The tale of pitching a story

Had an idea for a piece

Sent idea to an editor

Editor: "Like the idea, can you peg it to a news story, then I'd like it even more"

Pegged idea to a news story

Editor: "I don't like that news story"

Pegged it to another news story

Editor has dropped off radar

Grrrr...

Working away from home

I've been feeling housebound and like I've not got much done recently, so today I moved operations to Lancaster Library and did in three quarters of an hour what I couldn't do in the whole of yesterday!

I actually felt great for getting my stuff together and walking to work, so I'll be doing that on a regular basis from now on.

My piece on how parents feel when their children are ask to go and play outside with their friends has opened a bit of a debate, but I'm pleased to say that the writing is well underway.  I'm going to nail the views of a couple of kids and then I should be sorted.

Waiting to hear about another new departure for me, but since saying "I'd really like that piece", the editor has dropped off the radar.

Uphill Struggle

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

This is how I feel today, that I'm working away, but never getting any closer to my goal of making a real go of this writing lark.

I need to get away from it for a few days and then return to it refreshed on Monday.

I AM a freelance journalist

My friends on the Journobiz forum have convinced me that that's what I do and that I should call myself one, so "Hello, I'm Sarah, and I AM a freelace journalist!"

Sarah x

Radical Review

Was feeling really down this morning as I sat down to work.  I decided not to do anything work-related as I'd have to do it all again, so talked to some friends instead.

I do need to sit down and think seriously about where my writing is going, and just as I was feeling pants, I checked out Leon's blog and he'd posted the mantra of Flo Heiss, Creative Director at Dare Digital. To pass the Flo Test, ask yourself when reviewing your work...

Is it bold?

Is it different?

Is it engaging?

Am I proud of it?

Could it be better?

As yet I don't know, but I'll be looking at my work through these eyes from now on.

Sarah

Hitting the ground running

Back to work tomorrow after the best part of two weeks off.

I have done a little bit of work over the last fortnight, but I've got lots of work booked in already for the next three weeks and hopefully more coming in.

I only became a full-time freelance writer in September 2007 having done it part-time before that, but at the time I had also just moved to a totally new place and was settling Jonno in his new school.  Almost eight months in, I'm now ready to start growing my work load, so I'm finding myself doing lots of pitching and trying to make contacts to bring work in.

I keep saying it, but freelancing is not a doddle!  Its still the best move I ever made though.

Sarah x

Early Years and Primary Education Show Manchester

Had a loverly morning pottering around here yesterday.

I met up with an editor I've been writing for for ages and a publisher who is interested in seeing my latest book project - it seemed rude not to go and say hello as they were exhibiting.

I talked to a good few interesting people and picked up lots of information.  Most of the people who wanted to talk had products or services they were keen for me to promote.  To be honest I probably can help them out, but I'll need to think about how.

I've got lots of information to read and websites to track down.

It's the first time I've been to something where I've worn a press badge and it gave people a whole new perspective on me.  I'll keep you posted on how these contacts develop.

Pitches Away

I sent out a couple of pitches today so that I can concentrate on writing on Monday when Jonathan goes back to school.

Now he's almost 9 he doesn't need entertaining like he used to during school hols, so after going to town this morning and mooching round the shops, he's been happily playing video games and working on his first fashion collection (yep, at the moment he's planning to be a fashion designer).

I took the opportunity of some quiet time to print and send some stuff and email off a couple of article ideas.  I'm trying to broaden my range of writing at the moment, so I'm sending stuff off to a whole spectrum of mags and websites.

I'm going to the Education Show in Manchester tomorrow, which I'm hoping will spark some feature ideas and make me some nice contacts... I'll let you know.

No more work for me now, just household chores!

Sarah x

Chasing rainbows

Oh how I hate chasing pitches and articles. You'd think that people would get back to you in a reasonable time and you wouldn't have to keep hounding them... But no, I've had to send out a couple of emails today saying "did you like the stuff, are you interested, shall I sell it to someone else?"

Its a waste of time, but as I hadn't planned to be doing any work this week it hasn't stopped me doing anything else. Apart from anything else, I just think its a bit rude. I don't expect people to read a whole article as soon as it lands in their inbox, but I do think they could at least acknowledge that they have got the piece and will get to it sometime within a week or so of receipt.

Goodbye Supply Teachers Toolkit

Yep, I've deleted the blog. It wasn't working - no one was reading it and I couldn't really get up the enthusiasm to track down the links to keep it going, so I've done the humane thing and closed it down.

I do have an idea for another blog, but I'm not going to rush and get anything up and running until I've got plenty of material to give it a good launch.

Sarah x

Work Updates

The second online copy project I was waiting to hear on also died a death this week, but I have been commissioned to write a piece for MyChild magazine which I'm really looking forward to.

Visiting the Education Show in Manchester at the weekend. I'm going to use it as an excuse to practice some interview skills and also write a trade show piece for my creative writing course. Will spend a couple of hours pottering about and talking to interesting people whilst the boys go to Body Works 4 (no thanks!)

Planning a fairly lazy day tomorrow.

Sarah x

Friday is here...

As you'll recall I was supposed to hear about a project today.

Well, I still haven't heard anything and its coming up to 3pm. I really don't know whether to chalk this one up to experience, or wait it out in hopeful anticipation...

Watch this space for updates...

R.I.P. Book Idea

The book for supply teachers working in early years classrooms has officially bitten the dust as it's been rejected for the third time. Once again the prospective publishers don't think its a bad idea, rather that there isn't actually a market out there for it.

All is not lost though as I had a suspicion that this was the case and have got a new idea that will use a lot of the material I've already got along with some new stuff to create an entirely new book with a much wider audience... Watch this space.

This Much I Know

Sarah Cruickshank, 39, Freelance Writer, Lancaster

My boys are my centre. My husband and my son are the most important things in the world to me and I put their welfare above all else.

When I was at university I had a Rabbi who had a sign on her front door saying "Square One". At the end of the day she always went back to square one. For me that's the boys. They're my first thought in the morning. I always consider how the work I take on will impact them.

Being a writer is great because I can be around for school events, or to help my husband out with the mundane parts of his job (he's an academic, so usually its proof-reading or transcribing things).

Having a miscarriage changed my whole outlook on life. It left me devastated, but it also made me completely re-evaluate who I was and what I was doing.

The first thing I did was quit the job I hated, then I spent two years working as a supply teacher and building up a writing portfolio. I had a fantastic time, worked with some great kids and built up enough confidence to start writing full-time.

Being your own boss is cool. I'd never go back to working for someone else now. Being freelance is the hardest job I've ever had, you're nearly always working in some shape or form. It isn't 9-5, the only person nagging you is you and if you cock something up its your fault, but its the best job I've ever had.

God is an old man with a long white beard. And when I get to Heaven I hope He respects that belief! He should also be slightly befuddled, just like Peter Ustinov wrote Him in The Old Man and Mr Smith.

I'm a daddy's girl. We have the same temperament, which can make for a slightly volatile relationship at times and he tends to forget that I'm pushing 40, but I wouldn't change him for the world and am proud to say he's my friend as well as my dad.

My mum is one of my best friends. Yep, right up there with dad is mum. We talk or text everyday. I'm sure over the years I've driven both my parents scatty, but they've always stood by me.

My friends are always there for me. And I'm there for them too I hope!

"Decision will be made on Friday"

But they never tell you which Friday do they?

I have a suspicion that this saying is the new "the cheque's in the post", but just as you can only wait so long for the one-winged cheque, there are only so many Friday disappointments you can endure before you have to chalk it up as another dead end.

I would love to believe the Account Manager means this Friday and I know every "ping" as a message drops into my inbox will set my heart racing, but there are so many Fridays still to come...

Twiddling my thumbs

One of the most frustrating things about this job is when people approach you with a project, have some meetings or email discussions with you, tell you that you're exactly what they're looking for and then never contact you again!

I think my emails disappear into the ether somewhere because they hardly ever get answered by the people in question.

It's really simple, all I want to know is whether or not I'm going to get any work from these companies. Once I know that, I can decide how much other work I want to pitch for so that I'm earning to my full potential, but not running around like a headless chicken with deadlines coming out of every orifice. Is that too much to ask? I think not. I'm not asking these people to give me money, I just want to know whether projects are likely to come off so that I can plan my working strategy for the next few months.

Maybe today my emails will be answered...

...UPDATED: One of the companies has come back to me to say that the projects they had for me have been put on hold, so that's why I haven't heard from them. Actually, It'd be nice to be told that they wouldn't be putting any work my way for the short to medium term. Ho hum.

...MORE UPDATED: The second company I've been waiting on have come back and said that they have no news on whether their project is a go or not.

I think I have to assume that that too will fall by the wayside and get me a**se in gear to find more work. At the end of the day I might have to turn these projects down if they come back to me, but I can't wait on things for ever, I've been sting like that before.

Sarah x

Transcribing Interviews

Just spent 6 hours transcribing some interviews for my DH! Wibble is about all I can say. Transcribing someone else's interviews is not a fun job, but its good typing practice and it was quite interesting to hear the current research my other half is working on.

It's also quite interesting to try out different ways that money can be made (no money to be made for me in transcription!)

My eyes are popping out! I'm taking the rest of the day off!

Refocussing

I've been disappointed with myself over the last couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, I've been turning out work and meeting deadlines, but I've not been making the most of my time. So, new financial year, new focus I think.

1. I've got into the dreadful habit of writing things on scraps of paper which I then "put safely", then I spend hours looking for them again. As of today they're all in one notebook ready to be actioned and crossed out.

2. I have a website and 3 blogs which all seem to be existing independently of each other. On of my jobs for next week is to think about what these things are for and how best to use them... Some of them may fall, but that's fine.

3. I've got to work more efficiently, so I'm going to plan my time realistically to take in work, chores, family and me time. I think this is going to mean less work time used more efficiently to get better results.

4. Planning my future. I wrote a development strategy in January and promptly lost it, so I need to do another one, which means thinking seriously about where I want to be and how I want to get there.

Why isn't anything ever simple?

Blogging Advice

I've fallen off the blogging wagon recently. My friend and fellow blogger Linda Jones wrote a great article about flagging blogs here. To be able to blog at that standard you really have to commit to it every day though. The other thing you have to do is link like mad to maximize your audience.

I'm running three blogs at the moment, this one which covers my work life, Sarah At 40, about the forty things I want to do before I hit 40 in October and Supply Toolkit, which points supply teachers at useful websites and resources. They all have a small readership, but I do them more for enjoyment and discipline than anything else. I do take the writing seriously, but I don't really expect a publisher to pick me up as a result of the blogging, it's just another way to share my ideas with a wider audience.

Contract

Negotiated a good contract for myself today. Magazine publishers wanted to give me a contract that gave them full and exclusive writes to everything I write for them. There was a time - when I was starting out - when I would have thought "that's the contract on the table, so I'd better take it." As it is, I thought "Actually that means I've got to sell once and I wont ever be able to sell it again". My comeback position was "First British Serial Rights with Exclusive Electronic Rights for nine months and Non-Exclusive Electronic Rights after that". I was amazed that they came straight back to me and said "okay". Pretty happy with that thanks.

Sarah x

The Lady

Had a phone call yesterday to say that the piece I wrote about the 50th anniversary of the first women to sit in the House of Lords has been accepted for publication. I was excited just by that news, but then a few of my writing friends pointed out that it's a really hard market to crack, so I was even more pleased.

It's calls like this that make me certain that I made the right move when I decided to go freelance full-time.

Back to it now... minibeasts here I come.

Sarah x