Could use your help
May 29, 2008 work work work
So I’ve got a gig coming up with the Greater Columbus Arts Council where I’m going to be talking about making a living from writing and am pulling together what all I’m going to say. Do you guys have any input on what kinds of things you’d want me to address if you were attending a session like this? Here’s the description:
Writer Dawn Friedman will talk about her switch from part-time writer to full-time freelancer and family breadwinner. She will discuss the challenges of balancing artistic and financial needs and share the way she learned to market her job skills her creative self.
Tomorrow is billing day and I need to sit down with Brett and figure out how much one client owes me. This client has paid in dribbles and drabs, which is ok but wreaks havoc on my invoice system because Billable doesn’t have a way to mark invoices as partially paid. I have to go through and mess with ‘em manually and I’ve been avoiding it for too long.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:49 am
Can you address making the transition to freelance writing from a non-writing background?
May 29th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Duly noted! Thanks K! (Are you going to be at the next Bond event?)
May 29th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Yep! Can’t wait to see the pets.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:30 am
some tax info, some inspiration for tough times, how to bill, lead times, typical from query to publish guidelines, the pros and cons of at home worker - Can I come and listen?
May 29th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I think I’d be particularly interested in understanding how to market oneself authentically - how to walk that precarious line between the commercial and the creative.
That, and time management - the whole looking for work: maintenance: doing the work ratio just gives me the spins.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Amy, you can register — I’ve got nothing to do with the practicalities of the registration stuff! I don’t want to focus too much on writing since I’m thinking most of the people who come will be other kinds of artists.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Tracy, I think I’m really gonna focus on that stuff ‘cuz it’s something I finally feel like I have a handle on it (not conquered it but have an idea of where/how I’m doing it).
May 29th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
I’d be particularly interested in just how you got your first jobs - before you had previous jobs to brag about. And, without making it sound too depressing, a realistic comment on the downsides/stress of it all, as well as the upsides, and how you overcome the former to make the latter worthwhile. And yeah, What Tracy said about the time management balance.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I’d be interested in how you chose the focus of your commercial writing and how it relates to the writing you do for yourself.
I would love to know about you market yourself, and how you balance your business, your art and your family.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Time. How, when you have a child and a household, and perhaps a “day job”, do you find the time to do the research, market yourself, find avenues of employment, and then do the job? Time is the highest hurdle for me.