How I Used Scripted to Live the Life I Enjoy
Before Scripted, I was a writer—just not really a freelance writer. I came out of one of the best journalism schools in the country with a great education, mountain of student debt, and plenty of writing skills, ready to get used for a profession in the midst of a sea change in the worst job economy that America had seen in a long time.
Yeah, that was a pretty stressful time. Not fun!
I stumbled upon Scripted while bouncing from corporate marketing job to corporate marketing job, paying the bills (barely) and giving me lots of business-speak and modern workplace skills while letting my creative side lapse. It's a position that I think that every freelance writer finds themselves in at one point or another; you do what you have to do to survive in a bottom-line world.
The great thing about Scripted, though, was it let me call myself a freelance writer. It was empowering. Suddenly, I wasn't just penning the same things every day at my corporate job; I was writing about different things, different and interesting things, things that really piqued my attention and got the creative juices flowing. It was invigorating, honestly. Now, I could actually say to people that I was a "freelance writer," not just a "communications coordinator," or "marketing specialist," or something similar.
That was over a decade ago. Since then, I've got to write tons and tons of amazing things for so many different industries—things that helped satisfy my creative side AND add something awesome to the resume. The highlights? Let me think:
- Social media posts for the companies of various pop and rap stars (matching their unique language was a chore)
- Facebook and Twitter posts for an adult toy company specializing in lubrications (something I most definitely did not tell my parents about when they asked me how I was doing that week)
- Cuisine descriptions for top culinary restaurants in various cities across America (the only downside—a LOT of menu .pdfs all over the place on my hard drive)
- Webinar transcripts and converted blog posts for a financial services and investment firm (you can get some very interesting economic tips that way)
Along the way, I've become a much better writer, become familiar with a laundry list of industries and services, and added so many skills to my LinkedIn Profile. Oh, and I guess the other highlight? Being a freelance writer for Scripted gave me another source of income. That's always good to have, right?
Here are 10 things I've used my Scripted income for over the years.
- As a "bridge" between jobs. It's hard to depend on any solo freelance writer gig for a full-time job. However, what a service like Scripted is great for is "bridging the gap" between full-time gigs elsewhere. A few years ago, in between some horrendous personal tragedies, I got laid off from a job I really detested and wasn't right for. All of my Scripted jobs helped me pay the bills, keep the lights on, and keep my spirits up before I eventually found myself in a much better place both mentally and job-wise. Now, that's just for me. I like the flexibility and the support net that my part-time schedule with Scripted provides. Some people can do it full-time; others might want to do it only some of the time. The good thing is you DO have that flexibility.
- Student loan payments. I had a great time going to graduate school in the middle of Boston. I learned a lot of stuff and drank far too many beers at far too many late-night hours in the middle of Allston and Cambridge. However, those darn bills come due after a little while, and they cost a pretty penny. For several years, I've dedicated a portion of my dollars from Scripted to get rid of some of those pesky student loans. It's nice not to let those weigh down on you as much as they can.
- Sports trading cards. I was one of the many people who got back into trading cards during the pandemic when people had little to do other than dust off old hobbies from their childhoods. What started as a lark transformed into a full-on obsession after a while, to the point where one of my shelves in our downstairs holds all of the basketball, baseball, football, and hockey cards purchased with my Scripted earnings. My prize possession? A rookie Justin Herbert, worth a few hundred dollars already on the reselling sites. That's called turning a profit!
- Comic books. Another pandemic purchase. Right along with my sports cards are all of the comics I started buying during the pandemic. Well, honestly, it's not all a lot. I just used some of my Scripted earnings to get back into my childhood X-Men habit. So, now I'm all caught up on how Wolverine, Magneto, Professor X, et al. are doing in the mutant/human world. This is a skill that my girlfriend does not always appreciate, however.
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An engagement ring. Shhh. Don't tell the significant other—haven't popped the question yet. However, it's coming (and it's coming soon), so premature thanks to Scripted for a lifetime of wedded bliss. Hopefully.
- Wedding gifts. Not for mine. Not yet. However, I've been to a LOT of weddings. Since 2007, I was or part of 51 different weddings all across the country, with three more to go in 2021. That's a lot of travel and a lot of crockpots from department stores to pay for. Thank god Scripted is here to take care of some of the gifts for all of these friends and relatives who got married. Hey, and 49 of them are still together. I'm a rabbit's foot.
- Streaming services. Hey, I needed to keep up on all of the Marvel shows. Thanks for underwriting that, Scripted. My grades, by the way? Loki: A+. WandaVision: A. Falcon and the Winter Soldier: B-. I'm not entirely sure I need to keep on the Hulu bandwagon, however.
- Baseball game trips. Before COVID hit (and hopefully next summer), I've been desperately trying to go to every baseball stadium in the country. I've got 17 down and quite a few more to go; Scripted earnings help fund the flight, the tickets to the game, the beers at the game, the hotel, and all the other expenses. By the way, my favorite by a long shot? Pittsburgh, with Philadelphia and D.C. close behind it. Next year: Seattle, Cincinnati, and Kansas City (following the Red Sox around).
- Celtics tickets. Die-hard Celtics fan here. I invested in season tickets three days before they traded for Kevin Garnett and got to see so many great games in the "new big three" era, all because I had some extra cash in my pocket from Scripted. Yes, that even included the famous Paul Pierce wheelchair game, too. Which was amazing.
- Craft beer. I live in New England, the epicenter of the modern craft beer movement, so some (a lot) of my extra income goes to whatever awesome IPA is on the shelf at that moment. At this minute? I love Heady Toppers and Focal Bangers from The Alchemist in Vermont, all purchased with extra Scripted freelance writer dollars.
Get Started With Scripted
Do you want to get started with Scripted and start writing your own freelance writer story (and start to make up your own list of things you use that money for)? If so, you should apply and get started! Click here to get the ball rolling.
