Letters to the Editor
-
To those decrying freelancers
Freelance writing is not a dead-end endeavor. I've been one for the last 8 years in Manhattan. Last year I made $86,000, and this year I will top $100,000, and that's just one company I work for. While it's true when I first started out the money wasn't great---I made something like $15,000 for the first few years and had a very understanding wife---if you write great stuff, turn it in on time, are pleasant and easy to deal with, you'll do fine eventually.
Last week atelevision writer contacted me, wanting to turn an article I've written into a screenplay, and we closed a deal for me to get a co-writing credit. No guarantees in any field, obviously (and there are a LOT of screenplays out there) but I'm just saying---freelancing ain't the devil necessarily. You either tap into some great sources of income, or you find out eventually that maybe you're not the wonderful scribe you thought you were, and you find another way to make a living.
I find that most people think they're better writers than they are, or musicians, or actors or painters.
When you're not cute and 20 or 30 or even 40 anymore, that's when you find out who has the talent.