Last night I went to a panel discussion/seminar type thing put on by the local chapter of PWAC (Professional Writers' Association of Canada) about "developing your writer's toolkit." It was, as I had hoped it would be, a learning experience. PWAC is an organization for freelance non-fiction writers who, get this, earn a living as writers. And you know what? They're ordinary people. They pitch ideas, they send queries, they follow leads, they keep their ears to the ground for good material, they have business cards and letterhead with their names on them (followed by "professional writer" or somesuch), and lots of them sell hundreds of stories a year! It was exciting, and it got me thinking. What do I want to write? What do I have to offer as a writer? I thought that narrowing it down to creative non-fiction instead of poetry or fiction (both of which I do like to dabble in) was step forward. But even once you get into non-fiction, the possibilities are endless. You've got your newspaper articles - features, news stories, reviews, columns and opinion pieces - you've got your magazines and trade publications, you've got your memoirs, self-help books, how-to books, travel books, cook books, collections of personal essays. Even within magazines, there is a huge range from the literary to the news-oriented, from the cultural and political analysis to the entertainment reviews. So what they do, the people who do this for a living, is keep their eyes and ears open for new markets and then query, query, query. Rare is the professional freelancer who will write an article that has not been accepted first. But it all seemed like such a schlep to me. I can't imagine a life of pitch after pitch after pitch.
So what else is there? A department at my university is looking for co-sponsors to throw in some money to bring a speaker, Linda Hirshman, whose agent makes her arrangements. Linda Hirshman is the author of a number of books, most recently a controversial feminist "manifesto," as she likes to call it, called Get to Work. On her website, she describes herself as a retired feminist philosopher. She got her PhD in 1994, two years after I did. The reason the other department needs co-sponsors is that Linda Hirshman's speaking fee is $7500. Okay, now, I am also a feminist philosopher (I wasn't previously a trial lawyer, of course). I also have views -- informed ones -- about the kind of things Hirshman writes about. Maybe that's the kind of writer I want to be, the kind that actually makes a difference and can command a decent fee for speaking. You know, they always tell you to write what you know. Well, if I know the same sorts of things as she does, maybe I can write the same sorts of things and sell them. Get to Work was a bestseller!
And then there is the whole question of writing with dollar signs in our eyes. This cannot be good for creativity. This is not what I want to be doing. But there is something legitimating about getting paid for what you do. I really picked up on that last night at this seminar. The people on the panel were no different as people from anyone else in the room. But they were getting paid to write, and that gave what they had to say about writing a kind of legitimacy because, in getting paid, they have become legitimate writers.
I don't know exactly what I want to write, but I do know that I want to get paid for it.
5 comments:
I feel your struggle, TI, and I think you're thinking about all the right things and looking at everything in a healthy light.
I'm a freelance writer--that's what my business card says. I specialize in the "written and spoken word" because I also do voice work. That combined with teaching and radio is what pays my bills.
There's nothing sexy or literary in writing copy for company websites or radio spots for a mortgage broker or sales letters for a web designer. But I DO believe that every time we writers put finger to keyboard--or pen to paper--we're improving our craft.
I don't expect to make money off my fiction or my creative nonfiction. That doesn't mean I'm giving up on publishing those things, it just means I'm realistic: business writing and article writing (for magazines and newspapers) feeds my body. Creative writing feeds my soul. I couldn't do as much creative writing if I were working a different kind of job--I cobble together my existence so that I CAN work on the creative stuff (of course, I have three client deadlines looming right now along with my MFA deadline and endless papers and speeches to correct...sometimes I WISH I were an accountant).
I think you're smart to combine what you love into something that can pay the bills while making yourself happy...and becoming a well-known speaker is such a PLUS in the nonfiction market...it shows agents that you have a platform and a following already. So, if you pursue some philosophy type articles and speaking engagements, when you publish your memoir, people will WANT to read it because they'll already be familiar with and like you.
Before I started the MFA program, I had a query quota: I was trying to send out 10-15 queries (i.e. article pitches) a month. It's hard to crack national maggies, like Family's Circle or Woman's Day, but the pay is $1-$2 a word...and once you DO crack, it's easier to get another assignment elsewhere.
I know this comment has turned into me, me, me, me! But I think we're dealing with similar struggles, so I just wanted to share my perspective.
You're right, FC. Very similar struggles and questions. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience as a freelancer. WE'll definitely have lots to talk about in January!
Damn, these were both great to read. It gives me hope that there is a world of writing out there, outside of my own little brain and backstage antics. I can't wait to get to it. I'll be back with you all soon.
Damn it. I tried to post a comment earlier and it got erased. Annoying. I think my point was that artists seem to be the only people who worry about there being anything bad about getting paid for work. But in any case, you can def be whatever kind of writer you want! Nice, thoughtful post
I've been thinking along these lines recently too. In my writing life I'm mostly a poet and a reviewer and as yet rarely get paid for either. Cash does legitimate the writing we may do and we shouldn't feel bad about wanting to get paid for our work unless we are selling out our principles just for the money.
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