"What's so special about what you do? Can't anyone do "that kind" of writing (referring to web content)?"
Know what? I never claimed to be all that special. What I have always claimed, however, is to have a knack for putting words together into cohesive thoughts and sharing those words with others.
Know what else? Even though I only began "regularly" freelancing two years ago, I've written for more years of my life than I can count. From starting a newspaper in first grade with my friend Caryn to editing my high school yearbook, to publishing two articles in small publications while in college, writing has been a large definition of my life.
And although it's not my only or even primary income, I consider it an achievement that I've been able to do more and pay for more and spread my writing around (under my own name or as a ghostwriter) because of the projects I've taken on as a freelancer.
A majority of the costs for my wedding - paid for by freelancing. A large part of the down payment of my house - paid for by freelancing. Various payments and extras and fun stuff - you got it.
It makes me very angry to compete against writers who think that it's perfectly acceptable to sell either a majority or all of their "writing" for pennies on the dollar. And it's gratifying how many web site owners come to realize that if you pay $1 for an article that is 400-500 words long, they got what they paid for: crap.
Deb Ng, one of my heroes in freelance writing, had a great post on her blog today, reacting to a web site she found proclaiming that anyone and everyone could write for pay if they chose to. *Snort.* Deb is arguably the first lady of freelance writing and blogging, and ya'll need to head over to her award-winning site, Freelance Writing Gigs, to check out her article and all of the resources she has to offer.
Tiffany
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