Good gracious, is it Thursday already? It's hard to believe it's been almost a week since I traded in my stable 9-to-5 for this crazy, awesome, unpredictable world of freelance writing. And let me tell you, it's been quite a ride so far. Methinks it's time for a recap, both for the sake of your curiosity and my personal need for accountability. Here's how the details shake out so far:
Income Status: No drops in the bucket yet, but I suppose that's to be expected. I'm giving myself a 30-day grace period to get some activity going, which is probably more strict than most.
Potential Gigs: I have two possibilities lined up at the moment; one with a resume writing company, and the other with a local newspaper. I'm currently working on a sample project for the former and waiting for a final decision from the latter. Hopefully I'll know something definite about one of the two by this time next week.
Where the Leads Came From: I'm one of those throw-things-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks kind of people, so at least during the first few months, I'll be investigating a bunch of different freelancing avenues to find out what works for me. Here's what I tried this week:
- Resume Companies: As I said earlier, this is where I got one of my potentials, and even if it doesn't work out, I'll stay with this source for now because I like the possibilities.
- Local Newspapers: Again, the other source came from here. I wrote for local papers during my part-time freelancing days a few years ago, so I know they're a legitimate gig. You won't get rich off of them by any means, but it's a good way to fill in the gaps between paydays or get your feet wet in the biz.
- Online Job Postings: Most of these have been through Craigslist, and so far have been ridiculously low-paying jobs. Haven't any luck with these at all yet, but then again, I haven't put out a ton of applications, either.
I don't know why, but for some reason I like letting folks know about this kind of stuff. I could be stingy and keep the info entirely to myself, but why bother? What would that really save me in the long run? A couple hundred bucks? A couple thousand? So not worth it. Besides, if certain very cool ladies like this one and this one hadn't been generous enough to share their wisdom, people like me wouldn't be here today.
Q&A for the Day: What did you do to generate business this week? What worked for you? What didn't? What possibilities do you have waiting in the wings?
I come from a family of athletes. My uncle made his way through college on a football scholarship, my dad ran track all through high school, and my middle sister spent most of our childhood pursuing her dream of competing as a gymnast in the Olympics. Since I am my father's daughter in more ways than one, I followed in his footsteps and ran most of the sprint races during middle and high school.
While in the end I wasn't professional material, I was strong and fast, and most importantly, I knew how to work my butt off. When the time came for me to hang up my track shoes for good, I could say with confidence that I'd made the most of my ability and leave it at that.
One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my years on the track was the importance of a strong beginning. Every race literally began with a bang. As a runner, and particularly as a sprinter, you learned to live for the sound of the gun. Take off too soon and you'd be disqualified for having a false start. Wait too long and you'd be left in the dust. So you waited, your whole body tensed for that loud, angry gunshot, ready to explode out of the blocks the second it reached your ears.
Among the more inexperienced freshmen and junior varsity runners, you could start badly and still recover to win the race, provided you had the speed to catch up. But against the big dogs, juniors and seniors who competed at the regional and state level without batting an eye? Fuggedaboutit. A bad start practically sealed your doom.
So why am I telling you all of this, you ask? Well, this week marks a new beginning for me, a new sort of race for me to run. Last Friday, I left my traditional, stable, 9-to-5 "day job" to pursue my dream of working from home as a full-time freelance writer. Am I scared? You better believe it. But at the same time, I'm ready for a new adventure, and I'm happy to bring you folks along for the ride. My goal with this blog is to share all of the ups and downs of the process with you in the coming weeks and months, and hopefully get some great feedback along the way from the successful veterans out there. Should be fun. I hope you'll join me.
Q&A for the Day: What new adventures are you embarking on lately?
