The excitement of September was followed by new challenges and struggles. Onward, I merrily stumble, minus my gallbladder.

Income is surprisingly up, despite the time I spent recovering and working to woo a new client. I had surgery to remove my gallbladder, the malfunctioning organ sent me to the hospital twice in the past year. So, I’m glad it is gone. Yet, I was not too happy to take the time off for recovery. I’ve done this freelance rodeo before with video. When you’re not working, you’re not earning. Ironically, there were no sick days for me because I am self-employed.

Secondly, as noted below, I put some time into some test pieces for a new opportunity. I can’t express enough gratitude to Adam Dachis for believing in me and giving my name to a publishing company with several blogs. I’ve gotten some positive feedback from them, but the process has been stalled by changes happening with their publications. Thus, I have no income to report and I cannot count them as a client, at the moment. Regardless, it has been a good experience for me.

As David Coverdale sang, “Here I Go Again”

I knew that this experiment would have its challenges, but this past month I’ve come to realize that they are very familiar. As I said earlier, I was a freelance video editor before. I still call myself an edito

r, but I did a lot more to survive. I shot videos and conducted interviews. I guess I was producer, sound, camera and editor. When I made the move to Canada, people encouraged me to go back to freelance video. I felt a new business and building a new network would put a strain on my new marriage. We like each other and want to spend time together, not be roommates who occasionally run into each other.

Now, I find myself starting a new business and creating a new network of clients for writing. Oops. This realization has given me pause. If I’m going to take on those challenges, why not do it in the field of video that I know? Additionally, that work would pay much more. It’s a compelling argument for which I don’t have a decent rebuttal.

New challenges are always more alluring, though nobody enjoys stress, right? My former video work was stressful. It’s not hard to look back and see that. While switching careers is stressful as well, it’s new. There’s no baggage. Originally, I came to a bigger city hoping to sell myself exclusively as an editor. However, I didn’t have much luck. Going freelance as a video professional also means gear, and wearing all those hats of sound, producer and camera man. Those jobs were always the source of stress and distraction from my passion of editing.

In a way, video editing is like writing because it is all about crafting stories. Unfortunately, it pays a lot less. Though, it isn’t just about your job and pay. Currently, writing from home means less anxiety and stress in my life. Being my own boss has some stress, but I can go take a walk, clear my head and come back focused. I can work around my spouse’s schedule or grab a pen or a laptop and work when inspired. Writing isn’t perfect, but so far I’m enjoying the experiment.

Progress

Business never goes viral. The internet is the new Hollywood. For years people always wanted to “be discovered.” Actors in Hollywood just wake up one day and experience success, right? No, they work hard to get there. We never talk about that. The same goes for the web, and app developers. A year ago, I helped client uno start a blog. We are finally getting some attention from advertisers and people who want to be featured on the site. I think it is pretty exciting.

The Asterisk & Other Income

I effectively auditioned for a new client with two pieces I wrote. I spent some time interviewing 2 people, doing research and even making a recipe and taking photos. Unfortunately, one of the articles was turned down. It was the classic, “it’s not you, it’s me.” I was told the blog that I was testing for was being discontinued. As I mentioned before, this new organization is going through some flux. I don’t have any feedback on the second piece, yet. It’s been 2 weeks, I’m thinking that’s not a good sign. The plus, is that I’m confident I can shop both of these pieces around to other publishers.

Once again, I’ve got some income from Patreon thanks to our podcast, Montreal Sauce. I wrote a few things for the Patreon page, but didn’t publish as much as I would have liked. At least, I got the content written, I guess? I just need to schedule some time in my calendar to get these things in my routine.

Monthly Summary

My spouse has been teasing me that I seem to work more than she does now. However, now that I’ve been tracking the hours, it’s obvious that I’m not full time. The invoices that my total income represents were for a 5 week period. If I was full time, I would have worked 200 hours, not 71. My spouse actually enjoys having me as a kept man, home taking care of dinner, cleaning, laundry, dishes and the like. I’m not opposed to working full time, if you’re hiring writers! That would just require an adjustment to my work/life balance. Right now, we’re happy.

Seeing the hours of writing and research in the stats means doing that nasty equation to figure out an hourly rate. So, this stud made $11.54 an hour in October. It doesn’t sound flattering, but it is about work/life balance. It’s about the benefits, just as much as it is about money. I many not have a retirement plan or health benefits, but I have flexible time. That’s pretty great. I’ll continue to improve my writing skills, speed and get better at the craft. Hopefully, these posts will continue to show progress in that direction.