Simon Says... What Do You Do When The Best Week Of Your Life Is Over?
On PMLED, aka Post-Major-Life-Event-Depression. (It's a thing.)
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).
What a WEEK it’s been, y’all. Not only did Kurt and I get married (!!) and have an amazing time celebrating with all of our friends and family, I made my crossword puzzle debut in the New York Times (!!!). Please don’t ask me which thing I’m happier about. (It’s the wedding. Definitely the wedding! Probably.)
In all seriousness, this was, by far, the best week of my life, if also the most emotionally overwhelming. Between the pre-wedding stress (many guests’ flights were canceled/delayed), the excitement and joy of the weekend, the extra excitement and joy of the puzzle, the relief that everything went well, and the exhaustion of near-constant socializing and a million photos, I’m feeling drained as anything (and really wishing I took more than one day off work this week… seriously, past Rachel?!).
As serendipitous and wonderful as the timing was of the puzzle coming out right after the wedding, having it all happen at once means that it’s all over at once. I’m sad and in a bit of disbelief that I have to go back to reality now, like a toddler the day after Christmas (I assume? I celebrated Hanukkah. I don’t know!).
I’m terming it PMLED, or Post-Major-Life-Event-Depression. It’s a thing!
But alas, it’s back to normal life we go—at least until the professional wedding photos come in and I can relive it all again.
Some Stories I Wrote Last Week
I have lots of ecomm and one reported feature to share today:
For The M Dash, I spoke to six women who changed careers during the pandemic about what the experience taught them about themselves.
Over on Food & Wine, I spotlighted a two-tier spice spinner that has thousands of rave reviews for its space-saving design.
For Entertainment Weekly, I wrote about Amazon’s under-the-radar electronics outlet, which is filled with major tech deals.
On Daily Paws, I rounded up the best enzyme cleaners for pet stains and odors.
And lastly, also for Daily Paws, I wrote up the story of a woman and her four rescue dogs, who together make an adorable “pack of potatoes.”
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 the M Dash story on changing careers.
For those unfamiliar, The M Dash is the editorial side of the fashion brand M.M.LaFleur. They cover career, style, and health topics, and so I thought that a crowdsourced feature on women who’ve made major career changes during the pandemic would be a good fit.
I worked with my editor to hone the angle a bit, making the focus specifically on what they learned from the experience/how it affected them, and then I went about finding women to talk to for the piece. I found them via Twitter and Instagram, and then edited their quotes into an “as told to” kind of format that worked for this story. I’m really pleased with how it came out!
Other Work/Life Stuff Of Note
I did a fun AMA with Study Hall this afternoon, where I answered questions on freelancing, pitching, and managing work/life balance. If you missed it but have any qs for me, feel free to send me an email or DM.
Your weekly reminder that if you pre-order my book Pickleball For All and send me proof, I’ll make you a custom crossword puzzle! If you don’t want a puzzle, pre-order the book anyway, please! Thanks.
Speaking of puzzles, I had some fun today creating a custom crossword for a beauty brand, with clues/answers all about their products and themes! If you have a business (big or small!) and want a themed puzzle about your company, hit me up.
Coming Up…
For NC-based writers, my next Creative Nonfiction class starts on May 18 and runs for six weeks! You can sign up here. I’ll also be holding a pitch workshop at Raleigh’s Quail Ridge Books on May 1, and you can sign up here.
I should have a few bigger ecomm and feature stories out in the next week, if things don’t get pushed back. Hoping to share those soon!
That’s all for this week, folks. Thanks for reading, as always.
-Rachel