No-Brainer Freebies

I was faced with one of those choices that seem like a no-brainer. At least, for those who aren’t following Christ. Standing in the lunch line at the work cafeteria, I held my takeout box open for the cashier.

“Three dollars even,” she said, barely glancing at my box.

I did a double-take and looked at my box. I thought I’d splurged today and gotten the Tilapia. Looking back up at the register, I saw she’d charged me for chicken. Dollar bills were packed into her cash drawer so tight that it looked impossible to close. No one would miss the extra dollar I should be paying for the fish. But I could use that dollar for a whole bag of cookies.

Really, it was not an earth-shattering matter. One dollar was hardly an issue in my pocket or in theirs. But I saw how easy it was to let this slip by just because it was not my mistake. Of course, it would have been wrong if I’d try to pass the fish off as chicken, but this was a matter of her mistake being my gain. Right?

As writers, we often have opportunities to “cheat” by omission or insinuation. It’s hard to prove your credibility as a young writer. When I’m loading up my list of accomplishments, or talking to an editor or agent, I want to feverishly pull to myself any inkling of credible experience. Even if I don’t directly make up an accomplishment, it’s so easy to embellish the ones I have. But I’ve learned that my character is worth more to me than anything I’d gain by stretching the truth. When I corrected the cashier’s mistake on my fish, it was because I’d decided my obedience to God, and my character, were worth more than a dollar, or even the bag of cookies I wanted.

Building credibility is vastly important for writers. The market is competitive for any type of writing. But when we wrongfully gain writing credibility, we lose our overall credibility. When you make a habit of being above-board, people generally come to know you are a dependable person. They can often tell if you’re exaggerating your accomplishments, and everything you say afterward loses every bit of credibility.

When it comes to the writing business, it’s important for your words to be taken seriously. Your words represent you on the page when your work is published. Their credibility should be carefully guarded. When it comes to moments of possible “freebies,” make sure you know what it’s going to cost you.