I
Wednesday
I cut my subheader, because blogger wouldn't accept the HTML strike tag
On April 11th 2009, I decided to work for one year as a freelance journalist.
Ihave no other income except from what I research and write for local and online publications. The economic pressure to get a part-time job is was too strong as and my money runs ran out and I'm a wicked procrastinator. So now I freelance and work part-time, and I'm much happier for it.
I
Combat Improv in Regina, Saskatchewan
I continue to freelance for Dacian, but I managed to get in a 700 word piece on Combat Improv, a Regina-based group that holds monthly theatre sports performances.
Friday
Saturday
Bus Driver, Art Crime, Gym, Blog, Car Share
An update on freelance life.
One.
One.
Two.
I now drive a school bus. Good route, good kids, good regular work that comes with benefits. Early mornings, but I like getting up early and seeing the sun rise. Take away: don't start out freelancing full time. Have a part-time job that you don't hate, then take the projects that make you happy. Like...
Three.
Researching for a small video production company called Dacian Productions. I'm generating story possibilities for a seven episode program on art crime. More and more I discover a preference for research and the rush of discovery that comes with it. An insight: research = reading about things that interest you and getting paid for it.
Four.
I'm back to the gym, my key to mental health. I got a cold before X-mas, so lost some early progress, but now that I'm back at it, the strength is returning and it feels awesome. I'm pretty sure that within three weeks I'll be able to do a chin-up. Eight chin-ups is part of what Phase II of the workout calls for, and I'm really excited about getting it! I think it'll take another month, at least. My friend has been on this program for a year, and just recently managed to dead-lift 290 pounds, twice his body weight. (Way to go AM!)
Five.
Due to the above, I've had less time to blog, and the stats show. Best of Used Regina I only manage to update about once per day. The rest (including this blog) get updated infrequently. Also, might start yet a new blog about being a bus driver. The small humans say funny stuff, and occasionally profound stuff that I think I need to start writing down.
Six.
Since I bought a car (to get to work) I invited four friends to informally car share with me. We just started today. They pay 50 cents per kilometre, I pay for everything else, and whoever has an accident (gord forbid) pays the deductible.
Sunday
Alien Hitchhikers in SGI Driver's Handbook
There is a freelance connection here, but you have to read to the end...
Here's page 55 of the 2009 Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook. Notice the diagrams that demonstrate when to use low or high beams while driving at night.
Now here's the high beam graphic blown up.
You can just imagine the boredom of the graphic designer tasked with making 166 pages of driving instruction. I can imagine it's late at night, and she's designing yet another image of a car, or a street, or a traffic sign. *Sigh* And then the decision: I think I'll put some hitchhiking aliens in this graphic. It's a dark image. You can barely see them. Why not?
And you know what: good for her! If it's any sector of society, it's probably the bureaucrats who deserve a little bit of humour in their lives. Way to go, faceless public servant. Well done. (And, in all seriousness, it's a well designed book.)
Why was I reading the SGI driver's handbook so closely that I noticed these obscure aliens? Well, let's call it the next phase of my freelancing year, of which there remains four months and five days.
I got a part-time job. I'm going to drive a school bus. I train next week. I drive in the morning 7-9 and the afternoon 3-5. I will continue to freelance in the hours in between. I did make several attempts at getting professional work in my field, but I couldn't even get an interview. And so the bus.
I'm trying to not see this as a step backwards. Here's what's good about the decision.
No more financial pressure to "publish or starve." A lot of the writing I've done in the past months has been a mix of work, ranging from decent, respectable journalism to terrible, soulless advertorial writing that made me feel dirty. Now that I work, I should be able to pick exactly the stories I want and either reject the rest or set much fairer terms for the work. At best I made a low 30 cents/word, at worst a pathetic 10 cents/word. I should have pursued publications that pay higher, I suppose.
Well, now I will. I'm doing an investigative piece right now, and if it turns out I should be able to sell it for quite a lot. But it will take months to actually publish it from now, and thanks to the part-time job, I can take that time!
I learned this much: to freelance full time, you need A LOT of discipline. I could have wrote more, pitched more, hustled up more work... and made more money. I certainly had the time. I think that it's really important that you like what you're writing about. Advertorials are certainly uninspiring.
My hope is that the external structure of a part-time job will help. Instead of having "all the time in the world" to procrastinate, stress over the bills, and juggling multiple deadlines, now I hope to just focus on one story at a time that I choose. I hope, I hope.
Here's page 55 of the 2009 Saskatchewan Driver's Handbook. Notice the diagrams that demonstrate when to use low or high beams while driving at night.
Now here's the high beam graphic blown up.
You can just imagine the boredom of the graphic designer tasked with making 166 pages of driving instruction. I can imagine it's late at night, and she's designing yet another image of a car, or a street, or a traffic sign. *Sigh* And then the decision: I think I'll put some hitchhiking aliens in this graphic. It's a dark image. You can barely see them. Why not?
And you know what: good for her! If it's any sector of society, it's probably the bureaucrats who deserve a little bit of humour in their lives. Way to go, faceless public servant. Well done. (And, in all seriousness, it's a well designed book.)
Why was I reading the SGI driver's handbook so closely that I noticed these obscure aliens? Well, let's call it the next phase of my freelancing year, of which there remains four months and five days.
I got a part-time job. I'm going to drive a school bus. I train next week. I drive in the morning 7-9 and the afternoon 3-5. I will continue to freelance in the hours in between. I did make several attempts at getting professional work in my field, but I couldn't even get an interview. And so the bus.
I'm trying to not see this as a step backwards. Here's what's good about the decision.
No more financial pressure to "publish or starve." A lot of the writing I've done in the past months has been a mix of work, ranging from decent, respectable journalism to terrible, soulless advertorial writing that made me feel dirty. Now that I work, I should be able to pick exactly the stories I want and either reject the rest or set much fairer terms for the work. At best I made a low 30 cents/word, at worst a pathetic 10 cents/word. I should have pursued publications that pay higher, I suppose.
Well, now I will. I'm doing an investigative piece right now, and if it turns out I should be able to sell it for quite a lot. But it will take months to actually publish it from now, and thanks to the part-time job, I can take that time!
I learned this much: to freelance full time, you need A LOT of discipline. I could have wrote more, pitched more, hustled up more work... and made more money. I certainly had the time. I think that it's really important that you like what you're writing about. Advertorials are certainly uninspiring.
My hope is that the external structure of a part-time job will help. Instead of having "all the time in the world" to procrastinate, stress over the bills, and juggling multiple deadlines, now I hope to just focus on one story at a time that I choose. I hope, I hope.
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