Should You Write for Free? Redux

My post yesterday about writing for free prompted lots of response, but the most extensive came from a woman who has been writing novels, screenplays and plays without (so far) much publishing or producing success. You can read her comments here, but I want to take a few minutes to talk about the differences between the writing she is doing and the journalistic writing I was referring to in my post.

Lorraine is trying to break into the online world of writing, and I wish her well. She seems to be doing all the right things. But most of her work falls into a category I call speculative writing. All of us who write novels or short stories, plays or screenplays, are engaging in a process that we hope will at some point result in publication and – perhaps – remuneration. We do it because we love to write, first and foremost, understanding that success – let alone payment – is not guaranteed.

Unless you have a degree from a film school and have connections in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, the chances of selling a screenplay are slim to none. The same goes for plays: If you live in LA or New York, have come through an acknowledged playwriting program and are tapped into the theater network, you’re better off. But selling a play is still going to be difficult. You might be lucky to get a small regional theater group to stage your play, but you’re not going to make much – if any – money doing it. With novels, again, unless you attended a top creative writing program and made friends with successful novelists who can help you make the right connections in the publishing world, you are swimming upstream.

That is not to say one can’t do all of these things. But, as Lorraine’s post attests, it is a tough slog. And she is a good writer; she also has an honest passion for writing.

Unfortunately in today’s publishing world, it takes more than talent and good writing to get published. It takes persistence (Lorraine seems to have more than enough of that) and connections.

What can one do to increase the odds? Take writing classes and workshops from respected institutions and successful authors. Ask them to help. Attend writers conferences and meet agents and editors. Network, network, network. Keep sending out those queries, and revise your work until it sings. Speculative writing is the hardest kind to do, and also the most rewarding once you do sell that novel, screenplay or play. But a good dose of luck is at play here, as well. Here’s hoping Lorraine hits the jackpot one day soon.

Comments

[Susan Bearman]

Like Lorraine, I've been a writer for many years. I've done my share of paid work, as well as more than my fair share of pro bono work. Some of the pro bono work I did for love; some out of obligation. Some work I have done for free because I didn't know how to set my boundaries.

To be viewed as a professional, you must respect yourself as a professional. For people to value your work, you must value yourself. That said, the world of publishing is in chaos right now. There are more venues than ever before, but no longer a clear road to traditional publication. So much is available free of charge, especially online, that even the biggest players have been laid low trying to figure out how to monetize their products. Old models don't work, new models have not solidified and the writers are paying the price. Professional writers are competing head to head with people who have never taken a class or practiced the craft. It's depressing and daunting to say the least.

Sometimes writing for free can be a way to keep in the game, to learn a new technology or just keep yourself out there.

I believe this will change, that the marketplace will shake out and that new, viable models of compensation will emerge. I believe the overload of dreck writing will give way for a demand for that which is good, well-researched, well-written and readable.

At least, this is what I hope. The question is, how long will it take and who will survive?