It is true that the world is in chaos, and that the pandemic has crippled the economy.

But does that apply to writers? Are we crippled? Every writer knows that the isolation and lockdown was the vacation they needed. It was the greatest thing to ever happen!

For a moment the noises stop, and even I was able to hear my inner monologue loudly.

It was this state of tranquility that favored us, and the smart ones used it to accumulate wealth.

But here in Nigeria, the so-called clients are nothing but slave masters.

How can you pay #2/ per word, when someone else is paying not less than $0.05?

In my years of ignorance, I could only make #100,000 by writing tons of articles and days of sleepless nights.

When the veil came off, I wanted to slap myself multiple times. And yes, I wanted to slap my exploiters too. When my client's source change, I was earning $0.10, making more than $300 for a 3000 words article.

The best part, they add a tip to say thank you!

Something that typically takes me a month to make, I made it in less than 3 days. Yes, I took that time to pour my soul and spirit into it.

If there was ever a perfect article, it will be it.

He was satisfied!!!

And there were more like him, ever ready to pay more provided I write what they want.

When I write, I make every WORD count. Yes, even a comma counts, cause that's over $0.10.

Now, I go around the writers and ad section of Nairaland and shake my head in sadness. Seeing people charging #1 and #2 per word is pathetic.

Is that how poor you value your skill and time? This is nothing but slave work, and I sincerely hope that this trend change.

We can't grow by exploiting the naive. You're making $500 for that article and you're paying the poor writer less than $50.

Shame on you!

We writers need to revolt and stop accepting peanuts. And before you revolt, ensure you're indeed a writer.

Many of you are ludicrous and yet call yourself writers. I know how many times I've tried getting someone to help, and they are utterly terrible.

I'll end up writing everything and losing money in the process. I always pay cause I don't want wahala.

They don't know their tenses, boring, uncreative, with erratic use of punctuation.

I'm not saying you should be perfect, but sound beautiful and articulated. Improve and avoid errors.

And when you're confident of your skill, never charge a penny for your time and creativity.

Forgive any errors, venting on my mobile phone!!!

My one cent!

Imagine offering 1# and expecting a 100% accuracy’ on the turn out. Some even go as far as returning the job for corrections fuccc!

That’s exactly why most of them are always looking for new writers because they feel those ones can be easily exploited!

HenryDion:
It is true that the world is in chaos, and that the pandemic has crippled the economy.

But does that apply to writers? Are we crippled? Every writer knows that the isolation and lockdown was the vacation they needed. It was the greatest thing to ever happen!

For a moment the noises stop, and even I was able to hear my inner monologue loudly.

It was this state of tranquility that favored us, and the smart ones used it to accumulate wealth.

But here in Nigeria, the so-called clients are nothing but slave masters.

How can you pay #2/ per word, when someone else is paying not less than $0.05?

In my years of ignorance, I could only make #100,000 by writing tons of articles and days of sleepless nights.

When the veil came off, I wanted to slap myself multiple times. And yes, I wanted to slap my exploiters too. When my client's source change, I was earning $0.10, making more than $300 for a 3000 words article.

The best part, they add a tip to say thank you!

Something that typically takes me a month to make, I made it in less than 3 days. Yes, I took that time to pour my soul and spirit into it.

If there was ever a perfect article, it will be it.

He was satisfied!!!

And there were more like him, ever ready to pay more provided I write what they want.

When I write, I make every WORD count. Yes, even a comma counts, cause that's over $0.10.

Now, I go around the writers and ad section of Nairaland and shake my head in sadness. Seeing people charging #1 and #2 per word is pathetic.

Is that how poor you value your skill and time? This is nothing but slave work, and I sincerely hope that this trend change.

We can't grow by exploiting the naive. You're making $500 for that article and you're paying the poor writer less than $50.

Shame on you!

We writers need to revolt and stop accepting peanuts. And before you revolt, ensure you're indeed a writer.

Many of you are ludicrous and yet call yourself writers. I know how many times I've tried getting someone to help, and they are utterly terrible.

I'll end up writing everything and losing money in the process. I always pay cause I don't want wahala.

They don't know their tenses, boring, uncreative, with erratic use of punctuation.

I'm not saying you should be perfect, but sound beautiful and articulated. Improve and avoid errors.

And when you're confident of your skill, never charge a penny for your time and creativity.

Forgive any errors, venting on my mobile phone!!!

My one cent!

So what advise would you give to upcoming writers who want to leave the shackles of 2/word?

Hashabiah:
So what advise would you give to upcoming writers who want to leave the shackles of 2/word?

Improve your writing skill, and look beyond Nigerian clients.

HenryDion:


Improve your writing skill, and look beyond Nigerian clients.

Can you recommend any books or courses that offer such?

Do you have thoughts to share about your none-religious views? Do you think your opinions on freethinking can make a difference in this generation? You can make a difference with your thoughts.

Don't be afraid to speak out and air your mind about your views on religion. Nigeria is a secular state and you have a right to freedom of expression and religion. Don't be afraid to speak out. If you are a Freethinker or Atheist, you have already conquered the biggest fear holding billions of people.

However, we ask that you don't condescend or start insulting other people's religion. We believe that you can always air your view in the most respectful manner by letting your intellectual and critical write up speak for you. Most people do this through satire. So, we also encourage you to write a satirical piece instead if you cannot speak your mind without condescending.

All you have to do is write down your well articulated opinion on the subject matters that pique your interest and submit to us as an article in Doc/Docs file. We will publish it for you at Uptownerd at no cost. This gives you authority. You will also have a solid citation and reference as well as a backlink for yourself.

Personal experiences as an Atheist or Freethinker is what we need. We want to know how you are coping as a none-religious person within your immediate environment. We want to know about your interaction with your immediate environment.

We want to know about how you feel about religion and what you think it is doing to the Nigerian society and the world. We want to know how you cope at work as a none-religious person and how religion affects or influences your relationship with everyone around you. We also want to know how you compromise just so you don't become an outcast because of your Freethinking beliefs.

If you also have articles and pieces you want to publish, as well as articulated critiques of Freethinking and Atheist ideologies, please submit. Due to limited resources, we ask that you write based on facts only and not through hearsays.

For avoidance of doubt, Non-factual articles include using religious ideologies of any group or sect, religious books or preachings about religion by clergy men as a fact in your write up.

In other words, do not cite a religious book as fact, but you can make reference to it. Do not cite a religious ideology as fact, but you can make reference to it to buttress your point too. Finally, do not cite the preachings or statements of clergy men and religious authors as facts or make reference to them in any way. What we want is what you have to say on the subject matter based on your own personal life experiences and nothing more.

Non-factual articles about Freethinking and Atheism will simply be deleted once we receive it. So, don't bother sending it.

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Submit articles for free publication to uptownerd1@gmail.com

• NB- All submissions should come with the full name, pen name or nickname of the writer - whichever you prefer. But, if you plan to use the article for future references, we ask that you include your full name. Alternatively, you can write us a mail telling us to edit and add your full name whenever the need arises for it in the future. This is if you decide to publish with a nickname or pen name.

How do I find these foreign clients?