Keeping busy when I'm not
A freelancer e-mailed recently for tips on how to avoid slow periods, in other words how to achieve a steady work load without wild highs and lows. When we're busy we don't want to waste time on pitches. When we're slow we've got no way to pay the bills.
It was a problem I struggled with when I first started out, and I still do. Business for me has been dreadfully slow in recent weeks. Here's how I deal with it.
- I rest. In May I went to Tampa about four times in three weeks. I worked six-day weeks and slept in hotels. I was tired. I try to rest up because I never know when someone will send me back to Tampa or anywhere else for that matter.
- I get organized. Usually I've got a stack of invoices to file or story ideas to pitch.
- I try to enjoy myself. When I'm not under financial pressure and when things are selling I enjoy pitching. I enjoy the creativity that goes into crafting ideas and finding markets for them. Sometimes I'll spend an afternoon at the Barnes & Noble magazine stand. Ideas flare, and that invigorates me. Immersing myself in magazines this way reminds me of why I got into this business in the first place. I toy around with my blog, a book idea or other things I never seem to have time for. I have fun with writing.
- Even when I'm busy I make time to pitch. Now that most publications accept queries by e-mail, when an idea is rejected it only takes a few minutes to send the idea to another publication. Some freelancers maintain a quota of queries they send every week. I've never done this because so much of my business comes from breaking news and "right-now" assignments, and sometimes when I'm busy I just go with it because I don't know when the next slow period will be. But I do keep an eye on my calendar and try to make sure I've got at least something lined up for the next week.
- I worry, stress and feel depressed. I wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit this. A few weeks into a slow stretch like this I'll start to feel frustrated and discouraged. By now I've sold three stories, and all have been put on hold at least until August. Yuck. I question my abilities as a journalist and my decisions in life.
- I try to remember all the other slow times. I remind myself that it's impossible to know when an astronaut will drive from Houston to Orlando with diapers to confront a romantic rival, generating months of work for me. In the news business we never know what's about to happen, what's about to pop up in our e-mail inbox. As long as I've pitched everything I can, as long as I've maintained my Web sites and done everything possible to get my name out, that's all I can do. All that's left is enjoying myself and my free time while I wait for the work to come to me. It always does.