Much of my work centers around fulfilling freelance gigs. I see a job I am interested in, I apply, and if accepted we come to terms and I start writing.

One area of writing that I avoid are those gigs where you are requested to submit an article — usually to a magazine — and you get paid if the article is accepted for print. Well, excuse me! If you want me to write, then you pay me for what I write. If it is a matter of pending acceptance, then you don’t seem to be in a position to decide whether that happens or not.

I prefer to deal directly with those holding the authority to approve/disapprove my work. If disapproved, I want the opportunity to rewrite the article and resubmit. If the re-write is also disapproved, then I want the article back.

My ideal project is to work directly with a client, cutting out the middleman. Too many “chiefs” mess up the process. I don’t have time to play games nor am I inclined to write for someone who cannot pay me unless a third party signs off on my work: one too many variables!