I Gotta Stop Readin' This Stuff!

Ugh. Every time I turn around I'm finding blog posts and articles and forum posts where people are talking about:

(a) A company that I write for,
(b) A company that I'm thinking about writing for,
(c) Some particular type of writing being good or bad, or
(d) What level of pay is good or bad for a 'good' writer.

Oh, and don't forget the people who chastise and belittle and talk about how only bad, low-quality freelancers struggle or aren't making six figures. All the good writers are making a fortune with lots of wonderful, high-paid, big-dollar clients who have sought out said freelancers and are tripping over themselves to throw money in the freelancer's direction. Um...Yeah. Sure.

I'm so over it. I'm going to write what I want for who I want when I want for a price I feel all right with. Period. No more excuses, and no more reading the garbage that's spewed forth as 'fact' by people who are only voicing their own, small-minded opinions.

And no, I'm not directing this at anyone or at any specific site, forum, or incident. It's a culmination of issues over the last few months - none of which directly involved me or were targeted at me specifically. Promise.

I'm just tired of finding things on forums and other places where one person says X and another says Y and there are 15 threads and 400 posts about the same crap. I always seem to get sucked into reading it, and pretty soon I'm questioning what I do and how much I make and the companies I choose to do business with and whether I'm a good writer, etc.

Blah.

It doesn't solve anything. The only thing it does is take time away from my writing, which is only hurting me.  People will always have opinions about what they believe is right and wrong. I will agree with some and disagree with others, but it's time to take a stand against letting people make me feel bad because I don't seem to have as much 'worth' by their standards.

It's also time to take a stand against letting anonymous (or even not so anonymous) Internet people's viewpoints affect what I think about my abilities, my income, or my choice of clients.

I had a friend in high school who used to say to people who offered their opinions of her life: "You're not f**king me or paying my bills. Who cares what you think?"

While her phrasing might have been a bit on the crass side, I think the basic idea behind her statement was a good one. I'm adopting her philosophy. I realize it may offend some people. I'm ok with that.

Now, I have to get back to work.