The freelance multiple personality disorder

Scenes from a work day:

9 a.m. First call of day, with a trade magazine editor and old friend. Talk shop. Go over pitches for business features I sent earlier. Settle on a few, plus a special report story package. Discuss terms. Schedule due dates. I am a contributing editor.

10 a.m. Interview local quasi-celebrity social media expert about Twitter, Facebook, etc., for career piece for new website for women. Fun stuff. Conversation veers to mutual acquaintances, dumb things people do online. Make mental note to interview this source again if possible. I am a career columnist.

11 a.m. Conference call with two web gurus for story for small business tech website. Realize I can only use fraction of their information. Contemplate pitching follow-up piece in order to use leftover material. I am a tech writer.

Noon – Another interview for same tech piece. Hear same things over again, signal story’s ready to write. I’m an old pro.

1 p.m. – Monitor ongoing email discussion with editor, other writers collaborating on stories for new small business website. I am a team player.

2:30 p.m. Get idea for blog post. Dash off post, look up links, preview, change headline, preview again, tinker with headline, preview, make change, preview, make change, preview. Publish. Check stats. Wonder why stats have been lower since switching blog to self-hosted. I am a blogger.

4 p.m. Write social media story for women’s website from morning interview. Channel light and breezy in order to stuff maximum meaning into minimal word count. I am a word-working wonder.

6:30 p.m. Feed dog. Check homework’s done. Make dinner. Do dishes. I am a working parent.

8:30 p.m. Finish final edits on copy going into catalog for youngest son’s upcoming school auction. I am a volunteer copywriter.

9 p.m. – Query editor of tech website with ideas for next month’s assignments. Check email. Check blogs stats. Check Twitter. Check email again. Power down computer.  I am a Type A worker.

You could call what I have freelance multiple personality disorder.

Then again, if you do what I do, you know it’s all in a day’s work.