Like over Christmas, this has been a quiet summer, work-wise. I have some assignments but not nearly the workload I had in January through May. Here are some of the ways I've been using the time (that don't include housework or childcare, which never go away):
Sending out my novel
I have been working on a novel for two and a half years (which is like two minutes, for me). I spent the month of June polishing it up so I could send it out to agents. That felt good to do. Five minutes after, the good feeling was replaced by the thoughts of "What if nobody wants to rep me" and "Okay, that's done. What am I going to do now?"
Hustling
I have been emailing friends asking them to keep me in mind if they hear of any freelance gigs. It is hard not to say something self-deprecating in those emails like "This is so embarrassing. I'm a loser who needs work" but I know deep down there is no shame in hustling, whether you're sending out cold emails or taking on part-time gigs that aren't your dream job. This is how you keep the lights on and pay for your medicine and food. Nothing embarrassing in that.
Exercising
I am running a half marathon in a few weeks and when possible I try to do my long runs during the weekday so that I don't have to take an hour and a half off of a Saturday or Sunday to run. Steve can attest that I have been bitching noisily and frequently about what a loser I am, work-wise, but on the other hand, this has been some of the nicest, most successful race training I've done. I'm sure part of that has to do with the fact that I have the time to run and stretch and roll out after. It would be a lot harder to knock out these runs on days full of interviews.
Professional development
Tuesday night I went to Saya Hillman and Pete Aiello's Idea Potluck which was a positive experience in general and helped bolster a story idea I've been thinking about. Meanwhile, yesterday I took part in a webinar from Michele Wojciechowski and Rosie Wolf Williams on how to generate and keep track of ideas. I got some good ideas and felt motivated to get better organized, so it was worth the price of admission (which is also tax deductible!)
Reading and researching
I honestly have a hard time sitting still and reading an article without jumping up and Googling stuff or putting in a load of laundry but I'm working on it. I'm also researching some story ideas I have. I dislike this part because sometimes it feels like a waste of time and there is such a long distance between an idea and getting paid for the story that came from the idea. But one thing I learned from my webinar yesterday is that it's as basic as, if you lose interest in the idea, that's when it is time to put it away.
Anyway, I know eventually things will turn around and I will yearn for these quiet days. To be a freelancer (or perhaps just to be me) is to bitch no matter what is going on.