The Reality of Freelance Writing

The Reality of Freelance Writing The Reality of Freelance Writing The Reality of Freelance Writing By Mark Nichol A recent Craigslist job posting invites readers to apply to write twenty or more 1,000-word online-marketing articles per week. The pay rate? Twenty dollars per article to start, thirty dollars each after the first ten articles, and forty or fifty dollars apiece after a couple of weeks. The compensation for this work, after the initial fifty articles are written, is more than a thousand dollars a month about fifty thousand dollars a year, a fair income for a freelance writer. But back up a bit: The writer is being asked to produce 20,000 words per week. At that rate, one could churn out a good-sized novel or nonfiction book each month if not for the fact that writers are human beings who need to eat and sleep and would like to indulge in luxuries like recreation and socialization. Assuming that a 1,000-word article can be written in around two hours, that’s a full-time workweek. The problem? Salaried writers don’t write for forty hours a week. They attend meetings and confer with colleagues, and perhaps do some editing and proofreading as well as writing. It’s unrealistic to expect someone to put in that many hours churning out content, even if one finds writing about widgets an exhilarating prospect. It’s unsustainable for a writer to do so, and disingenuous for an employer to expect that the writer can do so. What’s most disheartening about this job posting even more than the fact that it would be more reasonable for the client to hire more writers to produce fewer articles each is that it’s one of the more generous offers I’ve seen online lately. There’s no writing tip buried among these observations. There’s simply a plea to any readers who might be posting job listings such as the one I’ve described to ask themselves whether they could actually sustain this workload, whether they could live on the meager compensation usually offered for such assignments. Do they want to attract writers, or are they content with typists? (No offense intended against transcribers, of course.) If there’s any tip to be shared, it’s to my fellow freelance writers out there: Yes, projects may generally be scarce and poorly compensated, and it’s tempting to take grueling assignments such as the one described in this job listing. (I’ve done so for a while.) But never forget that unless you’re a novice, or you’re a merely competent writer, you deserve better than this and novices and competent writers will get better and deserve better and you must be diligent about finding the best offers. And, once you’re hired and have proven your value, be diligent about assertively requesting periodic boosts in pay as a reward for your increasingly valuable contributions to the success of the enterprise. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know26 Feel-Good Words40 Words Beginning with "Para-"

How to Deal With Someone Threatening You With a Weapon

How to Deal With Someone Threatening You With a Weapon If you come face-to-face with someone threatening you with a gun, knife, or any  other weapon, there are steps that you can take to make the situation less dangerous. Stay Calm The most important thing to do will probably be one of the most difficult things to do, and that is to remain calm. Remember that you will need all of your mental facilities to increase your chances of gaining control of the situation, and if you are in a state of hysteria, it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain mental clarity. It is likely that the person holding the weapon on you will not be calm and if you exhibit high anxiety, there is a good chance it will increase their anxiety. Screaming can be particularly dangerous in this type of situation because it can cause the assailant to panic or anger them. Remaining calm can have the opposite effect. Make Eye Contact It may be difficult to believe, but many criminals who pull weapons on people have the ability to mentally dehumanize their victims. If you make eye contact, it makes them view you more as a human being and less like a disposable object. Figure out the Assailants Goal There are certain common scenarios that result in having a weapon pulled on you. If the purpose is to kill you, then you would likely already be dead. Mass killers enter schools, places of employment, malls, etc., and just start shooting either randomly or with predetermined goals such as shooting at specific a group of people. Most criminals who point a gun without shooting it hopefully do not want to shoot it. Their goal may be to rob you for money,  to buy drugs, a car for a joyride, hold you hostage to get out of a crime gone bad or kidnap you for money. Most of the time in these types of situations the weapon is being used to control you, not necessarily to kill you. Follow Instructions Calmly You want to follow the instructions of the person who has the weapon but do not do it without communicating what you are about to do. For example, if they ask you for your wallet, before reaching into your purse or pocket to get it, say to them what it is you are about to do. Then do it slowly and calmly. Do not make it appear that you have any other intention other than to do what it was that you told them you were going to do. Do Not Challenge Them If you have always wanted to be a hero, now is not the time to do it. Not only could it cost you your life, but it could also cause harm to others. Being physically or verbally aggressive to the person with the weapon will do nothing but ignite the situation. Trying to grab the weapon will likely get you killed or seriously injured. Resisting their instructions will not only anger them, but it will also force them to show who is in charge. What you want to communicate to them is that you plan on cooperating. Talk to Them, but Carefully If you have an opportunity to engage the assailant in light conversation, try to direct the conversation so that they talk to you about themselves and subtly feed their egos by making them feel that you think what they are saying is intelligent and has merit. Not only are you trying to connect to their human side, but you also want them to believe that you do not feel you are superior to them. If you do get into a conversation, keep your voice low and your sentences short. Ask questions and avoid talking too much about yourself. They want you as their audience, not the other way around  if there is an opportunity to inject something short and personal do it. For example, if they say what high school they went to, you may want to ask them if they knew your friend who went to the same school, even if that friend does not exist. If a controversial subject comes up such as politics or religion, this is not the time to get into a debate. Appear interested in their opinion and if asked, tell them that you can tell they know a lot about it and you can see their point of view. Remember What the Assailant Looks Like Try to notice what the person holding the weapon looks like, but do not stare at them and rather than trying to figure out their weight or height, pay attention to something that is distinguishable, like a tattoo, gang symbol, birthmark, moles, and scars. Being Held Hostage A hostage situation has different dynamics than armed robbery. If, for example, you work at a bank where a robbery attempt has gone bad, and you are being held hostage, do as you are told and remain very quiet. Your goal should be to appear as invisible to the person holding the gun as possible. If you see a chance to escape do it, but only if the probability of your escape being successful is high. If the assailant is negotiating with the authorities and you are chosen as one of the hostages to be released- go. It may be hard to leave your fellow employees or friends behind, but you staying behind will do nothing to improve their situation. It will simply anger and frustrate the person telling you to go. Remember that in hostage situations the police are probably making plans for your rescue and your best chance of survival is not to be the main focus of the assailant. You want to try to position yourself as far away as possible from them as possible. If the criminal is talking with a hostage negotiator and the talk breaks down, the next step might be that sharpshooters start to take aim. You want to avoid being grabbed as a human shield or inadvertently shot by a flying bullet. Distance away from the guy holding the gun is the best way to go. When to Stop Cooperating Unfortunately, there is no way to say for sure that any of these suggestions will keep you alive. Paying attention to your common sense and instincts will ultimately be your best chance of survival. However, there are times when doing everything a criminal is telling you might not be the way to go, but again there is no cookie-cutter instruction book to follow. Carjackings can be particularly perilous if the carjacker insists that you remain in the vehicle or instructs you to drive. Any diversion that you can think of to avoid this situation could increase your chances of survival. Carjacking victims have pretended to faint outside of the car. Others who have been forced to drive have driven into poles or parked cars in well-populated areas, but again every situation is different, and you must rely on your own ability to access the situation and try to find the best way out. After the Ordeal Is Over After the ordeal ends and if the police are not on the scene, call 9-1-1 as soon as possible. Notifying the police quickly will increase the chance of apprehending the suspect and preventing future victims. Provide them with as many details as you can and be available for follow-up interviews.

Will Catalan split from Spain Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Will Catalan split from Spain - Research Paper Example succession ended in September 1714, Bourbon monarchy that emerged victorious suppressed Catalonia’s medieval institution of self-governance (The Trials,† economist.com). The former Spanish empire secluded Catalonia from diverse economic activities and trade and tried to dismantle its cultures for several decades before it permitted it to enjoy similar benefits. Towards the end of the 19th century, there was an emergence of political catalanism through Catalan Almirall, who was at the frontline in campaigning for the regions autonomy and later ‘Lliga de Catalunya’s political party was formed to promote economic, political and moral interests of Catalonia (Grejsen 7). Catalonia’s political parties and the society aimed for the democratic constitution and autonomy of Catalonia, which they needed established on Catalans own terms. The monarchy system was replaced by military dictatorship in the 1920s and though it initially supported catalanism, General Rivera’s authoritarian rule became inimical, which in turn spurred Catalania’s opposition and hostility to the Spanish government (Cameron, Ranis and Zinn 254). The fall of dictatorship and abolishment of the supportive monarchy in the 1930s led to Catalonia regaining regional government autonomy; a republic of Catalonia was announced in Spain and catalan language officiated by the Spanish republican parliament. The government did not last long and after trials for secession, it was returned to Spanish rule and after the Spanish civil war, General Franco overthrew the Catalan government. To suppress the Catalan culture and in effort to maintain national unity, his army completely occupied catalonia, executed hundreds of thousands of people, sacked most of Catalonia origins and replaced them with those loyal to the regime, rebels had to run into e xile for their safety in places like France; all this aimed to uproot the separatism, atheism and communism of Catalans (Eaude n.p.). Despite the forbidden