When I first started freelance writing, I was always at a loss for article ideas. I struggled with thinking of things to write about and the ideas were few and far between. From time to time, I would think of something, then forget it before I got the chance to go home and write about it. At one point, Greg bought me a notebook for my purse so I could write things down, and that helped quite a bit. At the encouragement of a couple of friends, I started brainstorming on specific topics, and that seemed to get the juices flowing.
Lately, I've found that ideas are constantly coming to me. I go to the store, drive down the street, go to the dance, go to a horse show, ride my horse...no matter what I do, an idea seems to pop in my head. Sometimes I remember to write it down, and sometimes I don't, but with the abundance of ideas, some of them are bound to stick! The other day, I ran out of summer topics for the Suite101 Summer Sizzles contest. I asked Michy for some ideas, and she gave me some...and through the course of my research came up with several ways to dissect each one or thought of tangents that will keep me going for a while.
I mentioned the contests the other day...having something like that to narrow my focus also helps generate ideas. Now eHow is having a summer home & garden contest--you get $75 if your article is featured on the front page! Now, that's some motivation...I have been pleased with the number of page views and revenue share I've gotten on the piddly number of articles I have there.
So, today's challenge: through the course of your day today, find one thing that inspires an article, whether for a print magazine or an online content site, it doesn't matter as long as it gets you writing. Once you find that one topic, either dissect it into three parts or find two tangents/related topics you can then cover.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Contests are great writing prompts
Two of my online content sites are currently running contests: "Summer Sizzles" (write five articles about summer and get a chance at $101) on Suite101 and a local content contest on Associated Content.
These contests are great for writers for a couple of reasons:
1. They motivate you to write a lot, because hey, you might win something!
2. They give you a prompt to get you started brainstorming.
These are both big factors in my writing for these sites. The pay is low, so it's hard to be motivated to write for them, but I know that if I could just get a big library on them, I could have a very decent stream of residual income.
For the latter, I often struggle with coming up with ideas. Having just the smallest prompt, like "summer", at least sets me in a specific direction. I've already posted four articles to Suite101 for this contest, and two are doing quite well by my standards. In fact, two were Twittered (or is it Tweeted?) by people I don't even know with huge followings! I had my biggest day ever there yesterday. I've submitted two articles to AC so far for their local content drive and they have not been processed yet.
There are many, many writing contests out there for both fiction and non-fiction. Winning one is not only good for your ego and gets you prizes (sometimes cash), but it's good for your resume, too. Plus, they get you writing, which is what is hard for many of us.
My challenge to you, dear reader, is to find a contest and enter it. A couple of places to find them are at Accentuate Writers Forum and the Writer's Market. Enter, then post here so I and others can cheer you on!
These contests are great for writers for a couple of reasons:
1. They motivate you to write a lot, because hey, you might win something!
2. They give you a prompt to get you started brainstorming.
These are both big factors in my writing for these sites. The pay is low, so it's hard to be motivated to write for them, but I know that if I could just get a big library on them, I could have a very decent stream of residual income.
For the latter, I often struggle with coming up with ideas. Having just the smallest prompt, like "summer", at least sets me in a specific direction. I've already posted four articles to Suite101 for this contest, and two are doing quite well by my standards. In fact, two were Twittered (or is it Tweeted?) by people I don't even know with huge followings! I had my biggest day ever there yesterday. I've submitted two articles to AC so far for their local content drive and they have not been processed yet.
There are many, many writing contests out there for both fiction and non-fiction. Winning one is not only good for your ego and gets you prizes (sometimes cash), but it's good for your resume, too. Plus, they get you writing, which is what is hard for many of us.
My challenge to you, dear reader, is to find a contest and enter it. A couple of places to find them are at Accentuate Writers Forum and the Writer's Market. Enter, then post here so I and others can cheer you on!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Examiner.com
I have several friends on Examiner.com but had not really thought about signing up until recently. They do not give up-front payments, but they do give revenue share. They do not tell you exactly how much, just that it's based on a variety of factors. When you sign up, you have to submit a writing sample and explain why you are a good fit for the position, just like applying for a job...and you may or may not be selected. If you are, they perform a brief and simple background check on you (mostly, where you've lived recently and if you have any convictions).
I signed up and was accepted as the Sacramento Equestrian Examiner last week. It took them just under a week to send my acceptance, but I've heard of other people taking longer or shorter so it probably depends on the channel you choose. They expect you to post 3-5 articles per week so you can build a readership, but I have not found any guidelines that say how long the article has to be. They do want a picture with every article, as well as hyperlinks within it to relevant websites. It's kind of a pain, but if I'm honest about it, those things probably do enhance the article and make it more appealing. The channel managers are very good about providing helpful information to make your article appear professional and draw traffic.
I have only posted two articles so far, and one of them was late last night. Sacramento Equestrian is probably not the most popular subject to search for, so I'm thinking of getting something more mainstream as a second topic(will post on that later if I do). I have about 30 views so far and $.27, so about a penny a view. Like any content site, this is not a place to get rich, nor should anyone quit their day job to work for Examiner.com. however, it'll be a little side income, and they do not ask for exclusivity on anything you publish there.
The thing that really prompted me to sign up was that a lot of people have gotten some good connections through their Examiner.com articles...invitations to events, requests for reviews, etc. I haven't heard nearly as many stories of this type from other online content sites. I also like that Examiner.com is somewhat exclusive--unlike Associated Content or Helium, where anyone can write anything, Examiner.com, like Suite101, has standards. Like my blatant self-promotion there? :)
I'll report back in a couple of months when I have a good base of articles going.
I signed up and was accepted as the Sacramento Equestrian Examiner last week. It took them just under a week to send my acceptance, but I've heard of other people taking longer or shorter so it probably depends on the channel you choose. They expect you to post 3-5 articles per week so you can build a readership, but I have not found any guidelines that say how long the article has to be. They do want a picture with every article, as well as hyperlinks within it to relevant websites. It's kind of a pain, but if I'm honest about it, those things probably do enhance the article and make it more appealing. The channel managers are very good about providing helpful information to make your article appear professional and draw traffic.
I have only posted two articles so far, and one of them was late last night. Sacramento Equestrian is probably not the most popular subject to search for, so I'm thinking of getting something more mainstream as a second topic(will post on that later if I do). I have about 30 views so far and $.27, so about a penny a view. Like any content site, this is not a place to get rich, nor should anyone quit their day job to work for Examiner.com. however, it'll be a little side income, and they do not ask for exclusivity on anything you publish there.
The thing that really prompted me to sign up was that a lot of people have gotten some good connections through their Examiner.com articles...invitations to events, requests for reviews, etc. I haven't heard nearly as many stories of this type from other online content sites. I also like that Examiner.com is somewhat exclusive--unlike Associated Content or Helium, where anyone can write anything, Examiner.com, like Suite101, has standards. Like my blatant self-promotion there? :)
I'll report back in a couple of months when I have a good base of articles going.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Arabian Horse World!
I mentioned a while back that I had an article accepted by Arabian Horse Times, one of the two big national magazines for the Arabian horse industry. I am please to report that I will be in the May issue of the other biggie, Arabian Horse World! If you subscribe or are able to pick up a copy, the article is "National Champion Turns to Law Enforcement" and it is about my friend, Aimee Pahl. May issue, page 242. Whoopee!!! I am very excited!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Associated Content Review
It's been a while since I've talked about Associated Content. I go in and out with how much I post there, but I really think it's worth giving it some attention. If you are unfamiliar with it, it is an online content site, kind of like an article warehouse. Anyone can sign up for an account and post articles there (that they wrote, not that they found somewhere). In many cases, you can get paid $3-$5 up front for these articles, and in all cases you get paid $1.50 or more (depending on your "clout level", which is based on how many articles and page views you have) per 1,000 page views. Up-front payments are made via paypal several times per week, and the performance payments are made once per month.
I currently have 102 articles on the site, which have varying levels of success--I don't concentrate nearly enough on SEO or finding hot topics to write about. My performance payment last month was a little over $9, and this month it'll be just over $10. Whoopee, right? Well, if I worked a little harder at it, I could make some decent money. There are AC "sources" (as the writers are called) who make a full-on living at it. It's not the highest paid living, but they do it.
I know of at least one woman who got her performance payments up to four figures during the holiday season...wow. $1,000 just in residual income! That starts to make the $5 up-front a little easier to bear. My buddy and mentor, Michy, regularly makes over $100 per month in residual income...and the more sites you earn residuals on, the more it adds up. The more articles you have out there, the more you will earn.
Michy did month-long challenges for both Helium and Associated Content. You can read a Q&A with her here on AC's blog, and you can read her whole challenge here. She gives some great advice in the Q&A.
Most important things, IMO, for succeeding on AC:
1. Learn Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is where you will get most of your traffic, from people searching on search engines. You will get some from promotional efforts as well, but SEO is vital.
2. Pick good topics, ones that a lot of people are interested in. Hot topics, like recent news events, celebrities, and things that are popular with kids, often bring in a lot of page views in a short period of time. Evergreen topics are ones that people search for over and over again. Holiday articles do great around that time of year every single year, then fizzle out the rest of the year.
3. Write a lot. The more articles you get out there, the more you can earn and the more you can draw attention to yourself.
4. There is a ton of information on the AC forums (careful, though, they can get a little snarky there, but they're really good people who mostly want to help. Read as much as you can before you post questions) and on AC sources' blogs.
If I followed my own advice better, I'd be more successful! Ha!
I currently have 102 articles on the site, which have varying levels of success--I don't concentrate nearly enough on SEO or finding hot topics to write about. My performance payment last month was a little over $9, and this month it'll be just over $10. Whoopee, right? Well, if I worked a little harder at it, I could make some decent money. There are AC "sources" (as the writers are called) who make a full-on living at it. It's not the highest paid living, but they do it.
I know of at least one woman who got her performance payments up to four figures during the holiday season...wow. $1,000 just in residual income! That starts to make the $5 up-front a little easier to bear. My buddy and mentor, Michy, regularly makes over $100 per month in residual income...and the more sites you earn residuals on, the more it adds up. The more articles you have out there, the more you will earn.
Michy did month-long challenges for both Helium and Associated Content. You can read a Q&A with her here on AC's blog, and you can read her whole challenge here. She gives some great advice in the Q&A.
Most important things, IMO, for succeeding on AC:
1. Learn Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is where you will get most of your traffic, from people searching on search engines. You will get some from promotional efforts as well, but SEO is vital.
2. Pick good topics, ones that a lot of people are interested in. Hot topics, like recent news events, celebrities, and things that are popular with kids, often bring in a lot of page views in a short period of time. Evergreen topics are ones that people search for over and over again. Holiday articles do great around that time of year every single year, then fizzle out the rest of the year.
3. Write a lot. The more articles you get out there, the more you can earn and the more you can draw attention to yourself.
4. There is a ton of information on the AC forums (careful, though, they can get a little snarky there, but they're really good people who mostly want to help. Read as much as you can before you post questions) and on AC sources' blogs.
If I followed my own advice better, I'd be more successful! Ha!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Interview with me posted
Karina Fabian, whose book I copy edited a few months ago, interviewed me about my job as a copy editor at Swimming Kangaroo Books. Please check it out!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Do you HARO?
Sometimes a big challenge in freelance writing is finding sources (heck, even fiction writers can benefit--you might need some research). Well, Peter Shankman had a great idea...people kept asking him for sources, so he started a group on Facebook where writers and sources could find each other. It grew so big that it exceeded the 5,000 member limit on Facebook and he had to start his own site, Help A Reporter Out.
The process is simple. If you're a writer and need a source, you fill out an online form. Your request goes out in one of two group emails each day, and chances are, there is someone in the thousands of people on the list who can serve as a source for you.
If you are interested in giving back and being a source yourself (of course, you must agree to only answer questions you are truly qualified to answer), you can sign up and you will start receiving three emails per day. You may get the chance to be quoted in an article and help someone else out--and you might find some inspiration in what other people are writing about (not that you should copy them, but something might inspire you).
Give it a try!
The process is simple. If you're a writer and need a source, you fill out an online form. Your request goes out in one of two group emails each day, and chances are, there is someone in the thousands of people on the list who can serve as a source for you.
If you are interested in giving back and being a source yourself (of course, you must agree to only answer questions you are truly qualified to answer), you can sign up and you will start receiving three emails per day. You may get the chance to be quoted in an article and help someone else out--and you might find some inspiration in what other people are writing about (not that you should copy them, but something might inspire you).
Give it a try!
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