Sunday, March 10, 2013

This one's for free


People have been writing for no money for as long as there's been no money to write for. Here are a few reasons I will sometimes write for free.

  • I like and/or believe in the outlet I'm writing for free for
  • There are fringe benefits to writing the story, eg: motorcycle pants, cruise tickets, lunch
  • Writing the piece will open a door previously closed to me, eg: Poland
  • I owe someone a favour
  • I want someone to like me
  • It's fun
  • There's room to experiment and/or play
  • There's a chance to settle a score
  • There's a chance the outlet not paying me will someday be able to pay me
  • The editor constantly apologizes for not paying me
  • I am bad with deadlines and like the idea of shrugging off an assignment I sought out, "Well, it's not like they're paying me!"


You gotta figure it out for yourself when it's worth it to write or work or play for free. I can't tell you that.


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