The pile of material for me to sort through looks much larger than this one. This one has formed part of an even larger stack. It’s going to take some time to sort through. It’s a perfect project. Happily, I write in the surroundings of my home office. Where the music is plentiful and the sunshine always beams through the window. It’s always rather enjoyable to look at ideas that become old the very second they are written down. They get new life when they are transposed into something for the page and screen. New air. New reality. New possibilities.

Part of my exercise in pursuing freelance opportunities is to check out markets where short fiction and non-fiction may be called for. A particular publication may have a demand for something specific and I might challenge myself to come up with material on the spot to work on and submit. This can really work for many people who might be able to type straight through a piece and send it in for instant submission. I’ve had this happen only a handful of times. It may not be the greatest formula for working. Over the past week, I’ve worried rather uselessly that undeveloped ideas might lose value over time. Its’ just simply not true. So many of the pages I have will remain attached to the notebooks. They could end up as workable material down the road. The better ideas deserve development as soon as possible.

Think about what kinds of inspired thinking you have around written somewhere. It could be a title, a line, an entire page or two. It can be anything really. Only you can know if it is an idea that might be potentially sold down the road. Being able to sit right down and come up with something right away for a submission is still great. But, having a set of developed ideas on the ready will certainly broaden your horizons in the freelance market. How great would it be if you have a finished short story for a literary publication that fits exactly what they might be looking for? It can, and does happen to many. It makes the payment even more rewarding.

This is what I am sorting through on this Sunday. Old inspirations that will become new again. Some will end up part of a portfolio sooner. Many will be shelved for another day. Some will end up permanently retired and this is fine. If you are confident enough in your ability to work, there are surely better inspired ideas to come.

As the year moves forward, I hope to continue pursuit of work as someone who can speak/write about the choice not to have children. My book has certainly been a great help with this.  Meanwhile, I am actively in pursuit of new freelance opportunities. In addition to the usual web and print freelance market, I want to expand further and write for more speakers and stand-up comedians, and find ways into writing for television and radio. I’m open to a variety of possibilities. Just happy to be working and building long-term business relationships.

Thank you for reading. 

@WriterDann