All this talk this week about the lack of perks and stationary pay rates comes with a little good news – two writers I’ve talked with this month have reported getting bonuses. Can you imagine that? Someone actually paid these folks more than they were billed because they were pleased with the results. As Paula…
Perks Are More Than Just Coffee
Working off Paula Hendrickson’s post yesterday, I want ask: when you left that 9-to-5 or opted to leap straight from school into freelancing, how well did you weigh that decision? If you were leaving a full-time job, you probably spent more time considering the things you’d lose – 401(k), paid vacations, paid health care, paid…
The Good Old Days?
Remember when you first started freelancing, when 10 cents a word was the first offer of payment, when writing something for the local newspaper meant an extra 20 bucks in your pocket? It’s too bad that here you are, years, decades later, making the exact same amount. Writer Paula Hendrickson penned an article 11 years…
UFOs and Vacations
I woke this morning to the strangest sight – the sun. It’s what they call a UFO in Scotland, it happens so rarely. Yes, I can still see it. I had forgotten what it looked like! I’m sure it’s short-lived, but I’ll take it, humidity and all. I can’t help getting that uneasy feeling that…
Getting Motivated
Has anyone else started construction on an ark? It’s rained here in southeastern PA for so long I’m beginning to see the animals pairing up. I planted seeds on one of the sunny mornings (which of course turned into maelstrom afternoons). I’m sure they’re either rotting in the excess water or floating down near Delaware…
Is Talent Enough?
Had an encounter recently – no other way to put it – with an admin at a local company. Let me just say here and now had I walked into that office myself without a referral, without my better half standing there, I’d have walked right out. I made a simple request – I wanted…
Yes, We ARE Worth It
In a discussion on one of my newest forum haunts, the writers are discussing the obvious prejudice clients seem to have about writers. If you can design a website, more often than not your clients will see the value in your work and compensate you accordingly (not always, but I digress). If you write copy…
The Frugal Writer
Having come from a less-than-wealthy family, I grew up understanding there were limits to what one could have, what one should have, and what one really needed. We grew our own food (from beans to steaks), and we wore a lot of homemade clothes. I remember being so pleased with the dresses and pants my…
Defining Your Basement
Having a conversation with a new graduate recently, I mentioned losing two of my big clients to the R word (I won’t say it! I won’t admit to it!). He asked what I was going to do. I spelled it out for him – “Market, send out proposals, contact the temp agency….” Of course he…
The Phrases That Do NOT Pay
While I’m out chumming the waters for new clients (is anyone else wondering where the clients went?), I thought I’d share some of the catch phrases in job listings that usually mean you’re not getting paid. If you’re a newbie or if you’ve been around a while, it never hurts to see them for what…