Freelancing Reality, Adult Responsibilities

When I was at Calvin College's Festival of Faith and Writing in April, 2008 Kathleen Norris held aloft the brand new proofs of her next book Acedia & Me. The book releases on September 16, 2008 & I just received a hardback reviewer's copy on August 15.

One of the most frustrating aspects of freelancing is the delay between acceptance and publication. A few personal examples:

• I interviewed Booker winner Yann Martel in April. I turned in an article on him May 28, 2008. Was paid in early June. The article will run in the October issue of Faith & Friends.

• On June 2 I submitted a short story to a national contest. Winners to be announce in October.

• Friday, August 15, 2008 I turned in a long article to a respected regional mag that will be published in December. Yes, December.

Often, by the time an article sees print, you're quite a different person than the one who wrote the article. Depending on how light or heavy the editor's hand, you're often better off not reading what displays your byline because you might not recognize it. That's just the freelancer's life.


Instant Internet
That's one major reason web publications and blogs are so exciting to writers--we reach an instant audience with an article that reflects who we are today. The tradeoff is we're often yesterday's news tomorrow (or later today).

While images provide immediacy and even awe (think of the best parts of our current Olympics), they rarely provide context or depth. We may see the spectacular opening ceremonies and gasp, but learning that the main singer was lip synching for an ugly girl w/a spectacular voice tells us much about the real China; that they're willing to lie about the age of their female gymnasts for a few gold medals (while NBC only allows Bela to bellow for a few seconds about it as they can't afford to upset their hosts) reveals much about a government built on lies. That NBC created animated fireworks to supplement the real fireworks to make them more spectacular (w/only oblique references to the subterfuge), proves you just can't believe your eyes.

The Turtle vs. the Hare?
We rely on print (paper or internet) to give us the necessary facts to make adult decisions. The reason it frustrates us - it's slow pace - is often backed up w/safeguards and investigation, before careful word choices give us the truth. Perhaps we read less because we hide from making tough choices? After all, the major visual media almost all glorify ignorance in the name of entertainment, yes?

As a freelancer, I don't like the delays, but I suspect that print will remain irresistible to curious minds who want to understand their world instead of just observing it.