Somebody, who should know better asked me, "What's your day job?"
Hiding my disgust behind a smile, I replied, "I'm a writer."
Their reply, smiling wider, "We all know that doesn't pay."
I think they were more aghast by the fact that they wanted a copy of a digital slideshow I had put together for a church event and, wouldn't you know, I was charging for it. "Do you make a lot of these?" they asked.
"Mostly for friends..." my answer tailed off there. I was afraid I might say, for the school band, various classrooms through out the year, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, the church -- this was the second one in as many monthes. Yes, it keeps me quite busy, and not writing. Hence, it doesn't pay.
Oh sure this show was only 9 minutes long, but it took upwards of 12 cuts, and as many disks, to get it just the way they (the church people) and I wanted it. No one ever wants to pay for computer time. They see 9 minutes and think the show fell out of a tree.
I think I'm ranting here... NO, I know I am. Well, next time I'm ask to volunteer my time to put together a little something, I think I'll say something like, "You can't afford me." Maybe some money will follow... but what I really want is respect.
Actually I did say, "You can't afford me," to a friend recently. It's true for the size project they presented, the cost would be astronomical. So they are doing all the leg work of finding the music, and scanning and lining up the photos. Then together, we'll work the computer magic. Still it'll take days to get it right, which it should be, especially for a friend. For me, this process will be priceless.
2 comments:
Oh, I can SO relate to this. Good for you for standing up for yourself! And your writing does pay (Globe essays)...and will pay (just you wait until you sell the book).
Of course, even people who know they have to pay for certain types of writing, like copywriting, are sometimes aghast at the costs. I then need to explain that one doesn't simply sit down at a computer and write a final draft (love your line about how it doesn't fall out of a tree...same concept). In fact, a lot of work has to happen BEFORE the actual writing takes place, which also costs money. The good clients get that...the other ones? Not so much. I try to avoid them.
Hey, PTC, you keep on charging for your services. In fact, I think it's time to raise your rates!
MBY
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