I’ve beaten the content-mill drum pretty loudly. You’ve heard me suggest that someone getting paid ten bucks or less is not a writer. Thanks to Irreverent Freelancer Kathy Kehrli, I now have proof. She posted a link to an article that is, well, not an article, but a ridiculous string of nonsensical sentences. An example:“A…
Tag: just plain nuts
The Marketing Myth
If I hear one more person say that it takes tons more time to market a higher-priced article than it does to funnel something through a content mill, this last nerve of mine will snap. Three times this week and once last week, people have actually told me that selling an article that pays, say,…
Sprinting Through the Week
It’s tough to relax over the weekend when you know your day is going to start early and end late Monday, isn’t it? That’s my day today with three client calls and one project due. I’m exhausted thinking about it. Worse, last week ended with rather rudely. Incompetence threatened to ruin my day. Not my…
A Word to the Cheapskates
Dear cheap startup, viral marketer, and any other “employer” wanting writing for nothing: I keep seeing your ads all over the Internet. And I hope your responses from actual writers are more of the “you must be joking” variety than people actually foolish enough to think you mean what you say. I’d like to bring…
Fighting Words
From now on I’m taking Eileen’s approach to job listings – I’m not going there. For here’s what happened last week when I did. The ad was for a business article writer. The poster did write back. Let’s just say for once, price wasn’t the major issue. Here’s the response: “In most cases, you’d need…
Where Have You Been?
Writing chum Anne Wayman had a fun post up last week on her blog about the jobs we writers have had over the years before this one. Since I’m trying to get a ton of work done before noon so I can enjoy maybe an hour of this fantastic weather, I’m going to shamelessly lift…
Yet I’m Not Waiting
I joined Twitter because many of you convinced me I’d have access to, and possibly work from, other tweeters. Lo and behold, I did get a note from someone looking for exactly my writing experience, but I’m not getting the job. See, it’s the same company I’d turned down once before. They pay well, but…
Weird Client Tricks
My girlfriend and I were sharing war stories over tea yesterday morning at the local Starbucks. She said she’d never had an instance where a client didn’t pay her. It would’ve bothered me more, but she’s a part-time freelancer and she works with a lot of local publications and clients – she has face time…
Odd Jobs
Whew! Twelve-hour day yesterday, but I made significant progress on the large project. One more task to complete and I may, God willing, be able to pass it off to them next week. My long-time chum Kirk over at All That Is Necessary has a fun post about the weird stuff employers have asked us…
Dead Stuff
At first we thought it was the sewer, so we called the sewer repair company. That was two weeks ago. The smell now is so bad we can’t use the powder room. Just one bathroom, mind you. The others are fine. To be honest, I know the difference between rotting sewage and rotting carcasses (years…