A round of applause please for those who attended our September 9 Writers Roundtable. This particular session was a bit different from all those past. No newbies were in attendance. Most everyone was a seasoned writer. So the perennial questions usually posed – “How do you find work?” “How do I deal with clients delinquent in their payments?” “How much should I charge?” – none of those came up. Instead, more current concerns and issues were raised. 

As is our custom, we did not record the Roundtable meeting out of respect for everyone’s privacy. But that doesn’t mean those who couldn't attend should be kept in the dark. I’d like to share some of the topics discussed that may be on your mind as well. Such as...

1.      Artificial Intelligence (AI). Ah, yes. The very mention of those words (or initials) gets the hackles up and the conversation rolling. Although when asked who uses it, at first there were crickets. 

•  No one really wanted to admit it, perhaps thinking they would be publicly scorned for having AI do any writing for them. Until one brave soul piped up, explaining how he uses it when writing Substack articles: He dictates the content to Chat GPT. Then reads it afterwards, and does any necessary editing. All the words, thoughts and ideas are his. But this “dictation” method seems to let his writing process flow. Fair enough! 

• Another usage mentioned: Zoom meeting summations, often to comical results. It is handy in that you don’t necessarily have to take notes. Nevertheless you still better pay attention to what’s being said in the meeting because AI may miss some of the most important points made. And include some irrelevant details. Such as when someone sidetracks the meeting to discuss their irritable bowel syndrome. TMI.

• In the area of research, cautionary tales were voiced – like the famous one where a lawyer submitted a legal brief chockful of case fabrications. He got his knuckles rapped because of it. Awkward!  So if you do happen to use AI for research purposes, double down on searching out and corroborating any “facts” it may have presented. 
  

2.      Independent Contractors: Where do we stand? This is a topic I’ve written about in a few Stet issues over the past five years concerning the classification of freelancers and efforts to turn them (us) into W-2 employees. In our group, I was asked to give an update and brief background for those unfamiliar with the issue: 

•  It all started in 2019. A new rule (AB5) was implemented in California, causing 4 million freelancers in hundreds of professions to lose their gigs due to wrongly being misclassified, igniting a backlash not just in the Golden State, but in states across the nation. Why? Read on...

• Spurred on by the California ruling, some other states (including Illinois) started thinking the classification of Independent Contractors was something that needed to be addressed and began making efforts to create their own rules. It has yet to be resolved. Illinois is still tinkering.

• On the federal level, bills protecting Independent Contractors are still being debated in Congress. I urge you to contact your two U.S. Senators and Representative. Tell them to support freelancers. Then keep your fingers crossed that Congress rules in favor of our freelance way of life.

• For more background, please visit Fight for Freelancers USA. To keep up with the latest news on this topic, I suggest subscribing (it's free) to the Substack “Freelance Busting” columns of Kim Kavin, the co-founder of Fight for Freelancers USA and a brilliant go-to authority on the topic. She’s an excellent writer – and funny to boot.
  

3.    The IWOC / Writers and Publishers Network merge. What’s going on? The process is ongoing, albeit slowly. But in the meantime, it’s business (and pleasure) as usual, with programs and parties continuing to be in the works.

4.    The IWOC evolution. Since its inception in 1981, IWOC has been catering to the needs of freelancers who actually make their living at what they've been gifted to do: write. But for the last few years, we’ve been attracting more book authors and so, we’ve been offering more programs that cater to their needs as well. And why not! Writers need help in their efforts to succeed no matter their disciplines or areas of expertise. Period. Thus, we’re expanding our mission statement to express the widening of our tent. Welcome all writers!

5.    Speaking of programs… Every month we’re faced with the challenge of coming up with programs that will best serve our members. In the 44 years of our existence, not a month was ever missed. Still, someone wondered why we don’t have programs on such-and-such subjects. Our suggestion: Suggest them! Contact our Program Committee. Let them know the sort of programs that would capture your interest. They will love hearing from you. Guaranteed. (Better yet, join the Committee!)

That closes the books on the Writers Roundtable 2025. Thank you to those who’ve attended and engaged in the lively conversation. To those who missed it, we missed you. Then again, there’s always next year!

Till the next round…

-- Laura Stigler