Friday, March 12, 2010

Beginning Again

The world of freelancing is constantly a lesson in beginning again, and again, and again. It seems fate has me primed to take that 'from scratch' journey again. Due to a number of factors the amazing gig that I have had for the last 12 months no longer needed my services. Ouch - to say the least.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit when I found out I spent the entire day in a state of dazed panic. So many thoughts ran through my head... wait a second they liked my work, it seemed so secure the week before, shit I need to pay my taxes, my dad's going to flip, another job come and gone, oh no I've got two student loan bills and my phone bill sitting on my desk, thank God I still have a couple smaller gigs.

After the first day of confusion, I decided two things. One: Things happen for a reason. Two: I'm not going to sit back and hope good things just role my way.

The things happen for a reason was proved utterly true when I headed home that weekend to visit with my family. The trip had been planned well in advance and while it had nothing to do with my nearly jobless state it was a welcome break. The day I arrived home, my grandmother was put on hospice care. Five days later she passed away. If I hadn't lost my main freelancing gig I would not have been able to stay in Chicago to help my mom drive my siblings to soccer practice, make their packed lunches, do laundry, clean the house, take out the dogs, etc... So things happen for a reason.

I'm jumping to it again... I've reached out to fellow writers, former colleagues and college alums, as well as former clients. Just getting my name out there is going to help. Plus, I just got some great advice on how to better my MS, so I'll be taking advantage of this downtime to re-order, re-write and then re-submit by book.

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