Just checking in!
Oh, hi friends!
“Checking in”
That’s the subject line of an email I occasionally send to friends/contacts/humans: “Checking in.”
I’m not usually looking to set up coffee or drinks or dinner, so that’s all it really is—a check in.
How are you? What are you working on? Are you still alive? Am I still alive? Is this giant rock in the universe that we're floating on still spinning?
Before I was freelancing, I never had the time to check in, much less respond to people checking in on me.
Now I see that it takes very little time at all. A quick line, a note, a birthday greeting.
Don’t be fooled. The benefits are purely selfish: These emails keep me connected with people I like, and clued in to what’s important to them right now. And in this big, sometimes ugly world, they remind me that I know talented, strong, inspiring people.
“The first draft is for the writer. The second draft is for the editor. The last draft is for the reader.”
Really enjoyed this piece by an author who completely dissembled his book manuscript after tough love from his editor. (Advice above comes from said editor!)
The Bolder Type
A Shouts & Murmurs column that more accurately describes freelance life than I ever could. Please enjoy. (h/t Danielle Friedman)
Thank you for reading.
Love, Kara