Living the Writer's Life:
Rebecca Griffin
By Mindy McHorse

Rebecca holds her youngest son, Darrel, right before she has surgery in 2015.

Rebecca Griffin’s journey to writing will blow you away. For starters, she has defied all odds in the face of one health challenge after another. She also has a remarkable ability to stay focused on her long-term goals, fortified by small but steady wins. Get ready to have your heart warmed with this story of resilience, determination, and ultimately the love of a mother and wife.

What’s your story?

Rebecca’s husband, Ross,
got to sign the wall at the
radiology center when he completed
his final treatment in San Antonio.
Copywriting allowed Rebecca to
take him to every treatment and
live in a hotel for months.

After I finished college with my second degree, I thought I’d work in grant writing. But I was having pain from RA [rheumatoid arthritis]. I went in for knee surgery on the 2nd of November of 2015, and I didn’t wake up until December. I couldn’t move anything from the neck down. They told my family I wouldn’t live. I spent months in the hospital and had a long journey back to using my body. They told me I’d never go home, and then I finally made it home. But I spent four years in a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk at first, or even sit up. Now I can walk.

You’re a living miracle! How did that lead you to Barefoot Writing?

I needed a way to support my youngest son, who was five at the time. My husband is a disabled vet and can’t work. I decided to write a book and wrote two, and then I joined some writing groups. One of the ladies in my group suggested copywriting. So I found AWAI and bought The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, and I loved it. Later I became a Circle of Success member so I could do whatever clients needed.

I want to celebrate your resiliency in overcoming great challenge and then launching something new.

That has a lot to do with being a mom. We have six sons and one daughter, and our youngest one we adopted right when I was finishing up school. The whole reason I went in for surgery on my knees when I ended up sick in the ICU was because I wanted to play soccer and basketball with him, like I did my other kids.

Yes, as a mom, you make up your mind and you go for it. Really, being a writer is similar. What kind of clients did you start off with?

I started writing for some different places, but they didn’t pay much — they were content mills. I’d get gigs, but you’d have had to work 24 hours every day to make a living. It did give me experience and some samples to show other people. I got my first decent job because I wrote a blog and then I got offered $300 to write an article for a tourist bureau in New Orleans. That was when I realized I didn’t have to write for 2 cents. The content mill is nothing compared to a regular paid article. And you don’t have to work any harder for it. I mean, you still do all the same things. You just get paid more.

What does life look like for you now?

In October of ’22, my husband was diagnosed with head and neck cancer. They wanted us to move to San Antonio and stay while he was under treatment. So I took a year off of writing. This year I went back to writing and I got back all the clients I wanted back. I couldn’t have done that with a regular job.

My husband is 70 and I’m in my 60s, so we’re supposed to be retirement age, but I don’t see myself retiring. I do see myself wanting to create more income for when I don’t want to write or can’t write in the future. I lost a lot of my eyesight last year and started exploring ways to continue to write even if I go blind. My mother went blind in her 30s and my grandma went blind. So there’s a chance I might lose more sight, but I’ve already got a contingency plan. I’m not going to just give up if that happens. You can still use all kinds of tools and things.

We have several Barefoot Writers who are differently abled, and that’s one thing they love about this career is that there are tools and machines that still allow you to do that writing that you love. What would you tell someone new to this world?

Never give up. Just keep moving forward. Even if it’s just small, little steps. When you get these little wins, they make you feel like you can do it, and then you push yourself a little more the next day and the next day.

Rebecca’s story was featured in December’s Barefoot Writer magazine issue.

Every month, Barefoot Writer magazine brings you over 30 pages of motivation, inspiration, and practical advice for turning your writing dreams into reality.

You’ll learn things like the best opportunities for writers, where to find clients who value your skills, how to rock your writing assignments so companies call on you again and again … and a whole lot more.

Again, you can have ALL the confidence-boosting bonuses and 12 months of Barefoot Writer magazine for just $11 when you go here.