Monday was a rather grim day on the Internet, during which the passings of actor Roy Scheider and comics writer Steve Gerber were noted.

In the science fiction/fantasy corner of the Web, there was also some sobering discussion of the realities of being a freelance writer. Nick Mamatas, author of “Move Under Ground” and “Under My Roof,” pointed in a post to “Mid-Life HeebieJeebies,” an essay by Wayne Allen Salle. Salle writes honestly about losing a supposedly secure nine-to-five middle-class job and finding freelance work while also dealing with cerebral palsy.

Jeff Vandermeer brought my attention to the plight of full-time freelancer Caitlin R. Kiernan, author of who’s in the middle of some health-related hardships.

So, yeah, freelancing can be a mighty precarious way to earn a living. Good thing there are folks like “Old Man’s War” author John Scalzi, who offered “Unasked-For Advice to New Writers About Money.” It’s well worth reading, no matter how old a writer you are, and you ignore it at your peril.