LOL I want to retire too, Gabriella. Same boat you’re in — how do you pull the plug, and when?

I’ll see if I can find someone to guest post on that topic. It’s time we talk about it, no?

Me, too, on the banking checks.

Oh, I meant seven short articles! Used to be eight. Anyway, that does sound daunting, but I’ve been working with this client since 2008 and have a great system that allows me to knock out all the interviews in a day and then write in a day. You get pretty efficient when you’ve been doing this a while, right?

Backup plan for writing: Yep, trade magazines. I started in the real estate space, so I’ve got that niche. But being a lawyer gives me a double niche, indeed a unique one. That should help.

But really? I want to retire? Can you do a post on how freelancers know when to retire? 🙂 (Half kidding. I’m not yet there age wise and funding wise. But it’s really on my mind as I age.)

I’m seeing noise in the earnings reports that suggest next year’s insurance industry may be looking to cut back on projects. Losses are up, earnings are down. I’m banking these checks and hoping I can get through whatever comes next.

Very interesting. I simply can’t imagine taking on new clients!

Today’s column is a variation on what we were talking about last week, whether it’s wise to stop marketing and stop accepting new clients. My mix:

Monthly website copy (eight short articles) plus moderating a webinar – 1 client
Weekly newsletters (two different newsletters) – 1 client
Bimonthly magazine management/writing -1 client
Quarterly magazine management (two different magazines)-2 different departments in the same trade association

Now that I look at it, it doesn’t seem much. But I’m swamped!

I feel like this is a good mix of daily/weekly/monthly/bimonthly/quarterly work. But who knows?

Anyway, any of those clients could go away. And my fallback is that I’d go back to writing more frequently. I’ve had to turn away unplanned writing assignments, and I think I could go back to that with success.