R.I.P., Steve Jobs, which is all I have to say on that subject.
I'm still plugging away at my book, which is coming along slowly but surely. In the meantime, though, I'm trying to expand on my writing repertoire by searching for freelancing opportunities. I write, I proofread, I take pictures, I blog, I sing, I dance, I tell jokes.
Well, I don't dance, actually.
This evening I signed up with Freelanced.com, where I can track down such opportunities. It's a little... daunting, I think, is the word I want. There are a lot of freelancers out there. I've also been (somewhat shyly) submitting queries to periodicals about possibly writing articles for them, and checking into potential markets for short fiction. Of course, I have to write some short fiction before I can submit it anywhere, but hey, details. I've done freelance journalism in the past, as a newspaper columnist and a magazine writer, but it's been a while and in the case of the magazine, I was lucky enough to have gotten a contract through an editor friend. I only stopped doing it because they decided they were going to do all their articles in-house.
So I was just wondering - are any of my readers familiar with the search for freelance creative work? What have you found works or doesn't work? What pitfalls should I watch for, what scams have you encountered? Success stories?
Join me Mondays and Thursdays to laugh, to think, and to maybe change the world a little bit.
What doesn't work: Giving up. I know this sounds obvious, but it's something plenty of folks don't get. The only way to succeed in creative endeavors is to never. Stop. Trying. You never know which try is going to be THE try, and it would be a shame to stop just one attempt shy.
ReplyDeleteAlso to remember that rejection isn't personal. With creative works, that are so much a part of who you are, it can be hard to remember, but just because someone doesn't take on your project doesn't mean they think it's no good. It could mean any number of things; this isn't the type of work we produce, we don't have the budge to do something like this this year, we aren't taking out side clients, etc. etc. If someone turns you down, ask for a referral- ask who they would recommend you go to. Also, don't be afraid to ask what kind of work they ARE looking for, so you can maybe try with them again.
It takes 10 years to get good at anything. Maybe you've done your 10 years due diligence in your creative field, but now it's time to start your 10 years in the "marketing" sector. With any luck, and all that hard work you put in before, that time will be lessened. But don't stop trying. Not at least for 10 years ^_~