Freelancing-Confessions of an All My Children Junkie

I have to confess, the soap opera All My Children rules my work day. I am a morning writer, a freelance writer, who works from home.

My brain functions best early in the day, shortly after daybreak and after I’ve breakfasted and meditated, doing my favored exercise this month. Sometimes that’s just reading the morning paper. I get comfortable, while grabbing my laptop and settle in to knock out the articles to which I’ve been assigned by my editor.

Utilizing Background Noise

The television is on for background noise, a habit I picked up while working in TV news for 27 years. The newsroom is always humming with background noise, primarily from the monitors, 30-40 TVs turned to every other news channel. You get used to working in the noise. In fact, I can’t do computer work at home without it, so I turn on the television set in my office and work away.

Dealing with Interruptions

Now in my neck of the woods AMC comes on at 1pm. That means I stop to eat lunch, check out the noon news, let the dogs outside and get myself settled for my date with Erica Kane and her friends, family and neighbors. I wasn’t always like this. I used to scoff at those who dropped everything to watch the soaps. When I worked at ABC, the newsroom literally ground to a halt because nearly everyone with a couple of exceptions like me, were hooked on the Ryan’s Hope-All My Children-General Hospital block. It was amazing that any news got covered at all during those two and a half hours. But we managed

Resistence is Futile

But somehow, while working at home alone, I got hooked. I started peeking at the soaps while writing. Then I started listening to the soaps. Then I started asking my sister to background me on what led up to what I was watching and not understanding. She’s been hooked for 40 years. My dad, too. He got hooked while changing work shifts from first to second. Finally, I had to stop pretending to work and just give in. I don’t write when All My Children is on.


I’ve got to see who killed Stuart, and why Liza is back in Pine Valley and whether David will get his come uppence or if Zach will get out of jail. I mean it is driving me crazy waiting to see this stuff unfold. I can’t believe it.

Pushing Through the Block

I should be searching for new writing gigs. I should be formatting new proposals, making new bids for newly posted jobs in the database. I need to do the things that will keep my work from home income from dropping below acceptable levels. Waiting for Erica Kane to pick out her 12th husband is not what an efficient freelancer should be doing with her day.

I am as disciplined as all get out, as long as AMC is not on. I can crank out with the best of them. However as long as Kendall Slater is being a self centered little tyrant, or crazy Annie is shooting people for justifiable reasons I’m catatonic, hanging on every word in the make believe world of soaps.



Junkie to the end.