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Jul. 26th, 2013 03:42 pmI still get lots of press releases from publicists who want me to write about their clients. I guess once you're on those mailing lists, they keep you on. Usually I just delete and move on, but yesterday I saw one that I felt like opening. It's an invitation to go on a press trip to Turkey in September. Well, fuck. The thing I miss most about working for Aol was the huge exposure my writing got and thus the opportunity to do stuff like this. I replied and said that I really do want to go and I appreciate the invitation...but I'm not a travel writer anymore...at least not one with much of an audience... The publicist wrote back and suggested that I try to get a letter of assignment (basically a promise from some major publication that they will publish my story) and then she could still send me on the trip. So I've been barking up a few trees for the last 24 hours, trying to make that work somehow. The trip returns the day before I leave for Hong Kong. Heh. Hopefully everyone at work will understand that I can't just say no to an invitation like this, and if it works out for me to go, they'll be cool with me taking the extra week off. It should be fine. I've already talked to a few of my coworkers about it and they were all like WHY WERE YOU HONEST WITH THE PUBLICIST?! (As in, why did I confess that I no longer have access to post to Aol Travel.) Um, well, because it's the Turkish government paying for the trip, and I don't want to be on a whole country's shit list. But hopefully I find someone who will publish me and then I can go. And now of course I'll also be super heartbroken if it doesn't work out. Sigh.
I sure do miss all the exotic travel I got to do. In the press, you get to live the life of a high roller without actually being one. It feels a little awkward at first, but I got used to it! Almost, anyway. I could never handle other people really serving me the way rich people get treated at hotels...I always wanted to whisper to the staff "you don't have to talk to me like that -- I'm one of you, you know..." And all those amazing opportunities made it ALMOST worthwhile to deal with the stress that came with that job. But not quite. It was the right decision for me to step back from freelancing, but I still identify as a writer, even if I don't really get paid to do it anymore. I've taken the odd gig here and there and the extra money is always nice, but during the assignment I'm always stressed to eleven. Sigh.
I sure do miss all the exotic travel I got to do. In the press, you get to live the life of a high roller without actually being one. It feels a little awkward at first, but I got used to it! Almost, anyway. I could never handle other people really serving me the way rich people get treated at hotels...I always wanted to whisper to the staff "you don't have to talk to me like that -- I'm one of you, you know..." And all those amazing opportunities made it ALMOST worthwhile to deal with the stress that came with that job. But not quite. It was the right decision for me to step back from freelancing, but I still identify as a writer, even if I don't really get paid to do it anymore. I've taken the odd gig here and there and the extra money is always nice, but during the assignment I'm always stressed to eleven. Sigh.
