“…like most writers, I frequently question whether I’m doing enough to keep the
pipeline filled…”
Steven Beschloss
Being a full-time writer is like walking a high wire while juggling balls. One
misstep, one missed ball, and suddenly we are scrambling to keep our balance.
In the past two months, I have been unusually, almost extraordinarily, busy. It
seemed like every day, someone — new client, old client — was calling with a
project. As fast as I finished one, two more popped up.
Yeah, I know, how dare I
complain! But in truth, I was starting to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I would
come into my office at 6 AM and not leave until 9 PM. Worse, I kept pushing my
regular marketing schedule (Monday and Tuesday are my cold call/follow-up days)
back, figuring I’d get to those calls tomorrow, the next day, the next week.
Uh,
huh. Well, here I am on week eight, and yes, I have marked quite a few items
off my To-Do list. The trouble is, the phone has stopped ringing, the e-mail has
stopped pinging, and my wipe-off board (where I keep track of projects) has
more white than writing!
And I worry... worry that the dreaded slow-down is coming. I
worry that, by not making the marketing calls on schedule, someone else got an
assignment that should have been mine. I worry…well, you get the picture.
I
should have known better — in fact, I did know better! — but I did it anyway,
and now I am up here, walking a much more stable high wire and juggling fewer balls,
and hoping that someone tosses more my way. And not just hoping but now
actively going after those “balls” because if I don’t, someone else will catch them.
Bottom line? It’s nice when opportunity comes a-knockin’ but don’t count on it.
Instead, create your own opportunity!
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