Lori, that helps. Thanks. I think I’ve been fixated on the issue of deadlines without realizing it. I need to think longer term calendar-wise. I tend to feel like I have to get everything done now. Maybe I secretly want to go on vacation. Haha. You just helped me rethink how I can take control of the process. Thank you…but I will still bet you and many other writers can turn out more work in less time than I can. I can overthink one sentence while dollars go out the window. Haha.

Wow! That’s fantastic, Paula! Right place, right time. Don’t you love when that happens?

Just picked up my first quick assignment from the new client. If I can knock it out in an hour on the first try, I should be able to turn a profit once their system becomes second nature. (The writing is simple, but imputing it into their customized platform will take a little time to figure out.)

While I haven’t yet set a call with the other potential client, I accidentally found another one during a Twitter chat yesterday. I was only on Twitter at that time because of the chat and happened to see he was looking for entertainment-slanted writers to write content for a website. I shot him a quick email and he said my “pedigree” was exactly what he was looking for. And when I asked about story lengths and pay rates I was pleasantly surprised that he wants magazine style articles and pays magazine-style rates…not $1/word, but better than most websites offer, and he said he pays more for stories that involve more legwork. He clearly must have started out as a writer. I told him I’ll study the site over the next few days and try to get some ideas to him next week. Fingers crossed on this one.

Semi-regular sounds pretty good, too! I have a few of those clients who come around every three months or so. That’s when they have a need. I love it because I can pretty much time it so that I don’t have a lull.

Fingers crossed indeed! Let us know how it goes.

Gina, sorry. I was sick yesterday and away from the computer.

Your answer is in the scheduling. How much work do you want to take on right now? That’s the question you ask yourself each time a project comes in. Then make an appointment to get to it in two weeks, three weeks, etc. There’s nothing that says you must take the work the moment it comes in, right?

I’ve been where you are. Too much at once isn’t good. Push back on the deadlines. “I’d love to take it on, but it may have to wait a week or two. Will this fit within your timeline?”

Most deadlines are arbitrary and can be moved. Not all, but I’ve been able to postpone things to when I’m able to give it all of my concentration.

The scheduled call went really well yesterday. We chatted like old friends who happen to both be writers with mutual interests. While their pay rates aren’t that great per project, they are simple, straightforward, short blurb-like items that don’t take much time, so hopefully the quantity will result in a nice additional revenue stream. I told them I can only commit 10 hours per week (occasionally less if I wind up with multiple deadlines at the same time). I also let her know that I couldn’t do interviews at the rates they pay, since it wouldn’t even pay for the time spent on the call and transcribing (or the cost of hiring out the transcribing), and she said those rates were negotiable. She also said that if she has any money left in her budget at the end of the month she pays more. Fingers crossed it will work out.

I’m hoping to schedule a call with the other editor soon, too! That doesn’t sound like it would have on-going work, but perhaps semi-regular assignments.

Still waiting for replies to a couple other queries and LOIs I sent last week….and I can tell someone was viewing my website this morning. Fingers crossed!