We were lucky to catch up with J.W. Bella recently and have shared our conversation below.

J.W. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission the drives your brand?

Embrace Your Truth is my motto, my mission, and my Achilles’ heel. I made it my motto because it’s something I’ve fought to do most of my adult life. I grew up an introverted church girl who lived most of her childhood for everyone else. Now, I write poetry, stories, and news articles because it helps me to accept who I am: faults and all.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

1. Bio:

Born and raised in the rice fields of Crowley, Louisiana, J. W. Bella has been writing since she was 13 years of age to manage her emotions and sanity. Now, she helps students develop their writing style and critical thinking as a high school English teacher in Irving, Texas.

To satisfy J. W. Bella’s creativity addiction, she also writes. Her first poetry book, The Slip Under My Church Dress, explored her life experiences growing up as a preacher’s grandchild in a small town. J. W. Bella’s second book, Killing Me Silently, is a fantasy fiction book about a young lady that goes silent when her powers go crazy. In between writing books, she’s a staff writer for thysistas.com, a website dedicated to empowering African American women.

Writing encompasses J.W. Bella’s life, but there are other amazing responsibilities she enjoys. Her social media skills and project management strategies helped her to land the Digital Media Coordinator position at the PowerPlay Podcast TV Network and Social Media Center. To assist other writers with improving their composition abilities, J.W. Bella is the Developmental Editing Manager at Pen2Pad Ink Publishing. Finally, as a way of giving back to future writers, she’s the Executive Director of Young DFW Writers Organization.

When J.W. Bella has spare time, she enjoys singing loudly in her apartment she shares with her husband, Ebon. She also enjoys doing basketball statistics for fun, investing in her friends, and using her unique organizational skills to help her village be awesome.

2. How did I get into writing?

My 7th grade gifted teacher: Patty Ronkartz. She made us write poetry as a part of my ONE day a week gifted class. So, I wrote a poem about a broken sidewalk in my neighborhood. From there, I was hooked to writing. It saved me from destroying my mom’s toxic boyfriends and ignoring religious ridicule. After 15 years, it still saves my life.

3. What type of products/services/creative works you provide?

I provide manuscript evaluation, editing, proofreading, ghostwriting, and writing coaching to others who want to embrace their truth while sharing it with others.

4. What problems you solve for your clients and what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.?

I see myself as a writing cheerleader. You do the work. You come up with these amazing ideas. I just want to help you ask questions and provide suggestions to help you decide what works best for you. Sometimes, you may feel excited about your writing. Sometimes, you may feel like you are the worst writer ever. Both are acceptable feelings that are a part of making you a writer of excellence.

5. What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc?

I’m proud of the writers I’ve helped! They have struggled and survived. Now they have published works that I am really grateful to say I had a small part in their impact on this world. I’m also proud of the literary village I have. They are really important to supporting me, stating truth, and reminding me that I have an audience. I work really hard to make sure my clients know the same so they can develop their own villages. With all the trolls and negativity in this world, villages are really important.

I’m also proud of the students that have chosen to share their words with the world. I’m a teacher during the day, and I love the opportunity to experience their voices. Because of them, I am really am excited about the future.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I was driving 95 miles per hour down Interstate 635 on a Sunday after an angry emotional outburst at church service. Why? I had no idea at the time, but my husband, who was my passenger, knew something was wrong.

“You need to talk to someone.” He responded. I finally agreed. I decided to finally go to counseling and talk about my issues. During counseling, I learned so much about myself and how much my past really influenced who I was. Counseling is also the reason why I published my first book, The Slip Under My Church Dress. I wrote that book to confront my battle with spirituality, my issues with my parents, my problems with my family, and my issues with myself. In the end, I had to unlearn keeping my emotions bottled in solves NOTHING at all.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was really sick at the beginning of this year, and I’m completely grateful for it. It’s how I met my next therapist. In our first conversation, I told her about my multiple jobs.

“I notice you talk a lot about writing.” She stated nonchalantly.

“Well yeah. I’m a writer.” I answered.

“True. It also sounds like it’s what you really want to do.”

“But…I’m a teacher.”

“I know. But your heart is with writing.”

When she said the aforementioned statement, my heart completely dropped into my feet. I spent my whole life preparing to be a teacher for the rest of life. I saw my retirement party with kids from the past after 30 years. However, her words made me realize that I want to write more than I want to be in a classroom.

After our meeting, I cried for four hours. I had to come to terms with my real love-words. I’m still trying to pivot, so I can tell you that the journey is exciting. It is also hard work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jwbellawrites.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jwbellawrites/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jwbellawrites/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandrellabush/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwbellawrites
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAbXgdsfI2uK9i6auWHb1nQ

Image Credits
Ebon Bush of T & J Media