The Third Annual Writer's Worth Day

Check out Lori Widmer's blog as she talks about the Third Annual Writer's Worth Day. Lori says, "Writers Worth Day, [is] the one day a year we writers collaborate on increasing our expectations and our business savvy!"

It is the day we "reinforce our belief in our jobs as our businesses. Let's establish good business practices that include setting rates, setting work boundaries, and setting a standard of professionalism that echoes through to our client projects and communications," she says.

Read Lori's full post.

So what does this day mean for me?

For the most part, Writer's Worth Day presents me with an oportunity to thank the clients who have kept me busy, and have paid me well for the work. People who recognise that I offer unique skills and talent, appreciate them and value me as a professional.

The day also presents me with an opportunity to remind new writers that they do offer a valuable service and should not let themselves be trampled underfoot. And I speak from a well of experience when I say this: the respectful clients notwithstanding, yes, I've worked the sweatshops, got paid very little, allowed my rates to be negotiated into non-existence, edited copy so many times the final version didn't resemble the initial brief in any shape or form....And yes, there are many days when I still battle with being assertive.

But overall, I've found that if you learn from your mistakes [and the mistakes of other professionals] and take small steps to change your writing career, you will eventually get ahead.

Anyhoo, good luck to everyone visiting this blog. And I hope 2010 bring you better work conditions!