Freelance 101

So at last I am, technically at least, a freelance writer. That is, I've been accepted at TextBroker and have been plying my trade there. It's heady at moments, as in when my first articles were accepted and my money began to accumulate. It's surrealistic at others, as in when I found myself scouring the web for information about the expected longevity of used propane storage tanks. It 's disillusioning at moments, as in when I go Googling for information but find naught but the penny-a-word missives of others like myself. But it is, most of all, a moment of transition. I have sold my work, the labor of my brain and fingers, in a way I had never done before. The identity of freelance writer is mine, for as long as I choose to keep it, for as long as I tappity-tap out pieces at TextBroker.

I find the experience intoxicating yet frustrating. Until I move up from my current four-star rating to the coveted five-star rating, my base fee is 1.5 cents per word, my labors are at slave wages. Hours of work may go into meticulous research and careful crafting of a 300-word piece that will add less than $5 to my coffers. I could, if I chose, set prices higher for specific customers, but that seems unwise at this early juncture.

So I savor the moment and await an epiphany. In the mean time, I will continue to set my fingers dancing to the tunes of the assortment of pipers willing to toss me a pittance in exchange for a few paragraphs about aerobic septic systems or embroidered promotional cotton baseball caps. I will explore the Land of the Freelance Writer. God willing, I will learn to navigate this new land, settle down, and find a home.