While Waiting for Writing Projects to Come

While waiting for approved writing projects or contracts, you patiently wait, like the beautiful creature above, sitting motionless while waiting for a treat.

And while waiting for writing projects or contracts, you suddenly thought with dread – what am I going to do now? You wait for a little more, of course. You hope that an opportunity will knock again. You idly ask in silence for just one.

The gods are not that callous, are not that busy, are not that capricious, are not that n(d)umb, to realize that you are just as talented as the others – you mumble to yourself. You hope.

The looming concern is to be productive – to do something while waiting. Like any waiting ordeal, sustaining your usefulness in this almost virtual world is challenging. Do not fret; it’s just one of those practical affairs. You will find that time is fastest when you do not wait but do something instead.

Train Yourself to Learn More

It can be beneficial to gain some knowledge while you wait in earnest. Instead of brooding (and constantly begging Mother Earth to summon its powers for clients to approve your proposal or give you writing assignments), why not engage in education, or acquire training for a particular skill?

In this day and age, this is not a problem. There is already MOOC (massive open online courses) list that offers free online courses.  (Free is always good.) Top universities and colleges conduct the available elective and degree courses. You have an extensive choice of subjects, and some are even specific to your needs.

There are also available free essential courses that I mentioned in a post. You can choose from any of the ten mentioned courses.

Read to Entertain

One form of learning comes from reading, but this tip is a stretch from the usual reading activity you usually do. Read to entertain and diversify the activity. Choose to be enlightened. Challenge your consciousness, and be in an animated world with the reading material you choose. Meet new writers, introduce yourself to novelties – in reading.

Today there are contentions about the advantages of e-books and paperbacks. You might still find paperbacks more appealing, but other people consider e-books as heaven-sent because of their conventionality. Some find them handy because they are available on cellular phones, tablets, and other gadgets. Plus. Yes, there are bonuses for choosing an e-book! You can get acquainted with apps like Kindle, which you can download from Google Play, that offers any reader any book they relish.

While you read, take the initiative of jotting down new words, phrases, and thoughts. You can be powerful with words. What is it that they say – ‘Reading is a conventional weapon.’?

Write Unceasingly

Do not dwell on the moolah you earn from writing. In other words, do not be inspired to write just because you receive payment in return. Practice does not make perfect, but it does make your craft almost perfect.

It is better if you have a website or a blog where you can develop your writing skills more. It is not difficult anymore to find writing platforms you can utilize to deposit your thoughts, your rants, your reviews, etc. You can start anytime with WordPress. You can have a website in about an hour.

The tips mentioned above are just some of the things you can do. They are essential in honing your writing skills while you patiently (or impatiently?) wait.

Do not limit yourself; there are more productive things to do while waiting for writing projects or contracts to come.