A Christmas Offer with Dividends

By Mary Terzian

The debate over writing articles for free versus payment is an issue with no distinct solution. Although payment remains preferred by most writers, it does not top the satisfaction derived from making a contribution to a good cause.  For as long as I can remember, I sent articles to ethnic community newspapers without any expectations of payment.  These publications barely survive financially while they serve a useful function.  I consider writing for them a badge of honor and my payback to society. Some charitable donations are in kind or in services. Mine are in words. Being useful, filling a gaping hole in community relations, and receiving emotional satisfaction are worthwhile considerations for writing for free.  Promoting goodwill, developing fans, and adding additional clips to my portfolio during my ascent to fame are fringe benefits that I cherish.

Aside from charity, these free articles hide unexpected opportunities for income. You could treat them as an investment that will earn capital gains in the future, or consider them as mortgage payments over a lifetime for eventual possession of an appreciated estate, in this case recognition or distinction. A writer needs supporters in the community.  Everybody, as reader, is an eventual client that will buy shares of his wisdom. Money is not always the determining factor of a person's worth but because it is measurable it is used as a yardstick for success.  A proper value system has yet to be created to fathom the depths of our inner world, the quality of our "humanness."

"For in the end what is left of life, except that which I gave to others?" is a translated excerpt from a poem where the poet questions the meaning of life in his later years. Another motive that makes me turn down payment is when publications offer low fees. I would rather donate my articles, despite the fact that no rich husband supports me.

I happened to exchange notes about my experiences on writing with a Toastmaster colleague who was involved in similar activities in his own Coptic community. I admired his philosophical discourses, sprinkled with wit. He found my slice-of-life stories hilarious. We were both born in Egypt, although he was Coptic and I was Armenian. Good old Egyptian humor must have rubbed on both of us. One day, at a Christmas function in the company, he approached me with a request.  He had become the local senior editor of the English section of a national weekly back home.  Could I possibly contribute articles to his paper?  "We have the same expatriate problems as you do," he said.

I had lived in Egypt as the daughter of immigrants. I owed some loyalty to the country that sheltered my parents. This was the opportunity for payback. I was familiar with the mentality of the readers his newspaper served. In fact, I could write the same article for both the Armenian and Coptic communities and the topic would still be relevant, without crossing readership boundaries. Our friendship was not tainted with questions like "Will you pay me an honorarium?"  I considered it an honor to be of service. During the following year I contributed four articles to his newspaper. Later, preoccupied with my book-- The Immigrants' Daughter-- I let matters slide.

This year, at publication time, I needed blurbs from respectable individuals for the back cover of my paperback. My Coptic friend was the first to come through on short notice. To my surprise, he not only supported my efforts, but he also promised publicity for my book in his newspaper and on his weekly TV program, as remuneration for past services. What started as a goodwill gesture turned out to be a wise investment, with no contract changing hands. His proposal was a Christmas gift that paid dividends later, with additional warmth and quality to our friendship.

This is not the first time I have benefited from past deeds. Life has a way of rewarding us when we least expect it but there are no guarantees.  It all depends where your priorities are and what adds up to a meaningful life.

Mary Terzian is a freelance writer residing in California. She is the author of The Immigrants' Daughter (Booklocker.com, 2005), a compendium of memoirs of growing up in Egypt during World War II, Israel's independence, and other major upheavals. The book is available at major online bookstores as e-book or paperback. For information on ordering visit her website at www.maryterzian.com, under "contacts."

The television interview about her book, The Immigrants' Daughter, aired on KSCI Channel 18, on December 10, 2005, during the Orthodox Christian Television (OCTV) program which entertains 5 million viewers, and an announcement about her book was included in the English section of Watani International, a weekly newspaper published in Egypt and distributed to Arab communities worldwide.

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