Living the Freelance Writing Lifestyle

Ironically, things are starting to settle after a year of relative chaos.

Much of it has been taking some healthy self-care steps, but I'm in a relatively stable routine. I have two freelance writing clients (and I'm always working on expanding my professional services) and have been stepping away from some great commitments (like Zone 4) and some which are more toxic (which I'll blog about at a later date).

But a new income and caring for Mom has meant that I've been able to spread my wings somewhat - checking out Raks Inferno (hey, they have a June 7th show!), coworking via the meetup I run as well as through Deskpass (which has been a godsend). Yes, even though I'm a bit more mobile, it's also meant that I've been more productive over the past few weeks.

I've seen a slight uptick in post pitches for Chicago Now's One Cause At a Time focusing on the Paschen Scholar program and Opulent Credit Rebuilders. (I've even participated in Ask Chicago Now) I've also had some very spammy requests from people who want to "contribute content" from people who have....well, they've obviously never read the blog.

And I should know about content creation - I've participated in a content writing Twitter chat, providing insights into "thought leadership" and knowing your audience. 

Am I "crushing it", to abuse the popular phrase? No, but I'm doing OK considering my position. And I was very pleased to learn (and to announce) that my stories for Airship 27's Marty Quade: Private Eye and Pro Se Production's 1950's Western Roundup should be coming out in the next few months.

So things are good...and can always be better. Especially since right now, the only non-freelance writing projects are more personal in nature.

As they should always be.

My (Belated) Birthday Reflections

(Thread starts at this Twitter post; check out the corresponding Twitter memory)

So for anyone who's been my friend over these past way-the-hell-more-than-18-years-of-life that I've lived....I'm grateful on my birthday to have you in my life.

Thank you. /18 pic.twitter.com/1mwo44uPt8

— Gordon D (@gordondym) March 6, 2018

Twitter Threads: My Semi-Substitute for Blogging

One of the habits that I developed during my sojourn from blogging is mastering the art of the "Twitter thread".

That's right - I went back to my Twitter account after a long sojourn.

Thankfully, there was a nice change of pace - rather than 1,000s of tweets about social media marketing (which is part of my professional skill set), but now there were 1,000s of tweets about more politically and socially-minded issues...which is kind of why I joined Twitter.

(Well, that and there wasn't much else to do in St. Louis).

So in that spirit, I'm embedding two tweets that lead to threaded conversations. They're not long enough for full blog posts....but just enough that I was able to articulate my feelings about two things near and dear to my heart.

The first - being a pulp writer.

The second - elder care and my mom.

Please enjoy both.

This morning's thread: why I write #pulp. Hang on & RT anything that strikes your fancy https://t.co/HkbYZOYcYX #flickr /1

— Gordon D (@gordondym) July 30, 2017

And now, today's thread about #eldercare, #Medicaid, and why this article is very disturbing: https://t.co/jA08NrPXCq

— Gordon D (@gordondym) August 7, 2017

Review: TWITTER WHO Volumes 1 & 2

As winter hits hard in Chicago, my thoughts go back to November....and Chicago TARDIS. Working the silent auction, I was fortunate enough to meet Hannah - a really cool volunteer who seriously rocked an Osgood cosplay.

(Side note - men my age should never, under any circumstances, use the phrase "rock the **** cosplay).

When she handed me a card promoting her books which were compilations of live tweets of classic Doctor Who episodes, I was intrigued enough to purchase Volume One of Twitter Who via Smashwords. That led to me Volume Two (focusing on the Second Doctor), and quite honestly - these are must-reads for any Doctor Who fan.

You're probably thinking "Why should I read live tweets of shows I already watch"? Much like pal John of Comic Related (who performs the same task with Agents of SHIELD), Hannah Rothman takes a very pointed, snarky - and fun - look at classic Who. In a fandom where several people take themselves way too seriously (a friend of mine nearly lost his stuff because I was bad at Twitter math), Hannah does a really good job at highlighting some aspects of early Who....especially since much of these episodes are only available as reconstructions.

(Plus, she had me at Made of Walruses. You're going to have to purchase the books yourself to get the joke).

Another cool thing about both books is that they're published through Smashwords - it's a self-publishing platform that provides a great deal of books. (My publisher, Pro Se Productions, and pal Mike Luoma have used the platform in the past). You're able to get the books in a variety of formats, including PDF (for those of you who may not have tablets). There's even an online reader - even if you don't own any kind of device, there's a nice flexibility to the platform that I'm really liking.

Seriously, though - Volumes One and Two of Twitter Who are really good reading, especially for non-Who fans. I think you'll get a kick out of both (and can't wait for Volume 3).

Living the Tweet Life

As many of you have read in this blog previously, I am a big fan of improv comedy. So much that I have had a little training (and I have had a short, traumatic career as an open mike comic - just ask a better, funnier, more talented person than I). So when I received the Twitter call from former co-worker/all around swell guy Mike to allow my Tweets to be used as fodder for improv at the Playground Theater, it was an easy "yes".

(Plus, as many of you who follow my Twitter feed can attest, I don't so much Tweet about a given field as much as I do engage in what I call "digital jackassery". It's the new social media watchword).

The premise is simple - an improv troupe like Mustang Repair takes a Twitter feed, randomly selects Tweets, and does improv in a program called "The Tweet Life". (The picture above shows me, the other Tweeter being featured, and pal Mike). And Mustang Repair's improv around @reedsmitty's Tweets were outstanding - in short, I will never think of pixie sticks and motivational posters in the same way again. A great start to a wonderful evening.

Then, there was a traditional improv show. Interesting for the commentary on Twilight, but again, they're the middle act. (And no, I didn't expect Mustang Ranch to do my Tweets, especially since familiarity with a Tweeter might lead to some self-criticism and second guessing...and folks, I like my improv spontaneous, free-flowing, and creative.)

But CEO of Everything? Totally blew me away with their takes on my Tweets. Granted, my digital jackassery may lend itself easy to improv, but what they did went beyond the pale. A tweet about hand sanitizer became an all-out examination of workplace behavior. Dean Martin singing "King of the Road" led to pure comedy gold. In short, after a rather busy and roughweek at work (mostly attempting to hit some key deadlines), it was good to know that being a geek paid off - CEO of Everything really capped off the evening.

(And as you can see in the above picture, being improv material increases overall mojo. Something for the less social of you readers to consider).

So anyway, the Tweet Life has demonstrated three things:

• social media can be used in a variety of ways, including providing fodder for comedy and humor
• I strongly recommend Mustang Repair's next show at the Playground on 12/04, and
• I probably should make a point of attending improv classes at Second City next year