The Virtue Of Trying
The Muse Letter No. 17
There are things that are for us to decide and things that are decided for us. We are here on this earth on other people’s accounts, so to believe that everything is in one's hand is an illusion of self-improvement gurus. The individual has limits and it’s good to know where they lie, where you begin and society starts. To know who is in charge of what, to be able to take action for yourself and when to call on society's responsibility for things to change.
This May I decided to try and be a freelance writer. Against the odds of a looming pandemic or actually in spite of it, my job recently lost and being on furlough and government support, I had no fucks to give. I started writing pitches, jotting down every idea that came across interesting enough; I attended webinars (shoutout to: the freelance sessions) and read what felt like all the advice on pitching on the internet that I could get my hands on. I talked to other freelance writers, who were so kind to give me advice (shoutout to: Charlotte and Marta), followed editors on twitter, and subscribed to newsletters advertising freelance gigs. I was trying really hard. Setting myself a period of three months till I would need to succeed. Success meaning: One commissioned article.