The Writer - 04.2020

writermag.com • The Writer | 11

until I could resume a normal free-
lance schedule.

☐ Practice flexibility. As a father
and husband who works from home, I
am on call. I have abandoned the writ-
erly idea that my talent only flourishes
in perfect conditions. This isn’t a space
shuttle launch. I write in whatever
pockets I can find. That’s why I’m writ-
ing this column in the spare bedroom
of my parents’ house during our holi-
day visit. There’s no desk, but the bed
is comfortable – without inducing
drowsiness – and it’s quiet.

☐ It’s never personal. Whether it’s
an editor not responding to your
emails or the babysitter bailing as your
wife leaves for a business trip, no one is
“out to get you.” No one has an agenda.

Life makes corned beef hash out of all

of us.

☐ Make bills a motivator. Some

people look at them as grand annoy-

ances. So do I, but they’re catalysts.

You can’t get lazy when the septic tank

oozes shit into the laundry room. You

can’t say no to an assignment when

insurance won’t cover the last $750.

of your kid’s surgery. Yes, I know the

exact amount. Yes, I got an assignment

that covered it – and then some.

This checklist – or your version of it –

will become ingrained. It will change.

I recently read several articles touting

the value of creating a business plan

with long-term goals. The experience

of writing a research-heavy book

made me realize that I need to figure

out a way to stretch the advance. And

I want to start setting aside money for

long-term projects that will help my

career – like creating a website. I

would love to teach someday.

To become a risk-free freelancer

means taking the time to think ahead,

to give predictability to the unpredict-

able. If that sounds boring to you,

embrace the adventure of building

your career. That can put you in a bet-

ter position to feed your soul, give

your work meaning, and build a life

worth living. That’s worth the risk.

Ithaca-based Pete Croatto is a veteran free-

lance writer who has written for The New York

Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Publishers

Weekly, Columbia Journalism Review, and many

other publications. He is also working on his

first book. Twitter: @PeteCroatto

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Spalding.edu/SchoolofWriting comPASSION.

WRITING FOR

THE WORLD.