IT'S GO TIME



Hello from the secret home office of the Determined Freelancer. While I would love to pretend that it is a floating monitoring station, similar to the bubble home of the two guys looking for Desmond on Lost, this office is, in actuality, somewhere in Brooklyn.

Or is it really a floating monitoring station and I’m just stringing you along? That’s the kind of suspense, which should keep you coming back each morning.

On to the purpose of this and subsequent entries- this is a blog for determined freelancers, people earnestly trying to make a living via the written word. Whether you type in your pajama pants or pinstripes, you’ll find an upbeat and encouraging voice right here documenting the experience of one pajama-pants-wearing freelancer in the hopes of convincing you that you’re on the right path.

Ed has asked me to share triumphs, procrastination techniques, and just what it means to be a writer and businessperson. You’ll learn about my joy after leaving an editorial assistant position (that’s right, everyone is an editorial assistant at some point) to string for a community newspaper. I’ll even tell you how I parlayed that half-a-hundred per story opportunity into a staff position. And finally, keep your eyes on those computer screens boys and girls, to hear about our hero’s leap back into the freelancing world and the move from Boston to New York City.

Over the past year in Brooklyn, I’ve learned a lot about finding work and adjusting to life as a freelancer. I encourage you to do the same in this space. My success to date has come from persistence and help from editors and writers along the way. Let’s discover together if the Horatio Alger myth still holds- that a bit of luck, pluck, and virtue will lead to success.