Sassy Black Friend

Pardon my obsession

I’ve been writing about one genre of product for a while now, and it’s grown into a full-blown obsession. I try not to get so fixated, but I can’t help it.

Right now I’m working on 1500 words about liponox. Interesting, really.

The weather’s been so all over the place I’m just shutting the drapes and working 24/7. The animals and the boyfriend are not amused. They need attention. Excuse me, they want attention. It’s not actually a need (someone explain that to them).

And the wheel goes round and round

Well, another friend looking for a job immediately. Little Sister’s new hubby is getting laid off in a couple of weeks. And yes, they’re expecting a baby later this year. So, if you know of any engineer jobs in the DC area, help him out.

You know, it’s funny. When I decided to go work for myself (thanks J) everyone said I was crazy. That I was giving up security for the unknown. Except there is no security for anyone anymore.

So while I have to hustle big time to make money, I have the chance to do that. No one is going to call me into their office and tell me the sky is falling on my head. By diversifying the services I provide and treating my repeat clients like gold, I can make a living. And wear PJs most days. Never underestimate the value of working between your sleeping pets. Wouldn’t trade a corner office anywhere for it.

Partial hibernation

The weather here continues to be awful. I’ve been avoiding any long driving trips, trying to deal with work stuff over the phone whenever possible.

Plus I haven’t been sleeping well at night, so I’ve been turning into a bit of a napper.

The combination makes me feel like I’m hibernating. Wake up, have a little food then back to bed. Wake up again and read a couple of lipozene reviews. Back to bed. Wake up for a little bathroom or beverage break, back to bed. And so on, throughout the day and night.

Not a terrible life, though I am losing track of the date a bit.

Not an expert

I wrote before about my process researching for articles and blog posts I write for my clients. Someone asked for a walkthrough of the process. Here it is.

First, let’s say I want to write something about polaris rzr accessories.

As always, Google is a first stop to find some basic information about the topic. Once I have some general ideas I’ll usually jot down some questions or talking points. That lets me know what else I need to do before I can start writing. Sometimes I’m ready. But usually I need to spend some time answering the questions I listed. Some of those will be specifics from the client, but usually it’s up to me to figure out what will be useful.

Whatever the product or issue, the process is the same, and it’s pretty straightforward.

Write what you don’t know

One of my clients just asked me how I write about topics I’m not familiar with. The answer is, I can’t. I know plenty of content producers who just generalize and talk baloney enough to please clients. I don’t do that.

Now, I write a lot about things I’m not familiar with when I get the assignment. But I always do research. Even for topics I am pretty well versed in, I need to make sure I’m current and accurate.

So, while I’d have to do a fair bit of research to write a 500 word article on horse tack, I could write something about pop music in 1994 with a lot less work.

I refuse to talk nonsense when a client is paying me. And I insist on it in my personal life.

Oof Again

Ah, the most wonderful time of the year. Last night was the first of 8 holiday parties I’m attending this year. And we started with a bang. This was a huge party for one of my bigger clients. Judging from the party, I need to start charging them a lot more for work.

The nice thing about going to a party for clients is I get to spend more than 5 minutes talking to people. Plus, I can watch the workplace drama from a safe distance.

I mean, sure there are worse things like experiencing an Offshore Accident or some other grievous bodily injury. But getting way too drunk at the office party and embarrassing yourself in front of 100 coworkers and their guests is pretty high up there.

For the record, I had sushi and wayyy too much Prosecco.