How do you handle people who want you to write for free? A stranger Utsudo had exchanged only two sentences with once asked her to come up with lines for a company ad—with no script and no mention of payment. She points out that everyone’s professional skills are built over a long time. In situations like this, first ask whether it’s paid. If it’s clear the person just wants free work, you can politely decline with a bit of tact or set your conditions.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

This happened at a lecture event.

Before it started, people from all walks of life gathered and, as usual, began making small talk—basically getting to know each other and seeing if there were chances to collaborate (?

Then my friend introduced me, the newcomer.

“This is a novelist, and also my Japanese teacher.”

P.S. The title “novelist” sounds too flashy, so when people ask my job, I usually say “I work with words.” Otherwise everyone has tons of questions, which is a hassle.

A digression: a lawyer I know also calls herself someone who “works with words,” since every case involves drafting pleadings and requires strong logic. But lawyers generally earn a lot more than novelists XD

Back to the story. As expected, everyone turned “respectful (?)” eyes on me. I nodded awkwardly. I’m actually pretty scared of situations like that. If I could, I’d rather stay in a perfect 90-degree angle—the corner, for short.

“You’re a novelist? Then you can write our script!”

Then a woman sitting near me turned around and said excitedly, “Oh, you’re a novelist? Then you could write the script for our short film!”

Hearing that, I was pretty excited, because it sounded like a great opportunity. I’d wanted to try screenwriting, so I was naturally happy about the chance.

But that day, she didn’t ask for my contact info.

I figured she was just talking and didn’t think much of it. But a few days later, I got a LINE friend request from her—she must have gotten my contact from someone else.

A request with no script and no pay

She launched straight into the general concept of their short film and what they wanted to convey, and asked if I could come up with some funny, witty lines.

Reading that, I was a bit confused. You want me to write lines, but there’s no script at all? Doesn’t that basically mean I’d have to come up with everything? There wasn’t even information about the length, and no mention of payment.

I asked about the length. She said about 60 seconds. From the content, it looked more like a company ad than the short film I’d imagined. Yet she casually handed it to someone she didn’t even know—no, she never even said “please” w

Don’t think a 60-second video is nothing because it’s short. It really burns your brain, not to mention it might get rejected and sent back for revisions. And for something representing a company’s image to be handled so carelessly—there’s a high chance of trouble. Definitely a quagmire~ ~

But to be polite, I said I was busy lately, and that if they already had a script, I could help with the lines. Then she never replied XD

At least send a sticker or something!!!

Expertise is built over a long time

When I thought about it, the only interaction we’d had was those two sentences at the start, and then nothing. She was basically a stranger. Why should I help her? Or rather, why would she think I ought to do her this favor?

Everyone’s achievements in their field come from years of accumulation. Never mind the lack of respect—where does a person with no relationship at all get the idea that others should spend their time and expertise helping her?

Especially for something obviously for a company, not a charity w

Use this trick on freeloaders

Later a friend advised me to first ask whether it’s paid. If it’s clear the person is a freeloader, say this: “Sure, I can help for free, but I’m very busy, so it’ll be scheduled very far down the line (say, the tenth ice age). You might want to find someone else.”

I had no idea there was such a sophisticated way to put it (taking notes). I also regret not being brave enough to ask directly about payment. Next time I’ll know what to do.

Have you ever run into a freeloader like this?

If so, solve it with the trick I just mentioned!

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #121: Stubborn
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.