The move to Ohio seemed like the perfect time to launch a freelance career -- new beginnings and all. In August I started freelance copywriting, and in September I began reporting for newspapers again.
Right now I work only from home, usually a couple of hours a day, more or less. Even though I'm nowhere near full-time, re-entering the workforce in even this limited capacity is both more rewarding and more difficult than I expected.
The copywriting jobs I've received call on the skills I learned spending five years in a New York City marketing department. The company I freelance for assigns me content to be written for businesses based mostly in the U.S. and Australia. I've written website copy, blog posts, marketing emails, press releases, tweets and even a flier. I can do the work whenever I want -- and that's frequently closer to midnight rather than noon.
I've put back on my journalism cap for the newspaper group I worked for before moving to New York. These pieces are more difficult, but mainly because of the baby in the background. I conduct phone interviews during working hours, and Edith's non-existent schedule doesn't always cooperate. I learned Friday that a few Cheerios will keep her quiet through at least one interview.
I'm glad to be getting back into the swing of things. Sometimes I miss the office environment -- particularly when I'm interviewing or trying to meet a deadline -- but overall I like working from home. I'll be the first to admit that it's a balancing act I haven't yet mastered. My free time is practically nil: To whit, I haven't finished a book since moving to Ohio, which is killing me. But I believe the positives will outweigh the negatives, and I hope I'm right.
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