Devon, bidding sites often promise too much and deliver too little. I hate seeing writers trapped in that type of situation, or thinking that's normal.

I know I've said it before, but I wish you'd do some posts explaining the nuts and bolts of how retainers work. Are you paid regardless of how much or little work you do? Does the client pay more if you exceed a certain limit? If the assign less work than the monthly fee covers, do you have to make it up later on? Or is the retainer just a token amount paid to ensure your availability should they need you?

To someone who's never worked on a retainer, it's very confusing.

My work process usually revolved around priorities, which I try to keep as fluid as possible. (Important this week, since my phone and internet were only partially functional until yesterday, and more torrential rains left me with a wet basement to dry out. Again.)

Yesterday my priorities shifted quickly from working on two short pieces due just after the 4th of July to handling a small copywriting job with a quick turnaround time. It was an easy choice, since the copywriting pays more and is due sooner.

I'm looking for some more retainers — I'd like to add a couple more steady blog gigs to the roster, and I'm pitching to higher-paying publications. I'm also working more in the mission-specific entertainment category, which is gaining interest — work I like that's also well-paid.