Christina M. Ward

Starting somewhere hurts the heart a little bit

Let’s face it; Writers do NOT get paid their worth.

In light of my current health situation, I have not been working for the past few years. I rely on peddling craft items occasionally, and mostly on selling myself as a writer…for pennies.

But we have to start somewhere. Getting a freelance writing career off the ground is a bit like rolling a giant boulder uphill, while wearing roller skates.

I joined Upwork. Yes, I know there is some controversy over that. I have seen other writers condemn the site, saying that it lowers the bar–regarding the PAY that writer’s receive–and makes things worse for writers across the board.

But–as I sit here, back aching like fire, pain in three of my back teeth causing my jaw to swell (which is causing a nerve problem in my face), and out my opened front door what do I see? CORN FIELDS. Trees. Rural life. I search all kinds of jobs for writers in my area…either a great big NOTHING, or a scam, or it pays 10.00 or less an hour.

At least Upworks has JOBS. SO, I bit my pride and joined. You have to have reviews to get the “good jobs” that might actually pay me enough to get my tooth pulled, get my car fixed that’s been hovering in the “check engine” zone for two years, or pay at least A payment toward my debt mountain.

My first job will pay me $7.00. Seven Hundred Pennies. But, at the end of that job I will get a review. Then take a higher paying job…another review…then a higher paying job. After some work, it will pay off.

Another site I am working on is Medium. I invite you to check this site out, join for $5.00 a month if you love reading quality articles, and follow me here: @fnfwriter

Medium pays writers when readers : clap” for the articles. The more claps, the more pay. My first week on medium I made $0.09. The second week $0.79. The third week $3.39. And this, my fourth week $ 8.32. So, with only 64 followers thus far, and a few publications that accept me as a writer, this number will continue to climb with my popularity.

And get this: my POETRY posts get more claps than my articles!

This is exciting! If you are interested, medium may be a fun place to post some of your best writing and get paid for doing so…just make sure that you join the Medium Partner Program, and get in with some good publications that have lots of followers. Submit to them to get in with them as a writer and you will be on your way! MAYBE pennies will turn into quarters…then dollars.

A third way my writing is starting to pay off is by writing for my local paper: Observer News Enterprise. who has given me a weekly column that pays me …get this…$0.00 dollars. Yes, nothing. But it gets my name “out there” and if they ask me to do an article or if an article I write gets front page, there’s a pay of $25.00.

You can bet when those checks come in, I am doing a freak-show happy dance at my mailbox.

I AM ALSO SUBMITTING POETRY TO A HOST OF LITERARY MAGAZINES AND CONTESTS–THESE TAKE MONTHS TO REPLY–BUT MY FINGERS ARE AS CROSSED AS THEY CAN GET. THIS WOULD BE THE ULTIMATE PAYOUT FOR ME, EVEN IF IT DOESN’T PAY CASH.

MY ULTIMATE GOAL IN ALL OF THIS IS: TO BE RECOGNIZED AS A POET AND HAVE A LOYAL FOLLOWING WHEN MY BOOK GETS PUBLISHED–AND IT WILL GET PUBLISHED!

WHY am I writing this article? Because perhaps you are out there hustling your writing, the same as I am. I want to encourage you not to give up. And to take pennies ONLY TO GET STARTED. Then use that resource as a reference, a STEPPING STONE. The ultimate goal should be to get paid your worth. While you work for pennies, hone your skills, learn all you can, and collect as many references as you can that will speak to your value as a writer.

Give it all you got…I invite you to share your story, and by all means share your link so others may support you in your venture. Best of luck to you!

(My book is in self-edit phase of the first draft…wish me luck!!)