Wednesday, March 30, 2005
What you believe vs. the dollars you'll get
I make no bones about the fact that I write for money. I don't have the talent to craft something for the ages, but what I do write pays the bills and provides me with a somewhat comfortable lifestyle. But I've always said that there are certain things that I won't write, for money or otherwise.
This assertion was recently put to the test. I responded to an ad looking for writers to pen a few opinionated op-eds and blog entries. It sounded like something I could do quite easily. The ad was rather vague, but being intrigued I replied. It turns out that the subject matter of what I would be writing was something I didn't agree with. I won't go into what that subject was, but it was nothing illegal or pornographic.
Anyway, I turned the gig down. While the money was decent, I couldn't bring myself to try to persuade someone about the merits of that subject. Especially when I wasn't convinced of it myself.
Sure, I gave up some money. But I didn't turn a blind eye to what I believe in order to make a few dollars.
This assertion was recently put to the test. I responded to an ad looking for writers to pen a few opinionated op-eds and blog entries. It sounded like something I could do quite easily. The ad was rather vague, but being intrigued I replied. It turns out that the subject matter of what I would be writing was something I didn't agree with. I won't go into what that subject was, but it was nothing illegal or pornographic.
Anyway, I turned the gig down. While the money was decent, I couldn't bring myself to try to persuade someone about the merits of that subject. Especially when I wasn't convinced of it myself.
Sure, I gave up some money. But I didn't turn a blind eye to what I believe in order to make a few dollars.
