Week 14 of Freelance Writing: Diary Entry #15
Guess who’s giving up on pitching?
Meeee! (for now)
First week of April and I’ve already made some changes to my goals.
This should be a fun month.
Here’s last week’s article in case you missed it:
My Schedule
This week I worked on my novel on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (1800 words each day), and then switched over to writing articles.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I worked on pitches, or at least that was my intention.
What worked
The new schedule is great. I still have one primary task to complete each day, which makes me feel a lot less stressed. I like that I get to write more than last month.
What didn’t work
Sending pitches is getting old, and because I have had no positive feedback, I’m really doubting myself and wondering if I’m wasting my time. So, I’m going to take a temporary break from sending pitches to focus on offering my services on Fiverr. I haven’t used the site before, but I want to see where that leads.
Plan for next week
I’m going to keep the schedule as it is, but instead of pitching on Tuesday and Thursday, I’m going to get my Fiverr set up for business. I’ll need to do some more research and decide what services I’ll offer to start.
Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned
Challenge
I was extremely unfocused on Tuesday and Thursday. By the end of Tuesday, I had given up on pitching completely and started researching other methods of generating clients. I changed my strategy so that I can hopefully start to build my client experience.
Victory
I wrote a lot this week, both for my novel and articles, which felt great. Here’s one I wrote this week:
How I felt
I was happy with the writing I did this week, but felt very discouraged and lost on the business side of things. So far, I feel like I have done nothing to really progress my skill and experience. I haven’t worked with any clients and I haven’t had any positive responses to my pitches. Despite that, I’ve been trying to stay focused and readjust my plans as needed. I ended the week feeling hopeful about my new Fiverr strategy.
Goal Review
Priority 1: Write 1800 words in my novel M, W, F to finish first draft by April 30th
I didn’t write all 1800 words every day this week, but I came close.
I had a lot going on and some distractions that required me to adjust my schedule. Unfortunately, that meant I had to sacrifice some writing time. I’m not too worried about it though, because I gave myself a small amount of wiggle room (thank you past self) and I’m still on track overall.
Priority 2: Write and publish one article in Savasana Today each week
I did it! I really enjoy writing about yoga, so this has been a lot of fun so far.
Priority 3: Send two pitches on Tuesday and Thursday
I sent one pitch this week and changed direction after that. It’s safe to say this priority won’t be around next week.
Final Thoughts
I’m gathering information every week that helps inform my next steps, so changing course isn’t a failure. It’s not giving up. It’s finding a better way.
Sometimes goals have to change because they’re not working out. Sometimes they have to change to maintain sanity. Either way, it’s valid.
Have an awesome week!
Follow my publication, Diary of a Freelance Writer, and check back next Sunday for another rundown of a week in the life of a full-time freelance writer.
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