K.O. Morgan Writing Consultant

One of my pet peeves lately is how there are so many writing sites that only pay writers a song. I’m talking about social sites and writing sites that hire writers by the hundreds, paying anywhere from $5 to $30 for an article. That coupled with all of the bidding sites, where writers underbid each other to land a job, just add to the problem in the writing field that writers are basically underpaid and under appreciated.

But my other pet peeve hits closer to home — and it has everything to do with me. I have found myself repeatedly lowering my price for fear of losing an assignment altogether. As a result, I often wind up working on writing projects that are either more trouble than they are worth, or even if the assignment is interesting and fulfilling, when I break down the hours and effort involved I discover that I’ve worked my butt off for less than minimum wage.

I did it again the other day. After months of sending my resume out into the black hole of the Internet, I finally got a bite. The position was actually two: a choice between a full time work-from-home position or a freelance job. The hiring executive wanted to know if I was interested in either or both, and what would I need to make either on an annual, hourly or per project basis.

I reviewed my rates page on this web site for the various projects that the hiring executive had described. And as I began to answer the email with my standard rates as well as what I would require as an annual salary, I found myself deleting my quotes and underselling myself once again!

It’s a common fear among writers, i.e. if we charge too much we’ll lose the job. And that’s partly why we’re underpaid. You only get treated the way you allow yourself to be treated.

So I’ve decided to try my very best and stop underpricing my skills. I don’t expect every writer to follow my lead. Demand Studios and its ilk are testament to the amount of writers who will work for peanuts. But more often than not I’ve discovered that when I accept these low paying jobs, they almost always wind up being twice the amount of work I think they’ll be and I almost always live to regret spending the time involved.

I figure that my time would be better put to use in writing the kind of magazine articles I really want to write and propose to the bigger magazine fish in the sea, not to mention working on “that book.”

In my never-ending search for new assignments, I often find it ironic that the level of professionalism that is demanded of writers is often a one-sided affair.

Case in point: over the past month, I have been contacted by two editors from two different companies that have reputations for being places that any writer worth his or her rate would like to work for. I actually landed a first interview with each — quite a feat since in these tough economic times, since I have not scored an interview in over a year.

The first editor was courteous enough to let me know within a week that I had not made the cut. But the second editor has left me hanging, despite two emails from me inquiring whether or not he has made a decision.

Since the interview was almost three weeks ago, and since he claimed that he was going to make a decision within a week, I can only assume that I didn’t get the gig. But I took the time to send him his requested references and writing clips, so it only seems fair to expect him to provide me with a rejection email or phone call.

Of course, this could be a reflection of how he runs  his company, so perhaps he did me a favor by giving me the cold shoulder. I guess you could say I should count my lucky stars that I didn’t land the job. But here’s a tip for hiring executives everywhere: you can’t demand professionalism on the part of writers and then, act in such an unprofessional manner.

It was only a matter of time. In these days of texting rather than conversing, socializing via Facebook and Twitter rather than face-to-face, and being tied to a cell phone 24/7, enter the cell phone novel.

Think serial, as in the days when writers published their novels in installments in weekly and daily magazines. Or for that matter, think soap opera — only shorter. A lot shorter.

Similar to sites such as Twitter, which only allows 140 characters per tweet, the cell phone novelist writes cliff hangers in short installments, leaving today’s busy reader wanting more without having to dedicate the time it takes to read a traditional novel. The cell phone novel, or “wovel,” a term invented by Victoria Blake of Underland Press, is hot in Japan and gaining popularity in the U.S. and other countries. In Japan, many of these wovels are written by high school girls who write for a high school audiences. But Underland Press and other publishing companies, such as Quillpill and Textnovel, are also publishing cell phone novels by both well known writers and newbies alike. Some, like Underland Press, let you read a short excert, and if you like it, you can then buy the book. On others, reading the cell phone novels is free, and readers are allowed to post comments or rate the books. Some, like Textnovel, award prizes and then represent the writer in negotiations with traditional publishing companies.

And publishing companies are sitting up and taking notice. Some are taking traditional novels and serializing them into 140-character increments. Others are posting excerpts from books on their web sites, enticing readers to then buy the book. A few lament the demise of the novel over these newer applications, but these are the same publishing companies that make it nearly impossible for first time and lesser known writers to get their stories published and in the stores.

Will the cell phone novel replace the traditional novel? Probably not. Most people enjoy curling up in a chair or in bed with a good book — one that you can hold in your hands. But the cell phone novel is another way for writers to get their stories out to audiences who would not otherwise know they exist.

And for those writers who are overwhelmed or unable to take on the daunting task of writing a fullfledge novel, the “wovel” is a fun and easy way to tell their stories — and a great exercise in making every word count!

After eight months of no writing jobs, where the market started resembling a desert, I’ve just been handed a huge writing project on a subject I know nothing about. It involves writing a 65,000 word book on pruning trees and bushes, and while the pay isn’t great, the assignment could open doors in the book publishing world.

For one thing, 65,000 words is the length of an average non fiction book or novel. After this project is completed and is published, I’ll be able to say I have written a book. That means, when I finish writing one of the many books I’d personally like to write, I’ll be able to say I’m a published author. That weighs heavily in this day and age of publishing companies not wanted to take a chance on first-time book writers.

In addition, this assignment will demonstrate that I have what it takes to write and finish a book. In the past, the most words I’ve written on any given subject were around 9,000 words on what is sometimes known as a mini book, booklet or mini mag.

It’s also another notch on my writing belt, and a recently written item on my resume. In the writing field, one of the worst things that can happen is to go too long between assignments.

Do I know anything about pruning trees and bushes? Nada, not a thing. But one of the most fascinating experiences I have had as a freelance writer is writing on topics I lack knowledge in. That means lots of research and interviewing experts, and then taking this massive amount of information and condensing it into a writing piece that is informative and interesting. Writers should always be willing to step outside their comfort zone and take on projects that force them to stretch their brains and expand their writing horizons.

For example, for many years, I wrote magazine articles about food and the food industry for American Food & Ag Exporter, Produce Business and Deli Business magazines. Did I know anything about food, the food industry, or importing and exporting food? No. Each job was a lesson in a subject matter that was out of my realm of reality. Did I learn about a chunk of the business world that I had no clue about? Yes, and the subject matter was almost always fascinating. I also discovered that in most cases, people are more than happy to talk about their field of expertise. These articles wound up being enlightening and interesting assignments, and allowed me to hone my interviewing skills in the process.

Another job I once had involved writing astrology mini mags and calendars for American Media, Inc. I knew something about astrology and doing charts, which is how I landed the job, but my knowledge in this area increased ten-fold during the 14 years I wrote for AMI. In addition, this job was an unexpected opportunity that landed in my lap. I went down to AMI to interview for an editing position, and during the interview the Editor noticed that I was glancing past him to the astrology books sitting on his shelf. He asked me if I liked astrology, and when I said I did, he offered me the freelance job of a lifetime.

Another time, I found myself on the web site of U.S. Datatron — don’t ask me how I got there — a consulting company that once conducted secret mystery shopper evaluations for competing financial institutions. Just for the heck of it, I proposed writing bios about the competition, and the president, Gary Cohn, loved the idea.  Although the project only lasted about eight months, it was interesting to learn how banks differ on their philosophies about money and banking.

And that’s the point: writers have to glean and hunt for potential writing opportunities that may not be apparent on the surface. There are a million and one writers out there all vying for the same freelance writing jobs, so sometimes a writer has to look in unexpected corners.

Let’s face it: writing isn’t a get-rich-quick field, or even a get-rich-at-all industry. So it’s important to use your creativity beyond just writing words. Sometimes it can take you to unforeseen places or teach you things you never knew you never knew.

Can anybody be a writer? Is it a talent you are born with or one that’s learned?

These are age-old questions that can apply to just about any artistic field. And the answer to both is … yes and no.

The truth is, some folks are born with writing talent — it’s in their charts, as they say in astrology. I was born with writing talent, but it was nurtured along the way. I’ve also met folks who had never considered being a writer, and then burst forth with a more productive amount of work than those born with the so-called talent.

Writing as an innate talent is writing in its rawest form. But if that writing isn’t shaped, refined and grown along the way, it remains just that: raw but not necessarily good. Writing as a learned occupation, on the other hand, is sometimes a little more difficult to achieve. It takes dedication (as does those with a born talent), a fine ear to the sound of words, and a willingness to devote the time and sometimes the frustration needed to get the word down on the page.

For example, when I got to college I thought I was a pretty damn hot writer. Hadn’t I been told that in elementary school, and then again in junior high and in high school? Didn’t I have a creative writing teacher, Glenn Heyward, who asked me in my senior year if I had ever considered being a writer? And didn’t this question set me down the path of realization that I was a writer in my very soul?

Then along came Penelope Carroll, my first semester English Composition I teacher at Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. She didn’t think I was so hot and proved it by marking up every piece I wrote with her little red pen. I hated Penelope and that smug look she’d get when she handed me back my composition book with a big fat red F on it. I hated her red penned remarks on every page. I swore that I’d show her who had talent. But, while Glenn Heyward is the teacher who inspired my writing talents, Penelope Carroll whipped them into shape. Today, I credit her with making me get serious about my writing and realizing that I had so very much to learn about writing.

What if didn’t have a natural born talent? Could I still be a good writer? I liken it to playing the guitar: I didn’t have natural talent — at least not on the level of some musicians I know — but I had an ear. What I didn’t have was dedication. I learned the basics but I never progressed. I could have been a pretty decent guitar player, I believe, but I wasn’t willing or able to put in the time. Writing works the same way: talent makes it easier, but the business of writing is not easy. It takes an understanding of how grammatical rules apply, but it also takes the ability to hear words as music and how those words play against each other.

It also takes a deep belief that it is what you are meant to do. I had a guidance counselor in college who advised me to double major in English and Business. I wasn’t interested in a Business degree, although I’m sure it could have helped me with the business side of being a writer. But writing (and art) was all I ever cared about, and I immersed myself in every writing class I could take.

Today, 28 years later, I am still learning. That’s the thing about artistic talent … there’s always something new to learn. And the most important thing I’ve learned along the way — more than honing my talent — is that ideas are more important than skill. While it’s true that most editors won’t look twice at a manuscript, article or other writing that’s filled with grammatical mistakes, they will take a chance on an idea that’s salable, even if the writing is just so-so.

Case in point: J.K. Rowling. Many literature scholars and other academia agree that she’s not the most literary tool in the shed. But she had an idea that lit the fire of people’s imaginations. And that idea has brought her fame and fortune.

One problem that many writers, secretaries and others chained to their desks encounter is something that used to be called “secretary spread”; that is, so much time is spent in a chair as opposed to physical work, that one’s bum begins to widen or “spread.”

Of course, no one should neglect a daily workout or eating a healthy diet, but there are some “exercises” you can do when at your desk that may help to keep those muscles toned. Here they are:

1. Keep a set of barbells under the side of your desk, and every once in a while take them out and do several reps of different flexes. Make sure these weights are only about 2-6 lbs. You could get injured or injure anyone walking by with any barbell that is larger or heavier.

2. Pinch your cheeks — no not the ones on your face. We’re talking squeezing your gluteus maximus, i.e. your butt muscles. Several sets of these can keep the ol’ bum tight. But try not to move too much when doing it or you could have your co-workers worried or wondering what’s going on over at your desk.

3. Take your shoes off (unless of course your feet tend to sweat and could cause co-workers to faint at the smell). Lift your toes ten times, then lift the front parts of your feet as if keeping time to a tune within your head. It’s a great way to tone the calves.

4. Cross your feet at the ankles, press them together and notice how your thigh muscles tighten. Do sets of eight, tightening the muscles, then relaxing. If you’re ambitious, tighten your butt again and ignore the strange looks from fellow employees.

None of these exercises will make you fit, but they can help you to use time spent sitting as a chance to tone. Just ignore the laughs from co-workers or the puzzled look from the boss.