Freelance RPG Writing … from my point of view
I have freelanced for going on five years in the Role Playing Games industry and I have learned a thing or three. I by no means think that I am an expert on the subject or that I have a substantial portion of the answers. But I do know a few things and I am confident enough to speak from my experiences and from the conversations I have had with my peers. From this level of discourse I want to speak on one topic.
Freelancers don’t just get to write what they want.
I have read on the message boards of an unnamed RPG Company that I used to work for that one of the bottle necks to production is that Freelance Writers work on speculation. Posters and employees have stated that Freelancers work on the project that they want to work on and that dictates the publication schedule to a degree.
This is both true and false.
In the RPG industry there are freelance writers, artists, and editors. Freelancers handle more jobs than that in some of the company’s but those are the big three. Here is my question do freelance artists and writers only get to work on the projects they want to work on? Of course they can refuse work that they don’t want to do but a freelancer that turns down offered work will probably find that they are not offered so much work in the future.
So why is it assumed that writers can pick and choose at will?
When you are working for yourself you can write whatever you want. But when you are working for a publisher you do the work that they need you to do or you don’t work. Of course any publisher worth his word processor encourages a writer (and an artist) to work on their own ideas to offer for publication. But while you are working on your OWN project you need to work on what the company needs you to work on.
Writing is work and the vast majority of freelance writers have a primary job that pays the bills and spend their free time writing. I do most of my writing on breaks and lunches at work and when the baby is still sleeping in the morning. It takes time to churn out the words that are needed to fill the pages of any given work. I personally produce 1500 to 3000 words a day. That seems to be my average barrier before my muse stops whispering in my mind. I am not denigrating artists and editors (I can’t draw to save my life and when I edit my own work I’d like to gnaw my arm off) But I believe writing takes the longest. If there is no written product there is nothing for the artists and the editors to work off of.
Real writers want to write!
I have yet to meet a freelancer that would refuse to work on a project offered to them if they have the available time. Sure there are writers that will turn down work for no other reason than they don’t want to write … but I don’t want to know them. And no, I do not consider dislike of subject matter as an invalid reason to turn down work. I know there are things I don’t ever want to write. But damn that list of things I won’t write id tiny.
I guess the point of this ramble is that there is work out there. You might need to work on something (or many something’s) that don’t “WOW” you in order to do the one thing that fucking gets your juices pumping.
But you know what?
It’s fucking worth it!
Freelancers don’t just get to write what they want.
I have read on the message boards of an unnamed RPG Company that I used to work for that one of the bottle necks to production is that Freelance Writers work on speculation. Posters and employees have stated that Freelancers work on the project that they want to work on and that dictates the publication schedule to a degree.
This is both true and false.
In the RPG industry there are freelance writers, artists, and editors. Freelancers handle more jobs than that in some of the company’s but those are the big three. Here is my question do freelance artists and writers only get to work on the projects they want to work on? Of course they can refuse work that they don’t want to do but a freelancer that turns down offered work will probably find that they are not offered so much work in the future.
So why is it assumed that writers can pick and choose at will?
When you are working for yourself you can write whatever you want. But when you are working for a publisher you do the work that they need you to do or you don’t work. Of course any publisher worth his word processor encourages a writer (and an artist) to work on their own ideas to offer for publication. But while you are working on your OWN project you need to work on what the company needs you to work on.
Writing is work and the vast majority of freelance writers have a primary job that pays the bills and spend their free time writing. I do most of my writing on breaks and lunches at work and when the baby is still sleeping in the morning. It takes time to churn out the words that are needed to fill the pages of any given work. I personally produce 1500 to 3000 words a day. That seems to be my average barrier before my muse stops whispering in my mind. I am not denigrating artists and editors (I can’t draw to save my life and when I edit my own work I’d like to gnaw my arm off) But I believe writing takes the longest. If there is no written product there is nothing for the artists and the editors to work off of.
Real writers want to write!
I have yet to meet a freelancer that would refuse to work on a project offered to them if they have the available time. Sure there are writers that will turn down work for no other reason than they don’t want to write … but I don’t want to know them. And no, I do not consider dislike of subject matter as an invalid reason to turn down work. I know there are things I don’t ever want to write. But damn that list of things I won’t write id tiny.
I guess the point of this ramble is that there is work out there. You might need to work on something (or many something’s) that don’t “WOW” you in order to do the one thing that fucking gets your juices pumping.
But you know what?
It’s fucking worth it!
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