Moments like this make it all worthwhile.
Whew!
Been busy lately. Just living the life of a freelance writer. It’s great when it takes me to the top of the highest summit in Iceland for a Men’s Journal article. That smiling mug you see here had just come down from the summit block. Another 6,000 feet back to the trailhead. Man, was I happy or what?
But it hasn’t all been snowy foreign summits. I had an unusual conjunction of deadlines and travels. One deadline in particular, my portion of a book collaboration, gobbled up most of my time the last couple of months.
It’s nice to able to come up for air.
Ironically, this all came on the heels of my post about circular breathing–the way we freelance writers need to juggle writing, deadlines, marketing, and research to maintain a steady flow of income. I’ve been doing that. But I just wasn’t able to keep up with blogging at the same time. Sorry about that.
What was I doing?
Well, I climbed an amazing mountain called Hvannadalshnúkur. And learned how to pronounce it. Worked on the book project I mentioned, which is for National Geographic. I’ll share more details closer to publication date, which isn’t until next spring. Worked for my commercial clients on branding and corporate-image projects. Researched and wrote an investigative article for a national magazine. Updated and repackaged some old material for a new magazine client. Took the John Carlton Simple Writing System course to beef up my copywriting skills. Sat with my pal Wally Conger for an interview about the joys and challenges of freelancing.
I share all this with you not to brag, but to illustrate a couple of things.
First, when you decide to learn from me, you’re learning from someone who really does ply the trade. I’ve been through it all. I’m going through it all. It’s my pleasure to share with you what I learn and encourage you to apply my lessons to your success. The treasure trove for all this is, of course, my ebook Write Where the Money Is.
Second, how important it is to cultivate more than one client and more than one specialty. When you’re getting started, it makes sense to focus on what you know best, and to target markets that are prominent in that arena.
But as you move forward, always look for ways to stretch, to expand, and to learn. That’s how you stay fresh and stay busy.
Sometimes TOO busy. But that’s not so bad, eh?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Good to see you bloggin’ again, Bob!
You’re sooooo right (or is it “write”?) — the fact that you’ve been away actually walking the freelancer’s walk for the past few months just proves how valuable your book and blog content really are!