I am what I call a 1099er, meaning I’m an independent contractor. I have to write up my own contracts, pay my own taxes, and accept pretty much each and every job thrown at me. People ask me all the time, “What do you write?” I always answer the same thing: “What I get paid to write!”

I loved what Stephen King had to say in On Writing, that if you are paid to write, you are a writer. I love that when I’m cranking out press releases (hey, one got picked up by the Times) or SEO-perfected articles of little renown. I can’t say “it pays the bills,” because I live in NYC and it doesn’t. However, I would rather work as a writer than answer phones all day or deliver take out.

I do have a day job, and I have to run off to it shortly, but it is also a 1099er position. The new economy isn’t ripe with salaried positions. However, just to mention the jobs I’m working on this week: two blogs, a couple PRs, a book proposal (fingers crossed on this one!), 30 SEO articles, a 5000-word e-book on traveling through southern Europe, and a newsletter. This is on top of a FT position doing bookkeeping (yes, I guess being a 1099er has helped me learn Quickbooks) and my volunteer work. Plus, I’m a single parent, so I’m juggling kids into that mix.

It’s a challenge, but at least it’s not boring. Hi ho…