Fee or Free?

It used to be said a job is no longer a job if we are doing what we like doing. Hypothetically, this also means when what we like doing becomes a job, it is no longer a pleasure doing what we like doing.

Life as a writer is very much the same. I used to write for leisure on topics of my own interest, and I enjoyed every minute and second while I was doing it. However, when the day came for me to make a living out of what I like best, writing became more of a pressure than pleasure. Deadlines now come as part and parcel of life and rushing is a norm. Inspiration and creative thinking no longer come easy as before, and hard work seems always the order of the day. All these often boil down to one question—am I writing for free or for a fee? When I write for a fee, expectations are always tagged with the price, and this is seldom fun. When I write for free, it is usually done with pleasure and there is no pressure.

Many, like me, enjoy writing for pleasure. Pleasure alone however is not enough to keep me and my family living happily ever after. In the real world, if I hope to survive, I need to be paid for what I write. What I write however is not up to me to decide, and depends on the demand required by the respective publications. If a publication wants me to write on topics such as lifestyle, like what’s hot what’s not, nightlife favorite spots, latest in the fashion and entertainment world, I’ll just have to go along and mix around with the people famed for such lifestyles, whether I like it or not.

Life as a writer is not all a bed of roses. It is also not all just about doing what we like best because every rose has its thorns. In order for me to make a living, it matters whether I am writing for free or for a fee. If I wish to survive, I will have to go with what’s in demand, what make news and what people want to read. I am no saint though I very much want to live my life free from the entanglements of this world. Eventually, however, the question remains the same. In what way can I survive? Should I follow the instructions of my editor and write what’s in demand—which bears consequences of mixing with the wrong crowd—or do I keep myself clean and lost credibility in the industry?

If you are in my position and you are a writer working for a publisher, which path would you take? Would you maintain your dignity to stay clear from mixing around with the wrong company or would you simply do what is demanded of the job and leave the rest to taking a step at a time?

Time and Money

When you have the money, you seldom have the time, and when you have the time, you are likely to be short of money. That is the irony of life.
When a person has lots of time at hand, he or she is probably a student, a home maker, a freelancer, a contract worker temporary unengaged for duties, an unemployed, or very rich. For an average adult who are neither rich nor a beggar, he or she is probably without work, awaiting assignment, or in transit.
The best time for a person to relax or engage in doing things he or she really likes, is when he or she is without active work. Unfortunately, things that a person likes are usually hobbies, travelling, or other leisure pleasures, and all these activities cost money. Because the person is not actively engaged in income making work, all these pleasures of life are seldom realisable. Hence, the person labours and works hard to obtain the money so as to fulfill wants, but when the cash rolls in, there is simply no time to take leave to engage in leisure pleasures or hobbies. Even if leave is possible, it is often engaged with a non restful mind, stressed by work that are impending, hence, such leisure becomes non-pleasurable.
The reality of life on earth is such. People work hard to get money so that they can have enough for survival and to spend time on leisure, but time is what they don't have. Forgoing the job to find time to de-stress and engage in pleasure on the other hand may be unwise, because without active work, the mind finds no rest and is pressured to find new avenues for survival.
This is the irony between time and money.