So, it's obvious my old methods of earning a living are completely broken

[james_davis_nicoll]

But I am so stressed out I can't feel my fingertips and I can't see a way out of the corner I am boxed into:

A: Work has dramatically slowed down in the last year.

B: For reasons I am going assume for the moment are not due to deliberate choice on the part of the companies I freelance for, none of checks I've expected this month have materialized (if I am not stress-confused, I think at this point the most recent invoice that has been paid is about 2 months old); when companies were actually issuing checks they were irregular and unpredictable. This isn't specific to one company: nobody is paying me. Nobody. And even if all the money I am owed showed up today, I'd just be treading water.

UPDATE IN MID POST: in fact I just got email assuring me at least one check will definitely not be showing up for at least a week thanks to the new system (another company told me privately my checks might be cut in a week and then sent out a public email telling freelancers to expect the delay to be a month). I'd walk away from book reviewing at this point if there was anywhere to walk to.

Actually, the above is not quite true: while Romantic Times pays very, very little they have never promised to pay any more than that and they do pay on time. So kudos to them; they are the one bright spot.

[I spend a lot of my time telling myself that this is not a repeat of what Guardians of Order did to me, even though a lot of the same notes are in this tune]

C: There are bills I have been deferring for as long as I can and expenses I have cut to the bone as far as I can but I'm pretty sure all the plates I have in the air are about to come crashing down.

D: Can't afford to create the Millennium Reviews book and frankly I don't understand a lot of what people are telling me how to create it.

(That said, editing all the reviews and adding new commentary for all 35 essays would take me two weeks to a month)

E: Review site ditto: I know how to create content for it but I can't see how to create it and the advice I am seeing doesn't mean anything to me.

Open to suggestions here.

Comments

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Textbroker.com? Lionbridge's web evaluation stuff? These are two online gigs where ability to read quickly, synthesize what you've read, and write coherently are helpful.

[joenotcharles.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest textbroker. I know someone who supported themself with that for several months while improving their writing skills enough to turn to higher-paying, non-anonymous freelance writing gigs. You wouldn't want to count on it full-time (that sounds soul-deadening) but it has the advantage of being able get started quickly without having to set up a lot of infrastructure, which sounds like what you need.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Seconding Lionsbridge or Leapforce (https://www.leapforceathome.com/qrp/public/job/5) (you can't work for both at once), with the caveat that the pay is low and it will be several weeks before you can work any significant hours. You will also need to put in unpaid training time. But it's reasonably legit and you're well-qualified.

[firecat]

I know someone who works at Leapforce (supervising the evaluators) and from some of the stories zie tells me, it doesn't sound like an income a person can rely on.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

So I hear, yeah. The whole online work thing is poo.