The budget is a lie

[ShadowBall]

I know I am, LingualMonkey...I wish everyone wasn't so goddamned cheap, though. And once I get my own vehicle, I may see if the local newspaper would be interested in me doing some writing. I did apply there recently for a part-time graphic design job (and did not get hired), but I never mentioned writing abilities since I didn't think it'd be relevant for the layout job I was interviewing for.

And I'm not in regular college anymore (in grad school...blah), so I've no college paper to write for, sadly. But I think from now on, I'm going to tweak my writing to match what the client offers to pay. If their budget is going to be $2.00 per 500 words, then I will ensure the quality matches the budget. That way, they really get what they pay for.

I think I'm done pouring my heart and soul and hours of research into an article that is worth less than a candy bar. They want quality, they can pay for it.

[chainedbarista]

yes, you've sold yourself for way less than you're worth; why let these cheap bastards financially screw you for the sake of saving their cash? get thee to a newspaper, magazine or other writing source. hell, find a magazine that accepts short stories. at least you'll be writing something you enjoy, get paid and get noticed.

[LingualMonkey]

They'll find someone else willing to write as well as they can for crap pay.

You don't need a car to write a column for your local paper. I've done my for just over four years now, and I've never met the editor. I do everything through email.

Everyone else is right. If you enjoy writing, write. You'll be happier writing stuff you like and trying to market it for a real wage than you will be doing this, and even if nothing sells, you'll be out about a package of ramen per week.

Seriously, you can probably make more doing articles that you want to write on a site like Associated Content or Helium.

[ShadowBall]

I have heard of both Associated Content (joined there, actually) and Helium. I've noticed the content pool on AC was always pretty scant, so I never went back there. And I can't remember if I ever joined Helium. The place I work for right now is Break.com - they don't pay loads and loads, but it's still a cool place. Only thing is they take forever to review your article - they may take over a week to tell you they rejected your article because you used a numbered list instead of a bullet list.

Thanks for the info, though - I'll check out Helium sometime and see how they function.

[Big-box-retail-blues]

You don't have to use the comment list on AC at least you used to not have to use the list. I wrote a few articles here and there for them and they ranged from a diabetic cake recipe for the holidays to the best Blu-Ray dvds of the year and the lost art of letter writing. Seriously I would write about anything and submit it.