Daniel Smyth

When Silence Isn’t So Golden

daniel83 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 12:10:31 +0000

Solitude, serenity, calm. Three of the more euphemistic ways to describe being alone. Too much time alone though can often be anything but a positive experience. Humans are naturally hospitable and will actively seek the companionship of other like-minded individuals. Indeed, you only have to look at the recent success of networking sites like Facebook to see that the human psyche is partly driven by the need for interaction. With this in mind it’s easy to see why we as a species don’t deal with extended periods of isolation particularly well; great news for us freelancers then, not.

Every freelancer will have their own reasons for deciding to work for themselves; personally, I was at a crossroads in my life after graduating and either rightly or wrongly I decided that becoming another cog in a corporate machine wasn’t for me. I also don’t mind my own company or at least I thought I didn’t. Working for myself has meant that throughout most of the day I’m sat on my own without a soul to talk to OK, so maybe that sounds more depressing than it actually is but the isolation of working from home is something that I wasn’t as prepared for as I thought I would be. Engaging in essentially meaningless conversation or phatic communication is actually something we need throughout the day. It’s a way of giving our minds a break, not letting our brains overheat from too much concentration and basically it’s an excuse for some human interaction. As I’ve discovered, the lack of interaction can be damaging for not only your motivation but your productivity and confidence. It is tough enough trying to make it on your own (as I’m still finding out) and not being able to take a break and chew the proverbial fat with someone throughout the day can make things a lot harder.

Obviously, there’s always text messaging, instant messaging or just popping to the local shop but apart from that it there aren’t many ways to stave off the loneliness. I’m sure that a lot of freelancers don’t mind the insular nature of their careers but personally it is something I’m having to adjust to. Certainly, if anyone has any tips or ideas on how to inject some interaction into the day then please leave me a comment.

I’m sure I’m not the only person in the world to experience these thoughts which is why I think some kind of freelancers water cooler website would be a good idea. The idea would be to create some kind of online portal where freelancers could log-in and chat to each other about work, leisure or anything they want. It would also be a great way to network with others, get tips and generally pass the time with like-minded people. There could even by scheduled events at specific times each day where people can discuss things as a group or maybe even play an interactive online game. My ideas are a little sketchy but (unless there is somewhere already in operation) I think that if there was a place where freelancers could go and interact by talking, playing games etc it would be a good thing.

I’m sure I’ve waffled on for way too long and I’m almost certain I’ve painted a rather bleak picture of my experience as a freelancer. That definitely wasn’t my intention, what I really wanted to try and explain it that while silence can be golden too much of it isn’t necessarily a positive nor productive thing. Basically, in a nutshell, I just get a bit lonely .

Anyways, here’s a little song to lighten the mood:

Happy Talk – Captain Sensible

Until next time, ciao.

-Daniel Smyth

When Writing Just Isn’t Enough

daniel83 — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:08:09 +0000

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt or, more accurately, been slapped in the face with, is that being a freelance writer is about much more than writing. In terms of experience I’m still somewhat wet behind the ears but since trying to make it on my own I’ve learnt some valuable lessons both about myself and my approach to freelancing. Maybe I was naive to think that being able to write (in my opinion quite well) would be enough to ensure I could have a career in writing. Unsurprisingly, this assumption was quickly shown to be inaccurate because no matter how many ideas, discarded pages of writing and optimistic thoughts I had, no one was beating down my door with offers of work. To be a successful freelance writer you need to be a strong business mind first and (in some cases) a semi-competent writer second. This, unfortunately, is where I have been severely lacking and it has taken a lot of missed opportunities and struggles to realise this. I will freely admit that I don’t have a great deal of business acumen or knowledge, I certainly don’t have any trouble thinking up ideas for websites, different avenues of work etc but when it comes down to the execution I begin to flounder like a fish out of water. My self-promotion skills are pretty poor and as for networking, well if I were a telecommunications company I’d have been cutoff a long time ago.

Thankfully, I’m able to take critical look at myself and I now realise that if I’m going to survive in the jungles of the freelance world then I’m going to have to dive head first into enemy territory and seize any and every opportunity I can. People = opportunities and opportunities = work and over the next few weeks I’m going to be working hard on putting my name in the thoughts of as many people I can; to coin a somewhat clichéd expression: it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Indeed, another recent family tragedy has given me another glimpse into the fragility of life and shown me that while death may be necessary it’s what you do preceding it that makes living worthwhile. This means taking risks and pushing hard for something you believe in, are passionate about and want to succeed in.

Phew, that was starting to get a bit heavy there.

But in all seriousness, if you’re not doing something you love then what’s the point? And if you’re trying to do something you love and you’re not doing everything in your power to make it a success then that’s just as much of a failure as not reaching for your dream in the first place.

That’s about all I’ve got for today but I thought I’d continue the theme of pushing for your dreams and leave you with the theme tune to the 1988 Olympics:

Whitney Houston – One Moment in Time

(I know, I know, cheesy isn’t it )

-Daniel

A Slave to Technology

daniel83 — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:27:07 +0000

I love technology. No doubt about it: computers, the Internet, the ipod are amazing creations. But as much as these innovations are great, it’s fair to say that technology has the power to make me and break me in equal measure. My laptop, in its factory constructed wisdom, has decided to “lose” an integral file and now it refuses to start. Brilliant!!

Now, strange as it might sound, the other day I decided to close the lid of my laptop and take it to another house where I intended to work. “Transport a personal computer? Surely not!!” I know, crazy isn’t it. Obviously utilising one of the major benefits of a laptop isn’t the done thing and, what I thought was minor travel sickness, has apparently developed into a paralysing illness. After searching for a solution it seems as though I’m going to have to restore my laptop to its factory defaults and in the process lose all my files (luckily I have most backed up), all my programmes and all my bookmarks (some of the freelance job sites I can’t now remember). To say this is a pain would be an understatement as I have just been offered a bulk order of work from the poker guy I’ve been writing for.

I don’t want to be lucky in life all I want is a slice of average luck. Sigh.

Despite my moaning, I’m sure things will be fine and having what looks like a long term relationship with a guy who likes my writing is definitely good news. All I need are a few more clients like him and I’ll be set. In other news, I have started writing a comedy. Well I say started, I’ve laid out some character descriptions. Who knows, maybe in a couple of years’ time I’ll be using mishaps like these as material for my latest comedy sketch.

No musical offering today because of the laptop situation but instead a few minutes of comedy genius:

David Brent

Till next time. Bye bye.

-Daniel Smyth

Ideas, more ideas and a little bit of writing

daniel83 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:56:42 +0000

Being a freelancer was never going to be easy but recently I’ve been doing more searching and exploring than Chris Columbus. I’ve started bidding for projects on Getafreelancer.com and have had one accepted (although the person hasn’t been in any further contact) and one guy who wanted me to work but at a ridiculously low rate ($2 per 500 words). Still, having some interest in just a few bids must be good sign, all I need to do now is find a few good openings and strike it lucky. I’ve also been firing out numerous emails to various positions and I have had a bit of interest but most of the time it feels like once they get sent they swirl around in the web’s ether and never land anywhere useful.

It’s not been all job hunting though as I’ve just finished my second piece for a guy who’s setting up a poker website. My first piece went down pretty well (hotter than Paris Hilton according to him) so hopefully he likes the piece I finished today. I’m hoping we can build up good relationship and it becomes a regular source of work because by Jove I need some . My head has also been busy dreaming up new, lucrative ideas namely promoting my academic essays editing service and writing a comedy. The latter might just be a pipe dream but my essay editing service is something I really want to get going. I have been editing friend’s and family’s essay for a few years now and I definitely know what it takes to plan and write a top quality essay. My own essays regularly got some of the highest marks across the year and I actually enjoy picking apart someones work and making it the best it can be: what can I say, I’m a giver Aside from that I think it can actually be quite profitable so I’m going to be peppering a few uni campuses tomorrow with posters and leaving a few sneaky business cards in select places. I need to keep the price cheap enough for students but money to make it worth my time, hopefully it takes off.

That’s about the long and short of my recent activities. I’m off to play some football in a bit, but before I go I’ll direct you towards my song of the day (and no, it wasn’t chosen purely because its got something to do with writing).

Poetry in Motion – Johnny Tillotson

Enjoy.

Poetry In Motion

Till next time.

Ciao

Daniel

Writing About Words: My Life as a Freelancer

daniel83 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:25:45 +0000

Finished, fertig, finito. Finally, I have a website, a little piece of cyberspace to call my own. Having started as a novice at creating a website I’m still a novice but at least I’m one with something that looks pretty decent (even if I do say so myself) and one that works. (By the way, just in case you were wondering, my name is Daniel and I am a freelance writer.) As a little addition to my website I thought I’d start this blog with the intention of documenting my journey as a freelance writer. Why I hear you ask? In an attempt to discourage those wanting to embark on the same path of course. Just kidding . Since working from home can be a little isolated at times it seemed a good idea to create a space where I can jot down some of the random thoughts, insights and observations I have during the day. Leaving comments, whether positive or negative, is readily encouraged on this blog and over time I’d like it to become a place, not just for my ramblings on life, but a place where I can share my thoughts on language and writing and where I can share my experience in the freelance world and hopefully inspire others to follow their passions.

Fear not though, this blog won’t be endless reams of worthless lexical markings. Oh no. I want to encourage people to come flocking back to see my latest entry so where my words will inevitably fail I shall turn to the world of comedy and music to keep the masses amused. Two things in my life are a must: music and comedy. Ask me who sings All Out of Love and I’ll be able to tell you (it’s Air Supply btw) or get me to quote you a line from The Office and most likely I’ll give you five. If I was asked whether I’d rather take an endless stocked ipod or all my favourite comedies on a desert island with me the choice would be impossible, whatever the decision I’d definitely survive a happy man. So be prepared for a few snippets of my eclectic music taste and clips of my funniest comedy scenes in the coming posts

Anyway, this introductory post seems to crescendoing in to a rather disappointing end but rest assured, in the words of the song made famous by Tony Blair and D-Ream: “Things Can Only Get Better.”

Until next time, God is love. (Rev Run)

-Daniel Smyth