RUMBLE!!!

The loud noise startled me and immediately jolted me from my hyper-focus on Chapter 3 of my first book. It was my stomach! A quick glance down at the clock on my laptop reveals the shocking truth, it is already 4:15 p.m. I had written my way through lunch without even realizing it.

Grudgingly I go into my bare kitchen to retrieve yet another package of ramen noodles, only to discover that I was out, again. I hadn’t bought groceries in a few weeks, and the money I had saved was quickly vanishing. Why didn’t anyone warn me how hard this would be?

No one chooses a profession in which they are literally starving and having a very difficult time paying the bills.  Rather, most of us choose a profession based on passion for the field, and maybe, just maybe, a chance to use your words to change the world.

At least that was me just a few short years ago. I wanted to write a book that would change lives and give hope when all hope was lost. The part that no one warned me about was how broke I was going to be between chapters, publishers and publicists. In fact, becoming an author may be the hardest business start up out there.

Feeling intimidated to begin your own journey to becoming a published author? Don’t be. There is financial hope for the starving author in all of us–Grants. Unfortunately few up and coming writers even realize that grants exit to help them pay their bills during the process.  In hopes to change that, I wanted to share one of my favorite sources fledgling authors like yourself can utilize to pay the bills until you get that first big break.

Funds for Writers is an agency that provides a listing of grants available for up and coming writers. These grants are only available in the United States and can fund anything from conference fees to several month retreats to everything in the middle for which you might need funding. Most grants are around $2000, which, if you are like me, is enough to fill in the gaps when things become financially strapped.

You definitely don’t have to stop there. If you are concerned with the legitimacy of an online grant program, visit a local library or university library. They will be able to point you in the right direction to keep your ramen stash plush until your first big book deal.

Don’t be hungry, be creative.  

Dr. Chrissy Whiting-Madison obtained her BA in Psychology from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, her MS in Rehabilitation Counseling from Langston University and her PhD in Rehabilitation & Research from the University of Arkansas. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Rogers State University where she avidly researches positive psychology, happiness, humor and joy. Dr. Chrissy published her first book this past year, called Choosing Happiness. She has presented all over the United States, and is currently working on her second book, Even Happier.

When Dr. Chrissy is not teaching, reading or traveling, she loves scary movies and spending time with her friends and family. She is also a proud mom of one daughter and 6 cats.