So I've Made a Big Decision...
I graduated a few weeks ago, which means that now it's time to start making some decisions about life. I manage a car wash now. It's a decent job that pays pretty well with really good benefits, but it's just not something I want to do forever. I've already decided that I want to write (see the post "So I'm Writing a Book...," which is kind of a prequel to this post), but finding a job is somewhat difficult for someone who's had no internship experience and would probably have to take a devastating drop in pay for an entry level job. So, I came up with a another option - back to freelancing!
A freelance writer, for those unfamiliar with the title, is a writer who works with publications on a temporary and contractual basis, often for a single assignment rather than a steady flow of work. This is something that I got into in high school and early college. I started out as a contributor to the Modesto Bee's Teens in the Newsroom program (which produces the Thursday Buzzzz section) for a couple of years, and then wrote several pieces for a now-defunct (I believe) magazine called Valley Views, had a fling with a magazine called Valley Weekly, and covered Turlock-area high school football games for the Turlock Journal. It was all flowing along pretty nicely, and then it stopped. I got promoted to a manager position, and between working fifty hours a week and going to school, my writing jobs got lost in the shuffle. I simply didn't have time anymore.
Well, things are changing. I'm bringing writing back. I've been doing extensive research into the life and work of a full-time freelancer, and am realizing more and more the necessity of having a game plan and setting goals. If I don't give myself something to shoot for, I'll lose focus and end up slacking. So, here are some goals for myself for the next year:
1. Write every day. No exceptions. Even if it's senseless drivel, random words on a page, or stream-of-consciousness scribbling, I must write something. Consequently, that may mean that this blog will probably be updated way more often than I've been doing now.
2. Work my way up to writing articles for national magazines. I'm trying to reestablish some of my ties with the local publications I used to work for, and create new ones with some newer publications that have popped up in recent years. Once I do that, I will gradually start taking stabs at some of the larger publications with more readership and a bigger spotlight. I've been thinking that the two main areas I'd like to focus on are travel and religious publications, and ultimately, I'd like to move up from local by my deadline.
3. Look into copywriting and work with a few clients to see if it's my thing. Copywriting is more your everyday stuff that you normally wouldn't think about - brochures, advertising, newsletters, etc. Someone writes all that stuff, and that someone is usually a freelancer. I know very little about this area though, so I'd like to at least give it a try.
4. Attempt to do some poetry and short fiction. I don't really feel like this is really my strong area, but I do eventually need to get over my fear of failure and just write something and submit it to contests and publications to see if it gets me anywhere.
5. Join a writing group of some kind. I don't know if there are many Modesto-area ones out there, but somehow I need to get into the process of being in community and bouncing my work off of others before I submit it.
6. Propose my book. This is a big one for me. I found out that most nonfiction books are sold before being written, so after I build enough of a foundation of experience, I'd like to get an agent, write some sample chapters, and put together a book proposal. If all goes well, someone will pick it up, get me an advance, which leads to my next and final goal....
7. Quit my job to write. Or at least quit my job and write in addition to a less demanding part-time job, preferably in an area somewhat related to writing.
So, that's it. Those are my goals for June 15, 2008. Now that I have something to shoot for, hopefully it'll improve my accuracy.
A freelance writer, for those unfamiliar with the title, is a writer who works with publications on a temporary and contractual basis, often for a single assignment rather than a steady flow of work. This is something that I got into in high school and early college. I started out as a contributor to the Modesto Bee's Teens in the Newsroom program (which produces the Thursday Buzzzz section) for a couple of years, and then wrote several pieces for a now-defunct (I believe) magazine called Valley Views, had a fling with a magazine called Valley Weekly, and covered Turlock-area high school football games for the Turlock Journal. It was all flowing along pretty nicely, and then it stopped. I got promoted to a manager position, and between working fifty hours a week and going to school, my writing jobs got lost in the shuffle. I simply didn't have time anymore.
Well, things are changing. I'm bringing writing back. I've been doing extensive research into the life and work of a full-time freelancer, and am realizing more and more the necessity of having a game plan and setting goals. If I don't give myself something to shoot for, I'll lose focus and end up slacking. So, here are some goals for myself for the next year:
1. Write every day. No exceptions. Even if it's senseless drivel, random words on a page, or stream-of-consciousness scribbling, I must write something. Consequently, that may mean that this blog will probably be updated way more often than I've been doing now.
2. Work my way up to writing articles for national magazines. I'm trying to reestablish some of my ties with the local publications I used to work for, and create new ones with some newer publications that have popped up in recent years. Once I do that, I will gradually start taking stabs at some of the larger publications with more readership and a bigger spotlight. I've been thinking that the two main areas I'd like to focus on are travel and religious publications, and ultimately, I'd like to move up from local by my deadline.
3. Look into copywriting and work with a few clients to see if it's my thing. Copywriting is more your everyday stuff that you normally wouldn't think about - brochures, advertising, newsletters, etc. Someone writes all that stuff, and that someone is usually a freelancer. I know very little about this area though, so I'd like to at least give it a try.
4. Attempt to do some poetry and short fiction. I don't really feel like this is really my strong area, but I do eventually need to get over my fear of failure and just write something and submit it to contests and publications to see if it gets me anywhere.
5. Join a writing group of some kind. I don't know if there are many Modesto-area ones out there, but somehow I need to get into the process of being in community and bouncing my work off of others before I submit it.
6. Propose my book. This is a big one for me. I found out that most nonfiction books are sold before being written, so after I build enough of a foundation of experience, I'd like to get an agent, write some sample chapters, and put together a book proposal. If all goes well, someone will pick it up, get me an advance, which leads to my next and final goal....
7. Quit my job to write. Or at least quit my job and write in addition to a less demanding part-time job, preferably in an area somewhat related to writing.
So, that's it. Those are my goals for June 15, 2008. Now that I have something to shoot for, hopefully it'll improve my accuracy.
posted by Matt Andrews at 7:54 PM
1 Comments:
I like when you said, "I'm bringing writing back" because in my head I yelled in my JT voice "Yah!"
Yah, I am going to help hold you accountable to your goals, you can do it!
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