Successful Freelance Writer

There are six glass or crystal bowls in my cabinet. This does not include the nice plastic, ceramic and silver bowls in my other cabinet. I love to entertain, but even I think this is a bit over the top.

I’m going to blame it on our wedding (even if it was almost 15 years ago). We received a total of four towels (two sets of a bath towel and wash rag) and one set of sheets. Everything else was silver, crystal or china. Just what every couple needs when they are first starting out.

There was a time when I tried to use the gifts as much as possible. After three kids – all boys – those times seem like a far away dream. Part of it is that I don’t have time to entertain like I once did. Most of it is because we are much more casual than I thought I’d be. Crystal and silver just don’t work well with water balloon fights and grilling.

We are planning a huge sale/fund raiser in August to help fund an drama ministry (and to get rid of all the stuff that is getting in the way out our blessings). I have a feeling that at least a few of those bowls will likely make the sale. If I get real frisky I might even take a few of the more impressive items to an actual auction.

All I know is that it is time to use it or to lose it. What are the crystal bowls in your life that are cluttering up your ability to receive the blessings God desires for your life?

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This blog is getting regular visitors - although nothing like some of the sites that I visit. And there has even been an offer to run some ads on the site – although the offer was almost insulting.

It makes me wonder if it’s possible to have a website that makes money that doesn’t focus on gossip or shock. If it is I have not yet figured out the magic bullet. I have found a few tips though.

1. Build your visitors before you monetize. This is something I work on every month by experimenting with different set ups (from one or more article every day to just one a week). I keep up with my stats and what I’m doing to see if there is one thing that makes a huge difference.
2. Focus your website. There are so many ideas running around my head that I haven’t been able to hone in on one subject for this site. I’m leaning towards the writing side, but I will probably have to either start a new site for the family focused articles to give myself a release of all that pressure.
3. Be passionate. There are days when it is my sheer will that pushes me to write. This venture is much more time consuming and painstaking than I though it would be. If you aren’t writing about something you love then it will show – either by your lack of understanding of the subject or by your lack of desire to write.
4. Be patient. Creating a blog is like writing a novel – very few people get their final draft the first time through. After two years of working on my website I’m still working on my website. Be prepared to change your format, to redesign your site and to funnel your material to the articles and keywords that are getting the most attention.
5. Know the odds. My website has made me exactly NO money since I first set it up. Because I’m a writer, I do use my domain fees and hosting fees as a tax write off so technically it hasn’t cost me anything either. The truth is that few blogs on the market today are actual money makers. If you are in it for the cash only then you might want to find a different avenue for seeking your fortune.

While it is possible to make money from a blog (or to win the lottery or write a best selling novel) it is not something that happens to everyone. It will largely depend on your audience, your material and your site. The more time you take on developing these three aspects then the more likely you are to begin earning some money from your site.

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It is possible to make money doing any thing that you want. There just has to be a plan and then willingness and a consistency to follow that plan. It doesn’t matter whether you want to become a millionaire, lose weight or make money doing something you love. Every thing is possible once you conceive it and follow through.

1. Start now. Nothing happens over night. You need to build your business before you fly on your own. Begin small and you will work your way up to the success that you desire.

2. Keep learning. No matter how good you may be (or you might THINK that you may be) there is always something more to learn. Attend conferences, take online courses and find community classes or writer’s groups that can help you increase your knowledge and advance your craft.

3. Create a plan. Decide what genres you want to settle into and write out goals (i.e. publish a series of fiction mystery novels or syndicate a column). After the goals you will want to write out steps (measurable objectives) that will help you reach each goal. Put together a writing plan very similar to any business plan that you would create.

4. Write daily. All the best ideas in the world will never amount to anything if they are not first put to work. Action is the key to becoming a success at anything.

5. Write differently. You may want to tackle just one genre, but by expanding you opportunities you will also expand your skills. Cross genres to help increase your basic writing skills and to uncover hidden talents.

6. Discover your niche. There is a place for you right now. You just have to find it and begin to make it your own.

7. Learn to query. The query letter is one of the most important keys for getting published in any form. Keep copies of your rejected queries so that you can take them to conferences or writer’s groups and get others to help you make them better. Don’t be afraid to query the same editor with a better product.

8. Follow through. If you say that you can do it then you better do it (and beat the deadline). Start building your credibility from the beginning.

9. Write for pay. Making money writing starts with getting paid to write. You may not be able to jump into the pond as top ten writer, but you can get your feet wet somewhere. Write what you can until you can write what you want.

10. Reach up. Once you get started then you can’t settle. Keep reaching for more. Try for the higher paying jobs, query the larger magazines, ask for the opportunity or the raise. The more experience you have and the more clips you build then the bolder you will become.

Success is only a try away. Creating a writing career – where you actually get paid for your passion – will take some time and effort but it can be achieved.

Some places to start:

www.ehow.com – not only can you post your own how to tips, but they also hire writers for projects as well.

www.craigslist.com – search in the gigs under writing and also in the writing/editing section.

www.performancing.com – they offer a list of blogger jobs and also some create tips for developing you own website.

www.paidpostingtools.com – you only make a few cents per comment, but strong posts can lead to other opportunities.

Determining what you will accept is a personal decision. Figure out what it takes you to create a story of 250 words. Put a price tag on your work ($5 is not an unusually starting point for short posts). Or you can figure up an hourly rate that you are willing to accept and figure out the price that way.

No matter how you figure your payment plan, be sure that you set aside around 20% of your income to pay for taxes at the end of the year. You will also want to keep a record of all your expenses to help decrease those taxes.

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There is complete chaos going on around of me, but I have a complete sense of calm. It’s amazing how something as simple as a movie can do that for you. For family movie night we watched “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” and the youngest child ran around like a wild man up until the last few minutes of the movie.

When I heard the words “the only thing you have to believe in is you,” I knew the words were for me – specific to my moment. I’ve been struggling the last few weeks to keep pushing because I wasn’t seeing any results. But the difference between the struggle and the breakthrough is often faith.

I’m taking advantage of the extreme euphoria I feel after that movie and I’m writing. I’m writing things that I’ve been thinking, I’m creating work that I need to get done, I’m editing the novel that is completed but has yet to queried. I believe in me.

When all is said and done, nothing can happen if I don’t believe that it can and if I don’t step out to make it happen. The joy I feel right now is the kind I wish I could bottle. It doesn’t matter what else is happening, I FEEL the okay – if that makes sense.

Make it happen – what ever your it may be. All you really have to do is believe in you and it is half way to there.

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It seems to be easier to do something for peanuts than it does for real cash. Even though I try to produce the same quality content no matter who I’m writing for or how much they are paying, when the paycheck is more my nerves seem to grow in comparison.

The more nervous I am about a project then the harder it is for me to get started. I can procrastinate myself into a time crunch if I’m not careful. It’s just that I want to get the right opener and the right closer and use all the perfect words in between.

I recently started a project that is on the higher end of the pay scale. It’s for a new client with potential for more articles in the future. My nerves are so raw that I don’t even like thinking about the project – due in just a few days. The more I think about it and “prepare” for the writing the more I realize it really is all the same.

1. Do the research – that way I know more about what I’m writing about. I use the library, magazines and the internet.

2. Do an outline – break down the article in to paragraphs, steps or other ideas. This helps it to flow and makes it easier to add or subtract words as necessary.

3. Do a rough draft – get a feel for the article, the subject and the voice for the article.

4. Do editing. Kill the adverbs that you can catch and make the writing tight.

5. Send in the completed article by the deadline.

The writing it the same (or it should be) no matter what the paycheck turns out to be. The key is to NOT look at the dollars and concentrate on the subject instead.

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Writing online can be a profitable career choice. There are a wide array of opportunities that cover ever aspect of the writing market. The more you learn, the more you do then the more you will discover. Just don’t make the mistake that most online writers make today.

There are plenty of places that offer you the chance to write for the experience. Some will only offer you a few dollars per job. Most would quit doing both is writers valued their own work more. It doesn’t matter what you are writing or where you are writing (or even how fast you are writing) - $2 for a 300 word article is just not enough.

In the real world, giving pay that low would be illegal in the United States. That is less than the minimum wage – even for a skilled typist. The internet – as many writers have discovered – is not the real world. So what can you do to keep from undervaluing your work and to find the opportunities to make the higher pay?

1. Learn to surf the web you are interested in writing on. If you must take the “low end” jobs for income sake, then look for some that are a bit more reasonable. There are several sites that offer writers ghost writing jobs for low – but fairly reasonable – payments. Do key word searches for “freelance writing jobs” or “article content.” You should also join forums that have other writers and start making connections with the people in the industry.

2. Learn to say NO! If you wouldn’t accept the pay in the “real world” for a job that you were going to do then don’t accept it in the internet world. Have an idea of how much time will be involved in a possible writing job and how the pay would break down per hour.

3. Ask for more pay. If you are just starting out and have no publishing clips, then it may be hard to be bold. Taking the lower (but not $2) jobs is a good way to get some experience under your belt. Starting your own blog and learning ways to build the readership, visitors and subscribers is another strong selling point for your writing. Where ever you are in your writing, you can’t be afraid to ask for more – the very worst that can happen is that someone else gets the low paying gig and you end up finding something that pays more and is more suited to your writing style.

4. Search for jobs on a daily or weekly basis. There are several newsletters that you can subscribe to that list some of the top writing jobs on the market.

a. http://aboutfreelancewriting.com/jobs/currentjobs.htm (free site)

b. http://www.freelancedaily.net/ (paid site, but offers a free trial)

c. http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com/ (free site)

5. Visit some of the top websites for freelance writers and for bloggers. Sites like Performancing and regularly list jobs on the site AND Problogger offer great advice for building your own websites along the way.

The worst thing that a freelance writer can do it underestimate his or her value. If you expect more then you will find more – it may just take a bit of digging to find those jobs. There are jobs that pay $.10 per word or even $150 per article – ONLINE! The key is to put in the effort to find the job, create and amazing query letter and then follow up with writing that is more than worth every penny.

Don’t make the #1 mistake most online freelancers make. Put a price tag on your work and create work that is worth it.

Tags: Attitudes, Blogging, Work from Home, writing // 1 Comment »

Many people take the plunge into writing without any real direction or understanding of the industry. I know I did. I sent in my first short story to Seventeen magazine when I was, well seventeen. It was rejected and with a photocopied letter that I still have today.

The sad thing is that I had one of the tools that would have helped guide me in my quest to write. I had received a subscription to The Writer when I first expressed a serious desire to write. The articles on query letters and knowing your market must have slipped right past me.

The Writer still comes to my home today. I also get other writing tools through the mail and now through the internet, but The Writer is still the one that ALWAYS offers me tips and suggestions that truly help me better my skills or increase my business (writing IS a business!).

If you aren’t currently receiving regular information about the craft of writing then The Writer is a great choice. The subscription fee is small, there is an online site, and the magazine is great for the experienced and the new writer.

This month (June, 2008) the magazine has some great tips on how to schedule your calendar, several articles on how to write children’s fiction and suggestions on taking real life people and molding them into fiction characters. Each month there is also a list of markets for the freelance writer and an interview with a successful writer that give tips on how to write.

Expand your writing skills and learn from some of the top writers in the field by using the tools that are available to you today. Whether you subscribe to a magazine like The Writer, invest in an online magazine subscription or find books to help you along the way, it is important that you continue the journey to become a better writer.

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Yesterday I got a rejection for a magazine. It was one of those rejections that actually give feedback. I consider these a challenge. It is my goal to take the feedback and make the next query one that is accepted and purchased.

There are many people who do not believe in good rejections or failures. But the only people who ever fail are those that are attempting to reach for a goal or a dream. The difference between a good rejection and a bad rejection lies in my attitude of the letter.

I could be hurt that the magazine did not purchase all of my blood, sweat and tears. Defending what I wrote would be the natural response of many writers. It would be easy to turn up my nose and refuse to query that magazine again (but eventually a writer who does that will run out of places to query).

Instead of being hurt, I am grateful that the magazine didn’t accept my article. The editor was right (shock, dismay) that there could be more to the story. With some tweaking I can help others with the story and not just show off my own situation. Instead of defending the piece as it is written I need to embrace the vision that the editor offers for what it could become.

The more I am willing to improve then the farther I can go. I refuse to see the rejection as a negative. It is a red flag challenging me to send something that is perfect for that magazine and that no editor could ever refuse.

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It seems that it is easier for people born into a family of wealth and means. There is a limitless supply of money and connections to help them achieve their purposes in life. Things just always are going their way.

This is YOU!

As a child of God, you are born into the greatest family in the history of the world. Your Father has everything (literally). The entire world is in the palm of His hand.

The problem for most of us is that we feel more like the wicked step children than the blessed children of God. It is time that you stepped up and claimed your inheritance.

1. Meet your Father. Everyday take time to talk with your Father AND to listen to what He has to say.

2. Engross yourself in the word and will of your Father. He has already written out how you can receive all of His blessings (and even what those blessings are -
Deuteronomy 28:1-14) so dig in and find out about your true inheritance.

3. Step out in obedience. Do what your Father says and do it when your Father says to do it. Partially obedience is full disobedience.

4. Believe in the blessings of your Father. For most people, if their earthly father came to them with a promise they would expect it. The same is more profoundly true for your spiritual Father. Look for the fulfillment of His promises.

5. Hold on to faith and joy. Refuse to allow circumstances to override the promises. Hold on to what you have learned from a personal relationship with your Father.

Take your place as a true child of God and you will find that your success truly is guaranteed.

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I’ve been writing online in various aspects for around two years. Many of the sites that I have worked with pay a bare minimum (particularly when you compare them to the print market). With a few strong sales under my belt, I’m becoming more discriminate about what I will take and what I will not. Unless the topic is one I would do for free anyway, I have set my minimum per word pay and I’m not going back.

Just a few jobs a week that pay $50 an article will push you to your $5000 goal every month. And YES those kinds of jobs are out there when you really are willing to look for them.

1. Use keyword searches to find “top paying freelance writing jobs.” Avoid those sites that take a percentage of any jobs and avoid the ones that you have to pay to join. There are plenty of sites out there that have lists of well paying freelance writing jobs.

a. You just may have to spend a day specifically looking for new markets and new jobs.
b. Book mark the top sites that you find or subscribe to any newsletters that they send out to make your search easier in the future.

2. Be bold, be brave and be tough. Be bold and ask for the job. When you are at a website or forum that you like then you should ask for a chance to write and article for that site. Be brave enough to ask for what you think is fare and reasonable pay (about half of what you would expect from a print source). Be tough enough to take what ever answer is dished out.

a. Remember that no just means you have another chance to perfect your pitch elsewhere.
b. You can make the big dollars if you don’t ask for the big dollars.

3. Work on your skills. It is important that you perfect your writing, but it is just as important that you perfect your approach and your query. You can take a class or course on queries or you can work with other writers in a group or even online. Great queries are a sign of a professional writer.

a. Watch your grammar.
b. Check (and recheck) the spelling of the editor’s name and the website you are pitching.

4. Work at writing every single day. Do a little of every genre that you desire to work in. Set a goal of 1000 or 2500 words each day in each field and then set aside time to get that done. The more you do what you want to do then the better you will become and the easier it will be to reach your for your dreams.

Each month I set a new goal for my income target. I will continue to push myself more until I reach the level that I desire and then I will probably just begin pushing in another direction. Success requires action and I am determined to be a successful writer starting today.
With persistence and daring, YOU can make $5000 each month writing online. Hone your writing skills, look for the right jobs and the produce a product that is worthy to be called your own. You will soon find that the $50 (and even higher) jobs will begin to start looking for you.

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