Hi all!
As a freelancer, you only get paid whenever you do and finish a job and being a freelance writer means no break for me. A survey was posted in Odesk if freelancers are planning to take a break during the holidays. I was quite surprised that majority are still willing to work as long as there is work for them.
On my part, I took a break or a sit back with my writing during the season. First, we had to transfer to our new house (yehey!) which means that my internet connection was temporarily cut-off by my ISP (ouch!). Secondly, we had to travel to my parents' home for Christmas. And lastly, the endless get togethers, parties and weddings that I was obliged to attends keeps me off from my laptop.
For freelance writers and freelancers in general, it is not imposible to take a break especially during a " global holiday" like Christmas, all you have to do is to inform the dates that you can't work and your expected return to work. It would also be nice if you check your email everyday in case there are urgent things.
So, rejoice and celebrate the season!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Do's and Dont's of Article Writing
This post is to answer someone who asked me about the "do's and dont's of Article Writing". Thank you for the idea...here it is. I hope you will learn something.
In general, there are two things to remember when writing any article; they must be original and of high quality. This post will elaborate so please read on...
1. Copied work and plagiarism.
To be frank, we are not that trained to make our work original way back in our thesis, essays and term papers. It's like we are tempted to copy some sentences and add it to our project so it can become 5 pages or we are "confident" that our teacher may not know. Well, as a teacher; we always know. The words and ideas are too perfect and not that coherent with the rest.
In writing articles, clients are very anxious that you will give them copied work. In the end, its their names who will be jeopardized and "flagged" by Google. But there are times that we have the same wordings to other works even though we really made it. The easiest is to check your work with the online tool, Article Checker or Copyscape if you have it before submitting to your client. Make the necessary changes to make it 100% original.
2. Spend time researching for your topics.
Some might consider "researching" for your topic a waste of time especially if you are writing a very short web content article. But researching by getting some key points and facts can save you time when writing. You must have some piece of paper and jot down all the necessary facts that are important for your article. This can save you time once you are writing your article. You will not be "lost of words" and your ideas are there already; you just have to combine them all.
3. Never rush your articles.
I have experienced being so loaded with many assignments because I got addicted to getting projects ( I will discuss this in another post; kindly remind me..lol) that I don't have time to write them all in the best that I could. If you rush your articles, it will turn out so mediocre and you lose your client.
4. Make your article "readable".
Online article writing gives opportunity to those people who are not " walking dictionaries" to publish their works. Majority of people who use and read contents in the internet are just like us so keep your words simple. I read in one article that your work should not prompt our readers to look for a dictionary. Unless you are writing some specific articles like insurances, medicals and the likes where you need to add some jargon.
5. Grammar and Spelling.
Review your basic grammar in case you forgot. Do not rely on the spelling and grammar check of your computer since it can outlook some errors. Manually edit and check your work. Read and read your article before submitting it to your client.
6. Avoid "Fillers".
A client asked you to write a 600-word article about "losing weight" and you are completely lost with words; you are still with 400 words. Some writers would make their sentences to long and repeating some ideas over and over again just to reach the number of words. Now, this is not good especially for readers, this will no longer interesting to read. Your work should be concise and direct to the point.
7. Make headings
To make your article readable, make at least one heading. For example your writing an article about "Losing Weight"; your article should look like this
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Foods to Eat and Avoid
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Exercises to Start with
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Above, you made two headings which are " Foods to Eat and Avoid" and "Exercises to Start With". Having headings will only make your article organized but it can be easier for you to meet the number of words required. So it is easy to make a 600- word article if you do this; just allocate the number of words to each part.
There you have it, some of the things to keep in mind when writing any article. If you have other ideas, feel free to comment...
Earn and Write!
In general, there are two things to remember when writing any article; they must be original and of high quality. This post will elaborate so please read on...
1. Copied work and plagiarism.
To be frank, we are not that trained to make our work original way back in our thesis, essays and term papers. It's like we are tempted to copy some sentences and add it to our project so it can become 5 pages or we are "confident" that our teacher may not know. Well, as a teacher; we always know. The words and ideas are too perfect and not that coherent with the rest.
In writing articles, clients are very anxious that you will give them copied work. In the end, its their names who will be jeopardized and "flagged" by Google. But there are times that we have the same wordings to other works even though we really made it. The easiest is to check your work with the online tool, Article Checker or Copyscape if you have it before submitting to your client. Make the necessary changes to make it 100% original.
2. Spend time researching for your topics.
Some might consider "researching" for your topic a waste of time especially if you are writing a very short web content article. But researching by getting some key points and facts can save you time when writing. You must have some piece of paper and jot down all the necessary facts that are important for your article. This can save you time once you are writing your article. You will not be "lost of words" and your ideas are there already; you just have to combine them all.
3. Never rush your articles.
I have experienced being so loaded with many assignments because I got addicted to getting projects ( I will discuss this in another post; kindly remind me..lol) that I don't have time to write them all in the best that I could. If you rush your articles, it will turn out so mediocre and you lose your client.
4. Make your article "readable".
Online article writing gives opportunity to those people who are not " walking dictionaries" to publish their works. Majority of people who use and read contents in the internet are just like us so keep your words simple. I read in one article that your work should not prompt our readers to look for a dictionary. Unless you are writing some specific articles like insurances, medicals and the likes where you need to add some jargon.
5. Grammar and Spelling.
Review your basic grammar in case you forgot. Do not rely on the spelling and grammar check of your computer since it can outlook some errors. Manually edit and check your work. Read and read your article before submitting it to your client.
6. Avoid "Fillers".
A client asked you to write a 600-word article about "losing weight" and you are completely lost with words; you are still with 400 words. Some writers would make their sentences to long and repeating some ideas over and over again just to reach the number of words. Now, this is not good especially for readers, this will no longer interesting to read. Your work should be concise and direct to the point.
7. Make headings
To make your article readable, make at least one heading. For example your writing an article about "Losing Weight"; your article should look like this
How to Lose Weight
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Foods to Eat and Avoid
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Exercises to Start with
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Above, you made two headings which are " Foods to Eat and Avoid" and "Exercises to Start With". Having headings will only make your article organized but it can be easier for you to meet the number of words required. So it is easy to make a 600- word article if you do this; just allocate the number of words to each part.
There you have it, some of the things to keep in mind when writing any article. If you have other ideas, feel free to comment...
Earn and Write!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Freelance Writer: How to Start
First of all, my apologies for writing this post quite late as I have promised. I have been busy looking for projects and finishing them. You see, I have this bizarre complications of being an "OC" that once I started with a project, I would finish it in a day or two. Anyway, one asked on how to start a freelance writer. Yeah, it is a very promising venture; earning while at home. And not to insult those other home-based "jobs", freelance writing is really a job.
Here is a step-by-step procedure to get your career as a freelance writer a start..
1. Recall your writing skills
This should be the first thing that an aspiring freelance writer should take into consideration especially if the last time you were into writing was during your essay final examination in college :-0. Remember, clients are into the quality of work that you can render to them. So how can you do this?
A portfolio has all your past work like articles. It is not enough to attach a word document of your article when applying for a writing job. As mentioned, there are many free blogs that you can use. Your blog can be your portfolio if you have articles in it or you really have a separate portfolio that potential clients can refer to. Like this blog can already be my portfolio for some clients. For my website, I have a menu for my portfolio, I have listed down my articles that has been published; my clients will just have to clink on the URL and viola! my article!
3. Get your Paypal account
Most Filipino writers cannot move on with their career as a freelance writer simply because they don't have a Paypal account. Paypal is still the most common payment method online though I use Payoneer often since they have higher exchange rates. For Paypal, you need to have a credit card or go to apply for an EON Cyber Account with UnionBank. It would take at most ten days to validate your Paypal account. While you still don't have Paypal, you can use your bank account or Gcash.
4. Look for clients
This is one of the most time-consuming part of this industry. Even if you already an established writer, just like any business you need to look for clients. You can either market your site or blog or look for them by yourself. For a start log on to freelance sites like Odesk or Getafreelancer. Some find it hard and long to land on their first assignment, but it is worth it. You can start carving your niche in these sites as a freelance writer.
Now, while waiting for your assignment from freelance sites, you can look for small scale writing jobs. Believe, the pay is very low but as I said, make this as an investment to enhance your skills and to learn about the world of freelance writing. There are some writers who need help from others to meet deadlines. You can visit pinoymoneytalk, Entre Pinoy Atbp. and even friendster!
After you land your first assignment, please do your best. Like any business, repeat client will make your business grow; on my experience, my first client with Odesk is still with me and she keeps bringing income to my wallet. So never let go of this opportunity!
Write and Earn!
Here is a step-by-step procedure to get your career as a freelance writer a start..
1. Recall your writing skills
This should be the first thing that an aspiring freelance writer should take into consideration especially if the last time you were into writing was during your essay final examination in college :-0. Remember, clients are into the quality of work that you can render to them. So how can you do this?
- Start writing! This is the only way to do this. Start with what you did when you were little, you can write about your day or anything in your thoughts in a piece of paper or in a notebook just to be back in sync with your writing.
- Create a blog. Since you will be dealing the online world then your writing must be available online. There are many free blogs like Blogger and Wordpress which are user-friendly. Then try to write a piece which is at least 300 words and increase this as fast as you can. When applying for jobs, most articles would run for 500 words and some would demand 3-5 articles each day!
A portfolio has all your past work like articles. It is not enough to attach a word document of your article when applying for a writing job. As mentioned, there are many free blogs that you can use. Your blog can be your portfolio if you have articles in it or you really have a separate portfolio that potential clients can refer to. Like this blog can already be my portfolio for some clients. For my website, I have a menu for my portfolio, I have listed down my articles that has been published; my clients will just have to clink on the URL and viola! my article!
3. Get your Paypal account
Most Filipino writers cannot move on with their career as a freelance writer simply because they don't have a Paypal account. Paypal is still the most common payment method online though I use Payoneer often since they have higher exchange rates. For Paypal, you need to have a credit card or go to apply for an EON Cyber Account with UnionBank. It would take at most ten days to validate your Paypal account. While you still don't have Paypal, you can use your bank account or Gcash.
4. Look for clients
This is one of the most time-consuming part of this industry. Even if you already an established writer, just like any business you need to look for clients. You can either market your site or blog or look for them by yourself. For a start log on to freelance sites like Odesk or Getafreelancer. Some find it hard and long to land on their first assignment, but it is worth it. You can start carving your niche in these sites as a freelance writer.
Now, while waiting for your assignment from freelance sites, you can look for small scale writing jobs. Believe, the pay is very low but as I said, make this as an investment to enhance your skills and to learn about the world of freelance writing. There are some writers who need help from others to meet deadlines. You can visit pinoymoneytalk, Entre Pinoy Atbp. and even friendster!
After you land your first assignment, please do your best. Like any business, repeat client will make your business grow; on my experience, my first client with Odesk is still with me and she keeps bringing income to my wallet. So never let go of this opportunity!
Write and Earn!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Your questions
Hi all!
I'm so happy that there are already some people who are following my blog.
Thanks again! There are many questions raised and I prefer to answer
them as a post. Like the "Dos and dont's of article writing", etc. So if you
any questions, then contact me so I can make a post/article about them...
Cheeroh!!!
Valerie
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About Me
- Valerie Lumanog-Caulin
- Shifting to be a freelance writer from the conventional 8-5pm job was the best career move I made. I have control of my time especially for my toddler and most of all, I reap higher financial rewards!
