Delivering the deliverables

I'm officially fully unemployed again.

If you recall, I started a contract writing job about six weeks ago. At 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, I "delivered the deliverables," as per the contract language, by deadline.

I give my first venture into reporting and writing for a client (as opposed to a newspaper, magazine or wire service) about an 87, a solid B. I've always been a hard grader.

The topics I reported on and wrote about -- such as the pressures facing Lake Superior and the North Shore -- were important and interesting. I learned a lot about the area's ecosystem, met a lot of great people who care passionately about the big lake and its inland natural areas, and spent a gorgeous day out and about in Grand Marais.

My "employers" were easy and fun to work with. They contributed creatively to the process of determing my budget of stories and suggesting potential angles and sources. The editing process went smoothly, which isn't always the case even when working with professional journalists.

My learning opportunities came in the areas of pricing and efficiency. The prices per story I initially quoted were a little low, given the hourly wage I had hoped to achieve. I hadn't estimated adequately the amount of reporting time spent in finding and connecting up with the right sources, or considered that some of the stories would have additional chapters to pursue. I also hadn't taken into account the long-distance phone calls and road trips.

And if I do this type of work regularly, from home, I'll need to move my computer from the living room desk to the guest room desk, get a better phone there and consider signing up for some sort of call waiting or voice mail feature.

But overall, I'm happy. The deliverables, actually six stories and some siders in journalism lingo, are quite good, if I say so myself. I'll come under fire of the critics in a couple of weeks.