Dealing with competition 
If you don’t already do so, check out Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs blog. It’s a great resource for finding interesting writing and blogging gigs. But the blog is a lot more than that. Deb also shares email that she gets from readers, and some of those messages offer an interesting look into the writing life.
One of those messages got me thinking. The person wrote:
I’m sick and tired of applying for a job only to find you landed it. Aren’t you a bit greedy? Leave something for the others. You don’t need all these gigs. Some of us have families to support. Move aside please.
In response, Deb wrote:
Here’s the thing. I have a family too, so yes, I do need all of these gigs. If I see something for which I’m qualified, I apply. If I win the gig and you don’t it only means the other person felt I was a better fit for the job. I think if I were in your position, I’d wonder why it is I’m not getting hired and fix that rather than send nasty emails to a person who is doing her best to make ends meet.
Obviously, that person doesn’t realize that s/he’s in competition not only with Deb Ng but also many, many other writers. In fact, writers are in constant competition with each other. For gigs. For projects. For column space in newspapers and magazines. And let’s be honest, some writers are better than others. And some — who may or may not be as good as you are (or think that you are) — are just that much hungrier for the gig or byline than you.
It’s an unfortunate fact of the writing life that you’re not going to get every gig or every assignment that you apply for. You have to learn to deal with that. Sulking and whining because didn’t get a particular gig, no matter how perfect a fit with your skills and interests and experience it may have seemed, won’t help. You have to get over it and try again. And again. And again.
Nobody said that writing for a living is easy. As with other things in life, you’re going to run into stiff competition. Whether you win or lose does depend on you. If you’re not getting the assignment that you want, do as Deb Ng wrote: “I’d wonder why it is I’m not getting hired and fix that.”
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