This week I didn't take my own advice, and I'm now writing this blog on the day it's being uploaded! So, this is essentially a live blog... But not really. I thought this week I'd write about what got me to where I am now, it's something I thought about doing for a while. Spurred on by a talk I did over Zoom for The Tara Building members, here's how I set up Specky Scribbler.

I was pursuing an academic career

A very long-winded subtitle for a thesis. You’d never see me writing such a long subtitle nowadays!

I did not set out to set up my own company. I went to university and dedicated five years (B.A. and M.Phil) to studying English and History. I graduated with a Masters in Gender and Women's Studies. My dissertation was about how female writers in the 1890s used their vocabulary to show their political alignments (conservative, progressive, suffragette, etc.) During my masters, I was focused on continuing in academia and getting a PhD, so I was presenting at conferences in the UK and Ireland. I was also approaching potential PhD supervisors and working in Marsh's Library.

From there, I went to work for the OPW as an archivist and researcher working on the history of Skellig Michael. Meanwhile, I was actively researching and writing my PhD proposal and applying to PhD programmes. My fixed-term contract ended and I found myself with a summer to spare waiting to hear back about my PhD application.

Then I got a job as a writer

After a while, the months seemed to be endlessly stretching ahead of me, and I saw a job opening for SpunOut.ie who were looking for an editorial team member. I had been involved in SpunOut in 2005 when it launched and had kept up to date with the content they were creating. I applied for the job thinking it would tide me over if I got it - and leaned heavily on my experience as a copyeditor for the university newspaper to bolster my application.

I got the job and started a four-month in-house position where I would write, update and reformat up to 30 articles per week. I was also editing and reviewing submissions from the public, and studying the editorial and style guide the entire time. I am so grateful for my role there; it taught me so much about writing. It also taught me how much I really loved it!

Then nothing went to plan

I mean nothing. After months of researching and emailing, along with spending money to apply, I didn't get the PhD. I was very upset and at a complete loss as to what was next. I started applying for more jobs for in-house roles: editors, writers, you name it. I never got farther than the interview stage, was becoming increasingly frustrated - and broke! - and couldn't understand why nothing was happening.

So I started looking outside the box and set myself up accounts on terrible (and I mean terrible) freelance platforms. I won't name them, but if you Google, you'll get them. The only upside to these platforms is that you're able to build up a portfolio in different areas. The downside is that the pay is very low, the fees are high, and you are not likely to get decent money. However, they enabled me to show that I had articles published by other people and places, not just my own blog.

Then I was freelancing 'for now'

I realised that while the market was not necessarily there in Ireland, there was a way for me to market and sell my skills as a copywriter and editor. I had been working since October 2016 to build up a portfolio of articles and in April 2017 I took it one step further and joined a co-working space. I couldn't focus at home and I couldn't build up a network from my sitting room, so I joined The Tara Building.

It happened at the perfect time. I had accepted that for now, I was going to work freelance and see what would happen. I wasn't sure if it was sustainable or not, or what challenges I was facing (beyond financial) and then I was surrounded by creative business owners who were all working for themselves. The knowledge, experience and support of the members made me realise that this was something that was possible. It might just be hard and uncertain at times.

That was almost four years ago

Launching Specky Scribbler has been one of the most rewarding things I've done, despite the uncertainty of self-employment and the difficulties faced by self-employed people. I fell into a career as a self-employed copywriter and I wouldn't look back. Of course, there are times when I sometimes toy with the idea of working in-house somewhere. Ultimately, I've got a broader range of topics under my belt now than if I had gotten any of the in-house roles I applied for.

Whenever anyone asks me what I do and why I do it, it boils down to this: I love it. I love writing copy and content. I love editing. I love learning and improving my language skills and knowledge of different industries. I love helping people communicate. I love all things words. My love of words, reading them and writing them, has been a constant since I was even smaller than I am now. My passion is what has driven me to persist in a field of uncertainty and has been instrumental to my success. And yes, I think I'm successful, not just because of the work I have delivered but because I have job satisfaction. For me, success is not purely financial, it's much more than that.

I guess I’m just a word nerd and I’ve really leaned into that.

I’m happy to help you in any way I can. Just get in touch.

The Origins Of Specky Scribbler