Simon Says... This Week Feels Like It's 10 Years Long
Or maybe it's just me? Ugh.
Welcome to Simon Says, a weekly newsletter from Rachel Simon all about freelance life—from the inside scoop on just-published stories to advice on how to pitch to what it’s *really* like to leave a cozy full-time gig for the chaotic, unpredictable world of invoicing (jk, freelancing, but IYKYK).
Is this week going ridiculously slowly for anyone else? Normally, the days speed by for me (especially with the wedding coming up so soon!), but this week is nottttt the vibe. I think it’s because Kurt and I went to a concert on Monday night, which made the start of the week feel like the end, even though we got home at like 9 and I resumed my usual evening routine of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel episodes and snacks before bed. But still. It messed me up!!
Anyhow, it’s Wednesday afternoon and I’ve just answered my 1000th email of the day and written one and a half stories and I am ready to call it QUITS, but alas, no can do. There’s the other half of that story to write, more emails to answer, pitches to send, and edits to make, because life of a freelancer means being On It 24/7 (JK, work/life balance is good and important, the world won’t end if you close your laptop and take your dog out for a walk).
But for real, freelance life is stressful, a lot of the time. The last few weeks had been a bit slower for me, so this week, I took on a ton of assignments, which means more $$ but also many more hours spent plugging away at my computer. When you’re your own boss, it’s really hard to figure out how much work is too much work, especially when the money you make is directly connected to the hours you put in. It’s a tough balance that I, at least, don’t always get right. Any other freelancers/self-employed people in the same boat?
Hopefully, next week will be a lot less chaotic (she says while looking at the 34584 story deadlines coming up on her GCal). Here’s to less screen time and more sleeping/relaxing/hanging/dog-playing time for us all!
Some Stories I Wrote Last Week
As mentioned, I wrote a lot this past week, but most of those stories haven’t been published yet. So I only have one new one to share:
For People, I wrote about a combo passport and vaccine card holder on Amazon that costs less than $10, is super pretty (so many color options), and has thousands of solid reviews. If you’re traveling abroad soon, check it out—and get more info on it below.
The Inside Scoop
Each week, I’ll pick one story I’ve written (new or old, if needed) and explain how it got from pitch/assignment to publication. This week, it’s (duh) the People story on the passport/vax card holder.
This was a pretty typical ecomm story, so I’ll keep this short: my editor at People asked me if I would write up an article about this vax card/passport combo holder, because it’s trending on Amazon right now and is timely with people traveling more. She noted a few elements of the item that she wanted me to highlight, such as its low price and many color options, and so I made sure to add that info plus other things I thought were appealing about the holder into the story. And voila, a few hundred words later, we had an article!
Other Work/Life Stuff Of Note
My custom Etsy puzzles are hot tickets these days! (Seriously, I’m awash in orders, which is amazing). Order yours for Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, wedding gifts, or any other occasion you feel like.
Speaking of weddings, we got our marriage license on Monday! I’ve never been so excited to fill out paperwork. 24 days to go, y’all!
Coming Up…
At least some of the stories I’ve been working on should come out by next Wednesday, and I’ll chat about them then. But more excitingly, I’ll be getting the copy editing notes on my book Pickleball For All next Monday, which is the final stage in the book-writing process! It’s getting realer and realer every day, and I’m so freakin’ excited for you all to read it. Remember you can pre-order it here if you haven’t already!
Thanks for reading, friends. Talk soon!
-Rachel