Editor’s note: Jessica Farthing was the first to become an associate member, but you can, too! ASJA’s associate membership is available to those whose portfolio isn’t quite as extensive as the full membership requires. Many of the same benefits apply, including the discounted member rate at the annual conference in May; access to the ASJA’S online forums; listening to, but not pitching at Virtual Pitch Slams and much more. Associate members will also have access to a mentorship program which will pair them with a more experienced, professional member.
Bonus! As part of ASJA’s Fall Membership Drive, now through Friday, Dec. 1 the initiation fee will be waived for both prospective professional or associate membership candidates if you join by Dec. 31! Click here to apply for member or associate member.
Welcome to ASJA, Jessica! Tell us a little bit about yourself. I have always loved to write; there have been lots of starts and stops in my writing career. But now that my kids are almost grown –my two boys are in high school and my daughter is 22 years old– I’ve decided that it’s time for me to branch out and do something for myself, to work in a field that makes me happy and fulfilled. To that end, I also enrolled in the MFA program at the Savannah College of Art and Design, which exposed me to many new realms of writing and has helped sharpen my expertise. I’ve had 20 years experience in the private and nonprofit sector in healthcare, education and even art, so I find myself writing about everything from patchwork quilts to sustainable crops, technology and the Internet. I also do web content, blog posts, case studies, annual reports, white papers, business bios and more.
Why you did you decide to become an ASJA associate member?
I did a lot of research into different types of training and organizations for writers as well as ways to connect with other freelancers and ASJA kept coming up. When I first read about the associate membership in the ASJA Weekly, I jumped on it! Everything about ASJA, from the pitch slams to the forums to the depth of industry knowledge among the members was exactly what I was looking for. They have their finger on the pulse of new opportunities and trends.
As someone who’s starting out in freelance writing, what are your biggest challenges?
I live in Savannah, Georgia and there are so many activities that pull me away from writing. It’s beautiful here and I love being outside enjoying our coastal area. I play tennis, practice yoga and ride my horse. I’m always taking my sons to various events, so time management can be a challenge. I’ve always been a person who likes involving myself in new projects, so staying on task can be challenging. And like every freelancer, there have been setbacks and disappointments and I am learning how to deal with those.
What do you expect to get out of ASJA? Being part of a writing community will provide the support and encouragement I need to grow my career. One of the biggest selling points was the mentorship program – I can’t wait to start working with my new mentor. I’m excited about the 2018 New York conference [May 18-19, Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel] and already have made my hotel reservations.
Your website and clips are already impressive. How do you plan to ramp up your career to the next level? My goal is to qualify for full membership in the next year. While I’ve had several articles published and received an Honorable Mention in magazine writing from Writer’s Digest, I am looking to make contacts with a bigger scope, such as pitching to an editor of a national magazine. It can be a struggle to make a decent income in any kind of art, so your contacts are invaluable.
I see myself as more of a generalist and want to write about a myriad of different things, rather than in a single niche. This could be anything from B2B/B2C to freelance journalism to teaching freelance writing. And I’m really curious about ghostwriting; when people say they want to write a book, I’d like to work with them!
Register for ASJA’s upcoming regional conferences! Click here to register for one or both days of the Chicago conference “Spotlight on Ghostwriting” on Friday, Nov. 17 and/or “Boosting Your Content IQ” on Saturday, Nov. 18. Or sign up for Write in the Heart of Texas, in Austin on Saturday, Feb. 3 which features keynote speaker, acclaimed essayist and novelist Sarah Bird; New York publishing expert Amy Hertz, Client Connections and more!