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A Freelance Progress Update
3 years ago
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Hello all! It's been a little while. I hope everyone's doing well! A lot has progressed in the two months since I've begun making freelance writing into a career idea. It felt right to give updates on that.
To start, I have a telegram channel! The Time Colossi is my channel to show new stories, new art, and life updates that come fast and loose. It's allowed me to use this journal for larger updates, while smaller, consistent updates can go on telegram. Come join! Share the link! I'd love to share this journey with you:
https://t.me/BalansTomeColossi
Even now there's stories there, links to artworks, and more to come. You don't have to join if you don't want to! I only hope you don't miss out on this journey with me, and I'll do my best to keep you all informed here as I grow into this too.
Now for the larger update; constructing a freelance career. I've worked out when I can work on this job, and it's got an interesting schedule. I want to put ~20 hours per week into this job, with ~5 hours of work per week on Monday, then Tuesday, then Thursday, finally Friday. The weekend, Saturday and Sunday, are my busiest days to work for my day job. With the holidays coming, retail won't get any easier. So after working the day job on those days I'll rest, do house chores, and prep for the next week. Wednesday is just a nice day to rest in the middle of the week; easy work for the day job and lets me do errands around town. With this dedicated time I can post about stories, update my FA, and catch up on any messages I've received but need to reply to.
The best part about a defined schedule though is I can bring consistency to my work. I promised I'd post more 1h writing commissions in the past. While I have done so - I've written more this year than any other - it's still not enough. I feel immense guilt when I take a $25 commission that's advertised as being done in one hour, only for it to take weeks to finish. The first took me two months. The second took me a month. This third one has surpassed three weeks. That's not good enough. I want to post at least two stories per week onto FA. Their length can vary as can their topics, but so long as there is consistency for commissioners and myself I'll be thrilled.
This brings me to the commissions themselves. They're going to change. After doing the sample commissions and completing actual commissions, I've learned the details of what I offer as a service. Currently, it's priced $25 per commission, which I write for 1h, then post as is. Behind the scenes I have worked out every minute like this: 10 minutes to brainstorm ideas, 40 minutes to write, 10 minutes to edit. From there I post to social medias and done! But I see issues; I promise to write for an hour, not 40 min. Why would I need time to brainstorm a story in that moment when the commissioner has already told me what they want? Why too am I putting editing time into the charged price, let alone the time it takes to make the story cover for FA?
I feel those who commission me deserve better, so I'm tweaking my commissions going forward for this. First there will be a slight price increase, from $25 per 1h commission to $30 per 1h commission. For each commission I'll brainstorm with the client first, then set to work rather than doing that on writing time. Instead of 40 minutes to rough draft, I'll do a whole hour. Instead of just 10 minutes to edit, I'll do 20 minutes. So instead of 50 minutes of writing time for $25, it's now 80 minutes of writing time for $30. Finally, commissioners will see the rough draft before editing begins so they can give feedback in the process. Before I'd just post and run, but in this case the feedback I think is far more worth it. If I don't get feedback after a set time I'll edit then post to FA. Finally, the brainstorming time with the client and the media time I spend to post and share news of stories won't be covered by the price tag anymore. I'll do those on my own time instead, so the commissioner gets that solid block of time and exactly what they paid for.
It's been an incredible time writing for you all so far. There's been days, weeks even, where I've felt terrible about this. Worrying if I can't do this eats at me. Guilt for lengthy production times burns my confidence. Doubt that this can work always lingers like cold winds biting my cheeks. But I remain steadfast and motivated through this, and I'm honored to write for you all. I'm looking forward to writing new stories, expressing new ideas, and growing as a writer. If you've read this far in the journal, thank you. I'll continue to do my best. I want this to work, I want to write for you and myself. With 4 months of the 6 I've allowed myself to try this freelance world out to come, I'm eager to see what they hold.
If you haven't checked out the telegram channel, please do so now! Link is at the end of this for convenience - like I'd make you scroll all the way to the top haha. I love you guys. Stay safe, warm, and happy out there! Enjoy the spooky month, feast on the turkey, and survive the Mariah Carry onslaught in snow lol! I'll update as I go!
- Balans
https://t.me/BalansTomeColossi
To start, I have a telegram channel! The Time Colossi is my channel to show new stories, new art, and life updates that come fast and loose. It's allowed me to use this journal for larger updates, while smaller, consistent updates can go on telegram. Come join! Share the link! I'd love to share this journey with you:
https://t.me/BalansTomeColossi
Even now there's stories there, links to artworks, and more to come. You don't have to join if you don't want to! I only hope you don't miss out on this journey with me, and I'll do my best to keep you all informed here as I grow into this too.
Now for the larger update; constructing a freelance career. I've worked out when I can work on this job, and it's got an interesting schedule. I want to put ~20 hours per week into this job, with ~5 hours of work per week on Monday, then Tuesday, then Thursday, finally Friday. The weekend, Saturday and Sunday, are my busiest days to work for my day job. With the holidays coming, retail won't get any easier. So after working the day job on those days I'll rest, do house chores, and prep for the next week. Wednesday is just a nice day to rest in the middle of the week; easy work for the day job and lets me do errands around town. With this dedicated time I can post about stories, update my FA, and catch up on any messages I've received but need to reply to.
The best part about a defined schedule though is I can bring consistency to my work. I promised I'd post more 1h writing commissions in the past. While I have done so - I've written more this year than any other - it's still not enough. I feel immense guilt when I take a $25 commission that's advertised as being done in one hour, only for it to take weeks to finish. The first took me two months. The second took me a month. This third one has surpassed three weeks. That's not good enough. I want to post at least two stories per week onto FA. Their length can vary as can their topics, but so long as there is consistency for commissioners and myself I'll be thrilled.
This brings me to the commissions themselves. They're going to change. After doing the sample commissions and completing actual commissions, I've learned the details of what I offer as a service. Currently, it's priced $25 per commission, which I write for 1h, then post as is. Behind the scenes I have worked out every minute like this: 10 minutes to brainstorm ideas, 40 minutes to write, 10 minutes to edit. From there I post to social medias and done! But I see issues; I promise to write for an hour, not 40 min. Why would I need time to brainstorm a story in that moment when the commissioner has already told me what they want? Why too am I putting editing time into the charged price, let alone the time it takes to make the story cover for FA?
I feel those who commission me deserve better, so I'm tweaking my commissions going forward for this. First there will be a slight price increase, from $25 per 1h commission to $30 per 1h commission. For each commission I'll brainstorm with the client first, then set to work rather than doing that on writing time. Instead of 40 minutes to rough draft, I'll do a whole hour. Instead of just 10 minutes to edit, I'll do 20 minutes. So instead of 50 minutes of writing time for $25, it's now 80 minutes of writing time for $30. Finally, commissioners will see the rough draft before editing begins so they can give feedback in the process. Before I'd just post and run, but in this case the feedback I think is far more worth it. If I don't get feedback after a set time I'll edit then post to FA. Finally, the brainstorming time with the client and the media time I spend to post and share news of stories won't be covered by the price tag anymore. I'll do those on my own time instead, so the commissioner gets that solid block of time and exactly what they paid for.
It's been an incredible time writing for you all so far. There's been days, weeks even, where I've felt terrible about this. Worrying if I can't do this eats at me. Guilt for lengthy production times burns my confidence. Doubt that this can work always lingers like cold winds biting my cheeks. But I remain steadfast and motivated through this, and I'm honored to write for you all. I'm looking forward to writing new stories, expressing new ideas, and growing as a writer. If you've read this far in the journal, thank you. I'll continue to do my best. I want this to work, I want to write for you and myself. With 4 months of the 6 I've allowed myself to try this freelance world out to come, I'm eager to see what they hold.
If you haven't checked out the telegram channel, please do so now! Link is at the end of this for convenience - like I'd make you scroll all the way to the top haha. I love you guys. Stay safe, warm, and happy out there! Enjoy the spooky month, feast on the turkey, and survive the Mariah Carry onslaught in snow lol! I'll update as I go!
- Balans
https://t.me/BalansTomeColossi
Balans
~balans
OP
Thank you! :D I hope to do my best with it. It might become a full time job one day if I keep at it. Let alone all the stories to tell. I'm eager for it!
