Putting Myself Out There

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*advertising jingles* September has been so full, but thanks to this new handy dandy editorial calendar, I never have to worry about being disorganised every again! *advertising jingles*

21/09/20

“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭

I’ve had something to write and/or edit every single day this month (save for most Sundays). I have been excited and grateful, disappointed, inspired, lazy, stressed all in quick succession and over again in the past weeks. The only constant is gratitude because the doors keep opening!  

I had to make sure to give time to my own reflections and platform because of how busy I've been with all these opening doors, and have also found the time to make some minor changes on the blog: if you look at the sidebar on the left of your screen there is now a section where you can get in touch if you don’t feel like leaving a comment. If you’re reading or listening to this from your phone, you’ll have to go back to the homepage and press the menu option on the top left. Message me about something you read on the blog, or to tell me about your own experiences with writing, I am especially keen to hear from any newbie freelancers like me! 

There’s a saying in kriol that goes sorti na pé ki sta. It translates to luck is in the foot. Another saying says si bu sinta, vida na sinta ku bo, and this one translates to “if you sit, life sits with you” which is to say that things start happening when you start moving. My dad’s been saying that to me since the beginning of the year and it echoes in the back of my mind like a mantra as I carve this path. 

Every week I try to listen to or read something that will edify me as a freelance writer and last week’s lesson came from Jendella Benson, an editor at Black Ballad. The key lesson I took from her (and a lot of other people will tell you the same) was that persistence will get you results. Of course, you have to know how to pitch articles, and you have better chances of succeeding when it is tailored to the platform you are pitching to, but a lot of it boils down to a numbers game. It’s been encouraging to hold on to that after every rejection; if I had stopped shooting my shot because of one failed pitch attempt, then my handy dandy editorial calendar wouldn’t be full up with all the successful pitches.

So, shoot your shot this week folks. Putting yourself out there is daunting, especially when you don’t have too much experience, but there will always be someone willing to give you a chance. Give yourself time and space to bounce back when you need it, but definitely keep shooting because you will find yourself writing things you never thought you would.  

As well as shooting my shot, putting myself out there has also meant plugging my work shamelessly. I’m not a huge fan of doing that at all, so having to plug the same work several times in a week/month ends up feeling like a lot. But some people miss your first plug, or maybe they just need reminders to catch up on it, so give them a chance to interact with your work by plugging it. My Instagram stories have been seeing the same blog posts advertised several times this month, but it’s definitely made a difference in my readership. Be your own biggest fan, strut your stuff and don’t confuse humility with fear. 

People close to me know how much of an introverted person I am. People who are less close find it surprising because performance poetry literally requires me to put myself out there, in front of other people and speak words at them. But performing, pitching, and plugging my work takes a lot of energy because talking myself up isn’t something that comes naturally to me. But choosing courage has its up sides; my editorial calendar is full, and I’ve been busy! I look forward to shamelessly plugging all the things I’ve been (and will be) busy with! 

Thank you for spending this time with me and see you soon. x

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