Getting back to writing

I promised myself I will be consistent and disciplined this time. I’ve been writing for years. I’ve created so many blogs. But none of them lasted. Why? Because after a few months of writing consistently, the urge to write suddenly dies down and everything starts to go down the drain.

So I’m giving myself this last chance. Maybe my current circumstances will help. Maybe my baby will help in prodding me to write – because there’s a lot of things you can discuss about babies. Even if they are not born yet. Just feeling them kicking inside your tummy is already something.

I’m about 23 weeks pregnant. I have a full-time job in a transcription company. I used to love my job. Well, I still love it until now. But things change when you become a mom. Your priorities change. Your outlook in life changes. Your interests change.

I have planned to stay longer in my office job for career growth. I have tried freelancing for three years before and planned on putting up an online business. I failed on my first try because I lacked some skills which I could only get from a mentor… which prompted me to go out again into the corporate world so someone can mentor me in terms of people management and leadership.

I got that from my five years in working in the office. I’m not an expert yet, but I learned a lot of things. I actually thought I was going to love staying there for more than five years.

But recently, I realized that transcription isn’t what I want to do in life. Writing is.

That’s why I’m coming back. Because writing is my passion. And at this point in my life, with a baby on the way, freelance writing is the most viable option for me. I feel like I couldn’t survive motherhood if I will still do office work. I know that there are a lot of moms out there who are cut out for the corporate world, and it’s not that I can’t do it, I just don’t think it is for me. Call me conservative, but I still believe that I should not let anyone else take care of my child except me or my husband. I could hire some help, but at least I will be there to see my child every step of the way.

And so I will be a stay-at-home freelance writing mom. I will never stop working. I will never stop writing. I just want to be in close proximity with my child. I owe that to her.

So, with my life ahead of me all set, what I’m doing now is getting back into the mindset of writing. I have joined Facebook groups such as The Copywriter Club, Freelance B2B Writers, and Writing Revolters. I have gained a lot of insights from these groups in the short period of time that I became a member. Additionally, blogs like Copyblogger, Make a Living Writing, and The Write Life have been very helpful.

I’m currently reading a book called Persuasive Online Copywriting which was a recommendation from Copyblogger. I’m halfway through it and I’m having fun learning. Reading through it made me realize I have yet to learn a lot in writing. I did study journalism in college, but when it comes to the workplace, what I learned in college is just a small chunk compared to what I still need to learn.

It’s been a while since I last did freelance work, so my problem now is getting clients. It used to be very easy to get clients in 2006, but as the competition grows, I’m finding it very hard to get good clients that pay well. I’ve tried Upwork, but man, the competition is tough. I feel like I’m a tiny grain of salt whenever I try pitching myself. I have had a few offers but I often change my mind when I look at the pay. With the Upwork fee now at 20%, it’s almost like you’re working for free. Probably, just for the sake of building my portfolio, I might try to get some clients from there, though, of course, I will never work for $1/1000 words of content.

Anyway, I think this is the best time to write and get published, and I’m determined to make use of the technology we have now to my advantage. Gone are the days when you have no one to read your writing except for the cockroaches and lizards in your stock room. At this time, you can publish anything you want and get some readers interested if you came up with something that piqued their interest. It’s a great time to be a writer!

So, time for me to get started. I’m starting out with this blog for practice. I don’t even have a custom domain name, but I will have soon. The goal is to write everyday, at least.