Freelance Writing Jobs

Quote of the Day: We all wear masks, and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing some of our own skin.–Andre Berthiaume
(Thanks to Marion for today’s quote!)

Publisher’s Notes:

Some final thoughts for the week from Rachelle, in response to Jeff’s response: “As Jeff pointed out– we live in an absurd, amusing, and ironic world.
Events and situations occurring in the world around me serve as fodder for ideas and on some days the soil is particularly fertile. The unlikely combination of a magazine headline and a Chinese menu once served as fodder for a poem! Everything is fair game. My problem is focusing on one subject when so many ideas are commanding my attention.
Only the strongest ideas survive to live another day.”

Thanks Rachelle.

And that does it for this week. Have a fine Good Friday, a wonderful Easter, and a terrific weekend all around!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 43 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net
 

Quote of the Day: Thoughts fly and words go on foot. Therein lies all the drama of a writer.–Julien Green

Publisher’s Notes: Today, Jeff on what inspires him:“The countless news stories, personal experiences and just random things I hear, see or read about each day. Be it the woman who tells me that her office cafeteria is having a Vegan Week, or the news story about the guy who tried to kill himself by putting himself in a bathtub full of ice, there’s frequently something that sparks my interest. And from this I either try to write a column, some fiction or a feature article. *None of these stories above are factual–I just made them up to inspire creative brainstorming among other FD readers.”

Thanks Jeff!

That’s everything for today. Have a good day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 60 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: When I see a paragraph shrinking under my eyes like a strip of bacon in a skillet, I know I’m on the right track.–Peter DeVries Publisher’s Notes: Nothing new to report today. Have a great day!*SmiLes* Suzanne FrancoP.S. We posted 32 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net
 

Quote of the Day: I love the flowers of afterthought.–Bernard MalamudPublisher’s Notes: Good morning! The first response this week comes from Connie:“I just happen to know the answer to that question for me because I have just come out of a long dry spell. What inspires me are other writers with great gifts of using words to not only create beautiful pictures, but actually make me feel something about a time, event, or place that I would not get to experience on my own.”Thanks Connie!

That’s it for today. Have a good day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 51 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: Filling this empty space constitutes my identity.–Twyla TharpPublisher’s Notes: Good morning everyone, and happy St. Patrick’s Day! Hope your weekend went well.This week’s question recalls Thursday’s newsletter, touching upon inspiration:What inspires you?It could be on a daily basis, constantly, for all time, whatever sparks something in you.

Send your answers to contact@freelancedaily.net and they’ll be right here.

That’s all for today. Have a great day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 80 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: Know something, sugar? Stories only happen to people who can tell them.–Allan Gurganus

Publisher’s Notes:

Another weekend, and the feeling comes again that the planets in our solar system have aligned, so that we may do various things for ourselves over the weekend without worrying what we have left to do later.As I always mention and will do so now, make sure to do something for yourselves this weekend that doesn’t involve work.Have a terrific weekend and I’ll see you back on Monday!*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 40 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: The cat sat on the mat is not a story. The cat sat on the other cat’s mat is a story.–John le Carre
 Publisher’s Notes: Good morning. Wendy’s got the space today:“Faye,I am married and have a 2.5-year-old daughter and a 5.5-month-old son. I have both kids in a home daycare down the road right now because I have full-time clients AND a book due in April. I have a lot of guilt about putting them in daycare, but I’ve found that being able to concentrate on work during the day frees up my nights and weekends to spend quality time with them. Because most non writers don’t consider writing to be a “real” job, I think I’m judged unfairly about why I don’t keep my kids at home with me while I work. Unfortunately, it’s just not realistic for the type or amount of work I do. I try to limit my work to 8am to 4pm M-F.”

Thanks Wendy!

Talked to a friend of mine last night who’s serving as a substitute campus supervisor at a middle school; the job basically entails making sure the kids don’t kill each other during their mid-morning break or lunch, and getting kids from class that are requested in the front office. Tiring job, I learned, but also like walking through a Zen garden when the kids aren’t around.

Right now, he’s trying to organize many ideas for plays into an order that he can work with, and while there’s not entirely an order yet, just walking around the school has helped. The silence of the school, he tells me, helps him focus on the ideas, and reflect on what drives him the most about each idea.

One of his ideas involves a set of monologues that take place at various times in the evening and the late night, being that he loves those hours and finds more life in them than there is in the daytime. For about two days now, he’s been concentrating on one of the characters, figuring out the attitude he wants that guy to have.

Well, late yesterday afternoon, while at Wal-Mart for a few things, he met the father of one of the kids he saw around the school earlier that day. This kid was quite noticeable, charismatic, wearing red high-top shoes, acting a bit crazy, as kids would usually do during lunch with the opportunity to spend some time away from the classroom.

The father, on the other hand, had a strict demeanor about him. Cordial to my friend, nice guy, friendly, but his son knew his place in relation to his father. Not a whole lot of the charisma there, and more politeness than he exhibited at school that day. It’s interesting how when not in the grasp of parents, kids can certainly change their ways. A kind of freedom lies with that.

Anyway, what my friend found in the father was perhaps the attitude for the character he’s planning to write: disciplined, straightforward, friendly demeanor towards those he meets, very possibly the right sort of guy to base this character on.

I found this interesting because in the past, he’s always tried to force inspiration into his mind to no avail. Just by relaxing about it, by believing that it may come with the next person, or not, or the next situation, or not, that’s the way to go about something big to write, no matter if it’s a set of monologues or a novel or even a feature article.

The L.A. Times was especially proficient at the latter yesterday morning, in a “Column One” story about a woman in Pasadena who gets up early each weekday, seeking bottles and cans for recycling, in order to provide for her family and to stave off a looming rent bill. It’s online in their print edition, as “Scavenging to survive in Pasadena,” and it’s a searing, vivid story. It’s the kind of story that can wake you up in lieu of coffee, eye-opening to a part of the world you didn’t know about, and as writers, one to study for descriptions of the woman’s work, her home, her family, and how the reporter looks at her life.

Just remember simply that even in the worst of times for yourself as a writer, inspiration can come when you don’t think it will or when you try too hard to find it. It’ll be there. It’s always there.

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 37 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: I seat myself at the typewriter and hope, and lurk.–Mignon EberhartPublisher’s Notes:Today’s words come from Nancy:“In regards to the question - in my early days as a writer, I wrote while the kids were in school. If they were off for things like vacations, or even when they were young, I would employ them to help me “find” words, articles etc at the library. “Find me all you can about bumble bees” I’d say, “Mom has an article to write. Off they would tear, earning anywhere from a nickel to a quarter for a good find. It interestingly enough helped them learn to scan and research things quickly which added to their success in future years with University and College. Our field trips, outings, also gave us a chance to take notes on things of interest, for future writing. It’s gotten to the point now that my daughters ask before they go to a museum or archive, if there is anything that I am working on that they can look out for.In later years when working outside home I would always have a notebook with me and be scribbling down notes, stories etc. The customers and my manager, thought I was taking notes for stock - so I also had a separate page going for that I could flip to.Once home, and once my husband was home, after supper he kept the kids entertained or supervised their homework for an hour or two as I compiled. He would always take the kids for an outing on Saturday, giving me 3 or 4 hours or luxury time to write. Sundays though, the pens, paper and stamps went away - that was a total family day. When the kids grew older and had their own interests, this was easier to do.

Now my kids are grown, I write while my husband is away at work during the day, normally mornings, but the computer is on all day for my fancy.
I don’t work on writing after he is home, or on weekends. That is now our time, and I think you have to separate the two in order to have them both stay healthy.

with that - back to writing!”

Thanks Nancy!

More to come tomorrow. Have a good day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 37 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: To be clear is the first duty of a writer; to charm and to please are graces to be acquired later.–Brander MatthewsPublisher’s Notes:Good morning! The first response of the week is from Shelley:“Hi Suzanne,I really like what you wrote yesterday morning, very thought-provoking. Now for Faye:

I am a freelance writer with two teens and a husband who teaches at St. Edward’s University, in Austin. Needless to say, our schedule is according to a school schedule. That being said, I look forward to Monday’s, dread weekends and especially dread spring break, summer, etc. Since my sons are typical teens, they stay up late, late and sleep quite late. So the later they sleep, the earlier I rise. Also, I use my laptop quite a bit, when that works with my assignment. Funny thing is that on Mondays, when school is in session it takes me forever to get motivated … the house is too quiet!”

Thanks Shelley!

Responses are still welcome, so send them to contact@freelancedaily.net if you have them.

Have a good day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 43 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net

Quote of the Day: The idea is to get the pencil moving quickly…Once you’ve got some words looking back at you, you can take two or three - throw them away and look for others.–Bernard MalamudPublisher’s Notes:I’m going to miss that hour we sadly lost on Sunday to the notion that our clocks move ahead one hour in the spring, and backwards one hour in the fall.I preferred gaining that hour because there was a sharp, clear line between late afternoon and evening. I accept the late afternoon as being at 5:00 p.m., but by 6 p.m., that’s the evening, and from autumn until recently, it was dark at 6 p.m. That’s how it should be.While we can’t stop time, I was only going to give up that hour on Sunday morning when I absolutely had to. 2 a.m. is the standard time to “spring forward” or “fall back.” The newscasters on TV tell you to change your clocks before you go to bed, but since I live on well into the early morning hours, that doesn’t work.

At least once, you have to see it, a jump from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. once 2 a.m. arrives. I bade farewell to that fading hour that faded completely by then, making it still light out at 6 p.m. There was one nice thing to it, though.

I know that winter solstice is when the shortest day of the year happens, but it had to have been yesterday as well because not long after 1:34 p.m. had passed, there was 7 p.m. The sunset offered up took quite a long time to remove itself before darkness came, but it was nicer than many I’d seen before. The light, as it goes down, just seems to sit on houses and cars and grass, as if it’s not quite ready to leave. It’s the only time you’ll ever find the light unsure of itself. After that, it’s as decisive as the hours you work in a day.

No clue what made me think of all that. Just something to share.

Well, with another weekend now just a memory, there’s another week of work ahead. Before getting to the listings featured today in the newsletter, there’s another question of the week ready, but not from me. This week, Faye’s got the question:

“How many full-time writers out there live alone and how many have a sig/spouse/ and/or kids? And particularly those who live with sig/spouse/kids — What time of day do they work, How do they give time to their family, etc. etc. I’m wrestling with this and have nowhere else to go for some ideas.”

If you’ve got a response to Faye’s question, send it to contact@freelancedaily.net and it’ll be right here, in this section. Cozy place too.

That’s everything for today. Have a great day!

*SmiLes* Suzanne Franco

P.S. We posted 78 new freelance job leads today – if you don’t have a subscription to our daily job source newsletter get your free trial today http://www.freelancedaily.net