Write What You Know (Who Knew?!)

It seems I have a knack for education topics. Go figure. I guess I’ve been trying so hard to get out of education, that I intentionally blocked it from freelance possibilities. Not so any longer.

I landed a freelance gig writing test questions. I have written thousands of test questions over the years in my full-time job. I never thought someone would pay me for each question I write.

Once upon a time last November I applied for a job at a publishing company. They liked my background, but only had a two month position to offer me, so I had to turn it down. We did agree to put me on their freelancing list before we hung up the phone. January, I received an email from them calling for language arts test question writers (right up my alley). After a few exchanges by email and phone, I participated in an hour long training session by conference call. The session walked the writers through some example documents emailed earlier. There were so many templates and such a large spreadsheet document that I was a little nervous. It went very well, though, and I had my first assignment that evening.

I must admit, the learning curve was high. Yes, I’ve written oodles of test questions, and yes, I follow the best practices of answer choice length and distracters, yada, yada, but the templates they sent were rigid, and I had to get used to them. The trainer mentioned that the assignments take their other writers 3-4 hours to do. It took me 10-12 that first day. It was disheartening, but I knew I was going to have to pay this price in order to get better. The next assignment was a flash compared to the first. I was much more comfortable with their format and had set up my own way of tracking and moving forward. I doubled my question per hour rate (thus my hourly rate) on the second day.

After I completed the second assignment, I received an email from the client praising my work. What a rush! I will need to ask her for permission to use that as a testimonial, so much sweeter since I didn’t ask for it. The work is not steady, but it’s a nice perk. I still can’t quit my day job, but I have a direction and I plan on working steadily that way. Perhaps by the end of this school year (May 30), I’ll have enough clients to work from home.

It’s a goal.

5 Hours Later

I did my first official slim jim brochure today for Rabago Realty Group. I really enjoyed the whole process. I had forgotten how much fun I have doing layout and writing copy. I loved it in college. Why, how had I forgotten that?! No one ever mentioned copywriting as a career while I was trying to figure out what I could do with an English degree. It was like a great big secret.

I spent five hours today glued to my chair. Yes, my hips ache again (might be the chair), but I feel energized instead of drained. This just looks better every day.

Yesterday I visited the website of Ilise Benun http://www.marketing-mentor.com/index.html. I was browsing through the testimonials and followed some to other freelance copywriters. I enjoyed browsing through their portfolios. Nothing seemed too far out there for me. I would want to take on smaller projects, perhaps in my own field (education), but I don't imagine I'd stay there long.

I have to set up a media packet for Rabago Realty Group, then work on Evolution Laser Technology. I am looking forward to it.

Enjoying,
Laura

Star-gazing

In between my teacher and mom duties, I’ve managed to read a few more articles and posts. A theme is forming. So many writers say the same thing: They are afraid to put themselves out there. “Oh, I could never do it!” I see variations on that sentiment everywhere.

Why? Why do we (I include myself in the ‘fraidy-cat group) think so negatively? Is it because we are ashamed of our grammar? Or did we lose something on that trip through high school and maybe even college? I don’t think it was then. I remember being pumped up about writing in high school and college. Man, this stuff is easy, I thought. Then I graduated and had to earn a paycheck. Writing seemed like some wonderful but impractical far-off star,... that faded over time.

Over the past several years I’ve become a semi-hermit. I drive to work. I interact with the students. I enjoy the faculty. I drive home. I look at the world through a little window, driving my view with a mouse. But that’s it. Do spirit and energy leak out of you over time? I am beginning to think so. So much of what I’ve read talks about how wonderful it is to be around others who write, how helpful it is, how energizing.

Lately, I’ve been opening my eyes, and my ears, and my mind to what is out there. I’ve been listening more when my mom, sister, or friend says something. I’m focusing more on the outside and learning more about myself on the inside as I go along, stuff I had forgotten in my daily drive to work. I think I will try to reach out. I still see the outline of that star.

Good night,
Laura

My hips hurt!

I sat in this chair researching for hours yesterday, and my body is complaining this morning. I think I'll sit a little longer, though. My mind is too full of stuff and my spirit is wide awake. My keister's just gonna have to deal with it!

I went to www.wellfedwriter.com yesterday. It was most interesting. I read a piece on Peter Bowerman in my 2006 Writer's Market and ended up at the website. Commercial copywriting sounds scary, but when I thought about it, I realized I'd done it before. I used to write for The Pan American, the student newspaper for UTPA and I worked in the University Press. I did layout and design on several pieces and wrote quite a bit of content. After college I did two direct mail pieces. One was layout only (and it really looked good) here in Austin for an attorney who was giving a seminar. The other was copy and layout in Edinburg for a mailbox service. Unfortunately, I cleaned out my files about three years ago and decided I'd held on to them long enough. (Kick, kick, kick...)

So, today I turn to my teacher duties. *sigh*

One last note on The Well-Fed Writer. The book talks about marketing yourself. A few of the reviews I read on Amazon were turned off by that. However, as I read it, I felt that it was possible. I have enough confidence in my abilities to pull this off.

Okay, NOW to teaching stuff...


Sparked,
Laura

The Adventure Begins!

This is my first ever post. I am excited and a bit nervous. Can I keep up with it? Will I see it through? These are the same questions I ask myself about writing for a living. I'm just going to have to keep plugging away and see how I do.

What brought me to this point? It began when I signed up for a a free class at Barnes & Noble University called "Writing for Quick Cash." I bought the books, signed on to the boards, and began to read my little heart away. I was hooked! Some of my research assignments lead me to wonderful places, like Deborah Ng's Freelance Writing Jobs blog. What a treasure! Between that and Jenna Glatzer at AbsoluteWrite.com I have tons of information to sort through in the categories of writing support and potentional jobs.

I have been researching extensively and have a marketable idea I am ready to work on, so I am going to keep this short.

I have found that working full-time as a teacher and being a mother of three children ages 6-12 doesn't leave a whole lot of time for writing. I've been exhausted, but I really don't want to stop. The desire to succeed overwhelming.

Fascinated,
Laura