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How once woman went from being a SAHM of four to a published freelance science journalist |
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I'm revising this intro after more than 15 years to better reflect my intention When I started this blog in 2004, I was a stay at home mom to two small children, a college graduate with a degree in English and Astrophysics. By 2007, I had four small children, ages newborn, 2, 4, and 6. For several years, Writing.com was how I kept my sanity. This blog began, first as a way of staying connected. Later, when I worked on a novel, I used it to stoke the writing fires as I plotted out short stories and the next step of my novel. Ultimately, I moved my writing preparation to "Invalid Item"  In 2010, I became a single mom who had homeschooled her children for several years. I had a 2, 4, 6 and 8 year old and had never had a "real" full time job, since I was married while in college. Everyone told me that I would have to buckle down and take on a "real" job. Instead, I decided to attempt to live my dream: to make it as a writer. I knew that if I didn't try then, I would never really dive in. I counted my money and set a deadline. If I hadn't began making a decent (defined) amount of money after so many months, I would suck it up and get a J-O-B. After some thought, I decided to play to my strengths. I served an internship at Sky & Telescope magazine while in college and enjoyed writing about space and astronomy. With an astrophysics degree, I thought I would be able to sell myself more easily, and a small niche should be easier to penetrate. It's been about ten years since I was first paid for an article on Space.com. In that time, writing - journalism - has been my primary moneymaker. I've often thought about setting up a blog on my website - www.astrowriter.com - but just haven't gotten around to it. There are a few things I would like to share for those who are interested in scientific journalism in general. Now that I'm back on WDC, there's no reason not to combine the two and use the site blog for that sort of interaction. There are certainly plenty of folks on this site interested in the publication process. So while I'll probably meander around some, that's the intention of of this blog: to share some of my struggles as a published journalist and to help answer oft-asked questions. |
| As always, I am dreadful with my follow through.... I planned to write, and even purchased a one year sub. Because, hey, it's actually a business expense! That's not even bs, I do think that fiction writing does help me with my nonfiction writing, as I craft better stories. But then, life. So I wound up in June and July struggling with, ew, gallstones. Those things are painful! My doc actually sent me to see a surgeon with the recommendation to remove my gallbladder. The surgeon said that it wasn't a pressing concern and that his recommendation still was to not go to the hospital with COVID so rampant if it wasn't urgent. So I still have my gallbladder, and am trying to avoid pain. That's impacted my work. The best thing about self-employment is the lack of paid sick leave </sarcasm>. I wound up not pitching for several weeks because I didn't want to have to try to struggle through work while in pain. Or on medication. Or both lol. I also had several big features, including one for Scientific American. Okay that wasn't a feature, but still. I've written for SciAm online, but I'm excited to score in the magazine. That story was something of a catastrophe in action, but it worked out. I just submitted the fact-checked version today, so I should be pretty much finished. Last night I had an amazing dream about magic. I woke up thinking, ah, NOW I am set to write a fantasy novel. Because the worst part of that is figuring out how the magic works and how to balance it. So I woke up thinking, Eureka. Then I went back to sleep and of course forgot everything. I keep saying I need a notebook by the bed, but then I tell myself I can use the phone, but I've been trying to lock up the phone so it's not working. Round and round I go. Anyway, this has all been excuses. Let me use them to do the big lesson for freelancers. First, even when things are rough, keep pitching. (Actually, I have a COVID-related story on that one, but I'll have to tell it later.) Because eventually you come out of the rough time thinking, wow, I need some work. But also, cultivate a good relationship with your editors so they will understand that you rarely have to press a deadline. That way, when you need to push one back, they know it's not your normal method. By 'cultivate a good relationship', I mean, submit on time if not early. Turn in good copy. When I told my SciAm editor that I was going to pass on the assignment she offered, she said she could extend the deadline because she knew from experience that I turned in good, clean copy that required little editing. I had also been referred to that assignment by the online SciAm editor, who I have worked with frequently and have a good relationship with. Also, don't get sick. Ugh. |
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