Snowfall and Demand’s Fall

What’s on the iPod: nessun dorma by Luciano Pavarotti

Snow. Glorious, gorgeous snow fell yesterday in the middle of my two-mile walk. The sound of snow sliding through the trees, hitting the leaves on the ground and making it all sound like paper shuffling was just so calming. Would have been nicer had there not been airplane noise, but I’ll take whatever small pleasures come my way.

It snowed all day, which, despite the legend here in Valley Forge, is not exactly normal. It snows way too little for my taste, but it makes it much more exciting when it does arrive. There were about three inches on the ground before the rain started sometime after 10 pm. Nothing slowed us down, though, as our work was indoors yet again. Prep work for the appliances hit a fevered pitch. The installation date is the 17th and there are electric lines to be run/moved, wall panels to remove/reconfigure, and an assortment of decisions left on cabinets and counter length. We ordered our soapstone on Saturday, so all that’s needed there is a final decision and a deposit check.

While this is going on, we’re also in discussions with a flooring contractor to get wood put in the foyer and the family room. While they’re at it, they’re going to refinish the dining room, library, and study floors. That means everything has to go out. Despite being a good month away from that happening, I started yesterday with moving things. We have tons of books, furniture, and small things that have to go to the basement or the garage, not to mention the stuff that’s been shuttled to the dining room out of the kitchen cabinets.

I long for one room that doesn’t bear the evidence of remodel.

Today I start a new client project. The work is intriguing as it’s in a direction I’d been hoping to go. I’m glad for the chance to establish myself as a voice in the industry, so I’m eager to get going.

Also, today will include marketing, as every day does. This time of year is typically slow and it’s not common that clients have projects, but as long as there are a few clients out there needing things done, I’ll be here. I know already that January will probably be insanely busy — naturally. My husband has vacation through to mid-January. But I’m 100-percent mobile-capable, so I can just take it with me.

Thanks to Jake Poinier for sharing this article about Demand Media. It does my heart good to see that quality may still matter. At least it matters to Google, which probably took its cues from its users, whom I suspect (hope) did a good deal of complaining about the quality of the search results. There’s still a glimmer of hope for Internet journalism.

I’ve never written for a content farm. I won’t say I wasn’t tempted once, but when I realized the pay rate, I didn’t look any further into it. However, I know there are people who have written for such places. The supporters say it’s a way to write and get fast cash. The opposition (me included) say it’s a great place to stall a writing career.

So what’s the alternative? If you can’t get work at a content farm (and it’s not really writing you’re doing there anyway), where can you look to earn some money and build a career?

Here are a few of my favorite areas to look:

Magazines: The magazines are still needing good content, and many are willing to pay a fair rate. Search for “writer’s guidelines” and browse the possibilities. Also, look for ideas to pitch to in your news feeds, on Twitter, and in press releases. Ideas, seriously, are all around you.

Job listings: First, let me say I’m not a fan of a passive career. By browsing job listings, you waste a lot of time and end up taking a gig that pays what someone else is dictating. I’d much rather your build your career through more assertive behavior — letter of introduction, query, phone call, whatever. Still, there could be gems amid the tons of low-paying jobs that seem to proliferate on numerous job boards. The great job boards are worth the time –I can highly recommend Jenn Mattern’s All Indie Writers job list (don’t forget to check out her magazine market listings). Other good ones include LinkedIn, which posts jobs in those forums you should belong to. And don’t forget to check out Journalism Jobs.

Twitter: Many of you remember when I first decided to try Twitter — I was dead-set against it being anything useful. Shows you just how wrong a person can be. Twitter is a super place to connect to potential (and existing) clients and get your name out there. It’s okay to post your availability; just don’t make it a habit or you’ll soon be that pest your followers want to drop from their feeds.

Existing clients: If you have them, try reminding them of your existence. I send out notes now and then (every few months typically) asking them if they’re working on something or if they have projects coming up where I could lend a hand. I’ve had clients say “Your timing was perfect!” and I’ve had them say “not now, thanks.” No matter — you’ve just made your presence known, and who knows? Maybe next week they’ll call with that project that just came up (I had this happen not long ago).

Where do you look for work?
What advice would you give someone trying to break free of a content mill?