Adventures In Freelancing

It's been a very long time since I've posted here at Adventures in Freelancing. While I love writing about writing, I realized I had to get some focus in my life. So for the last several months, I've been putting my energies into my family, my personal blog and paid writing projects. I've had various projects, from professional blogging gigs to writing for private clients, and the work has been enjoyable.

I'm still not making a full-time living as a writer, but that's okay. What I've come to realize is that I'm happiest when I feel like I have a balance. I know that so many people are chasing that seemingly unattainable balance, but as a freelancer with a husband who works full-time, I've realized that I have the luxury of coming close. I do need to work in order for us to get by financially, but I no longer feel the need to match my previous income.

I'm still taking steps toward doing the kinds of work that most fulfills me. I've finally set up my professional website, and I'm enjoying networking and marketing with this tool in hand. Having a website makes it all so much easier. How did I ever do without it? When I apply for jobs, I simply provide potential employers with my website URL, and they've got my writing samples and a snapshot of who I am right at their fingertips.

So that's what I've been up to lately. How about you? What kinds of things are you working on? Are you happy with your balance?

In my last post I talked about setting writing goals and sticking to them for 100 days. When I told my husband about it and the goals that I set for myself, I noticed that he looked at me a little strangely. I immediately realized what the issue was. My goal of posting to two blogs each day and sending out three queries per week didn't seem like very much to him, I believe. So I then reminded him of what else I spent my days doing - marketing.

Marketing means many things to many people. For a business it may be advertising your product, sending out press releases, and creating buzz about your product. We freelancers need to market as well. Writing is our business! Without getting ourselves in front of our audience or people who could potentially help us in our pursuits, our chances of earning an income significantly decrease.

For me, marketing includes writing query letters. Those are a key marketing piece for many of us. My marketing efforts also include social networking on sites like Twitter and Facebook to spread the word about my blogs. I recently spent some time creating a fan page on Facebook around my new blog for adult learners as well as submitting the blog to various blog directories.

All of this takes a tremendous amount of time. So if you've decided to take the writing challenge, please don't neglect to think about all the other aspects that go into your career as a freelance writer. Choose goals that are realistic for the time you have available to dedicate to your business. Like me, many of you may be juggling freelancing with raising children. You may have a full-time job and be writing on the side. Whatever the case may be, it's imporant to take outside obligations and the big picture into account when setting your goals.

There. Now I've explained myself to you as well. I feel better. What are your thoughts on marketing? Do you enjoy it or would you rather just write? I have mixed emotions about the subject. I find it fun to reach out and enjoy the challenge of using my creativity to advance my projects; however, it can get kind of tiring as well. It's a delicate balance.

Well, I'm off to do some marketing!