The Modern Writer's List of Thanksgiving Blessings
November 22nd 2007 05:49
We've So Much to Be Thankful For
We Modern Writers have a great deal to be thankful for this Thanksgiving--many things we often tend to take for granted because we've had them almost as long as we can remember. Every now and then it's good to stop and ponder exactly what we have, briefly stand in awe of our incredible good fortune, and then begin moving forward into the future with humility, appreciation, and a new resolve to maximize our modern advantages and use them to realize our fondest dreams. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do that.
The Modern Writer's Thanksgiving List
The following is a list of things the modern writer has to be thankful for this Thanksgiving:
• The ability to format, write, reformat, rewrite, and reassemble a piece of writing over and over again, if needed, until it’s just right—without having to retype (or re-write) the entire thing. Most of us take this capability for granted, because many are products of the computer age. Some of us, however, have experienced the tail end of the manual typewriter era, or at least remember the pre-word processor, electric typewriter age—neither of which afforded much latitude in editing or revising our work without a great deal of extra trouble.
• The privilege of having incredible amounts of research information literally at our fingertips via the internet, allowing us to find out everything we need to know without leaving the comfort of our homes or offices and thereby enabling us to take almost any new writing assignment at any hour of the day or night with full confidence that we’ll be able to research, write, and deliver the article with a speed unimagined only a few short years ago.
• The amazingly unprecedented boon to the freelancer’s career of accessing information about writing jobs right online, as well as being able to offer our services directly through our websites or blogs, rather than having to purchase books or other publications to find possible writing markets or spend a great deal of money advertising our writing services.
• The wide availability of writing instruction (very often for free) and advice (usually for free) that can be found on nearly every corner of the internet, which can help us improve our writing skills with amazing rapidity.
• The total accessibility of all the materials necessary for outfitting our writing enterprise through online ordering from a number of reputable websites which provide everything from ink and toner cartridges to business cards and computer software—often at excellent discount prices.
• The ability to quickly and easily learn from the experiences of other writers through reading their blogs and asking them questions, via e-mail or comments, that can help us advance our own freelance writing careers.
• The good fortune of meeting so many wonderful people, through those very same blogs, as well as through blogging communities and social networking sites, who share our interests and aspirations, who are eager to befriend us, and who are often more than willing to take us under their wing, nurture, support, and encourage us as we attempt to make our way through the frighteningly unfamiliar world of freelance writing and/or blogging.
• The incredible convenience of submitting much of our work, in electronic form, online via quick, easy, and free website submission forms or e-mail, instead of having to print out copies of our manuscripts, prep them for mailing, take them to the Post Office, weigh and affix the proper postage, mail them, and wait so, so much longer for a response.
And, last but certainly not least,
• The amazing efficiency of receiving payment for our work almost instantly via PayPal (or another similar online service) and/or direct deposit to our bank accounts.
We modern writers have much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving. May we never forget it--and may we always make the most of what we have!
Happy Thanksgiving to writers everywhere!
Jeanne
This is not a sponsored post.
Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? We'd love to hear what you're thankful for!
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Comment by AmyHuang
Travel String
Just to let you know I am linking to your blog here regarding PPP
Amy
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for the link to Writer's Notes! Appreciate it! Best of luck with PPP!
Thanks for the visit!
Jeanne
Comment by Howard
Real Crash
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Haven't e-mailed Jon. Hope it's legal! We all need to earn a living!
Take care and Happy Thanksgiving!
Jeanne
Comment by Anonymous
Comment by Jeanne Dininni
Writer's Notes
Thanks for stopping by to share your post with us! I appreciate it!
I see the entire situation a bit differently than Smorty does. I feel it's unethical not to disclose the sponsored nature of our paid posts to our readers--which is why I never accept paid posts that require non-disclosure. (See my disclosure policy.) I believe my readers have the right to know when a post I've written was sponsored and when it was spontaneous.
I think it's a shame that PayPerPost is being targeted by Google simply because their ethical standards are high enough that they require disclosure, and I applaud them for being the only paid posting company I know of that does. It's just the right thing to do! (It's funny the way honesty can get you into trouble sometimes.)
I feel that PPP doesn't go quite far enough, however, in that they allow certain advertisers to specify "sitewide disclosure only," which simply causes confusion, because the reader has to guess which posts are sponsored and which aren't; and that's unfair. (Along with not accepting "non-disclosure" posts, I never accept "sitewide disclosure only" posts, either.)
Despite Smorty's advice, I have no intention of removing my sponsored posts from my Paid Posts category. That category was created specifically for the benefit of my readers, because I believe in being honest and above board with them. If Google can't handle it, they'll do whatever they have to do. But, that's OK, because at least I'll know that I did what I knew to be right.
Thanks for your visit!
Jeanne
Comment by a writer's woolgatherings
This is a great list!
Comment by