After a full week away from my blog, I realize how much I missed writing for the pure pleasure of it -- writing for myself. What's actually been going on is a huge spurt of writing projects -- for OTHER people. I say this joyfully because after all, I am a freelance writer, and the fact that business is coming to me with NO marketing efforts on my part is simply amazing and exciting. Not to mention very gratifying.
In the past few weeks, I have literally been innundated with new project work:
- I finished a rush job on a proposal for someone bidding on a city contract in Boston - my first government proposal and way more complicated than I, or the client, expected, but a great end result all the same (I sure hope she gets the contract!);
- I created a strategic alliance to ghostwrite articles for another writer who wants to sub-contract certain projects out, and got the go-ahead on the first project for her;
- I am editing a small book;
- I am about to start writing another proposal for someone in New Zealand, of all things, for a jazz event to be held on a historic property!
Plus I have a new web site to design, and web sites to re-design for two existing clients; web site copy to write or edit for two other clients; and a ghostwriting job for a new book for someone else, waiting in the wings. And approximately another 5-8 potential writing and/or web projects pending. I think its going to be a very busy and fun summer for me, work-wise. Best of all I love variety in my work and I am sure getting plenty of it now!
People have asked me: to what do you attribute this turnaround in your business? I've asked myself the same question, because never before have I had this much work at one time, and all of it showing up so effortlessly, with no blatant marketing efforts on my part. The only things I've done recently to market myself is to put the word out to people I know that I am looking for writing and web projects; and conducting a little experiment with Google AdWords Pay-Per-Click links, which is boosting my visibility on Google.
I thought about it, and I attribute it to this: (1) I made a choice to "give up" marketing in the classic sense, and (2) instead of marketing I put my energy into writing in whatever way I could, that was fun for me. Creating not one, but two blogs in the past few weeks has been a great writing and design outlet for my creative talents. I truly believe there is a strong connection between me putting my energy into the creative process, rather than putting it into doing distasteful "marketing" things like cold-calling, and THAT is what has lit the fire under my writing business.
When we do what we truly LOVE, without worrying whether or not it's "paying", we get rewarded -- and sometimes sooner rather than later.
The down side of this recent spurt of writing opportunities has been, of course, a bit less time to focus on my own writing. Clearly I need to find a way to carve out space for my own writing projects while at the same time giving my clients the best writing and web site results possible. We all need to do a better job of putting ourselves first, I suppose!
So, I'm back in the saddle again... and happy to be back doing what I love!
