[gmku]

Good advice. And I do this generally (advances), except in cases where the "system" just absolutely makes no allowances for it. Govt, universities, etc., are tough about this. Nonprofits (environmental groups, etc) seem more understanding. Commercial magazines? Forget about it. At least the regionals I've dealt with. The pay is terrible. And the schedules are brutal. As a former editor, I'm used to planning magazines months in advance--as spring's issue is on the designer's desk, you're already editing stories for the summer, and planning ideas for the fall. So when I started offering my services to local editors, I was thinking they'd assign me stories with deadlines monts down the road. No, these guys are like working a mere few weeks in advance of an issue's press date. Why!?

Nah, I'd do this for the pocket change, just for that coffee and album money, you know. It feels a bit bohemian, but frankly if a client's going to get snobby about me picking up a few bucks in retail, that client might not be somebody I'd like to work for. I know freelance writers who do this all the time, actually--work here and there for short periods, often during dry times when the writing isn't going well. I think it helps recharge the batteries for one thing. And isn't that the benefit of going freelance? Having the freedom to keep options open a bit?