Wordsmith Woes
Ya know, I've got a gripe. It's not exactly punk rock or food related, but so be it.
I've been prowling the freelance writer job listings lately since I don't have too many writing gigs at the moment (freelance writing is...uh...like...my career 'n' stuff). Perhaps my biggest bete noire when it comes to freelance writing: writers who are willing to work for shit, or worse yet, for free. They suck! They're killing it for the legitimate writers of the world!
It's bad enough that publishers wait months before they bother to pay their writers -- the creators of the very product that keeps them in business in the first place. But the fact that so many writers are willing to write for pennies per-word only serves to demean the value of our services. Don't get me wrong; I refuse to take the crap jobs that don't pay well, but everytime someone does take them, it does a disservice to all writers.
Yes, it's a catch-22 industry. You've got to have clips (published articles) to get writing work, which means in the very beginning writers typically have to take on low-paying gigs, or even write (gulp!) for free. But once we're past that nascent stage, we can't perpetuate the degrading notion that writing is merely a commodity that can be bargained down to the lowest possible price.
Come on, folks, git yer shit together fer crissakes and stop responding to job ads that say, "We can't pay writers but they are guaranteed a byline and exposure to a wide audience."
Oh yeah? I'll show ya where you can put yer byline, bitch!
I've been prowling the freelance writer job listings lately since I don't have too many writing gigs at the moment (freelance writing is...uh...like...my career 'n' stuff). Perhaps my biggest bete noire when it comes to freelance writing: writers who are willing to work for shit, or worse yet, for free. They suck! They're killing it for the legitimate writers of the world!
It's bad enough that publishers wait months before they bother to pay their writers -- the creators of the very product that keeps them in business in the first place. But the fact that so many writers are willing to write for pennies per-word only serves to demean the value of our services. Don't get me wrong; I refuse to take the crap jobs that don't pay well, but everytime someone does take them, it does a disservice to all writers.
Yes, it's a catch-22 industry. You've got to have clips (published articles) to get writing work, which means in the very beginning writers typically have to take on low-paying gigs, or even write (gulp!) for free. But once we're past that nascent stage, we can't perpetuate the degrading notion that writing is merely a commodity that can be bargained down to the lowest possible price.
Come on, folks, git yer shit together fer crissakes and stop responding to job ads that say, "We can't pay writers but they are guaranteed a byline and exposure to a wide audience."
Oh yeah? I'll show ya where you can put yer byline, bitch!
posted by Connie Sewer at 1:39 PM
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