Take Back the Means of Production
Mar. 2nd, 2016 08:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rynlingNow that I'm writing a book, I'm having trouble caring about my professional blog. I didn't update it at all last month; I couldn't be bothered.
I've been having all manner of crazy thoughts concerning what to do with my contract advance (like scheduling an intake appointment for cosmetic surgery - no, seriously!), but I think the best use of the money might be to pay people to write for me. I would solicit guest writers and then compensate them fairly for their labor, basically.
The problem is that most of the writers I know in real life are neurotic. Like, I love them, but they are all different types of crazy. I am already an editor in my day job, but my institution lends me authority. If I become an editor on my own blog, it will just be me being a dick to my friends, many of whom are already a few cards short of a full deck (which is why I love them and, let's be honest, why we became friends to begin with). Also, if I start paying the people I drink with, obviously our relationships are going to change.
Still, I think it's worth trying. Since it's just a blog, I wouldn't be under any obligation to do anything with any degree of regularity, or to continue anything that isn't working for me. No one else on the internet or in print is doing anything remotely like what I'm doing, and it would be cool to turn this project into A Real Thing.
My plan for today is to (a) start drinking early, (b) send out the first batch of emails before I start doubting myself, (c) leave work after lunch to continue drinking, and then (d) put together a simple set of practical guidelines for guest writers. This is how professionals do things, right?
I've been having all manner of crazy thoughts concerning what to do with my contract advance (like scheduling an intake appointment for cosmetic surgery - no, seriously!), but I think the best use of the money might be to pay people to write for me. I would solicit guest writers and then compensate them fairly for their labor, basically.
The problem is that most of the writers I know in real life are neurotic. Like, I love them, but they are all different types of crazy. I am already an editor in my day job, but my institution lends me authority. If I become an editor on my own blog, it will just be me being a dick to my friends, many of whom are already a few cards short of a full deck (which is why I love them and, let's be honest, why we became friends to begin with). Also, if I start paying the people I drink with, obviously our relationships are going to change.
Still, I think it's worth trying. Since it's just a blog, I wouldn't be under any obligation to do anything with any degree of regularity, or to continue anything that isn't working for me. No one else on the internet or in print is doing anything remotely like what I'm doing, and it would be cool to turn this project into A Real Thing.
My plan for today is to (a) start drinking early, (b) send out the first batch of emails before I start doubting myself, (c) leave work after lunch to continue drinking, and then (d) put together a simple set of practical guidelines for guest writers. This is how professionals do things, right?
