Category: life’s journey

The work (and journey) goes on

~ Mike McKibbin ~ Leave a comment

It’s not that I’ve been avoiding writing here (well, OK, maybe sometimes😉) but I’ve been pretty busy over the last several months. For instance, I’ve had several assignments from two clients, did some updates to this website, revised my resume and started to research essay writing as a possible new skill.

Then I’ve had some personal business to take care of and got my two shots of COVID-19 vaccines that aren’t really vaccines. (At least that’s what I recall reading in the forms I had to review and sign to get my shots. It was something about the emergency use authorization. Legalese, I guess.🤔 I think everyone saw the same form.)

At any rate, I’ve kept busy. My spirits were boosted by the work from those two clients, one of which is under new management and seems open to increasing the amount of work I do for them. That’s always good news. The second has been a steady customer, although not in quantity. But I knew that going into our arrangement. And this one just agreed to slightly boost my rate, so that’s good news.

Continue reading “The work (and journey) goes on” →

Upon further consideration …

~ Mike McKibbin ~ Leave a comment

Necessity can lead to choices that might have been rejected in the past. Circumstances and situations often change, so we decide differently.

That’s where I found myself after reassessing where my writing career stood. I’ve written before about a story pitching online course that provided a lot of good information, tips and guidance. As a journalist, I know what makes a story a story, so sharing those ideas and subjects with editors who then assign them to the person who pitched them makes sense.

But the reality — as I knew would be the case — turned out to be very difficult. After pitching many story ideas to several editors, I have yet to get an assignment. Most of the time, the reasons stemmed from the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impacts. For many publications and online sites, their freelance budgets were one of the first areas they cut.

Continue reading “Upon further consideration …” →

Battling back to my passion

~ Mike McKibbin ~ 3 Comments

Detours. Roadblocks. Hurdles. Challenges. Life.

Whatever term you use, everyone has to deal with things that come up. A lot of times when they do, you have to slog through and continue to move in what you hope is a forward direction. But it can be hard.

I experienced — and am still experiencing — this over the last few months. My brother passed away in another state and I was appointed the personal representative to his estate. It’s one of the most difficult things I’ve had to undertake, Continue reading “Battling back to my passion” →

Ready for the next step

~ Mike McKibbin ~ Leave a comment

Optimism and growing motivation with a little touch of apprehension.

That may sum up my outlook towards my freelance writing career as a new year approaches. This year has been a pretty good one. I’ve stayed busy with writing projects and assignments, although I know it might have been better if I’d done more marketing and networking, getting my name out there some more.

I’m optimistic I have a good idea about where I want to go with my writing in the coming year. I’ve mentioned before on this site that my goal is to get a full-time work-at-home writing job so I can continue to enjoy the freedom and efficiencies of not commuting. I think this will continue to be the direction many professions move in the coming years. It just makes sense for employers and employees.

So I plan to seek out these opportunities next year, Continue reading “Ready for the next step” →

Passion comes with doing what you love

~ Mike McKibbin ~ Leave a comment

There’s a lot to be said about doing what you love as your profession. Not everyone does just that or is lucky enough to find a way to make a little money as they progress through life by doing something that excites them and keeps them motivated.

I’ve been one of the lucky ones and I have been reminded of that fact many times in my life. Most recently, I had a little downtime in writing assignments. I used that time to do some personal organizing and downsizing, other activities I find I like and look forward to when I get the chance.

But two assignments since then reinforced my love for writing. The subjects are interesting and the people I interview and facts I research for the stories are Continue reading “Passion comes with doing what you love” →