Patricia Harrelson

When I retired from teaching at a community college, I thought I’d try my hand at freelance writing. It’s been interesting to say the least. I can’t imagine having earned my living as a freelance writer in a full-time permanent way. I like getting a steady paycheck too much, and I’m not much good at waiting to be paid or hounding clients for money.

But there’s nothing quite so varied as freelance writing. I’m sure that some writers zero into a niche and therefore write consistently about one or a couple of subjects in one or two formats, but that would not be the route I have taken. Since my business promotion is word-of-mouth and my actual search for work is sporadic and minimal, I generally take what comes and that means there is very little uniformity to the work I do. I guess I’m what might be called a Jill-of-all-Writer.

Here is a sample of the projects I’ve worked on the last six months:

• half a dozen theater reviews;
• a piece on the 150th anniversary of Columbia Grammar School;
• an aborted piece on Chicken Ranch Bingo (the tribe nixed the project);
• curriculum for the School of Vinyassa Flow Yoga;
• consulting and editing a book length manuscript for a contest;
• web content for Ehow, (100s articles on topics like Bluetooth, bibliography entries, debit cards, and birth certificates)
• tutoring in an online writing lab (OWL)
• editing landscape proposals;
• consulting/editing resumes and cover letters;
• contributing blog posts to business blogs;
• writing several newsletters for non-profits and businesses;
• writing an article on parks and picnicking in the Mother Lode
• finishing The Right Sisters and self-publishing.

I’m not making a bundle, but I’m having fun. Have you got work? I’ve got my computer!