Bloggers Aren’t the Only Ones Overworked and Underpaid
April 8, 2008 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
In case you took a vacation from the blogosphere over the past couple of days, there was an article in the New York Times this weekend discussing how blogging is so stressful it causes heart attacks, weight gain and more. Lots of bloggers disagreed and felt the article portrayed networks as sweatshops and bloggers as stressed out and underpaid. The thing is, I’m not disagreeing so much with the piece. Granted, I don’t work for any sweatshops, but I know they’re there. I think there are bloggers who spend 95% of their time posting and searching for the latest news to beat out the competition. I can see how bloggers can become burned out and stressed out.
Here’s the thing…
I don’t think it’s necessarily bloggers who are feeling the stress. Anyone who writes web content can also feel the strain. Web content sites and webmasters who hire writers for little money can be the worst offenders. I remember turning down a gig a couple of years ago because I couldn’t promise 40 articles per month. The owner couldn’t understand this. Most workers average at least 100 articles a month, and they’re busy moms too. Surely a prolific writer like myself can keep up?
That’s not the point
I have a life. I have a family. I don’t mind waking up early to work , but I know it’s only temporary. The reason I began working at home was to spend time with my son before he began school. Now that he’s in school I work at home because I have enough to keep me busy for eight hours…or more.
Writing web content and blogging can and WILL burn you out if you let it. The key is to remember what is important:
- My family
- My health
- My life
I’m told I’m a prolific blogger, but I generally disagree. Many of my blogs only receive one post a day. I can blog more often for each if I’m so inclined but then I’d truly miss out. I’d miss playing games with my family after dinner, relaxing and watching a movie in the evening with my husband, or blowing off an hour when no one else is home and reading a good book out on the back deck.
That New York Times/blogging sweatshop article may have been written about bloggers, but it reminded me of when I wrote web content. You set the bar. Yes, you could write 200 articles a month for Acme Content Mill, but why would you want to?
What do you think? Where do you draw the line between livelihood and living?
For another take on the New York Times piece please see: Is Blogging Really this Dangerous?
I think the sweatshop bloggers are those who are trying to get whatever they can out there rather than focusing on quality content. If you’re producing material that is superior to what’s already out there you’re going to be succesful. But killing yourself by just trying to get someone to see your name and a small post you may have written isn’t worth it.
Yes. As a web content writer, I suffer all the issues that article named – and I don’t do network blogging.
But I do blog, I do write for a living, I do manage a business, market, promote, pay bills, hire people, feed my kids, race against tight deadlines, do social media, comment on other blogs, network…
I will probably die early. It ain’t healthy work, folks – and I usually don’t recommend to my friends that they get into web entrepreneurship.
I don’t think it’s possible to do it all. In my first year of freelancing, I churned out writing. I missed out on family time and nearly made myself ill. Now I’m more discerning about the jobs I choose, the amount I work for and how I spend my time. Sure, I could earn more, but my quality of life would suffer.
I have to agree with James. I try to limit my hours so that I’m not working from 11am to 2pm at least. I use that time to do the housework, walk a mile, etc. I’m still not the healthiest out there in my eyes, though I’ve been told my BP is really low and cholesterol are fine. I think about how I sit here virtually non-stop from 7am to noon – getting up for short breaks only – and it can’t be good for you. Yet, it pays the bills and I’m able to arrange my own schedule so that if my kids need me, I’m here!
Weeks when I’ve had larger projects and work straight through, I end up feeling stressed out and generally lousy.
In the very beginning of my freelance writing career I wrote probably 6000 words a day x seven days a week because I was so excited at the idea of writing and getting paid for it.
Some days I churned out double that word count to meet a deadline. I still have the odd day like that but I definitely don’t want to feel like this career is sucking the life and creativity out of me. Going on like that for so long was starting to wear me out. Spending ten hours writing keyword articles about Spacely Sprockets doesn’t appeal to me as much as it did a year ago and I guess I’ve done a bit of due-paying so I don’t have to do as much of that.
It takes time to find the balance and it’s a work-in-progress for me. I am trying to work smarter these days so I can have the best of both worlds but some days stress seems to be a must.
At least when I do get stressed I’m doing it mostly for me instead of the corporate bloodsuckers I used to do it for. And, if I find any bloodsuckers trying to leech off me I can choose to tell them “No.”
Really great post.
I used to blog for a sports website, but they used wordpress–which I find to be an absolute pain in the rear. My computer uses DSL, but it would run slow and it would take me about an hour to get one post put up. If you wanted to italicize text, instead of highlighting and clicking the slanted I button, you had to put special code around it. It really boils down to how long it takes to upload a post and what type of residual plan you get from the site.
Right now, I do four blogs: my commentary on the world, a Christian one, a satirical one and one about my favorite baseball team, the Houston Astros. I try to set up these sites so that they can earn money but keep my eyes open for people who need bloggers and can pay decently.
And to think that, just half a year ago, I had practically no idea what a blog was. But then, I’m still trying to understand the concept of tivoing.
It’s not just web writing or blogging. Try daily newspaper work. Did it for 13 years. I write for a couple of online dailies now. While it’s theoretically less stressful than blogging or web writing because less content needs to be produced, what can be produced is limited by availability of contacts. But daily deadlines still need to be met.
Add to that two teenagers, and I’m sure James will outlive me. According to one longevity test a friend in the insurance industry sent me, I died five years ago.
In the 8 months I’ve been reading this site, I’ve pursued and landed exactly one on-line writing/blogging job. And in that time it’s the only one I’ve seen offering worthwhile pay for the effort.
When I weigh pay per word against print journalism, it’s laughable. What’s frustrating to me is the many professionally bloggers who make up for crappy wages by working endlessly. Reminds of cannery summers in Alaska – sure you could make a lot of money, but it meant working 16+ hour days and destroying your body with repetitive motion.
I say, if you want to make a living as a writer, STOP giving in away for next to nothing.
@Phil – I have a teen and a ‘tween. The teen hasn’t been bad – he’ll argue, but he’s always been on the intellectual argument path, so I don’t mind it. My ‘tween is going to drive me batty though. I guess hormones are to blame, but she’s a huggy little thing one minute and all claws the next.
I took one of those tests once. It had me living until I’m 78 – so according to it I have 40+ years to go. I remember my mom and her friend taking the same test when I was a teen – both had results similar to mine. My mom’s still living, but her friend died a few years ago. I wonder if anyone’s surviving family sued when that test was very wrong?
Thanks for this post, Deb. It’s nice to get a reminder of what’s really important — even though I think about taking the time for me and family, I don’t always follow through because I get so wrapped up in the numbers game and getting visitors to the site with a lot of posts. With celebrity news, (you know) there’s always so much going on – all day! So it’s become a little obsession to keep up with it all and report on it asap. Definitely not healthy, but luckily my kids and husband pull me away so I can shift my focus back to reality!
I’m definitely not a stressed blogger, but I have seen my waistline grow and have become less active. With the weather improving and a fitness goal, I’m going to have to take breaks from blogging and spend time getting in shape and enjoying my family more. The celeb news will always be there, right?!
Well, I still think that “quality is better than quantity” as if I can write 10 quality posts and earn some sustainable income per month, why I’m need to put myself at the frustrating situation for writing those 200 low quality articles?
Wilson
@ Wilson – Pressure, stress and frustration does not equate low-quality articles.
In fact, the bigger you grow and the more success you see, the more pressure and stress you have. Writing 10 quality posts is fine – writing 10 quality posts worth hundreds adds the pressure to perform.
Also, quality work may often follow the same timelines as low-quality work. So those 10 high-paying quality posts may end up having just as short a turnaround as anything else, and potentially even shorter.
It doesn’t matter *what* you do or work at or get paid for it. The internet moves at a pace and with requirements that human beings just aren’t set up to cope with.
And this is why learning to say NO is so vital.
Good for you, Deb, that you know what is important and put your family first! These are my priorities as well.
For me this is the best thing about leaving an office job to freelance. I was very structured at the office and held strict lines between work and my real life. However I was surrounded by people who were unable to do this and thrived on busy-ness and not productivity.
I can see how the writing demands can stress one out, but as I make my way in this field it is much better than the alternative for me.
In the beginning, I think it’s easy for a new content writer to overextend themselves. The idea of earning extra cash and working from home is appealing, and some writers (including myself) work mornings, nights, and weekends. But you learn from your mistakes, and eventually discover ways to work smarter, not harder. I stopped working around the clock a couple of years ago. Now, I have most of my daily assignments completed by the early afternoon, and I don’t work weekends. I’ve been fortunate to find decent paying gigs, which allow me to work less.
I had not seen the NY Times article until I read this post. I suppose all paid writing work has its own stress but web content (blogs or otherwise) certainly has some unique dynamics. I work PT for a weekly community newspaper. While the newspaper pay is low compared to a city paper, it is considerably higher than what many web content arrangements pay. The current web economy has resulted in a global marketplace for content – unfortunately I have found that the result is often employers/companies expecting to pay literally only several dollars for 500 or more words.
Like many writers I find myself struggling to balance everything. When I have plenty of work it is easy to turn down the lousy assignments. However, when times are lean it is a tough decision sometimes whether to pass on work altogether or to accept a poor paying project to at least make some money.
Regardless of what the answer is I thought the whole article was interesting. Perhaps this will be a catalyst to creating some improvements in the industry…
another factor is balancing family time with family needs. I had two kids at three doctors yesterday. Doctors don’t negotiate billing. So some of the late hours are to pay for family needs.
I’m new and I’m nearly overextended, but I’m waiting to get all the kids into school and then dream of a more ideal work solution, instead of early to rise and late to bed. Of course giving up some poor paying content writing jobs helps to focus on potential lucrative work elsewhere.
My condolences Phil…to your insurance company.
This doesn’t mean blogging or web writing is inherently more dangerous than any other high-pressure job.
It’s just the latest “thing” the media is picking up on.
Three bloggers had heart attacks in five months. During that time, how many other people in high-stress jobs had heart attacks?
It’s only newsworthy because it’s new. It’s not evidence of some scary new trend that we all need to start panicking about, it’s just new.
The only thing it really highlights is that people in stressful jobs need to relax and people in desk-bound jobs need to exercise.
underworked and OVERpaid?
Sounds like you were meaning it to be the other way around… or maybe I’m wrong.
Thank you, Chad. Major goof! It’s fixed now so excuse me while I go hang my head in shame.
After reading a few references to word counts, I recalled something from Ernest Hemingway. What if he blogged? How many posts would he consider in a day, week, or month to be his comfort zone?
“Charles Scribner ridiculing of my daily word count was because he didn’t understand me or writing especially well nor could know how happy one felt to have put down nearly 422 words as you wanted them to be… Since I found that 400 to 600 well done was a pace I could hold much better was always happy with that number.”
No one has yet mentioned a “love” of writing – where did that go? Sure, many of us have aspirations, whether it be a novel (I have 3 under my belt)or print work or a big interview (done that, too). I love writing, I love researching and always learning more about something new; not to mention spouting off about what I do know. It’s pure joy to sit at the computer and compose a great paragraph – whether it’s catalog copy or brain surgery (LOL).
The smallest jobs add up; the big jobs are the best $$$, of course. So, maybe it should all boil down to love and money? (Oh, OK, family and health, too.) Life is too short not to love every minute you’re writing.
@Violette
I am SO there with you! I have my 4 yr old daughter still at home, 6 and 8 yr old daughters in school now (I might go into hiding in about 8 years when they’re all tweens or teens).
I’m also “dreaming” of the more ideal home situation when I’m not getting a constant stream of commentary in my ear from my DD while I try to work. I love that I’m able to stay home with her, but I know I don’t quite have a good work environment.
Trying to focus on getting as much done as possible in the mornings so I can have a change of pace in the middle of the day, or in the evening. The staying up to late part is what burns me out. I’m more on the night-owl side anyway, so that becomes a problem.
I know I’m not as productive then, but sometimes I am either required or I have a goal (to keep making progress) that I have to get to before my head hits the pillow. If I get delayed in the morning, that’s pretty tough on me.
I only started doing my freelancing seriously starting in January. I don’t even know what I’m going to do in the summer with ALL of them around. I suppose send them outside all morning long?? Maybe that will give my 4 yr old someone else to give her commentary to at times
@ Deb: I saw the “underworked and overpaid” thing and figured you were trying to be clever, so I didn’t say anything, LOL! I guess I need to hang my head down for that one, too…
Cindy, the love of writing a good story is still there for many of us. That’s what gets us through the bad times.
But it’s easier to appreciate the priviledge of being a professional writer when the bills are fully paid and there’s money left over to cover family emergencies.
It’s also easier to appreciate it when you can actually sit back, take a sip of your drink of choice and think through the story you want to tell without feeling every minute speed past.
I also think that sometimes we writers fall into the “love of writing” trap. I know I did for years.
You write all the hours God gave, produce reams of copy and get paid little money, and it’s supposed to be okay because you love what you do.
Sure I love what I do, but I also need to sleep, spend time with my family, mess around in my vegetable garden…
And if I don’t get paid enough to pay bills and still be able to do other things that are meaningful to me, what’s the point of working hard?
Beautifully put, Damaria. I guess my only “real” point was, no one is addressing the fact they enjoy what they do. Writers have a gift that many envy. Ultimately, we should be proud that we can monetize that talent. Then, go out and strive to enjoy greater financial rewards that free up our time for all the other joys in life.
Erika K,
Though you probably don’t want to make a habit of it, on particularly intense days (heavy deadlines, and only if you know ahead of time), it can be worth it to hire a sitter. I had to do that a couple of times when I had infants, my wife was a stay at-home-mom, but had to attend to health issues with her own mother.
1. Try working in a real sweatshop in the third world or even in some illegal places in the United States.
2. When I was in college I worked with a lady who worked as the head of the Central Services Cleaning Department of the hospital where I worked and four nights a week took two buses to work as an hourly janitorial crew in a hospital across town.
Sitting for hours on end in front of a computer may be tiring and it may weigh heavily on the body and mind but lots of people do things that are far more taxing.
I took on a part-time job at a local car wash and found it to be helpful. It’s a small amount of money, but it’s steady and reliable. It’s also outdoors and fairly vigorous activity, which helps counteract the vegetable effect of staring at a computer screen for many hours a day. I sometimes grumble about the writing time that I’m losing, but overall I think it’s been a good thing.
I think people engaged in mental activity will tend to hit a plateau after a certain amount of hours worked and much of your effort after that point will not good for much.
“Sitting for hours on end in front of a computer may be tiring and it may weigh heavily on the body and mind but lots of people do things that are far more taxing.”
This makes it okay?
The more I try to talk to fellow writers about this issue, the more I realize the amount of fear and trepidation there is at simply admitting that paying somebody $3 for a 250-word article that would take, AT LEAST, an hour to write (if it’s going to be any good) is NOT FAIR.
As long as we hold to a standard of “well, it’s not as bad as they have it in XXX”, we will continue to degrade the industry and allow exploitation and unfair treatment to happen.