What do you feel writers deserve? What do they deserve more of? Do some writers deserve some things more than others?


Do writers get these things? Where do they get them?

How delightfully vague.

Contempt and scorn, I say! And yes, many deserve more than they get.

I am a provider of such things, for the low, low price of free, when I'm not busy.

I think writers at least deserve to be recognized when their works positively impact someone's life, whether it be because they identify with elements of the work or whether they simply like the writer's particular style of writing.

Andre Vienne (08:31pm Sat, Oct 10, 2009)

How delightfully vague.

Contempt and scorn, I say! And yes, many deserve more than they get.

I am a provider of such things, for the low, low price of free, when I'm not busy.

Too Expensive. 

I think writers deserve more respect and credit, especially freelancers. They're expected to write 500 words for 5 cents for example....and I think that's kinda exploiting them and their time.

Then there's the SEO bullshit flying around, which even Google denies, and people seriously want writers to write articles with word density and all this other crap for absurdly low prices.

Writers are seen as disposable in the freelancing world (at least, on sites for every freelancer, I've never been to one specifically for writers), and I think they deserve to be treated better.

As a freelance writer I can honestly say I probably deserve more actual 'payment', but I do receive 'perks' which would cost me a lot if I was actually to pay for them, so I guess I am probably better reimbursed than some freelancers.
I think some writers deserve more respect, and some people who call themselves writers probably deserve more scorn

Writers deserve less hassle. Some times writing is just for fun, not meant to be realistic or even factual. If I were to write a fantasy series it probably wouldnt be based on fact...or maybe it would, but I wouldnt want everyone to hassle me over the "realism" of something that's not meant to be real....or even the facts which I've stretched or gone against.

That sort of thing made me stop writing fantasy. People kept picking on the flaws instead of enjoying the ideas, and it ruined it for those who liked the story. It's not being published and it's not causing a revolution so why pick on it, you know? 

Bunny (09:37pm Sat, Oct 10, 2009)

Then there's the SEO bullshit flying around, which even Google denies, and people seriously want writers to write articles with word density and all this other crap for absurdly low prices.

The SEO bullshit?

Anyway, writers deserve all the same perks as any other artist; starving slowly and not being recognize for their work until they're dead.

SEO is "search engine optimisation". If you're a content writer for a website, they will eventually try to make you write with keywords, and have them appear a certain amount... etc etc the list goes on.

None of it affects search engine listing anyway.

Bunny (05:32pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

SEO is "search engine optimisation". If you're a content writer for a website, they will eventually try to make you write with keywords, and have them appear a certain amount... etc etc the list goes on.

None of it affects search engine listing anyway.

Why is having to write with keywords "bullshit"?  The point of SEO is to help keep the search engine from being spammed with useless hits for search terms, or ones that are unrelated advertisement spammers. 

It's not bullshit, what's bullshit is the keyword density. When I went looking for freelance work one day out of boredom I was bombarded with it so I understand Bunny's hate towards it.

It's not uncommon at work for me to see people wanting to request systems with 25-32 IP addresses on a server simply so that they can assign them to different fake sites to act as banklinks to content written by writers that have been duped into writing things with SEO-rich keywords.

They don't get them from me, I can say that much

LtStorm (06:47pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

Bunny (05:32pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

SEO is "search engine optimisation". If you're a content writer for a website, they will eventually try to make you write with keywords, and have them appear a certain amount... etc etc the list goes on.

None of it affects search engine listing anyway.

Why is having to write with keywords "bullshit"?  The point of SEO is to help keep the search engine from being spammed with useless hits for search terms, or ones that are unrelated advertisement spammers. 

No, the point of "SEO" is to "optimise a website for search engines" which is to say "appear under all the right keywords and get high rankings".

Kimberley (07:01pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

It's not bullshit, what's bullshit is the keyword density. When I went looking for freelance work one day out of boredom I was bombarded with it so I understand Bunny's hate towards it.

It's all bullshit. SEO is a fad and a phase that doesnt exist. It's like saying Scientology is a real religion: some people honestly believe it.

http://www.contrast.ie/blog/seo-is-bullshit/ (nice blog)

Quote

SEO is using deodorant instead of washing. SEO is masking bad coffee with sugar. SEO is cramming instead of studying. SEO is using pain killers instead of going to the dentist. SEO is taking weight loss pills instead of exercising. SEO is a comb-over. SEO is Scientology. SEO is Paris Hilton. SEO is the Zune. SEO is the morning-after pill. SEO is astroturf. SEO is not the real thing. SEO is cutting corners. SEO is not the solution. SEO is bullshit.

LMFAO we both referenced scientology .

LMFAO!!

I *so* need to start quoting that when denying to provide the IPs 

Bunny (07:43pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

LtStorm (06:47pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

Bunny (05:32pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

SEO is "search engine optimisation". If you're a content writer for a website, they will eventually try to make you write with keywords, and have them appear a certain amount... etc etc the list goes on.

None of it affects search engine listing anyway.

Why is having to write with keywords "bullshit"?  The point of SEO is to help keep the search engine from being spammed with useless hits for search terms, or ones that are unrelated advertisement spammers. 

No, the point of "SEO" is to "optimise a website for search engines" which is to say "appear under all the right keywords and get high rankings".

Kimberley (07:01pm Sun, Oct 11, 2009)

It's not bullshit, what's bullshit is the keyword density. When I went looking for freelance work one day out of boredom I was bombarded with it so I understand Bunny's hate towards it.

It's all bullshit. SEO is a fad and a phase that doesnt exist. It's like saying Scientology is a real religion: some people honestly believe it.

http://www.contrast.ie/blog/seo-is-bullshit/ (nice blog)

Quote

SEO is using deodorant instead of washing. SEO is masking bad coffee with sugar. SEO is cramming instead of studying. SEO is using pain killers instead of going to the dentist. SEO is taking weight loss pills instead of exercising. SEO is a comb-over. SEO is Scientology. SEO is Paris Hilton. SEO is the Zune. SEO is the morning-after pill. SEO is astroturf. SEO is not the real thing. SEO is cutting corners. SEO is not the solution. SEO is bullshit.

LMFAO we both referenced scientology .

Ah, yeah, that system needs to be fixed.  We can find something else to torture authors with so they produce better work.

Clearly, we should have fucking shotguns.

Agreed!

Storm: the point of it is to have search engines index you higher, the content isnt quality and it probably isnt even read friendly. When I start seeing words over and over I leave the site.

http://www.getacoder.com/requests/writing_139.htm

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I'm looking for good writers who can write original, non duplicate and non plagiarized articles at US1 per article of at least 500 words each

Keywords will be provided for you to write the content. English grammar must be good and no garbage writing.

If you can work at the rate above, provide me your writing samples. This is for long term and future work.

For this test project the number of articles needed is 20. So bid US20 for 20 articles

20 articles 500 words $20

Quote

I am looking for an article writer. Looking for 5 articles on commercial hard money.
max keyword density would be 2%. Article size from 300 to 400 words per article.
Completion in 3 to 4 days.

5 articles 300-400 words $20
Word density bullshit, and time limit

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I'm looking for an experienced product reviewer who can write reviews on ebook products related to mafia wars. Preferance will be given to writers with real life experience in the subject related to above.

The reviewer should be able to look at a product sales page and write a review of the product without owning the product, making it seem as though they have used the product or own the product.

Here are the requirement for this project

1) There are no actual digital products for you to read and review, but rather you are required to research from the salesletter as well as other reliable source which talks about the products or may help in your reviews. In this way, an accurate portrayal of such products based on facts and actual results can be accomplished without having to personally test or 223review224 the products themselves - while simultaneously creating unique content for search engine purposes (and to provide visitor value).

2) Hence, EACH review article MUST BE WELL RESEARCHED and the selected writer is required to show a depth of points and facts in each reviews written. No regurgitation of pointless phrases and words. So DO NOT CHEAT on this task by giving poorly written work.

3) Each review article must be 100% unique, original (NO copy/paste or plagiarized content and no sentences or paragraphs can be uniquely identifiable from other websites), free of grammatical errors and be at the range of 600 - 1000 words count. (Excluding review article title)

4) Each review article MUST NOT BE too promotional and writers should take responsibility for their work

5) Each article must be acompanied with relevant graphics positioned in a manner like a salesletter

5) The most important aspect of writing these reviews is to start the review by presenting a common problem with the type of product then showing how the product solves that problem. Here are some essential points which you should cover in your reviews

1) Who is the author
2) What are his/ her credentials
3) In general, what is the core problem the ebook solves for its reader
4) excerpts of actual customer feedback
5) Is there a flaw? Can it be addressed easily? Perhaps a bonus to address the flaw?
6) Would you recommend it? Why?
7) If yes, be bold and ask or call for an action
If not, what would you recommend and lead reader to another review page
9) Last but not least, the price, an image of the product and the guarantee


I am looking for someone who wants to do this on an ongoing basis in the future. Please submit a sample of your REVIEW ARTICLE or REVIEW you have done on other products and please make sure your sample is something you wrote and not someone else, if you show high quality work and then write garbage I will not be paying you.

The MAXIMUM BID FOR THIS PROJECT IS BETWEEN US20 - US30. Additional preference will also be given to writers with best and competitive bid. All bids more

than that will be ignored

Lol 600-1000 words for $20-30..

I think writers above all deserve RESPECT!  We may not cure cancer, but at times we heal hearts.  Words at times are a lonely persons only friend.  Well written words serve to inspire!

Well said JoJo!!

Bugger that SEO stuff.

Granted, when it comes to short stories that my friends want me to write for them, I generally charge 5bux per 2000 words.

Clearly, I have been drastically undercutting the market for this sort of thing.

(At first, I was going to make a reference to objectivism by paraphrasing the opening to bioshock.  But I decided against it as most people would probably only see Bioshock.)

As with everyone who creates something, a writer is 'entitled' to whatever the efforts their skills bring.  If they make a good book that is genuinely enjoyable, they will see success.  If they put the effort into it, as all the talent in the world will be worth nothing if you have no drive.  If they do not, then perhaps they deserve nothing.

Granted, 'genuinely enjoyable' is open to a massive range of opinion and interpretation.  One need only look to Twilight for proof of that.

Nice answer Edward! I totally agree .

writers require a way to spread their novel, poem, blog, etc. To gain popularity with the document and thus motivation to do more and as they do more will gain respect.

After they have shown it to a respectable amount of people and gets good reviews, give them a way to publish it. Weather it's online or an actual book. it could be a step by step guide and us ourselves as staff support them and show them what to do to get it published. the site could be known for launching writers careers, etc.

Alright I am hearing that we need to get social networking back and maybe some reviewing capabilities?

Many who call themselves writers deserve to be shot on sight.

The rest - not so much.

We deserve non-filtered cigarettes with French words on the package, bootleg whiskey in dirty little brown-glass bottles and an Underwood typewriter with a missing "E".

They all give you "character".

Anything else is (and should be considered to be) a bonus.

Not sure I can follow SifuPhil, bit I'll try. I'm a freelance writer, and whether I'm good or not is for others to decide. However, I earn consistently from my writing, so I suppose I'm good enough. I feel I deserve to be paid well for what I do, and not 50 cents for a 500 word, original content, non-plagiarised article with appropriate links and sources. Yes - that's what some 'employers' out there are offering.

Now, if the crap writers were not allowed to peddle their rubbish, there would be no need for prospective clients to include all these qualifiers in their adverts. So what I would really like is for employers to stop lumping all writers together as 'rubbish' and pay well for a job well done. I deserve your respect, not the crumbs from the table.

SifuPhil (07:52am Thu, Aug 23, 2012)

Many who call themselves writers deserve to be shot on sight.

A few years ago, I would've disagreed with you.

I would've given you some BS speech about how just because they're not GREAT writers, doesn't mean they don't deserve to still write. They may love it and they'll improve, yada yada yada.

But that's bull$hit.

In the internet world, anyone who wants to make a nickel for 500 words can call him/herself a writer. They aren't writers. They can't be. And really, I wish they'd move on to a different profession....

Lol you're allowed to swear you know, and if you like swear words you can uncensor them (forum settings or some such under your account) .

I get mad at the cost of words these days (though I never had any other days to compare to to be frank) - especially since they don't even factor time and research into it. But I get madder at the people who take those jobs or offer their writing at those low prices.

But it's happening everywhere....eBooks are now like $1-$3....if it were a book it would be $9 at least. If we take away the book part $5 is an acceptable amount and still very low...

I don't know what to make of it all. On one hand the cheapness makes more people buy it...but on the other if it's good you could have gotten 3 times the amount.

I think you also have to consider the costs of publication in eBooks, which is basically nil. It isn't as if you have to cover the costs of destroying trees and polluting the atmosphere by trucking box-fulls of your tome to the local BooBoo Bookseller store. It's just press a few buttons and voilà, Book For Sale.

That being said I wonder about the wisdom of pricing them so inexpensively. I've read many arguments pro and con and truth be known I still don't know where I stand on the issue. I just know that it's a lot more probable in terms of statistics and given the current economy that a $2.99 book will sell far more copies than a $12.99 book, theoretically enough that you'll end up with higher sales in the long run. 

Bunny (09:36pm Fri, Aug 24, 2012)

Lol you're allowed to swear you know, and if you like swear words you can uncensor them (forum settings or some such under your account) .

I wasn't sure about the rules here, so I tend to err on the side of caution with it in public forums. I don't want to upset anyone.

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I get mad at the cost of words these days (though I never had any other days to compare to to be frank) - especially since they don't even factor time and research into it.

That's really the most frustrating part. The prices get so competitive that anyone who can actually write quality content, isn't going to get paid nearly enough that way.

Well theoretically you're evading the censor so bad bunny!! BAD!!

I agree with the price frustrations, and the benefits...but it should have started at maybe $5 a book, same price for mobile games. I pay that like once a month to get a new game from my fav developers....at $2.99/1.99 I wouldn't even be funding the author enough for them to make another book, at least if I was paying $5 I would be buying them a coffee or half a meal ha ha....unless they had Maccas!

I actually didn't realize there was a censor in the first place, so I wasn't trying to evade that.

I'll be sure to not censor or evade censors or be cautious at all next time.

EXCELLENT!

Ha ha you can turn the sensor off in your profile if you like as well, mines off so I was like "huh?" LOL.

As a freelance writer. i do stress over how little pay it is sometimes, and how little reward there is. I don't think I deserve anything though. I choice to write so I write. I get other perks though. I can stay home and be with my child when she needs me. I make my own hours, and take whatever time off I need. I have to work my butt off when I'm working, but its worth it for the time spent at home.

Bunny (02:14am Mon, Aug 27, 2012)

Well theoretically you're evading the censor so bad bunny!! BAD!!

I found this picture and it reminded me of your scolding here.



Fitting, don't you think? Hehe.

To someone who's been chained and beaten and gagged their entire life, the first time they encounter freedom it's a daunting thing ...

I learn something new about forum settings, woohooo Nowadays it's very tough for writers, people want too much for almost nothing, and because there are enough writers who will drop their prices so much, it keeps getting worse. Quality is something you pay for though.

I think there is hope yet for writers. From what I have seen of the latest changes in Google's search algorithms, the trend is to penalize spam and reward unique content. Apparently length is becoming a factor, too. So I would say that anyone prepared to work at writing can still hope to make a decent living.

How do you think that will help us Victor?

Kimberley (07:09am Sat, Nov 10, 2012)

How do you think that will help us Victor?

For starters, longer articles mean more money. Writing one 1000-word article usually takes less time than writing 2 500-word articles. Plus when Google gives more weight to unique content, that means less people can produce what is needed. So those who can actually write unique content will be in greater demand. When demand outstrips supply, the price naturally goes up. Real writers will be able to earn more while working the same amount of time.

Of course, there will still be buyers who offer 00.50usd for a 500-word article, in batches of 100s. And there will still be people who will supply rubbish to such buyers. However, eventually. when they see what rubbish content does to their search rankings, they will have to come to their senses. Well, either that or they will just simply die for lack of traffic.

Well, writers deserve to be recognized for their works. Followers should be more of fans of the writers, and not merely of the works.

vida_llevares (01:16am Sun, Dec  2, 2012)

Well, writers deserve to be recognized for their works. Followers should be more of fans of the writers, and not merely of the works.

Sometimes I'll love the work of a writer but I hate the writer as a person, and vice-versa.

Well, I don't have that kind of problem. I mean the problem of loving the writing and hating the writer or vice versa. That's mainly because I read for the writing and do not really bother about the writer. For all that matters to me, the writer might as well be an eight-limbed green-skinned alien.

Victor Leigh (04:17am Sun, Dec  2, 2012)

Well, I don't have that kind of problem. I mean the problem of loving the writing and hating the writer or vice versa. That's mainly because I read for the writing and do not really bother about the writer. For all that matters to me, the writer might as well be an eight-limbed green-skinned alien.

Depends what you're reading.

For fiction and such, that's fine. When you get into non-fiction sometimes it makes a major difference. I'm thinking of something like a martial arts book - if I know that the author is a jerk who doesn't know anything about his field I'm not going to like his writing no matter HOW good it is, because I'll know it's all BS.

The opposite side of that of course is if I have a bromance on the writer, I'll accept ANYTHING they write - which, again in the martial arts book field, could get me into a world of pain.

Or, I could like the writer as a person - let's say Kat Yamaguchi wrote a book; I love the guy, but his book could be terrible.

Or I could despise the person - Steven Seagal in his later years comes to mind - yet still respect and enjoy his writings.

SifuPhil (08:00pm Sun, Dec  2, 2012)

Victor Leigh (04:17am Sun, Dec  2, 2012)

Well, I don't have that kind of problem. I mean the problem of loving the writing and hating the writer or vice versa. That's mainly because I read for the writing and do not really bother about the writer. For all that matters to me, the writer might as well be an eight-limbed green-skinned alien.

Depends what you're reading.

For fiction and such, that's fine. When you get into non-fiction sometimes it makes a major difference. I'm thinking of something like a martial arts book - if I know that the author is a jerk who doesn't know anything about his field I'm not going to like his writing no matter HOW good it is, because I'll know it's all BS.

The opposite side of that of course is if I have a bromance on the writer, I'll accept ANYTHING they write - which, again in the martial arts book field, could get me into a world of pain.

Or, I could like the writer as a person - let's say Kat Yamaguchi wrote a book; I love the guy, but his book could be terrible.

Or I could despise the person - Steven Seagal in his later years comes to mind - yet still respect and enjoy his writings.

Now I see your dilemma. True, where non-fiction is concerned the credentials of the writer is important. Especially on a subject where we are novices. However on subjects where we know our stuff we can probably make a valid assessment of the book without going into who the writer is.

I think that nobody really "deserves" anything other than respect for their basic human rights. I try to avoid thinking about things I might "deserve". It's easy to just start being bitter about all the things I should get for my writing skills and hard work and so on. I'd rather avoid thinking about things like that

Writers need better pay, at least freelancers. When I first got into freelancing, I took whatever I could and yes that was sometimes just 50 cents for a 500 word article or so. I suppose I need to start shopping around for better prices before writing, but I do enjoy taking whatever opportunity comes my way as it can offer improvement and learning experiences I would have missed out on otherwise.

I don't think that many people actually understand what it means to be a writer, especially if you're working as a freelancer like I am. Whenever I tell people the job that I do, they will usually say that they're jealous of the fact that I am able to work from home and choose my own hours. However, being self employed means that it's very hard to know and predict what my financial situation is going to be like months from now, let alone years in the future, and that means that we can often struggle to find finance for things like property. I would love my own flat, but this is something that feels as though I'm never going to be able to do.

I think that writers deserve to be better understood, and should be given the benefit of the doubt when they try to go for finance with the bank. If I was able to do this then it would allow me to be on a much more secure footing for the future, but nobody seems to want to give me that chance at the moment.

QuirkyJessi (07:06pm Tue, Oct  9, 2012)

Bunny (02:14am Mon, Aug 27, 2012)

Well theoretically you're evading the censor so bad bunny!! BAD!!

I found this picture and it reminded me of your scolding here.



Fitting, don't you think? Hehe.

I like this picture. It is a good one.

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Post Merge: 03:58pm Sun, Dec  1, 2013

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Writers should deserve that their works are appreciated and be recognizable,  as well as they want to get their names known by the readers. They want to have readers, who can follow their works and continue to be part of the supportive people.

I don't think people realize how hard it is. It's not like most jobs where you're guaranteed a weekly pay check of x amount of dollars. Also, there's no set of instructions to follow like "flip burgers this many times at an interval of this many minutes", you really have to use your brain. And if you fuck up on the job you don't just take a beating from your boss and move on, you lose money.

It's a very tough business no matter what type of writing you do and the pay doesn't match up with it. But I think it's sorta like being a chef, the pay to work ratio is so shitty that you know anyone in the business does it out of passion rather than for a big paycheque.