Looking for Work, or an Exercise in Insanity?

Normally this is the part where I whine and complain about how I haven't maintained a blog, and blah, blah, blah. I've decided that this blog is going to cease to be that kind of blog. Why? I'm getting serious about the serious business of writing.

You see, a lot of us writers do this. We say that we want to freelance or whatever (commit to a book, poem, whatever currently tickles our fancy). We make bold claims and a whole lot of nothing is the result. So I asked myself, aren't you tired of that? The simple answer was yes, so I committed to looking for work in the writing industry. And that is when I discovered one small hiccup in my otherwise brilliant scheme, my portfolio is sad.

I am weep into your cocoa, cuddle up with a puppy, and watch some generic sappy movie sad. The sad that drives poets to poesy sad. It's not that I don't have writing samples, I do, and they even display my range as a writer and how I'm all multifaceted. But as a lot of writing jobs are in marketing and I have nothing that shows how I could blow people away in the field, I spend a lot of time sending in my stuff, only to get laughed at. (I assume this at least; to date, no one has actually called me to laugh at me, but it wouldn't surprise me.)

So, some of you ask, "What are you doing about all this? Quitting? I would, but then again, I'm not you so you wouldn't take my advice." You're right random person that I made up, I'm not. I'm still plugging away. I keep searching for jobs, even ones not in my field. I've started building a LinkedIn profile, and I am working on generating new, exciting writing samples, as well and brushing up my writing skills and taking the leap into freelance writing. I'm building myself up and taking risks.

I was, admittedly, trying the same tactics for far too long. Using the same samples, not taking risks, and even not writing, but what is the point? Writers and supposed to be creative and I confess to be one of their lot, so creativity is something I should have. (I do have that spark, by the way, at least according to others and a class I took in college.)

Finding work in the freelance world is not easy, but not impossible, at least according to Tom Ewer at Leaving Work Behind. I've actually found his article "Freelance Writing: How To Find Your First Job" interesting and informative. I will be following his tips. One thing that I have as an advantage is that my current living situation allows me to not need a steady income right now, so I do have some time to build up a portfolio this way. He also lists 7 mistakes that I will definitely be looking to avoid.

I would hate to live where Tom lives, though, he says $40,000 a year is not enough to pay the bills, and I would disagree, that would be a blessing beyond compare for me and there would be plenty of opportunities for me to live off of that.

Normally, this is the part where I promise to write more and maybe even announce what will come next. The truth is, I don't know what is next, nor do I care. Life is too fluid sometimes and we all have a lot to learn. So, no, I won't make promises like that. What I say is I will write when I have something to say, and possibly even before that.