Not long ago, I needed to make extra money – fast. My solution was to bid for writing jobs on freelancing websites. On these sites, clients post writing jobs, and you bid on how much you are willing to be paid. To sell, you create a profile page where you list your services, display scores for skills tests, and present a portfolio. The most familiar websites are Elance and Odesk.
What I love about these websites is that I can earn money staying home. There is no dress code, it is low stress, and I can even work in my pajamas if I want. Usually, communication is limited to email. The client, from my viewpoint, is made strictly of text. No voice, no body – just text.
Of course, it is the most detached communication possible, turning both the client and me into abstract, free-floating, disembodied minds – not so bad for me since, being a writer, I am used to that. I sometimes think of my clients as the Text People who live inside my computer, and pay me to write things for them.
The pay is obscenely low, but what excites me is that for the first time, I am getting paid regularly for my writing, which is something I have always wanted.
I love the work generally. I love making dull subjects more interesting and converting sloppy text into coherent and enjoyable writing. Also, by writing often, I am building my skills.
I also enjoy learning. So far I have learned a lot about trust law and real estate. I would never have studied them on my own, but getting paid gives me a reason. Any general knowledge, even if it is mundane, can help me with my fiction.
However, there are some huge drawbacks. I hate the bidding. It never fails to depress me and batter my ego. I have to write proposals over and over, mostly with no response, saying basically the same things: My novel has a 4 out of 5 rating on Amazon; I have tutored writing to college students; I will work with you to make sure you are happy with the finished product. Translation: Me good! Better than silly competition! Hire me! Hire me! Hire Me!
Responses are rare, and even if you have a five star rating, it is hard to stand out, because you soon learn that every writer on Elance has five stars, or almost that. What makes bidding particularly torturous is that Elance lets you see who your competition is.
You see their photographs, read their general sales pitch of themselves, which always makes them seem born for the role of writing, say, SEO text for lawn mowers. Each bidder, even if he is only twenty, describes himself as a “veteran” of the industry who is “passionate” about writing.
Doctorates in literature are shockingly common, and others claim to have written trilogies or edited for popular national magazines. However, it is difficult to know who is telling the truth because on Elance, there is no visible penalty for lying. For an extra fee, Elance will verify your claims – but few people pay it.
The skills tests are a way to stand out. I did well on mine, but I really have to emphasize my test scores on my profile page. Many contractors refuse to take the tests, choosing instead to “self-rate.”
It does not matter; they all still get five stars, or close.
Most of the jobs listed sound terrible, so you really have to search for jobs that are not blatant, grueling, sweat shop exploitation. It is common to see “50 articles for 50 dollars” on Elance, and many contractors fight fiercely for this type of job.
Often, people post jobs for novels. I have seen, “Write me a 250 page novel. Budget: 50.00. It must be engagingand grammatically flawless.” Or “I need someone to write a three part novella series, based on my ingeniousoutline of a crime thriller. Budget: 150.00.” I thought no one would bid on that one, but some were offering to do it for 70.00.
Seeing how little people are willing to take for writing fiction, which I love, and which is so hard to do well, is disheartening.
However, because I scored in the top 5% bracket on the creative writing tests, I get a lot of unwanted invitations for fiction projects.
I have avoided writing fiction for Elance clients. I care about fiction too much to let clients dictate to me how to do it – or claim my memories, feelings, and personal observations as their own. Also, normally when you write fiction for clients, you are getting paid almost nothing, and you are usually signing away all rights.
Generally, the more creative the job is, the less clients are willing to pay for it. Why? My theory is that creative work is intrinsically satisfying to a writer, who, as a result, is often willing to take little pay. Because of this, clients either take creative work for granted or assume that nothing is easier than “making things up.”
For less creative jobs, clients mainly want bulk content at a low price – and they want it done yesterday. E-book jobs abound, usually with insanely short time frames. “120 pages. Budget: 100.00. I need it in four days. If you cannot do this, please do not apply.”
I have a big problem with the whole idea of “fast, cheap, bulk content.” When I write, I am focused, but I take the time necessary to do it well. I never apply for the fast, bulk jobs; the unrealistic time frames annoy me and, without fail, produce shoddy writing.
Most jobs are flat flee. As an hourly equivalent, the pay usually ends up being much less than minimum wage. Elance clients are almost always on a tight budget, which is why they turn to Elance in the first place.
Consequently, when bidding, I sometimes feel like a cyber-orphan from a Dickens novel scrounging for pennies and crumbs. Please, Mister. Ain\’t ya got tuppence for a wee starvin\’ lass?
Obviously, this has to change. The hours that I spend working for less than minimum wage is time that I could be doing much more satisfying creative work, such as developing my new novel.
I am now working on my new freelancing website. I am going to start marketing my skills to local ad agencies who, I hope, will pay more reasonably. A big plus of having done Elance work is that I know now that I can get paid regularly for writing, and that my skills have market value.
I have also redone my Elance profile page. I have changed my tag-line to emphasize “premium” rather than “affordable” writing. I am going to try bidding higher in the hope of convincing potential clients that it is worth paying more for good work.
Despite many drawbacks, Elance has been rewarding: I have earned extra money, which really has helped; I am writing constantly now; I now have the confidence to market my skills outside the internet; I have learned a lot of interesting things; I also really have enjoyed the work.
If I can sell my novels and my e-books and make a reasonable income from freelancing outside the internet, I will be happy.
However, all of this may mean saying good-bye to freelancing websites – and to Text People. Maybe something better awaits – something I thought writing did not encourage: a move back, as a Real Person, to the tangible world.