​I expected May 2019 to be a slightly ‘off’ month simply because I didn’t get back to writing until a few days into the beginning of the month. I was out of town for a week at the end of last month and that seminar extended into the first part of this month. As a result, I put a hold on all of my freelance work until a few days after I got back home. However, I still had quite a volume of work regardless.
 
The Totals From May 2019
 
I completed at total of 24 different jobs this month – down from 35 in April 2019. The total number of articles I finished in those jobs was 64, compared to 96 last month. Also my total word count for May was down, which made sense. I counted 46,175 words compared to 68,175 from April. What I did notice this month was that some of my jobs are getting bigger. Instead of a number of smaller 1,000 word orders I am seeing 2,500 and 3,000 word orders more frequently. If this trend continues, I would expect the job count to drop in June but the word count to increase.
 
Other Stuff From The Month
 
Near the end of May 2019 I got to spend some time working on the ‘Big Mac’ computer. It was the one I used frequently in the newspaper office for various tasks. Although it does not see much action these days in my home office, I do enjoy when I fire it up and get to do some graphic work on it. The job this time around was a complete column of newspaper ads for vendors in the Oliver Indoor Flea Market. This was a renewal of a previous ad campaign and I supplied the pre-built ads because I could. It’s also good practice for me to keep those skills intact.
 
There is actually a funny story to go along with that. The morning I turned the Mac on I was pretty certain I could shortcut my way through the ad creation stage by recycling a couple of the previous ads I had on file. The problem was that I couldn’t locate that file. I also couldn’t exactly remember how to move a text box to where I wanted it or how to export a photo into a picture box. I use QuarkXpress, in case you are wondering. Anyway, the answers suddenly came to me and I was on my way. I never did find all the old files so I just built 95% of it from scratch and by the time I remembered what to do, it didn’t take me long at all.
 
Writing Promotional Emails
 
This is something new for me. A client of mine has requested I write ‘funny’ emails to help promote a business. It’s not the first time I’ve done this but it is the first time I’ve been contracted to supply content for use in an ongoing email marketing program. I completely understand the concept and the effectiveness of the direct email approach so I think that has something to do with my interest in the project. I’m just not so sure at this time if I’ll use that as a potential extra service to branch out and provide in addition to my normal ghostwriting services.
 
EBook Activity
 
My collection of eBook titles continues to get attention at Amazon. I have seven different eBooks there and although I tend to sell them in spurts, May 2019 was an interesting month for pages read. The way Amazon works is that you can purchase an eBook or you can go to the lending library and read one. I earn a commission from each copy sold as well as each page read. This month my pages read commission is going to be slightly higher than it was in April 2019. In fact, I’ve noticed a trend where my eBooks are getting read a bit more than sold and that is perfectly alright by me.

I’m joking about being tired. Really, I am. If anything, I’m still rather amazed at how busy the average month has become for me. I’m not really all that sure how I fit it all into 30 days. However, in some magical way, April was just a bit busier than March was for me. Not that I’m complaining, but it was a whole lot busier for me this month than I realized.
 
Freelance Ghostwriting
 
The bulk of what I do is related to my home-based business, Looseink Freelance Ninja. In April I completed 35 different jobs which break down to a total of 96 articles written. The total word count for the month was 68,175. Comparing that to March and you’ll see what I mean when I say I was writing a whole lot more over the past month. March had 30 jobs which totaled 53 articles written and a total word count of 47,475. Yes, I do get paid by the word, in case you were wondering…lol The majority of the articles written were blog posts and they went to clients all over the world.
 
A New Project I’m Working On
 
Late last month I registered a new domain name for a project I started early this month and added to off and on during April. The Chase Gallery is a brand I am developing for a still-life artist friend of ours we have gotten to know during our weekly vending activities. At the time of this writing, I have a website that is live (with some work yet to be completed), a Twitter feed and a Facebook page. Over the next little while I’ll be developing the project further as we work to promote the artwork of Sherrill Chase. So far, it has been a very fun and rewarding project that falls slightly outside the general boundaries of what I do as a ghostwriter. I like that.
 
Vending And Other Activities
 
I accompanied my wife, Brenda for a total of eight vending days during the weekends this month at our JamBusters! booth in the Oliver Indoor Flea Market. Our numbers in April were strong and we continue to enjoy spending time at that venue. On top of that, my ongoing duties as an elected member of our local Town Council has also kept me busy during this month. My schedule saw me attend a total of 11 different meetings related to the various committees I sit on or have been appointed to. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of things going on in my life.
 
Some Of The Topics I’ve Written About This Month
 
Just like any other month in my ghostwriter career, April saw me write about several different, random topics. To give you an idea, I wrote about camping, data recovery, spring cleaning, automobile towing services and dental health in the beginning of the month. Later on topics covered such things as CBD, accounting software, music, eBikes, scrap metal dealers, cleaning services and more. As you can see, I write about virtually anything that my clients request my services for. I have to admit that it really does keep my skills intact with the broad spectrum of different topics that come across my desk.
 
No Writing For A Few Days
 
It was such a productive month that I have chosen to take an unusual break. I’ve taken a few days off to give me a chance to recharge and get energized again. I find that every few months that it is a good exercise for me to follow. With the high volume of work that comes my way, a cycle of ‘break days’ has to be factored into my schedule to keep everything under control. I remember doing much the same thing when we were in the newspaper business. Once in awhile Brenda and I would just have what I called a ‘play day’ and it did wonders for us. Even though I work-from-home as a ghostwriter, it is still important to get a break from the keyboard every now and then.

​One of the things I have always found interesting about my freelance ghostwriting is that there rarely seems to be an end to the work that comes my way. Yes, I know, it has taken years and thousands of jobs to get to this place. On one occasion during the month of March I was what I considered ‘caught up’ on existing writing jobs. Let me explain that a little further.
 
The freelance jobs I get come in three basic categories: Ongoing, Sporadic and New.
 
Ongoing Freelance Jobs
 
These are what I would consider ‘regular’ clients. Some book ongoing projects with me from month to month or sometimes quarterly. Others will send me jobs off and on throughout the month. Others are clients I have worked with before but may only send me work when they need something written. It can be days, weeks, months and years between writing jobs for them.
 
Sporadic Freelance Jobs
 
These are the ‘semi-regulars’ but not really consistent in their ordering. An example may be someone I write a series of articles for and then pick up a job here and there from them in the next year. These are clients I don’t normally hear from unless they need something written and I may see work from them again, but sometimes I don’t. I may get a referral, though.
 
New Freelance Jobs
 
These are the ‘newbies’ to me. In other words, a client I have never worked with before but thought they’d give me a try. Often these clients are single job ones that I may never hear from again. Oddly enough, the bulk of my freelance work has been with clients I would put in this category. Fortunately, regular clients are taking over the top spot in recent months.
 
The Month In Review
 
So, I mentioned that I thought I was ‘caught up’ at one point during the month. That meant that I had finished all outstanding writing jobs with the exception of two. Typically, I rarely get down to two jobs left. Well, as has happened in the past, the following days filled my schedule up with new and additional work. The numbers for March will give you an idea of the volume.
 
I completed a total of 30 different writing jobs. That included 53 articles totaling 47,475 words. While that may sound like a heavy load, I did have some days where I only wrote about 1,000 words. On those days I had other commitments to attend to. However, I also did have some 5,000+ word days. It really depends on my schedule and the types of writing jobs.
 
Looking Ahead
 
I know I have a handful of projects already booked for April. I also have a shorter month to write in due to a seminar I will be attended for a few days at the end of the month. Otherwise, I already know what some of my ‘regular’ clients are putting in place and I’ll still be able to accommodate the ‘sporadic’ and ‘new’ jobs as per usual as they are received.