Inflection Points

Building a freelance career can feel directionless; there are no set rules about where to go. But Jenni and Wudan have both built their own careers (and helped other people craft theirs) by pivoting when they hit moments of confusion or frustration. We’re calling these moments inflection points. An inflection is a slight change in tone, and every person will encounter many inflection points in their freelance business (and in their life!) over time. Jenni's biggest inflection points have occurred because of the pandemic and having a child, but she also faced subtle changes when her interests and values changed. Wudan hit a wall when she realized that she couldn't run two businesses during a pandemic and avoid burn out. In all of these cases, an adjustment was necessary. And the adjustments were subtle -- but over time, they add up.  In this episode, Jenni and Wudan outline the kinds of inflection points you might face, and they also talk about how to work through them. Of course, coaching is one option for dealing with these moments -- but there are lots of other ways to work through a pivot. Hitting these blocks is normal but the important thing is that you adjust course when they occur -- as they say, what got us here won’t get us there! Sticking with something that isn’t working for you can lead to burnout, too. This week, along with the episode, Patreon members get access to a worksheet that will help them identify the next right thing (which is a whole lot easier than picking a long-term, gigantic career direction), and a second worksheet about planning experiments. You can join our membership program any time. As always, we’d love to hear about your successful and failed experiments on Twitter or in our email inbox. And if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to TWC or leave a review.  This week promotional support for the Writers’ Co-op comes from The Creative Nonfiction Podcast. Now in its ninth year and hosted by Brendan O'Meara, CNF Pod brings together the best of narrative journalism, memoir, essay, poetry and documentary film to talk about the art and craft of telling true stories. We love listening to CNF Pod and have both been guests. Brendan is fantastic. Other past CNF Pod guests have included Patrick Radden Keefe, Susan Orlean, Chuck Klosterman and US. You can subscribe wherever you get