STANDING AT THE CROSSROADS

My irreverent old man used to muse about how fortunate hookers were in that they could sell it...and sell it...and sell it...and still have it. Of course, the same could be said of barbers, manicurists, advisers and really, anybody else in a service industry. 

I recall the moment he made that ridiculous statement today because yesterday I had something of value that two buyers wanted. And I had to choose which to sell it to. I hate how freelance writing works. 

Paul Manafort was released from prison a few days ago, and two media outlets wanted me to write the story. But you can only give it to one. Which audience do I want to reach? Which website (or paper) will offer me more prestige and do more for my career (such as it is)? And of course, which one will pay more money?

These are all things to consider (among others) when being fortunate enough (and at once cursed) to have to make this kind of choice. So ambitious guy that I am, I assured outlet #2 that I could write about Paul Manafort without repeating myself from the first published article. I have enough in my memory bank to accomplish that mission.

And ironically, I spent more time on the email trying to convince outlet #2 to publish a second Manafort piece than I did writing the first published one! The bottom line is that I gave the story to the NY Daily News and tried to persuade the Enquirer to run a gossip piece - which is actually what they wanted. But once I revealed that the News was running a Manafort story written by yours truly as I was trying to negotiate a second payday, they ghosted me.

And that's the way it goes in freelance writing. You can't do a guy at 10 o'clock - and then do another at 11. Not to compare writing for major publications and websites to selling one's body. But there are parallels. 

The Enquirer pays more - a reality which pains me to ponder. But I can't think about that now. It's in the past. I stood at the crossroads and made my choice. If only Yogi was around, he could have given me his sage advice: "When you reach a fork in the road, take it!"

In closing, I offer a Paul Manafort story told to me when I was his celly. Paulie is a big Yankee fan. If he can't watch the game, he'll listen to it on his radio. And as a big muckety muck who knew Steinbrenner, he found himself sitting next to Yogi at a Yankee old timers game one July. When a list of old timers who had passed into the afterlife flashed on the scoreboard, Yogi turned to Paulie and said "Gee! I hope I don't see my name up there anytime soon."

Anyway, here's the link to the Daily News story. I think it took all of 20 minutes to write. If nothing else, I can churn out a 750 word op-ed in a flash.