During my recent foray for freelance writing opportunities, the quote below jumped out from somewhere and glared me in the eyes.
The freelance writer is a man who is paid per piece, or per word or perhaps. Robert Benchley.
The ‘perhaps’ part got stuck in my head, drumming away at my thoughts and I knew that it’s my quote for Writer’s quote Wednesday.
I mulled over it nursing a mug of tea and toast and not willing to accept the perhaps part of these things.
I continued ruminating over it even as I later nursed this yogurt and granola beside me, still questioning the perhaps part of things.
My dull mind refused to acknowledge the fact that perhaps meant you may go for months and months as a writer, waxing brilliant and intelligent words and all, yet pauperized.
Perhaps meant, queries that may never get answered and yet you continue swallowing the bitter pill of your writers pride and keep sending the queries until your name is emblazoned on the medulla oblongata of the editor, until he/she decides to save himself a thriving headache and gives you a space to submit your write up on the different species of Cactus.
I ruminated further, taking off my rose-coloured spectacles and the truth of the matter is that we are all freelancing on our blogs, labouring lovingly over our words with the word ‘perhaps’ hanging in the balance of our thoughts.
‘Perhaps,’ in the long run, every single word would be worth the trouble and your medal as a writer, well worn with pride.
© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

i like your quote.
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Thank you too Violet 🙂
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Perhaps 😉
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Yes indeed. Perhaps 🙂
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Yeah. Perhaps. That’s the reality of any economic profitable endeavour. Perhaps I will pay off, perhaps it won’t.
As long as there’s a perhaps somewhere, then we keep believing that there’s the Perhaps, I may strike gold too.
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The perhaps has to be true o :o))
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😁
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I think his quote is realistic. I know many writers, artists, photographers and creatives who must have a regular day job to support themselves. Pretty much that has mostly been the case throughout history. Most of the authors and artists that are famous and world renowned today were not celebrated during their lifetimes and many of them died dirt poor paupers. One has to be realistic.
I know in order to pay my rent and other bills I must keep my current job like it or not. Plus we all need medical and dental insurance. The expression starving artist will hold true unless of course you have a patron or get discovered by some wealthy person. As long as my bills keep saying, “Pay me” I will keep my boring dead end mind numbing job until I retire using my blogs as a creative outlet.
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You summarized it very succinctly. The bills have to be paid. Full stop!
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You’re right – that is why we blog! Perhaps we will strike gold, perhaps not. Either way, there is satisfaction in the accomplishment of actually writing something.
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That’s true. If not we would give up easily.
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Perhaps it will pay off in the end.. we can but only hope. Lovely quote.
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It will o. It doesn’t have choice 🙂
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It will no doubts! and while we wait, we’ll sure enjoy it,no matter the cloudy day. 😀
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Yes o.
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I like everything about this!
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Thanks love. Perhaps, it will come out brilliant one day 🙂
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Lets hope that it will pay of in the end
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It will. It’s a question of consistency, patience and time:-)
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I believe so too and for you it definitely will, you are such a great writer, I learn a lot from reading your posts
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Aw my dear, thank you for your words 🙂
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You will always be the exception to the rule!!! 😀
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I love you. You know how to make me feel good 🙂
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haha love u2 dear!!! 🙂
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“perhaps” may also mean what we do here, blogging for the pleasure of it not the pay of it.
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That is a very big perhaps 🙂
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yes it is but sometimes that perhaps is worth it in other ways.
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I agree.
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😀
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Hey Jacqueline, maybe we need to acknowledge that “perhaps” is a possibility but focus more on the “per piece” or “per word”. On the other
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Sorry Jacqueline – this went before I finished! I meant to add that even though there may not be monetary payment we may perhaps receive the ‘payment’ of attracting loyal fans or feel good that our words have helped or inspired someone. Just a thought. 😃
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True indeed. That is why we stick to it. The interaction of others makes it worthwhile too 🙂
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That is an amazing quote you inscribed in the image. And the hope that it will be worth is, is what drives us to keep going.
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Hopefully, in due time it will definitely be worth it for us ‘perhaps.’ Thank you Ameena 🙂
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Pardon me… But your yogurt caught my attention first before anything. Hahaha! 😀 😀 😀 I love to eat, so any picture of any food will definitely get my attention. 😛
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Funsie my dear, we are in the same club. The food attracts my eyes before the words and I keep going back to look at the food 😉
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Yay! This calls for a celebration! 😀 😀 😀
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So now I’m left with the image of you getting a sore tush while writing about cacti! 🙂
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