The Content Farmer

There once was a girl who could write. She could write very well, and given the time, might have even written a book.

Sadly, this girl also had bills to pay, student loans to fulfill and a growing family. Her decision earlier in the year to quit a job that, while somewhat maddening and stagnant, provided a steady paycheck was keeping her on her toes. There was very little time for creative fun and the generation of magic on paper.

Known to society as a “freelance writer”, this girl balanced herself between moments of excitement and inspiration and bouts of panic over her insistence to buy organic apples. If only she could grow content and fresh produce.

Alright, enough of that. Here’s the short list of my latest freelance adventures:

1. My contracting with a local independent publisher is going well. It is a trustworthy pillar in a maze of faceless organizations who need a good writer.
2. The content farm I relied on for bread and butter radically altered its system, and now I can get virtually no work from them. They, in a word, suck.
3. I bid on a project I found online, performed very well in the “audition article” and am waiting to hear on the next step. The client has given me some positive feedback on my past and future work!
4. I’m chipping away at a new type of content writing with Content Customs. Although this company is far more personable than the above evil entity, their process is more complex, and will require some getting used to. Fortunately, there’s the potential for interesting assignments – quite the departure from the aforementioned sucky content farm.

In all honesty, I’m still a little nervous at the unpredictable income as winter draws closer. It makes quite a cocktail with the pregnancy hormones (mmm… cocktail… *sigh*). But, my skill and confidence in self-marketing continues to grow, and I know I’m headed uphill.

A tip to those on a similar path: No source for freelancers is invulnerable to drought. Always keep your LinkedIn and Guru profiles complete and up to date. Bid on projects you may need to refuse. Don’t dismiss work that makes you feel a little underpaid just because you know you’re worth more. Some reliability, even low-paying, is better than nothing.

Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you on Halloween!