Today marks 5 months since I left my FT job and dove, basically headfirst, into freelancing.
What a learning experience it's been!
It's been pretty quiet on the blog lately, but that's because I have been literally up to my eyeballs with work. I thought I'd resurface briefly just to say hello, then I'm diving right back in. September was a little slower than I would've liked, but then something happened in October and it seemed like I was getting a new project every time I turned around! One week I got an email literally every day asking about my interest/availability for different projects--some that are moving forward, others which are on hold for now.
But I'm not complaining.
You know, since leaving my job (and I'm sure I'm not alone here), I think many folks wonder what I do all day. Since I'm not dressing up and heading out to the office every morning, let alone getting a regular paycheck (which I do miss, I have to admit), to some I'm basically one step above a slug on the couch. That annoys me. I can say with all honesty that I've never worked harder in my life. Back in my office days, I admit that I, well, could've used my time more productively, let's say, on occasion. But I definitely can't say that now. Between my paying work and the towering pile of grad school work that's due in a few very short weeks, I feel overwhelmed regularly! I'm trying to get better about organizing my day and smarter about time management (and curb that pesky, pesky social media addiction).
So--I thought it would be good to take stock of what I've been working on lately and what's on my plate for November.
October: I finished 5 articles--1 for a regional pub, 3 for trades, and 1 for a college alumni publication. Additionally, I have my ongoing content writing gig and I reconnected with a friend of a friend whom I did some work for earlier this year, and I'm back to writing some blog posts for her (with a larger potential project in the pipeline). I also edit a local magazine for the 50+ set, so the 2nd issue went out. Besides editing the content, I also wrote 2 articles for this issue.
November: I have 5 articles due--4 of them next week! Gulp. Of the 5, 1 is for a trade, 1 is for another (different) college alumni pub, 1 is for a regional pub, and the 5th is for a new-to-me online consumer market...in Canada! The magazine I edit is also putting together a year-end directory of services, I have my content writing gig and blog posts (which I expect to continue through November), and oh yeah...this pesky thing called my graduation capstone project, which I realized (yesterday) I have been on the complete wrong track with. Guess I'll be typing like never before.
December: 2 articles lined up so far--1 for a trade, 1 for a custom publisher that I worked with earlier this year and am thrilled to be working with again. They pay well and the topics have been interesting. Also hoping another project comes to fruition, but until then, I think I have enough to keep me occupied.
So, that's what I've been up to, in a nutshell. How has everyone been? What fun/interesting projects have you been working on?
Long time, no blog interaction! Glad to see you're doing well and that you've made the leap to full-time writing. I've done the same this year, and one by-product of my busy-ness is that I haven't had time to read OR write blog posts. I really, really miss it so I'm inching my way back into it.
ReplyDeleteSo you're mostly doing journalistic writing? I'm doing less of that than I'd like to ... corporate contracts have me as busy as any FT job ever has. And I've had some busy FT jobs.
So I get what you're saying about people not understanding what you do and thinking you lounge around on the couch all day. I might wear PJs or sweats to work several days a week, but I'm as productive as I've ever been, work-wise.
Now if I could just say the same about my fiction writing. It's still happening, but I don't have the time I thought I'd have for it once I started writing full-time. That's not a bad thing ... it means I'm busy with assignments!
At any rate, best of luck! I hope your level of business stays sky high!
Hi Stacey! Thanks for weighing in--great to hear from you! Glad to hear the business is going so well. Yes, mostly doing journalistic work these days. How have you broken into your corporate writing? Would love to do more in that area. You can message me privately (email's under the "Hire Me" page) if you'd care to share your tactics? Keep up the great work!
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