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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

“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.”

Sounds like you were meaning it to be the other way around… or maybe I’m wrong.

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.

My condolences Phil…to your insurance company.

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…

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 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.

Wilson

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?!

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?

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.

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.