Swings and roundabouts

Freelancing can be a real feast/famine existence. And after last month's extended session of ill health, I was definitely feeling hungry. I struggled to work while I was sick, even passing some stuff on to others, and didn't have the energy to look for new work either, unsurprisingly. So January was thin, earnings-wise, and February has been too, to date.

I was going to blog today about the great pitch void, because pretty much all the pitches I've sent out in the last few weeks have flopped. I'm stuck with one great story I just can't place. I have another great story that I offered to a specialist mag, only for the editor to mail me back this morning to say the publisher's just axed the title, so now I need to find another suitable outlet. Other pitches have not been responded to and even sending chaser emails has not resulted in feedback. I was feeling pretty despondent last night as my editing work has also thinned temporarily.

Things shifted dramatically today, however. First I was offered a regular and lucrative ghost-writing job for a corporate. Then, by just happening to be in the right place (ie the right website) and the right time this morning, I landed a one-off column for one of the Sunday red-tops. Hopefully, that will lead to more work. And then I was asked to do a nice editing job as well. Negotiations are still in hand for jobs 1 and 3 but I'm confident they'll go ahead. I'm also expecting the green light for a pitch I sent to an overseas client. If everything goes according to plan, I expect to be very busy this week and next.