Tayla Holman Writing My Mama Told Me You Better Shop Around

My Mama Told Me You Better Shop Around

A month ago, I thought I had found the perfect writing gig. It was in my area of interest (health), the pay was good, and there was the opportunity to take on as many assignments as I wanted. I thought I would have it made, making enough to pay my bills and still have money to put in my savings account.

A month later, and this has proven not to be the case.

Said gig has yet to pay me and I’ve yet to hear back from my contact after several emails. As this was my first freelance client, I made the rookie mistake of putting all my eggs into one basket, getting business cards announcing my new position, and eagerly scouring Google for my byline. Nothing. Of course, because I am a firm believer in Murphy’s Law, I continued to look for other opportunities, but none of them have yielded any results. This is when I start to wonder: what am I doing wrong?

Honestly, I have no idea. One of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning is check Freelance Writing Gigs, Blogging Pro, ProBlogger, Craigslist, and the like for new opportunities. I look out for job updates via Media Bistro, NABJ, the Root, etc. So why am I having such a hard time finding something?

I have experience and clips. I’m driven, reliable. Is there something essential that I’m missing?

This post will be uncharacteristic for me because, for once, I don’t have an answer. So I will leave it to you, dear readers. What else should I be doing in my pursuit of freelance opportunities? What sites should I add to my watch list? And just how do I get myself noticed?

UPDATE:
I finally received my check for the two articles I wrote for this site, but I have still yet to hear from the woman I have been in contact with. I am thinking about going to a higher up, because I really would like to continue writing for them, but I’m afraid they are a little too unreliable.

2 thoughts on “My Mama Told Me You Better Shop Around”

  1. Try Ed2010 under Whisper Jobs..I think I saw free lance opportunities. I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong, but just take this in as a lesson to try multiple outlets. You won’t know the right move to take until you run across it. Keep trying and do not give up. You’ll find what you are looking for in due time.

    1. Thanks for the tip! I forget about Ed2010 sometimes because it’s geared more toward magazines. I’m definitely going to keep trying — I want to get serious about freelancing so I’m prepared to market my talents post graduation. Thanks again!

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