Associated Content: It's a "Paid Hobby!"

As a fairly new member of Associated Content, I felt the urge to browse the web and see what other people had to say about this site. As expected, the majority of the people had nothing but great things to say about this site. I agree with them. I think this site offers writers like myself a great opportunity to share our writing with others . . . and we even get a little pocket change, to boot! I did; however, find one person, whom I will refer to as "Mr. X," who was not as kind.

Mr. X basically called this site a "sweatshop for writers." He claims that us writers are severely underpaid for our articles. He claims that it is a joke to only be paid 4 or 5 dollars for a 500 word article. Mr. X claims to be a professional freelance writer and advised that he earns MUCH more than that.

Well, Mr. X, I'm happy for you. I'm glad you found a profession that pays you to your satisfaction. But Mr. X, writing on this site is not my profession nor is it the profession of many other people on this site. I do not write on here to pay my rent or make my truck payments. Like many of the other writers on here, I write as a HOBBY! We are basically getting paid for something we love to do in our spare time. Is that so bad, Mr. X?

Think about it. How many other hobbies offer monetary rewards? What if your main hobby is playing basketball? Is somebody going to offer you $5 to play a half hour of basketball at the local gym? What if your hobby is sewing? Is somebody going to offer you $10 to sew a quilt for your daughter? What if your hobby is jumping off diving boards? Is somebody going to offer you $4 for every cannonball that you execute in your neighbor's pool? What if your hobby is chewing your fingernails? Is somebody going to offer you $5 for every nasty collection of nails that you are able to gnaw off your hands? Of course not! Most of the hobbies in this world earn you a net profit of ZERO dollars, so I feel fortunate to be able to cash in on a hobby that I would just as easily do for free.

The money we earn for our articles is just a little extra incentive for us to continue our passion. Whether I get $0 per article, or $100 per article, I'm going to keep writing because writing is what I love to do!

Mr. X, you need to chill out and get back to writing! Your power bill is due in 4 days!