What’s Stopping Me?
Today started out so well…a visit to the physio for new exercises to help my Mummy Tummy, a great walk with our best mates & play time for the girls in the garden under the Spring sun. Then we came home. I should have stayed out! Little Miss wouldn’t go to sleep and she desperately needed it. 2 episodes of “Show Me Show Me” (thank God for BT Vision recordings) later and she still wasn’t asleep! I was reduced to rocking her to sleep again after a bit of screaming (her…not me) and then I had quiet.
Where it all went wrong was with my email accounts and my blog. I’m having my usual wobble…wondering where the visitors are and wondering if I’m good enough. I’m trying to expand my freelance writing “career” and am working with some amazing people and PR companies but THEY TAKE FOREVER TO RETURN EMAILS! I know, I know…who am I? A stay-at-home-mummy who plays in the sandbox, makes slightly interesting meals and spends the day speaking to a nearly-2-year old. I’m no high-flying client with needs and demands. I’m no FREELANCE JOURNALIST with connections and power. I’m just me. But I’d really like to have a return email please and thank you so I can get along with my plans for world domination.
I’d like to take my freelance writing career further. I’d like to work with PR’s and companies on blogs and posts which will promote their products and causes. I’d like to be PAID for my work. Is that too much to ask? I need some advice…what is stopping me? Am I too sensitive? Don’t answer that, I might cry! Am I not a good enough writer? Am I not ruthless enough? Do I not have the right connections? Do I need to get a better laptop? (GOD YES!) I would love some advice from other freelancers and writers who have been able to MAKE IT. Shall I give you my career goals so you can help me better? OK then…
- Cafe Bebe- I always want to keep my lovely blog. It’s my second baby…I spend a LOT of time on it and love it dearly even if not everyone else loves it the same. I’d love for someone to want to advertise on it and pay me to do so. Bidding is now open!
- Freelance Writing- I want to continue my Expat Magazine contributions (FREE) and my Parenting Page contribution to our local, monthly glossy mag (PAID). I want to continue my sporadic reviewing for MadeForMums which has given me a great deal of experience writing reviews (PAID). I would LOVE to continue to work with various PR companies to support clients of theirs through sponsored posts and/or special blogs. I would LOVE to work with these PR’s to help them learn about Parent Bloggers and what we like/want/need. I would LOVE to contribute to parenting magazine blogs. I would LOVE to pitch stories to national parenting magazines and be commissioned to write them. Of course, all of these things would be PAID.
- Now if I could just have a little bit of childcare to accompany all of these things then I could really get there!
I need advice on the items above. What do you recommend? How do I make these dreams a reality? What’s stopping me? What action can I take? Do I have what it takes? I would greatly appreciate any freelance/blogging advice that you’d like to share. When I’m writing my memoires, I’ll be sure to thank you in the foreward!
Related Posts
-
The best blogging advice I ever received
Posted on Sep 26, 2011
-
Blogging-That time of the month
Posted on Apr 7, 2011
-
Do You Take Yourself Too Seriously?
Posted on Oct 7, 2010
-
Running for Mummies-Advice from an Olympic Champion
Posted on Apr 14, 2010
Tags
Share This
You haven’t got a plan. You have your end goals, but you need to look and see what steps you need to make a start with. I’m no expert, but I think that before you take any steps forward you need to have a map of sorts.
Go for it! You are great at what you do and you should follow your dreams and spread your brilliance. Great blog, great you are earning money from your writing, keep plugging away and it will happen for you. It is frustrating when people don’t get back to you. That’s them being tardy not your issue, it’s theirs. You are totally good enough to make a career from writing. Self promotion is hard but you need to shout from your laptop to every other laptop how talented you are.
Look forward to seeing what great things you are writing and projects that come along. Take care hun xx
That’s an excellent piece of advice Pippa…yes, a plan. Must do that…now…think, think, think!
How lovely are you? Thanks very much. I’m going to make a PLAN! And then I’ll shout properly from, hopefully my new laptop!
Okay, I’ll give you some honest advice because, hey, I don’t do any other sort.
Just do it. The difference between people who fail and people who succeed isn’t (in my experience) about who deserves it or who is better. It’s who tries first. And who tries again when their first try doesn’t work out.
Get specific, define goals, define what you need to do to get there. Have steps, take one every day.
You want advertising on your site? Right now, put an “Advertising” link with details on rates etc. Tomorrow, approach the ad networks like Handpicked and Glam and ask if you can sign up. Make sure you have monthly traffic stats (uniques and impressions) to hand when people ask for them. The day after that, send out an email to all your PR contacts offering a promotion on your NEW advertising slots. See? Just do. If it doesn’t work, do something else. Eventually, something works.
Also, don’t want it so much. Weirdly, in business, the less you look like you need work, the more work you get. I know, as a commissioning editor, I get two sorts of emails. Some from people telling me they’re struggling, they’ll do it for free the first time, they’d just love to write for me. The second is from people who tell me they have an amazing idea, they’re the best person to write it, they’re experienced, they’re articulate and they’re available if I’m interested right now. Guess which one I hire?
Don’t be down Karin. It’s not that ‘us pr’s’ don’t want to get back to bloggers but there is only so much time in the day. I used to be so good at answering my emails. I took pride in it but I have to admit that I am now a slap dash good for nothing on the email front.
Today I have been in London and even though I have been scanning my blackberry for urgent stuff i still have 239 messages to deal with…. (i hope none of them is from you!!) not that i hope none of them is from you….. darn you know what I mean!
Pippa is right though – a plan is what you need. Small steps are what get to that big goal.
xx
Genius! Now, I only need rates! Will lay out my plan…thank you for your advice Sally. You know I always appreciate what you have to offer!
Sian, thanks for taking the time to comment. I know you make a concerted effort and no, none of your 239 emails is from me!
I appreciate your advice. Thanks so much… 
Glam will run your ads. Don’t worry about traffic. Contact Charlotte (a lovely American girl) CharlotteS@glam.com.
Re: everything else. Just do it, you have everything it takes.
Thanks Susanna…I’ll contact Charlotte…more lovely Americans!
I appreciate your advice and support.
I feel the same. I am doing a little bit here and there, but some money would be nice! I get emails saying would you write a post and I do and I love it but getting some £ in return would be an ultimate. Having said that. My grammar and spelling needs to improve drastically. I need to study that.
I am hoping to change my blog into a proper functioning website in the not so distant future with spaces for advertising space. Trouble is I am still no where near a level like yourself or other bloggers where i have a big following or a huge readership so why would they take an interest? You have that in your pocket so work with that!
Good luck!
Thanks very much for your kind words. I’m plotting a course now…will share whatever I learn.
D’you know something; recently I’ve been feeling a bit the same, not wanting to sound ungrateful for my lovely readers but wondering where all the others are. I know that sounds terrible, but even though I spend hours searching blogs, reading, leaving comments, only a fraction of those return to look and read mine. Okay, that’s my gripe for today – ignore me. I’m on a massive blog read today to see if I’m going wrong somewhere. But take it from me, your blog is great.
CJ xx
Aw, thanks love…it’s a tricky one isn’t it. I feel like there are waves aren’t there…you get on the top of one, everyone is reading and then, WHAMMO! You bottom out…thankfully, things like the Gallery and the Writing Workshop are there for us but it is a bit “soul destroying” some days. And you, my dear, are more than fabulous…thanks for stopping by!
Best advice I ever got about getting more writing gigs was that I needed to pitch and pitch a lot. F Scott Fitzgerald used to hang up his rejection letters in his small apt when he first arrived in NYC. Of course with emails you’ll have to print them out first, but tell yourself that until you’ve gotten your first 365 idea rejections, you haven’t even really been turned down.
Then basically you need to tell everybody out there – whether it’s a PR, a company or an editor – why they really need you and your ideas. Solve a problem for them and you’re in.
Hope this helps.
Oh lovely you know what you want just not how to get there
Can you find a way to carve out a couple of hours a week (Mr taking Little Miss swimming on a Saturday?) so that you have dedicated time to deal with things, so that it feels less ad hoc and more job like?
Write up a pitch email, who you are, what you do (copy examples), what you can offer (readers, honest reviews, coverage) (and put in a link to this page and some of your stats) and then get on the email and send it to PRs, telling them that for a limited time you can offer them x words a week in exchange for y amount of money – follow up with a phone call and keep hassling them with ideas.
Obviously coming at this from business not the PR world but if you came to me with that I’d reckon it was helpful
Or I may just be talking rubbish!
You’re very helpful my dear…maybe you can help me plot this out on our “PR junket”
I love your ideas…thanks for taking the time to suggest them! 
Thanks Jennifer…I am rapidly plotting a course and I really appreciate your suggestions!
Hi, I just read Antomnia Chitty’s book promoting your business and it was really fab. Lots of ideas to work through etc. help you plan. Good luck karen (have you thought about writing a book/e-book?)
Thanks Becky…I do have those books! Still formulating a plan…thanks for your suggestions and support!
I think it’s about focus.
I think it’s about picking one path and planning the steps, sequentially, that you need to get there.
It’s about doing ONE thing at a time. Not everything all at once. And it’s about taking away this idea that you are either “there” or are failing. There is no ultimate goal, there is no point at which you will decide that that’s it, you did it. It’s all a series of journeys, THAT’S the important bit. It’s not where you’re going, it’s what you’re doing RIGHT NOW. Does that make sense?
Prioritise. Pour your energy into the thing that will give you the most back. And try and let the other stuff go. I know it’s hard though, really hard. Because we want it so much right?
Behind you all the way honey xx
Okay, here goes, I expect to get a bollocking for saying what I think …. ha ha ……
Firstly –
Too much talk, not enough action.
Secondly –
I think you need to be professional ion your approach. I dont think it’s professional to write posts like this talking about who pays you for what.
Thirdly -
And this related to ‘secondly’ posts like this scream desperation. If you chill and do ‘firstly’ it will happen.
That it all.
Good luck with it.
*Off to find shelter !!*
related = relates
And in case you’re wondering, just catching up on blog reading now…………
Wow! Interesting advice…you do always tell it like it is Claire! I agree with the first. The second & third…well, my blog isn’t hyper-professional in that sense. It’s who I am. If that works for what I’m trying to do then great. I don’t know that I could change that much. You and I are very different individuals. I am approaching my writing and blogging and outreach in a “mummy blogger/freelance writer” kind of way. I’m never going to be a hard-nosed journo and that’s not what I want to be. Gonna say, “Wow” again…
I believe you’re my first negative comment!
Its not supposed to be a negative comment, I have just responded to your post …. it’s interesting though isnt it, and I am not talking about this post, but people do ask for a response / comment blah blah on blogs, and if people say what they honestly think, it’s a negative comment….. I often find this on forums too. Odd.
Yes, I know love. It’s just sometimes you are brutally honest. That’s all. I respect you for your opinion and thank you for your advice though!