On the In-Person Q&A

A few months ago, my friends Kristin and Ali (founder of Indigo Editing) asked if I would be available to answer questions about the freelance life. I said sure. Ali mentioned that I was requested by someone, which was flattering. She never said who the requester was, but she doesn’t know my mom, so it couldn’t have been her.

I wore a fantastic new dress and got to Indigo’s offices plenty early. There were only a few of us in the conference room. I declined the use of the whiteboard, not knowing what I’d write (my name, like a substitute teacher?). Ali seeded the questions, and the other people who came to listen to my wit and wisdom chimed in as they thought of things to ask.

The questions were great. We talked about how my goals have changed over the past five or so years, what it’s like being a woman in a niche dominated by men, how much multimedia work I’m asked to do for assignments, and how I feel about online content aggregators. (I think they pay too little for a writer’s talent in finding subjects, crafting sentences, and editing and fact-checking their own work.)

I like doing these kinds of Q&As for two reasons. One, I realize both how much I really do know about my career and where the holes in my knowledge need to be filled. Two, the Qs almost never flow only one way. I got to find out a bit about business writing from one of the attendees, which I’ve never done.

Oh, and reason three — any excuse to wear a great new dress.