Sorry if my postings seem a little disjuncted at this point, deadlines keep coming up along with calls for copy revisions and corrections -- these things make it hard to pick up from where I left off in a chain of thought.
It may seem a bit hectic, but I think I am really enjoying this feeling of being busy with so many writing jobs and once in a while I do get calls telling me that a pay check is ready or that money has been deposited in my bank account.
Receiving payment for work done and then seeing the finished product published or broadcast on TV really thrills me. This is usually when I really feel like a writer, even if most times I don't get a by-line or when sometimes my name doesn't appear in the credits of the TV shows I script.
Along with the thrills come the spills and these are the times when people who commission me to write simply don't pay up even after they've used my copy. Of course, these are the jobs that usually commence and terminate without a contract or e-mail to prove that an agreement was made. This kind of shit comes only once in a while and usually from people who say I was referred to them by so-and-so whom I had only met about twice in my life -- strangers in other words.
The best jobs come from long time acquaintances, former associates, and friends. They know my work and know what I need to come up with great work. Besides the fact that they pay up when they say they'll pay up, the interaction is a welcome respite from spending days upon days infront of the computer.
As you may have read in previous postings, Director Flor Malong of First Video is my mentor and also one of my most favorite patrons. Despite the slow pace of business and the low demand for video production projects, he still turns up a bunch of projects that keep us both happy for a couple of months. Working with him is a lot of work and loads of fun, we've never had a client that was easy to please but we have a great time -- including those almost interminable bouts of drinking beer until we both start talking about our failures in life. I don't know how he feels about me really, but I really admire this guy.
Other long time friends like Laurence Dacanay and a former officemate (who happens to be as sexy as she is smart) who had turned covert operative for a foreign government (you know who you are) recently, have sent jobs my way for which I am quite thankful for.
Other friends keep promising to send me writing jobs (hello there!), but alas!
But, as a freelance writer, I know I can't keep on counting on the goodness of friends or their belief in my abilities as a writer.
You have to strike out on your own with projects geared specifically to bring in some income.
Right now, I am working on a film script and it'll be done by next week. Hopefully, when I get a producer, this may earn me enough money to allow me to sit tight for a couple of months.
(more later)
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