It’s good to meet up with fellow freelancers every once in a while. I found myself thinking about this after meeting up with a writer who was in town on business this week and asked me to coffee. Normally I’m chained to my desk during business hours, but it’s summer, the sun’s shining, what’s wrong with taking an hour off, right?
It ended up being fun and insightful; we talked about careers, editors, assignments and strategies, and I found myself thinking, why don’t I do this more often?
So here are five reasons why it’s good to put regular face-to-face meetings on your freelance schedule:
1. There’s only so much you can share about the intricacies of running a freelance writing business with your spouse, kids, mother, BFF or gym friends before their attention wanders. Other freelancers get your concerns, your triumphs, your particular brand of those-stinkers-haven’t-paid-me-yet pain.
2. Message boards have their place for creating virtual communities, and I probably spend too much time on my favorite online forum for freelancers. But there’s no substitute for seeing someone in person. You can cover more ground, let the conversation flow, go off topic. And admit it, it’s great to see what someone looks like in person.
3. Over coffee you can play the freelance version of six degrees of separation. I found out that my visiting freelance friend had gotten a couple assignments from an editor I’d blogged about, and in turn, she told me about a news Website she’s written for that’s run by an former editor of mine, someone who I now plan to contact about possible future work.
4. Two heads are better than one. If one of you is having a problem – can’t get motivated to start writing a story, publication not paying, not sure which direction to take in your career – it’s great to be able to ask someone else in the business for suggestions or advice.
5. It’s interesting to hear how someone else got into freelancing, the way they run their businesses and the writing or career issues they’re grappling with at the moment. My friend’s present issue: she writes about many topics and wonders if she should pare down and concentrate on just a few. My issues: reconciling my ambitious career plans with my busy family life, taking too much time to write stories, not having enough time to pitch new markets, and the list goes on and on.
What have you learned from hanging out with other freelancers?
Hi Michelle,
I just happened across your blog today and have gotten a lot out of it! I have always found that communing with other writers is good for the soul. Ranting, forming connections, staying motivated– this is why we need each other. And you’re right, surprising stuff comes from getting together for a cup of java. Great post. 🙂
There’s no substitute for this kind of networking. I’m part of a group of writers who get together for lunch on a semi-regular basis. The last time we met, I got a contact that resulted in a wonderful gig.
Ironically, the day you posted this, I was invited to have lunch with a writer person I met in a photography class. We both took the class to get out of the house. She introduced me to a lovely cafe and I introduced her to the wide world of freelancing. It was very good.
networking is everything