Freelance Writer's Worth Day

Lori Widmer always has great advice and ideas for freelance writers, but I think she's outdone herself with Writer's Worth Day. The premise: to celebrate what we writers are worth and to say yes to competitive wages and no to accepting what isn't worthy of our talents.

Almost every week, I bring to you a Middle Finger Award winner that exemplifies the type of project you, as a writer, should be saying no to, regardless of your experience level. But you don't need me to be giving the middle finger to these types of assignments for you. Why? Because in your heart of hearts you already know what you're worth. All that remains is demanding that worth by refusing to settle for less.

Can I name a target rate you should be aiming for? No, eash of our situations is different, so what's an acceptable rate to me may not be acceptable to you and vice versa. I can, however, give you a few pointers about the types of questions you should be asking yourself.

1. If I were to break this assignment down to an hourly rate, would it exceed minimum wage? If not, you would be better served temping or taking on a part-time job that does.

2. Are the demands expected of this assignment belittling, irrational, even impossible. Your worth is defined by more than just a dollar figure, and don't you forget it!

3. At the end of the day, am I going to feel good about this assigment? I repeat, your worth is defined by more than just a dollar figure, and don't you forget it ... EVER!

If your answer to question 1 or 3 is no or is yes to question 2, then the obvious response to the assignment is "Screw You!" After all, that's all it's worth.