Amanda Washburn
Bio
Freelance writer and single mom. Lives in Montana with one son, two cats, and one dog. Writes everything from poetry to listicles.
Stories (18)
Filter by community
I Was Kidnapped By My Grandma
The year was 1999. My name was Nicole. I was 10 years old at the time and living what I thought was a happy life. We lived in a gated community right on the lake. It was a beautiful neighborhood in South Carolina with horses nearby. The smell of nighttime hung in the air, drifting in through the open windows.
By Amanda Washburn3 years ago in Families
Lunesta Saved My Mental Health
Insomnia is a very common medical condition. People like me, who suffer from insomnia, have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. For me, it comes down to a fear of the metaphorical darkness of bedtime. I fear falling into the depths of my emotions. This fear comes from experience.
By Amanda Washburn3 years ago in Humans
I Think My Brain Is Melting
I sip on my coffee. It’s 9:13pm. I’m bored and I want to go to bed. I’m too scared to look inside myself to put into words how I feel about life right now. This is making it incredibly difficult to write. My inspiration has gone sour.
By Amanda Washburn3 years ago in Journal
9 Websites That Will Pay You As A Freelance Writer In 2023
With so many scams out there, looking for a legitimate freelance writing website that will actually pay you can be a chore. How do you distinguish the bad from the good? You read this article. We will cover the top 10 freelance writing websites that will pay you for your writing.
By Amanda Washburn3 years ago in Trader
Love and Addiction
I walk into the small kitchen. It’s 5 o’clock in the morning. Cinderella meows at my feet, black fur sticking up on end from falling in the butter yesterday. I thought about giving her a bath but, I’d like to live. I set my coffee cup down on the counter and inspect the pets’ food bowls. Empty.
By Amanda Washburn3 years ago in Humans
Homeless but Hopeful: A Tale of Endurance
Sometimes I wish there was an easy fix, or I wish I was person that could just be happy with less. But life doesn't work that way, and I'm not that person. I've always had enormous dreams. Even as a foster kid when I was surrounded by people that ended up shocked I even graduated high school, I still believed I would do something great. I cannot even tell you how many times I wondered if I was just naive. I would consider that maybe I really wasn't anything special. Maybe I really was just some kid no one wanted and the best I could do is a minimum wage job flipping burgers. But the thought of this made me like I was betraying myself. Over the years, I learned that I was made to be out-of-step with everyone else. I was made to be different. To have different ideas. To create something different. At 29 years old, I finally figured out what I wanted out of life. I wanted to be a writer. But I didn't want to just write books or freelance articles. I wanted to create something more. Something that I could pass down to my son. A real business. So, I started a blog. It began as an attempt at writing about my own life. Unfortunately, my life sucked at that moment. My son's dad who we will call Justin (because he hates that name) and I had just broken up but we were still living together. Fun tip: don't even try that experiment. We were miserable. I was miserable because he thought our son was solely my responsibility because I have a vagina. He was miserable because I disagreed. I just wanted time to work on this blog I was trying to start. This was my life. Who wants to read about that? I didn't even like writing about it. It was nothing but a bunch of nonsense every single day. The same arguments over and over again. Blah blah blah. Boring. So, I did a little bit (a lot) of introspection. I would ask myself, what is it that makes me different? What is it that set me apart? The answer became so clear it was comical.
By Amanda Washburn7 years ago in Motivation
Changing Everything Part 1: He Left Me for the D
Sometimes, we want things out of people that they just can't give. This can take many forms. Time. Money. Affection. Respect. We end up feeling incredibly hurt by their lack of ability to meet our standards. Now, sometimes those standards are really high and just flat out fucking ridiculous. You can't expect someone to do everything, or anything, for you and you give nothing back. This is not the way the world works. Even a gold-digger has to give up the vagina. Nothing is free. This includes friendship. Everyone comes with a price. While that price may not be monetary, it still exists. For most people, this price is some characteristic we find annoying or offensive. But, in order to maintain these friendships, we put up with their bullshit. The real question is, at what point is the price too high?
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Humans
F@$# Your Phone Calls
I knew the girl for 15 years. There was a lot of history there. That was what made it so hard to walk away from her a couple of weeks ago. I know it was the right thing to do, though. She had told me that it bothered her that when I reached out to her during an anxiety attack, she felt she could not talk about herself. I’m not even joking or exaggerating. That is what she said. That statement showed me that we no longer belonged together as friends. It took me a few days, but I came to peace with this. I’ve still felt a little broken hearted over the whole thing but I’ve been dealing with it well. Then she calls me yesterday. I answer the phone and she says, “Hey,” like nothing has happened. Then she tells me she just wanted to chat and oh, she’s off work, by the way. I was flabbergasted. How dare she?! She can’t stab me in the heart like that and then waltz back into my life like everything is the same.
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Humans
Better This Way
A few days ago I lost someone important to me. We had been friends since we were freshman in high school but, when it came down to it, my anxiety was too much for her. She told that it was too stressful for her so she needed to end our friendship. Words cannot explain how heartbroken I was. We had been through so much together. I honestly expected us to remain friends for our entire lives. The day things ended was very dark for me. I felt like I was being punished for having this emotional and anxiety ridden part of myself. I felt like the mistake I made was opening up and reaching out during crisis. If only I had managed better on my own, then I wouldn’t have stressed her so and we would still be friends. I cried for most of the day.
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Humans
I Think I Lost My Best Friend
In life, we are constantly evolving. From one event and emotional disruption to the next, we are ever changing. A week ago, I had this wonderful plan to write this fantastic article about friendship. I was going to showcase my friendship with this woman I have known since we were freshmen in high school. I was going to talk about all these funny stories about our friendship and use these stories to explain what I believe true friendship means. Today, I find myself asking the same questions from an entirely different perspective. I also find myself asking a question whose answer has the potential to alter my writing career forever. How honest should I be here? How much should I divulge to you, my reader? I see you as a friend. I tell you these stories in hopes they will stir emotion, elicit passion, and maybe even bring you some enlightenment. How can I do that if I don’t tell you everything? So, here it goes.
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Humans
Nice to Sniff You
Hi. I’m Olive. It's nice to meet you! My human companion Amanda told me that I should tell you about my life. I would love to do that. I’m almost five years old and I was born on Valentine's Day! Maybe that’s why I feel so full of love. Hahaha! Anyway, I come from what Amanda calls a breeder. I was a middle pup in a litter of twelve. Before I can even remember, I was given to Amanda. I’m a very important dog, you see. A very good, important dog with a real important job. Amanda needed me to watch over her and help her if she started feeling different. I was very good at my job. Amanda and I would go everywhere together. I am such a special dog. My favorite thing was going shopping at the mall. I loved all the people and smells. I could tell Amanda liked it to. It was always a very long walk.
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Petlife
You Don't Deserve To Know Me. Top Story - September 2017.
Oh. Hello. My name is inconsequential to you as I will never stoop so low as to respond no matter what you call me. However, the only human I actually care for uses the name Amy when seeking my glorious attention. I was told you were interested in learning about my life. A wise choice as I am the most interesting cat in the world. But, you already know that. That is why you are here. You wish to gain superior knowledge from the fountain of wisdom that is me. Where should I begin? Well, I had spent three years in and out of shelters when my current humans found me. I’m quite glad they did, to be honest. Shelters are awful places. Have you seen the strays that frequent those establishments? Certainly no place for an elegant and well-mannered feline such as myself. I was only ever there because I had to escape from all my other humans. I won’t get into why. It just wouldn’t be proper to discuss such matters.
By Amanda Washburn8 years ago in Petlife
