A Big Announcement for This Publication in 2022

Your insight is needed.

It’s time to make a change.

But first, a little context.

I wrote a book in 2020.

The premise? Capturing the day-to-day life of a freelance writer so that (1) aspiring writers could determine if freelancing was a viable career pursuit and (2) new writers could learn from my successes and failures.

I called it “365 Days of Freelance Writing: the Practical Guide to Surviving Your First Year as a Self-Employed Writer.”

What a mouthful.

It’s pretty much my personal account of building a business from scratch. In that sense, it was akin to a journal. I figured, who better to explain the ups and downs of self-employment than someone going through it?

I shared stories about missed opportunities, rejection, bad clients, and mentally crippling self-doubt. Like the time someone asked if anyone made $5,000+ of monthly income in a Facebook Group for writers; dozens of nonchalant commenters made it sound like this benchmark was a breeze, which made me question my work ethic and progress.

I also outlined my successes, strategies, and helpful resources. Like when I wrote a viral story on Medium and earned $2,500 or when clients gave glowing feedback.

During my yearlong journaling experience, I started this publication as a complement to the book, sharing deeper insights on pertinent writing topics.

And you know what? I miss journaling.

I didn’t expect the habit of jotting down thoughts to be so insightful and cathartic. Gone were my inhibitions and perfectionistic tendencies. Even though I started my book to help other writers, I felt like I was really writing for myself.

My journaling experiment concluded a year ago today. But I think it’s time to revive the process. That’s why I’m going to treat my posts here similar to how I approached my book: laidback stories about the challenges and hardships of freelance writing — in a journal entry kind of format.

This slight pivot necessitates a branding change. As on the nose as the existing name of this publication is, I think it’s sort of misleading now that my book has hit the shelves. We eclipsed the 365-day mark a long, long time ago. My career path isn’t in a trial stage anymore — I’m firmly entrenched as a writer.

That’s why I’m shedding the 365 Days of Freelance Writing moniker and renaming this publication to…

Well, I’m honestly not sure.

Paidlancing…

The Freelancer’s Diary…

9-to-Freelance…

Free-ish-lancing…

Or something else…

I’m open to ideas. What do you think?

Going forward, I’d like to make this space more down-to-earth, personal, and communal. If you’re facing any writing/freelancing dilemmas, feel free to share them in the comments.

And if you haven’t already, you can find my book here.