Ugh.
I just wrote and submitted a writing sample on an assigned topic to an anonymous corp whose name is being screened by the hiring company. The sample consisted of three to five hundred words on a specific topic, to provide essential info and context to potential buyers. It was a topic I knew nothing about, and was given no guidelines other than “include general information about where X takes place, the popularity of X, and people involved”. I hate being clueless and not knowing who my audience is, or what an employer is looking for in style or tone.
I did it in an hour. Fear my mad research skillz! Whether it’s any good is up in the air, since I have zero background on the topic personally and the intraweebs were pretty useless, so I can’t judge if it’s what they’re looking for or not. The proposed pay is by the piece, and if I can complete each piece in an hour to seventy-five minutes then it’s worth the pay; any longer and it isn’t profitable. Assuming they hire me, that is, which they very well may not do.
Assuming they hire me, that is, which they very well may not do.
Their loss if they don’t.You will give them better quality than 99% of writers applying for the same position.
Good luck.
(I do the same thing…if I can do this in X amount time than $X is okay pay. The beauty of that formula is, of course, if you start doing it on a regular basis, you get faster which makes it more profitable.)
Thank you, Jan.
Rosy: it’s necessary to balance skill and time, but I still feel odd asking myself if my time is actually worth what someone is proposing to pay me. It feels wrong to turn something down because my time is more valuable and should be kept free for something better that may or may not come along. Although having recently written a book for less than my time was worth, I know I’ll never do it again. Far better to feel awkward about asking for more pay than feeling as if one hasn’t been paid what one is worth.
Some day you and I are going to have to meet for coffee, yes?
Lots of luck, and i hope everything works out for the best!
“Some day you and I are going to have to meet for coffee, yes?”
Absolutely!