Heather Hackett's Blog

Coming Home

The newest vehicle in our family fleet, Josie the Caravan, came home almost a year ago, amid the Covid climate and its attendant obstacles of lockdowns and shortages. Then a run of unfortunate incidents prevented her from moving out of the carport after that, apart from a short visit to a local upholsterer for a refurbishment to the cafe seating. Fast forward to February 2022, and after many mods and adjustments, we were ready to shake her out, as they say in the biz.

Out with the old tat and in with the new sleek finish

The Shake Out

We chose the far-flung shores of Reflections Holiday Park Tuncurry for her maiden voyage. Since it was only a short trip over the bridge from home, it was close enough to ensure that everything worked, nothing fell off, and that we had everything we needed for our first glamping experience. If we didn’t, we could simply dash home and get whatever we were missing. It worked a treat and is highly recommended for anyone just beginning their outdoor caravan adventure – like us.

All set up and no place to go

Day 1 – Brekkie

Lessons Learned the Hard WayTry not to knock over the boom gate key pad with the extension mirrors on your car. If you have short arms like me, it can be challenging to get close enough to key in the code without doing just that.If you are able to choose your site, take careful note of the surroundings – trees, neighbouring vehicles, communal skip bins. Trees may provide great summer shade, but their extended roots can make the site quite unlevel. And a skip bin right across the road will make it difficult to manouevre the van.Also don’t choose a spot near the dump site. Lots of people drive up to empty their toilet cassettes and park in front of you while they do so.Guiding the driver into position is harder than steering the van. Who would have thought?! Walkie talkies are essential; hand signals are confusing.Try not to prune nearby saplings with the back end of the van.Make sure the van is on level ground. You would think this went without saying, right? But no. If they built the site up to match the height of the slab, be sure to park up immediately beside it. I was unaware of the importance of this small fact so the van had a noticeable lean to it that made it very easy to close all the cupboards and drawers.Once You’re Parked UpPark far enough from your neighbour’s vehicle that you can open the windows without taking out their mirrors. With this in mind, wind in your own extension mirrors after you’ve parked up.It’s hard not to look like a dick when you’re a newbie. Judging the expertise of new arrivals is a thing. Talking to your neighbours is very informative and helpful if you want to avoid this embarrassment next time.Don’t forget the key code for the amenities block, especially if you’re in a hurry to get in. Goes without saying, right?Checklists are important, really important for first timers. You don’t want to forget anything when it’s time to set up or pack up. Trust me!

Despite all the above, we had great fun. I can only assume it will get easier with time and experience. But the most important thing we learned? After the events of the last twelve months, we really needed a holiday! So, stay tuned for our next/first adventure with Josie to Hawks Nest, coming in early April.

See you on the road!

The post And then we bought a caravan appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

Writing is a lonely art. We spend hours at the keyboard, confronted by blank pages and surrounded by empty coffee cups, putting together words, sentences, paragraphs that we hope will impress and inspire our audiences. But what about us, the writers? Do we inspire ourselves? Do we write from the heart, words that we would want to read?

The Practice of Writing

I started practising my writing on the road, as a journal keeper and author of prolific snail-mail letters to family at home. It was easy writing, because my audience was small and familiar. Just me and my family.

But I want to tell you a story about writing that comes from my college days. And yes, college papers are a valid part of the practice that makes us better.

When I was studying for my undergrad degree, the Internet was still in its infancy. We didn’t have the luxury of endless digital resources, superfast search engines or blogs where ordinary people shared their knowledge and views on life. Research was still very much something that was done in college libraries late at night or on weekends.

The Expert Interviewee

In the third year of my degree, I was given an assignment that required interviewing a company executive about his or her views on leadership and managing change. As the deadline for submission grew ever closer, I headed for a state of panic. You know that feeling when assignments are due and you have nothing to show, other than a rising coffee habit and a penchant for sitting in other people’s dorm rooms drinking it.

I had never met a company executive, nor could I say that any of them were ever likely to move in the same circles as me, a lowly student and part-time hotel room cleaner. What I did have, though, was a computer and an email address. So I went searching online for a company that had a manager who had published an article on anything remotely related to leadership and organizational change.

It wasn’t hard to choose one. There weren’t that many willing to put their email addresses out there for anyone to see. But I did find one. So I emailed him, commented favourably on his published article, told him about my predicament and how I thought he might be able to help.

To my great surprise, he agreed to help me, but not before he had contacted my university to check that I was indeed a student enrolled at that institution. I followed up with my list of questions and he emailed me back with his responses inserted into the spaces between. I was ecstatic, saved at the eleventh hour.

I carefully cut and pasted my questions and his answers into my essay, added a few words of explanation and analysis and printed it out ready to submit. Voila! In the end, it all seemed too easy. After all, I’d hardly written anything myself. It was all from the pen of my phantom manager, whom I had never even met.

My paper came back a couple of weeks later with the following grade – high distinction! The professor waxed lyrical about my ingenuity, innovation and ability to think outside the square. My head swelled with pride in my obvious genius. Yeah, right. I couldn’t help feeling that I’d cheated somehow.

Out of the Ether

Fast forward a couple of years and I was in the middle of another unit in the same degree course. By this time, Lotus Notes had come on the scene and the university had set us all up with access so that we could contact and collaborate with other students.

Late one night in an online chat room, I was bemoaning the fact that I had no idea what to do for an upcoming assignment. My fellow students were offering suggestions. Then one of them started telling a story that had been related to her in a face to face tutorial group on campus, a story of how a student in another unit had used the Internet and email to contact an expert to get research material for an assignment. Slowly it dawned on me – she was talking about me! I was being talked about in the hallowed halls of the university as a shining example of resourcefulness and creative thinking.

I’m telling you this because it underpins an important and little-known fact about the work we create as writers, artists, poets. All creatives, really.

You never know how something you have written is going to affect others. You may never even know that it has. When I wrote that university assignment, I never thought about what might happen to it. Hell, all I cared about was getting it done. I didn’t write it for anyone other than my professor. And myself.

And that’s what is so great about it. An audience of one, okay two, became a vehicle of inspiration for many.

The point I am making is this – write for yourself first. If it moves others, great. If you are lucky enough to find out that it has helped someone else, even greater.

Who do YOU write for?

Who do you have in mind when you sit at the keyboard? Do you have an audience of one? Have you heard a story about how your writing has helped or inspired someone?

Tell me your story, and let’s have a conversation about it.

The post Words in the Wind appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

When I was in college, I had a ghastly orange portable typewriter and a humungous supply of Tippex correcting papers. Remember those? A typewriter was almost required equipment for any self-respecting student with essays to churn out. Just as essential as text books in my opinion, because the personal computer was just a fantasy back […]

The post From typewriters to audiobooks – and the birth of an anthology appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

Veggies es bonus vobis, proinde vos postulo essum magis kohlrabi welsh onion daikon amaranth tatsoi tomatillo melon azuki bean garlic.

Heading 3

Gumbo beet greens corn sample link text gourd. Parsley shallot courgette tatsoi pea sprouts fava bean collard greens dandelion okra wakame tomato. Dandelion cucumber earthnut pea peanut soko zucchini.

Turnip greens yarrow ricebean rutabaga endive great link here kohlrabi amaranth water spinach avocado daikon napa cabbage asparagus winter purslane kale. Celery potato scallion desert raisin horseradish spinach carrot soko. Lotus root water spinach fennel kombu maize bamboo shoot green bean swiss chard seakale pumpkin onion chickpea gram corn pea. Brussels sprout coriander water chestnut gourd swiss chard wakame kohlrabi beetroot carrot watercress. Corn bold stuff nuts nori azuki bean chickweed potato bell pepper artichoke.

Nori grape silver beet broccoli kombu beet greens fava bean potato quandong celery. Bunya nuts black-eyed pea prairie turnip leek lentil turnip greens parsnip. Sea lettuce lettuce water chestnut eggplant winter purslane fennel azuki bean earthnut pea sierra leone bologi leek soko chicory celtuce parsleysalsify.

The post Blogs Are Optional. Do You Have The Time? appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

Veggies es bonus vobis, proinde vos postulo essum magis kohlrabi welsh onion daikon amaranth tatsoi tomatillo melon azuki bean garlic.

Heading 3

Gumbo beet greens corn soko endive gumbo gourd. Parsley shallot courgette tatsoi pea sprouts fava bean collard greens dandelion okra wakame tomato. Dandelion cucumber earthnut pea peanut soko zucchini.

Turnip greens yarrow ricebean rutabaga endive cauliflower sea lettuce kohlrabi amaranth water spinach avocado daikon napa cabbage asparagus winter purslane kale. Celery potato scallion desert raisin horseradish spinach carrot soko. Lotus root water spinach fennel kombu maize bamboo shoot green bean swiss chard seakale pumpkin onion chickpea gram corn pea. Brussels sprout coriander water chestnut gourd swiss chard wakame kohlrabi beetroot carrot watercress. Corn amaranth salsify bunya nuts nori azuki bean chickweed potato bell pepper artichoke.

Nori grape silver beet broccoli kombu beet greens fava bean potato quandong celery. Bunya nuts black-eyed pea prairie turnip leek lentil turnip greens parsnip. Sea lettuce lettuce water chestnut eggplant winter purslane fennel azuki bean earthnut pea sierra leone bologi leek soko chicory celtuce parsley jícama salsify.

The post 10 Reasons Why This Sample Blog Post Is Nice. appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

Recently, I entered a competition run by awesome author of several books, Dan Alatorre. From over 200 entries, my story received one of two honorable mentions! An edited version of this story will become the first chapter of my upcoming book about our experiences over eight years living and working in Japan. Dan has very […]

The post Word Weaver Writing Contest – Author Profile Live appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

So, you want to know what it’s like to write a book in the 21st century? Better strap yourself in.It's f#%king hard work. And no, it has nothing to do with actually writing a book. That’s the easy part. When you write a book, the real work only begins once you hit ‘Publish’ on the […]

The post How to go from writing a book to self-published author appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

Some Heading

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.

Doner andouille spare ribs shoulder ground round landjaeger tenderloin picanha tail boudin pastrami strip steak chicken jowl. Flank corned beef turkey, pork burgdoggen cow landjaeger strip steak biltong beef pancetta.

Pork chop ball tip salami prosciutto capicola boudin tail meatball. Kevin ball tip doner sausage tail, brisket hamburger rump short ribs frankfurter fatback.

Bacon cow shank, pastrami biltong flank chicken rump doner ribeye swine strip steak.

Swine turkey ham short ribs, corned beef cow sirloin short loin prosciutto chicken pig kevin ground round capicola bacon.

T-bone ham hamburger bacon kielbasa. Corned beef biltong drumstick sausage pastrami ham short ribs pork chop. Capicola sausage hamburger, tongue tail fatback spare ribs tri-tip pork loin pastrami. Cupim pastrami spare ribs jerky rump short loin corned beef tenderloin fatback picanha hamburger tongue ground round venison cow.

Chicken porchetta flank spare ribs doner jerky tongue shank ground round pork chop. Kielbasa bacon porchetta pastrami salami.  Sausage swine pork loin fatback, pork belly meatball salami brisket flank venison andouille burgdoggen.

The post Who Said Sample Blog Posts Had To Be Boring? appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

I know I was lucky to land the first freelance job I ever applied for. It was a straightforward transcribing job for a New York Times writer based in Melbourne, Australia. Naively, I thought that a one-hour audio file would take me about two hours to transcribe.

Man, was I wrong. I think I spent about four or five hours earning my first $60, even with my voice-to-text software assisting.

But I learned two critical things:

1. Profile feedback is king, and

2. There had to be a better way to earn sixty bucks.

Help from Google

My very next move was to hit up the University of Google for help. Searching ‘How to make money on Upwork’ brought me to several people claiming to have the key. One of them offered a course that would set me back $47, which was tempting if for no other reason than the price. But the info appeared to be a couple of years old. Another one was by some guy named Danny, who claimed to have made over $100K in a year, but his course was going to cost me several times more than the other one.

One thing was obvious, though. I was never going to make $100K a year as a transcriber, not even in ten years, no matter how many courses I did.

Searching Upwork a couple of days later, I came across a job for a virtual assistant, posted by another guy named Danny. He was looking for help posting blogs to his website, which he’d also listed in the job post. Clicking through, I realized it was the same guy who ran the course on how to make $100K on Upwork.

Help from an Expert

On a very well-written and persuasive landing page, he urged me to sign up for his five free hacks on how to crack the Upwork market. I decided it was just meant to be. I handed over my email address for the keys to the Upwork kingdom. As promised, Danny sent me several, okay five, emails over the next few days, each one revealing a little bit more of the puzzle. And it was stuff that I could use straight away. He even sent me a personal welcome email, asking why I’d signed up for the free hacks. Surprised and impressed that he was a real person who actually wrote his own emails, I replied, saying I was unconvinced that his course was going to help me, but I hoped that he might consider me for his assistant position.

I’d been working a day job as an executive assistant for over 15 years. I didn’t really see myself as a copywriter. A writer, yes, I’d been doing that all my life. But copywriting, and the thought of getting paid over $100 an hour to do it, scared the crap out of me. Danny promised me that whether or not I took up copywriting, and regardless of whether he chose me for the job (he didn’t L), he would help me learn something of value. And a little voice in the back of my mind whispered that I should believe him.

So, after lots more research (read Internet stalking) into whether this guy was for real, and with more than a little hand wringing and a healthy dose of what the hell, I signed up for his course. Over the next 12 hours I did nothing else but listen to Danny’s voice leading me through a series of videos. Then I sent him this email:

So, the plan was hatched. Make this damn freelance thing work and get the hell out of the 9 to 5 rut.

Despite Danny’s continued encouragement to try my hand at writing, since he somehow knew that was what I wanted to do, I still resisted. I kept applying to simple admin jobs and more transcriptions. Unfortunately, I kept winning them. I say, unfortunately, because my fairly effortless success at winning these smaller jobs kept me from having to face my fears and apply for a writing gig.

Then the day came — I finally landed a freelance writing job, doing up a blog post from a podcast interview. It was exhilarating. But when I thought about actually doing the writing, I panicked. I went over and over and over my work, making sure I’d done the best I possibly could. I attached it to the email and hit send. Then I went to pieces because I didn’t hear from them for ages. Danny reassured me that that was a good thing. Clients reject work they don’t like relatively quickly.

I had learned something very important:

The fear of success is more debilitating than the fear of failure.

I found my mojo and started applying for writing jobs. And when I won them, I only panicked a little bit. But my confidence grew and pretty soon I started getting invites to jobs without applying. The Hidden Upwork Economy that I’d thought I’d never find finally kicked in.

I was still working full time as an executive assistant. I was really working two full time jobs, because after I got home from my day job, I immediately went to work on my freelance jobs. Often, okay mostly, that meant working till 1 or 2 a.m. just to keep afloat. For months, I went to my day job in total resentment mode with road map eyes, just wanting to be back home at my keyboard.

I actually got to the point where I couldn’t take on any more freelance work because of my day job. I knew I could get more jobs, and more lucrative jobs… if I just had MORE TIME!

Then life stepped in and threw the curve ball that knocked everything else into place — my brother disappeared. It might sound like a strange thing to be a good omen, but life’s like that. Doors close, doors open, as they say. And it was the impetus I’d been needing to hurl me out of my comfort zone and into the freelance abyss.

I suddenly needed to be free of the rat race, to be able to work anywhere, at any time, so that I could deal with all the other issues that came with having a missing person in the family.

The day I handed my boss my resignation, one of my co-workers looked me in the eye and made a perceptive remark that really hit home: these kinds of things only happen to those who can cope with them.

I knew I could do it. I told myself I could do it. I believed I could do it. So, I did it. I took a deep breath…and leapt into the abyss. And you know what? Nothing bad happened. The world didn’t end. In fact, just the opposite. In the words of an old Irish proverb, the road rose up to meet me. Since then I’ve had more (Up)work than I’ve needed. I’ve been able to pick and choose the jobs I want. And I’ve got over 200 connects left in the kitty because I’ve rarely had to apply for jobs.

I currently have five permanent high-quality clients who pay me an average of $100 an hour to do what I love — write. Write, write and write. Blog posts, landing pages, web content, business articles. And when I want more work, I just arc up Danny’s videos, review the proposal guide, and win more jobs.

It really works. It’s like opening the freelance vault and withdrawing what I need. But it never ceases to make me smile. And thank Danny — again and again.

I no longer do transcribing, but that first client made me think it might be possible. Danny showed me how to make it happen. I’m forever grateful to them both.

I’ve even found the time to complete two books, travel memoirs that span over ten years of living, working and traveling the world. Check them out on Amazon in eBook and paperback.

The post Success as a Freelancer appeared first on Heather J Hackett.

I recently wrote a book. Not just any book, but a book about some of the things I’ve done with my life. And I chose the image above for the book cover, a choice I'd like to defend here.An interesting life...When I speak with people, they often tell me what an interesting life I’ve had. And […]

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