I am still working as a freelance writer at this moment. So far, I love it. There have been times when I needed to find my motivation to continue writing, as opposed to, say, continuing to play World of Warcraft for another hour. But, for the most part, I am having a good time. Again, the job has an endpoint, and I am aware of that. My employer has offered me extra work, and then some more extra work, and I think that is a good sign of things to come.
There is something very interesting in the big blue pamphlet that I am so glad to have found. For those of you new to this blog, the big blue pamphlet is one of the first things I was sent when I signed up for Unemployment Benefits. It’s an informational booklet, designed to answer questions about the whole process. Inside, there is this lovely word: “Piecework”.
Page 16 of the booklet states:
“If you receive pay for piecework, report the total amount paid in the week it was earned. Include the word “piecework” in item 6b along with the employer’s name”.
I had been wondering just how I was supposed to let the EDD know that I had been hired as a (temporary) freelance writer. I considered trying to figure out how many hours I worked on it, and also thought maybe it would want me to somehow convert the pay into hours. Nope! I am being paid a specific dollar amount for a specific amount of writing. This means I am being paid by the piece. I am doing “piecework”!
Every two weeks, I must fill out another Continued Claim Form, and send it to the EDD (the government) to review. I will have to do this every two weeks until my Unemployment Insurance runs out, or, I manage to get a job that is going to sustain me like the full time job that I once had. In general, when it comes to filling out government forms, it’s best and smartest to find a way to make everything fit “into the box”. It seems that the EDD wants me to call the freelance writing I am doing “piecework”. I assume that if I was a carpenter being paid by each piece of cabinet I put together that would also be called “piecework”.
That lovely little word “piecework” is going to make things so much easier for me! Easy is good, especially when dealing with paperwork from Unemployment Insurance.
I’ve got one more little update, but it’s not as important as “piecework”. In a previous blog, I mentioned that I had a little coupon from Baja Fresh. I had to go online, sign up on their website, and write a code down onto the coupon itself, before bringing the coupon into the store. Seems I have been misreading the coupon. Disregard what I put in my previous blog. The correct amount was it gives you five dollars off of a ten dollar (or more) purchase.
I am happy to announce it worked, with no questions asked. Shawn and I went to Baja Fresh to eat dinner after watching Avatar in 3D. Both of us had friends rave about how awesome that movie was, and that we needed to see it in 3D before it left the theaters, and this made it seem like as much of a cultural event as we get nowadays. So, we saw the movie, (yes, the movie was awesome), and then went to Baja Fresh afterwards. We spent about ten bucks, used the coupon, and immediately got five bucks off. No hassle, and no questions asked. It’s nice when places live up to the promise they print on their coupons.