I had another topic cued up for tonight, but then something happened for the first time that seemed like a good subject for a Nick Writes post—I got paid! For writing!
I feel like a good deal of my posts on here (by “a good deal,” I mean roughly 100%), are about the fact that I, well, don’t write. Let this post serve as proof that I do, in fact, churn out something other than this blog from time to time.
Now, before I go further, I should clarify one thing: technically speaking, this isn’t the first time I’ve been paid to write. In fact, I get paid to write regularly. At my last job, I wrote several blog posts each week, and in my current job, I write all manner of sales sheets, brochures, newsletter articles, and other content for my company. What makes today’s paycheck different is that it’s for freelance work—writing I’ve done outside of my normal everyday gig.
For me, this is exciting for a number of reasons. For one thing, it means extra money, which, ya know, I enjoy. It also represents a commitment to writing on my own time. So far, that’s been the hardest part about trying to make a go at writing—making the time to do it outside of the office. And while more of the blogs I’m being paid for have been written at the 11th hour than I would like, they were finished all the same, and that’s something I’m proud of.
Another nice aspect of my freelance work is that it’s a heck of a lot of fun. The writing I’m doing is for Costume SuperCenter, Costume Discounters, and Wholesale Halloween Costumes (notice a theme?). They’re all part of the same company, and while the websites themselves focus on costumes, the posts I’m writing center on different pop culture topics. Each month, I get to pitch ideas based on open-ended subjects like Terminator, Back to the Future, and Ant-Man that typically tie in to something timely like a movie release. The most recent post of mine that went up was written to coincide with the release of the Batman: Arkham Knight videogame.
In an earlier post, I asked the question “How do you be your own boss?” I still don’t have an answer. But in the meantime, having someone else for a boss has proven to be pretty effective. There’s a sense of “I have to do this, and I have to do it by this time,” that I haven’t yet been able to muster for my own work.
I’m only in to my second month doing this writing, so it’s safe to say that I’m still getting into the swing of things. Getting things done in advance and giving myself adequate time to breath and edit is still something I’m working on. And coming up with executable ideas is a skill that, like any other, takes practice (one of the first blogs I was slated to write—based off of a topic I pitched mind you—crashed and burned as I couldn’t come up with much to flesh out the idea with).
But I did good work, I had fun doing it, and I made some extra scratch besides.
That’s right ladies and gentlemen, Nick wrote.