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Tuesday 17 May 2011

The art of blagging

I hope you’ll forgive me a quick unplanned interlude.

In January I decided to follow my dream to be a writer. I had always said it was what I  wanted to do, but then it struck me one cold day in January that I wasn’t really doing a lot about it. Was I even writing anything?

And so I started writing on the blog. People enjoyed it. They emailed me. They were reading. They said encouraging things. I was encouraged. Perhaps I could do this after all.

In February I set about looking for freelance writing jobs on the internet. I found an American website looking for contributors on a financial theme. I doctored a post from this very blog and emailed it off to them. I told them I was a freelance writer. 

They hired me as a freelance writer.

The first article they asked me to write was on ‘The 5 US Cities with the worst credit card debt.’ I didn’t have a bloody clue. I almost said I couldn’t do it. For some reason I emailed back ‘no worries.’ I did a lot of googling. And when I sent the article, they said ‘thanks’ and paid me. 

I was not found out as a fraud.

Am I being paid a lot? No. Could I quit my job and do this full time? No. Am I a published writer? You bet your life I am.

Tonight I have written an article for Yahoo Finance. The pay is rubbish. But I don’t care.

The day I decided that I was going to do something about being a writer, things started to happen. Until that moment nothing had happened. It’s not rocket science.

Whatever you want to do, just start doing it. Pretend you are already it. Shockingly, people will not ask too many questions.

I don’t know what will happen with the writing. To be honest, I’m not that worried. I wanted to be a writer, and by my definition of being a writer, I already am.

So what am I going to put my mind to next?


4 comments:

  1. Love the blog Rachel - I haven't read it for a while but have just checked out the recent ones. The art of blagging is particularly inspiring. I need to save that one somewhere, as I'm currently dreaming of what next... Helen (via Zahra originally!)

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  2. thanks Helen. Glad you are enjoying. :) What is next?!! Something exciting I hope. I am wondering the exact same thing...

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  3. Not sure that quite counts as blagging if you've done the research.. Good for you.

    Reminds me of a famous quote from the mountaineer WH Murray:

    Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

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  4. Thanks Mark. Very inspirational.

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