Honing Her Craft is a newsletter about writing and connecting through creative practices from journalist Amelia Arvesen. For more content, upgrade to a paid subscription here.
Hi friends! I wanted to facilitate a little space for asking me anything about freelancing, journalism, creativity, building a network, balancing projects, working in the outdoor industry, being a dog mom, sewing my own clothes, keeping a journal, this luscious kale—whatever you want. What are you curious about behind the scenes at Honing Her Craft? I’ll answer in the comments!
I love all the questions previously posed! I'm wondering how many pitches you try to send per month or week? Or maybe per day??? I know I'm not pitching as much as everyone else ... I am always reminding myself not to look in the other lane and justify my low pitching churn because I have a diversified income stream beyond writing ... but still, I am curious!
Patrice! Hi! This is a good question, and I'm also curious about how frequently other writers pitch. For me, this depends wholly on the work that's already coming to me from editors. I've been getting a lot of assignments lately, so I haven't felt the financial need (or had the time) to workshop ideas into pitches. Based on my spreadsheet, it looks like I've been pitching about once a month. Most of those are informal though, like just sending an editor quick ideas. Only a few pitches this year were cold pitches that resulted in published work (Adventure.com).
All that said, I'm hoping to champion some new publications next year. Maybe I'll make it a goal to be workshopping cold pitches at least once a month. That seems like a reasonable pace for me. Not too much energy or time, but still enough to get the creative thoughts flowing.
What about you? What's your ideal situation? How much do you want to be pitching (not what you think you "should" be pitching)?
Thanks for this! It is always interesting to hear about other writers' processes. I would say I'm pitching once a month, too. I thought that was too low, but it really matches my workload flow. And it's also about learning the editors ... for example, I've noticed that Lauren from Adventure might take 2-3 weeks to respond to a pitch, but then once she accepts, she gives a 2-week deadline. So it's a delicate balance!
Yes, agreed! If my workload is steady and sufficient, then I don't pressure myself to pitch when I have other things on my plate. That said, I have about 5 ideas I'm hoping to write about in 2023, but I'm taking some down time in Dec/Jan to think those through.
I love this question! The answer is...both. I have two journals that I use on the daily. The first is my bullet journal, which operates more like a calendar. It's very structured in that I add my tasks, plans, and accomplishments for the day. But I also have sections in the front and back dedicated to goals, what i call "moments of empowerment", ideas, book lists, and EOY reflections.
The second is my writing journal. This is more free. I'll simply add the date in the top margin and then write.
How do you find consistency in your freelance schedule? I’m having a hard time building in consistency between art days, writing days, chill days, travel days.
Ah, the golden question. I struggle with this but make it easier on myself by sticking to a routine.
Weekday mornings before work, I use 7-9 to journal, read, do yoga or run, and walk the dog. Then I keep a strict 9-5 work schedule. When my workload is lighter, I'll take Friday afternoons off—or sometimes the whole day if I can afford it. This usually becomes a rest day, rather than a day for building pitches or personal writing. I like to build in my creative/art time for sewing or other projects on weeknights and weekends, so it's something I can look forward to once the work is done. Essentially, I'm maximizing my time in a way that doesn't require extra energy.
But travel? Travel always messes things up.
Where do you feel like you're getting stuck? And what's working for you?
Before going full-time freelance, I would've never been able to take a mid-week, mid-day art class. So, as soon as I took the plunge, I immediately signed up for a Wednesday afternoon ceramics class at a lovely community art studio I would've never had the time to drive to – especially during the work week. It feels weird to not work on Wednesdays now (or work a lot less) since I spend as much time as I can in the studio. But I've been trying to give myself grace and flexibility in working *when* I want, not when I *feel* like I have to.
I'm getting much better at feeling comfortable not working a solid 9-5 everyday but being realistic with myself about when I really do need to hunker-down and get my writing projects done. But that has meant less consistency in working every day.
What's been working for me is planning out my weeks week-by-week. I use my Google calendar and Trello board as my project/assignment maps and ~really~ stick to it. I schedule blocks of time on my calendar for heads-down writing or project work and try my darnedest not to move them unless I really need/have to.
So, long story short: I don't have consistency in my work schedule – and maybe I'm okay with that. That's the beauty of freelance, isn't it?
You own your schedule... your schedule doesn't own you.
The traditional framework is a reallllllly hard mindset to get out of. But you're taking such good care of yourself by offering grace and constant reminders. That's what helps me too. You DO have consistency—it's just a consistency that's defined and set by you, not the system. Consistency doesn't have to mean 9-5 every day. So enjoy that art class, and maybe the "consistency" is preserving Wednesdays or another weekday for that art space. I also set aside Wed mornings for my long runs, but you've inspired me to look into art classes :)
Oh my gosh that pattern garment rack is a DREAM! I like your clear folders idea! Tissue patterns handle staying folded well, I hope thicker printer paper can handle it for reuse! At-home printing is so convenient...
So far they have held up! I mean, there's definitely fold creases, which isn't ideal. But I usually just flatten those out with weights when I need to use the pattern again. And I've used a bunch of folded printer paper patterns over and over.
I love all the questions previously posed! I'm wondering how many pitches you try to send per month or week? Or maybe per day??? I know I'm not pitching as much as everyone else ... I am always reminding myself not to look in the other lane and justify my low pitching churn because I have a diversified income stream beyond writing ... but still, I am curious!
Patrice! Hi! This is a good question, and I'm also curious about how frequently other writers pitch. For me, this depends wholly on the work that's already coming to me from editors. I've been getting a lot of assignments lately, so I haven't felt the financial need (or had the time) to workshop ideas into pitches. Based on my spreadsheet, it looks like I've been pitching about once a month. Most of those are informal though, like just sending an editor quick ideas. Only a few pitches this year were cold pitches that resulted in published work (Adventure.com).
All that said, I'm hoping to champion some new publications next year. Maybe I'll make it a goal to be workshopping cold pitches at least once a month. That seems like a reasonable pace for me. Not too much energy or time, but still enough to get the creative thoughts flowing.
What about you? What's your ideal situation? How much do you want to be pitching (not what you think you "should" be pitching)?
Thanks for this! It is always interesting to hear about other writers' processes. I would say I'm pitching once a month, too. I thought that was too low, but it really matches my workload flow. And it's also about learning the editors ... for example, I've noticed that Lauren from Adventure might take 2-3 weeks to respond to a pitch, but then once she accepts, she gives a 2-week deadline. So it's a delicate balance!
Yes, agreed! If my workload is steady and sufficient, then I don't pressure myself to pitch when I have other things on my plate. That said, I have about 5 ideas I'm hoping to write about in 2023, but I'm taking some down time in Dec/Jan to think those through.
Is your journaling more structured (ex. listing goals for the day, gratitude, highs/lows, etc.) or more free writing?
I love this question! The answer is...both. I have two journals that I use on the daily. The first is my bullet journal, which operates more like a calendar. It's very structured in that I add my tasks, plans, and accomplishments for the day. But I also have sections in the front and back dedicated to goals, what i call "moments of empowerment", ideas, book lists, and EOY reflections.
The second is my writing journal. This is more free. I'll simply add the date in the top margin and then write.
Would a post dedicated to journaling be helpful?
Yeah! That would be so fun. If you have any tips for bullet journaling or layout ideas, that would be helpful.
Here's the bullet journal intro video, but I'll plan a post on how I set mine up! It has evolved to meet my needs.
https://bulletjournal.com/pages/learn
How do you find consistency in your freelance schedule? I’m having a hard time building in consistency between art days, writing days, chill days, travel days.
Ah, the golden question. I struggle with this but make it easier on myself by sticking to a routine.
Weekday mornings before work, I use 7-9 to journal, read, do yoga or run, and walk the dog. Then I keep a strict 9-5 work schedule. When my workload is lighter, I'll take Friday afternoons off—or sometimes the whole day if I can afford it. This usually becomes a rest day, rather than a day for building pitches or personal writing. I like to build in my creative/art time for sewing or other projects on weeknights and weekends, so it's something I can look forward to once the work is done. Essentially, I'm maximizing my time in a way that doesn't require extra energy.
But travel? Travel always messes things up.
Where do you feel like you're getting stuck? And what's working for you?
Before going full-time freelance, I would've never been able to take a mid-week, mid-day art class. So, as soon as I took the plunge, I immediately signed up for a Wednesday afternoon ceramics class at a lovely community art studio I would've never had the time to drive to – especially during the work week. It feels weird to not work on Wednesdays now (or work a lot less) since I spend as much time as I can in the studio. But I've been trying to give myself grace and flexibility in working *when* I want, not when I *feel* like I have to.
I'm getting much better at feeling comfortable not working a solid 9-5 everyday but being realistic with myself about when I really do need to hunker-down and get my writing projects done. But that has meant less consistency in working every day.
What's been working for me is planning out my weeks week-by-week. I use my Google calendar and Trello board as my project/assignment maps and ~really~ stick to it. I schedule blocks of time on my calendar for heads-down writing or project work and try my darnedest not to move them unless I really need/have to.
So, long story short: I don't have consistency in my work schedule – and maybe I'm okay with that. That's the beauty of freelance, isn't it?
You own your schedule... your schedule doesn't own you.
The traditional framework is a reallllllly hard mindset to get out of. But you're taking such good care of yourself by offering grace and constant reminders. That's what helps me too. You DO have consistency—it's just a consistency that's defined and set by you, not the system. Consistency doesn't have to mean 9-5 every day. So enjoy that art class, and maybe the "consistency" is preserving Wednesdays or another weekday for that art space. I also set aside Wed mornings for my long runs, but you've inspired me to look into art classes :)
How do you store your patterns?
For now, I fold them up and store them in clear plastic folders like these: https://www.target.com/p/juvale-clear-plastic-document-folders-30-pack-envelope-folders-for-letter-size-and-a4/-/A-81541034#lnk=sametab
One day, I'd love to hang them somehow. Imagine having a whole closet dedicated to patterns like this!: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJWmQk0BL1X/
What about you?!
Oh my gosh that pattern garment rack is a DREAM! I like your clear folders idea! Tissue patterns handle staying folded well, I hope thicker printer paper can handle it for reuse! At-home printing is so convenient...
So far they have held up! I mean, there's definitely fold creases, which isn't ideal. But I usually just flatten those out with weights when I need to use the pattern again. And I've used a bunch of folded printer paper patterns over and over.