Writing Jobs for Parents

I hate to pigeonhole parents. I know that most of us are fully functioning adults with an interest in politics, technology, and/or outdoor adventure sports. I know many of us are highly intelligent individuals who once had full time jobs requiring incredible organization skills and the ability to oversee any number of employees.

I, too, once spent eight entire hours of the day thinking (almost) solely about the project in front of me, complex spreadsheets, and the latest state of affairs in Kosovo.

I’m looking forward to the day when I might regain a glimmer of that old me. I optimistically hold out that the day my daughter enters Kindergarten (T-minus 3.5 years and counting), I will be able to spend six blissful hours each day diligently working at my computer.

Until then, I can’t help but think that there are simply some writing jobs better suited for me (and all parents of young children, in general). Yes, I’m fully capable of researching and writing about the latest updates in technology as it relates to small start-up nonprofits in the Michigan area. Yes, I can interview business owners and write up 2000-word feature articles. But do I always try to find these jobs? No.

I find myself drawn time and time again to the same projects, and now that Lorna is starting to join the ranks of freelance parenting, we are trying to make sure she eases herself back in with these types of activities. They’re small, they’re not incredibly time-intensive, and they can be done in short bursts. In short, they are inherently geared toward busy stay-at-home parents.

Blogs

Rarely more than 500 words per post
Require networking/reading other blogs (which can be done while doing a number of other activities, if you ask me)
Can be really personalized and fun to write

Product Descriptions

Rarely require research
Can be done one at a time during stolen minutes
Often work better when broken up by daily activities (so your creativity stays fresh)

SEO Articles

Often around 500 words long
The ability to use keywords effectively is often more important than research
May call for writing ten articles on the same topic, making research easier

Website Content

Usually only a few hundred words long
Often done best over a period of a few days (again, to keep creativity fresh)
May not require any research

Proofreading

Can often be done one sentence at a time
Requires virtually no research
May be done using one hand (I don’t know about you, but this has saved me plenty of times)

Again, I don’t mean to imply that parents are any less capable of taking on other projects. But the truth is, we have a few more obstacles than freelancers whose lives are not filled with screaming kids, piles of dirty dishes, and the temptations of a wagon on a gloriously sunny day.

I, too, love to take on the occasional large project. I love the feeling of accomplishment of doing a big job and doing it well. However, when things get tough, I always return to these types of projects to keep myself sane, happy, and most importantly — still working.