I’m so excited! Not even three months unemployed and I’m published already. Check it out on TasteTablet.com, a new platform for the young and savvy (my words, not theirs). I like how they have the site organized into various senses and with users able to create their own “magazines.” I could probably start up about 100 different “magazines” on there. Have you seen my Pinterest?
So here it is, the very first piece of my writing online for the world to see! It’s an article aimed at young women about what kind of men you don’t want to waste your time on dating. Enjoy!
Starting Over Again As A Freelance Writer?
I felt like I was starting over as a freelance writer when I knew the full-time job was going away and I began applying for writing jobs in December. Obviously, back then I didn’t have as much time as I did when the job finally went away January 5. But I did make as good a start as I could looking for freelance writing jobs in December with what little time I had to find them and apply.
By mid-January, I began to adjust to unemployment and life began to slow down. My application efforts began to speed up. My strategy was simple; I would only apply to the job ads that I was most qualified for as a writer. The first one I landed was too time-consuming for what it paid, so I let it go quickly.
I felt strongly that I needed to spend my time on landing gigs that would:
- Give me a byline
- Pay well for time spent
- Bring me opportunity
- Help me build my platform
You know that nagging anxiety you feel as a writer when friends ask, “So what do you write?” If I’m writing some non-byline thing (like SEO content or the ever vague “web articles”) I can’t point people to it. So what’s the point? I’m an experienced freelance writer and journalist, so why am I going for SEO content gigs? Those were easy money in the past. But I was a lot younger and less experienced back in 2006-2007 when I freelanced as a writer for the first time.
Now I have a college degree from Boston University and nine more years of experience than I did in 2006. Since that time, I have written journalistic articles for online; written broadcast news in a newsroom; done four years of morning radio; not to mention my life experience since then. I bring a ton more to the table now. I get to be definite on what I want.
I like writing for Taste Tablet because it’s fun, simple, and gives me a chance to use my voice for their audience. It also fuels a need that fiction writing doesn’t always satisfy.
Follow me on Twitter @heatherlarson
Writer Heather Larson 