By now we can pretty much recite most of these, but just in case you’re new to writing, here are some sure signs the employer has no intention of paying you for your work. 1. “This is a labor of love for us.” Time and again, this has gone on to say “….and for that…
Author: lwidmer
Defining Success
Saw an interesting post somewhere on the blogosphere about a writer whose friend looked down on her, took pity on her for not making the kind of money he does (that could be any number of blogs, eh?). Okay, that’s just wrong. Pitying someone for making less than you do? What the heck? One thing…
Curses!
On another site, I was reading correspondence between a deadbeat client and a writer demanding payment. As I read through the exchange, the question came up in my mind – when is it okay to drop your professional demeanor and just let them have it? My answer? Never. These are people looking for excuses to…
Time Machine
One more call yesterday, one more project. It’s great, but I need to find a way to get more time in my day. I bet you go through that too, don’t you? How can you possibly get it all done inside of 8 or 10 hours? Well guess what? You have plenty of time (so…
Seven Truths of Freelancing
1. The longer the list of requirements in a job listing, the less the employer intends to pay. Go on. Look. Test this one out. Nine times out of ten, it’s absolutely spot on. 2. The amount of work you’re about to get is equal or greater to the amount of time you have to…
Work is Happening
It’s happened – work has begun piling in right about the time I was thinking it would be nice to go fishing in Ontario. Yes, I just returned from a nice few days off. So what? I work my tail off the rest of the year and frankly, given my seniority at this job, I…
Random Friday Riff-Raff
On a short hiatus this week. I actually took off on Wednesday afternoon, but decided not to mention it until today. Surprise! It was a side trip to see his friends and to somehow celebrate my getting one more year older (like I care – just pretend I’m still in my 30s, okay?). On Wednesday…
Revising the Back-Up Plan
So I learned a few things during our power outage on Tuesday, which by the way lasted until 3:30 that afternoon. Because of the experience, I’m amending my back-up plan in light of my latest discoveries. Libraries are lacking two things: quiet and power outlets. My library is great. But there are exactly two outlets…
Phrases That Are Just Wrong
Oh, you know you’ve come across some client gaffes and junk mail phrases that crack you up. Come on – share them here. A few I’ve chuckled at: “Highly seasoned professional” – Unless you’re the main course or you’re currently covered in marjoram, please. Don’t. (Client’s resume line) “We’re better then the rest!” – Then…
The Back-Up Plan
No, this is not a post about backing up your data. It’s about something few of us tend to plan for – power outages. As I write this, I’m sitting in the local library plugged into one of their outlets. A wind storm last night brought down our electric and phone lines, so I’m totally…