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Oh my goodness... It must be my youth and naivete, but I was hardly expecting to get this kind of response _from CASLL people_ toward the idea of freelancing as opposed to professionalism... I, who aspire to become a professional writer besides becoming a professOR, feel surprised at being pushed beyond the pale of an acceptable (lofty? elite?) "professionalism" because of my suggestion that one could make a profession out of linguistic and rhetorical skill and the ability to adjust to a variety of discourses and content areas. Why must such laudable, useful, and, yes, "elite" skill and knowledge NOT be a profession? The word "profession" conjures up in me the idea of specialization and advanced skill and knowledge, and when it is applied to a field of work, it grants status and respect to its members. Denying such a field of work that requires such lengthy training and broad knowledge the title "professional" seems to deny it status and respect. Why must freelancing in the field of writing frequently conjure up an image of the mercenary (hired gun)? I now recall an acquaintance of mine calling it "literary prostitution" as well. There's a terrible immoral connotation in such metaphors that I'd rather not have anything to do with. I think such judgments are not based on the type of work itself, but on its relation to the context of university disciplines and established professions, and the manner in which someone gets paid. Tania Smith.