've been doing leatherwork for four years, and have some arthritis, am I still employable, and if so, doing what?".
My name is Cristi, and I'm actually making this journey myself. I hope that in blogging about what I'm going through (and even how I get through it), I can possibly pass on something that will help you along on your own way.

Hello , if you need some writing done for your website, blog, mailing list or e-book, drop me a message and I'll be happ...
07/27/2019

Hello , if you need some writing done for your website, blog, mailing list or e-book, drop me a message and I'll be happy to discuss my prices!

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Albany, LA
70711

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+19364193887

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