What’s on the iPod: King of Diamonds by Motopony
HOT day yesterday. 102 according to my car’s thermometer. Really? This isn’t Phoenix, it’s Phoenixville. So what gives? In fact, Phoenix doesn’t have the 90-percent humidity that makes everything so much more unbearable. Just that blazing brightness and microwaved-alive feeling. Phoenixville is just hot and dripping.
I will say we’re thanking our lucky stars we had the good sense to join the local swim club. For once, excellent timing.
Did a ton of marketing this week. I’m light on projects at the moment and I’ll be darned if I’m going to rest until I get at least one more client. The conference folks are still deciding what project to do, when to start it, and what my role in it will be. Without anything concrete, I keep searching. Waiting for a contract is career suicide, for the ones you expect don’t always materialize, or the show up much later than you expected – usually when the car is packed and you’re on your way out on vacation.
It’s Friday, I’m wiped out, and I thought it might be nice to share some links I found especially terrific this week. Been dodging a migraine for a number of days, so hopefully since the weather here has broken, the headaches will go with the heat.
Here are my favorite reads this week:
The Avid Writer: Educating Difficult Clients. Super little discussion on how to get your clients to the point when they’re not sure where that is.
About Freelance Writing: 30 Days of Writing Tips. I’ve included one, but Anne has plenty more. Browse them all.
All Freelance Writing: Nonprofit Does NOT Mean Non-paying. Don’t apply for any nonprofit gigs until you read this.
freelancedom: Why It Took Me Four Years to Become a Freelance Hard-Ass Steph Auteri gives inspired advice for freelancers at all levels. After reading her rant, saying no is so much easier.
Writer Abroad: 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Writing Conference. I’ve been a Chantal fan for a while. This is one reason why – great, relevant posts.
7 responses to “Good Advice All Around”
Thanks for the link love, Lori.
Yes this crazy heat wave is reeking havoc on my sinuses, and my poor plants need rain soon. I think it's even hotter where you live than it is here in the southeast.
Yeah, I no longer wait around. I tell them, "At the moment, X time is open, but without a firm commitment, I can't hold it. When you've settled on a time frame, we'll discuss it again in terms of definite dates and deposits."
We had a big storm last night, and it's much cooler. It was sticky yesterday, but not unbearable.
I wish we could get some rain and have things cool off here, too. Not happening anytime soon though. So thankful for air conditioning! 🙂
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Beware of what you wish, Ashley. We had a string of days with temps in the upper 90s, and it was broken by a massive torrential rain system Wednesday night. My town lucked out with less than 2" of rain that night, but just south of us some towns had more than 5" of rain overnight. More rain today with storms tonight. Flash Flood warnings all over the region.
I love the lower temperatures, and now that my gutters are cleaned & repaired I don't mind the occasional deluge, but I bet my basement will be wet by morning….and I'm lucky. I'm on a hill.
Paula — That's how rain happens here, unfortunately 🙁 We've had only one storm since September, and it was massive. Sadly, it didn't even put a dent in the drought. That's South Texas for you, though.
Kim, I'm due north of you. It's THICK here today. That's the best way to describe the air. It's 87 and…THICK.
Devon, exactly. Waiting isn't smart, and I won't apologize to clients who think I have the ability to drop everything and take their projects on. If I can jump on a project quickly, I will. But I can't drop other clients' projects to satisfy those who don't plan ahead.
Ashley, we were three weeks without rain. We didn't notice because it's done nothing BUT rain for months, but we were due. I hope you get some soon.
Paula, you have to tell me when you get your next Tor Con rating. :))
Lori – remember the storm that broke my windows? The NWS later confirmed 3 or 4 thankfully small tornadoes skipped and hopped through the greater metro area here. (I know they confirmed 3, and last I heard they were assessing the 4th.) I think we were were at TorCon7 or 8 that day.