Back in November 2009, me and some of my friends decided to sign up for NaNo. And because we live in the same city, we also decided to meet every week to support each other and motivate each other to finish the Nano project.
We actually did just that for several weeks. And even though I didn't manage to write those 50K of words in one month, those weekly meetings helped me get the story further.
The best thing in it all is that we kept meeting once a week. True, right now we don't discuss writing all that much, but it happens from time to time. But during our last meeting, one thing led to another and it somehow ended with me and one of my friends deciding to do a major collaboration project.
Imagine my amusement when I got home and found an article on how to work with other writers. Honestly John, great timing on that one.
This story we started to outline (for the time being let's call it The Epic Collaboration Project) is something I'm really excited about right now.
I haven't been excited about a fiction project since... the bigbang I finished at the beginning of May.
It might sound weird, but those non-profit works I'm doing are really helping me become a better writer. Two years ago, I would laugh if someone told me I can actually write (and finish!) a 20K story. I did that last year. This year, I already finished one 20K story, I have another one to write with a September deadline, I have the ECP in the works (hopefully to be finished by the end of the year).
Not to mention my thesis, which also needs to be written by the end of the year, first bigbang story needs to be edited by July... My writing calendar looks more and more busy.
I love the feeling!
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fiction. Show all posts
16 May 2010
7 May 2010
Recently, Linda Formichelli over at The Renegate Writer posted "3 Excuses That Are Keeping You from a Successful Freelance Writing Career" and then asked "What’s Your Excuse?" I decided to answer her question, since I seem to fit her criteria. I have a full time job, writing on the side, earning not much.
Here's why I'm keeping my full time job, why I don't bid on jobs, why I don't send in query letters to big publications, why I write for sites like Helium and Suite101, which pay for page views to my articles and ad-click and require a huge amount of articles to actually turn a good profit:
1. SCHOOL
I'm still pursuing my degree. With a high tuition, I cannot afford a month or two with lower income. Till I graduate, I have to have the safety net that is a steady income from my full time job. To add to that, I'm currently writing my thesis (or... trying, most of the time), that and the regular exams and classes take up a lot of my attention. Attention I cannot afford to give other things at the moment.
It's very possible that once I graduate (and decide not to continue my academic career), I will reevaluate my stance and change the ways I do things right now.
2. PASSIVE INCOME
I have to admit. I am fascinated by the concept of passive income. Even more, I'm completely in love with it. When I had long periods of time when I hadn't written anything and Helium still paid me, I was so high with happiness, it's difficult to describe. And as an extracurricular activity, it's perfect for me.
3. LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
I'm not going to hide this. Writing short informative articles are easy. I'm writing them mostly from my own experience. It's quick and easy and after a long day at work, the last time I need is stress over deadlines (I have enough of that on my fiction projects)
4. SHORT STORIES, NOVELS
Apart from non-fiction articles and projects, I also write fiction. Short stories, a novella a year for my Fandom bigbang. Sometimes I need to put everything on the side and spend an entire day finishing my story, because OMG there's a deadline! Sometimes I simply need to ignore everything else and put my fiction projects before everything else.
If I had big clients (or any clients at all, in fact), I wouldn't be able to do it. I would have to deliver first to those that trusted me with their projects and paid me obsene amounts of money for my services. I dont deal well with guilt.
5. I ACTUALLY LOVE MY JOB
Yeah. You read that right. I actually love my full time job. And I enjoy it. A lot. Not only that, I know there is still so much I can learn about International Education. I just don't want to miss out on that.
6. NON-US CITIZEN
This means two things. Some writing jobs are out of my reach becaue I cannot fill in the W9 and those other American tax related forms. And due to exchange rates, what may seem like a small payout for American writers is actually a nice one for me. Yes, I recognize that this argument also means that a nice and big payouts for Americans would mean huge ones for me.
FINAL NOTE
I realize that Freelance Writing is not a career for me right now. But it's not a hobby either. I think, in my mind, it's more of a side project. I still want to succeed in it. I still want to develop my skills in various areas and meet people. But I don't live and breathe Freelance Writing yet. There is this one point, my graduation, when I'll be seriously rethinking my approach to life and my future career.
Right now, I have so many plans, writing projects, novels, ebooks, articles etc.
Hopefully, I can achieve at least some of them while still working and being at school.
Here's why I'm keeping my full time job, why I don't bid on jobs, why I don't send in query letters to big publications, why I write for sites like Helium and Suite101, which pay for page views to my articles and ad-click and require a huge amount of articles to actually turn a good profit:
1. SCHOOL
I'm still pursuing my degree. With a high tuition, I cannot afford a month or two with lower income. Till I graduate, I have to have the safety net that is a steady income from my full time job. To add to that, I'm currently writing my thesis (or... trying, most of the time), that and the regular exams and classes take up a lot of my attention. Attention I cannot afford to give other things at the moment.
It's very possible that once I graduate (and decide not to continue my academic career), I will reevaluate my stance and change the ways I do things right now.
2. PASSIVE INCOME
I have to admit. I am fascinated by the concept of passive income. Even more, I'm completely in love with it. When I had long periods of time when I hadn't written anything and Helium still paid me, I was so high with happiness, it's difficult to describe. And as an extracurricular activity, it's perfect for me.
3. LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
I'm not going to hide this. Writing short informative articles are easy. I'm writing them mostly from my own experience. It's quick and easy and after a long day at work, the last time I need is stress over deadlines (I have enough of that on my fiction projects)
4. SHORT STORIES, NOVELS
Apart from non-fiction articles and projects, I also write fiction. Short stories, a novella a year for my Fandom bigbang. Sometimes I need to put everything on the side and spend an entire day finishing my story, because OMG there's a deadline! Sometimes I simply need to ignore everything else and put my fiction projects before everything else.
If I had big clients (or any clients at all, in fact), I wouldn't be able to do it. I would have to deliver first to those that trusted me with their projects and paid me obsene amounts of money for my services. I dont deal well with guilt.
5. I ACTUALLY LOVE MY JOB
Yeah. You read that right. I actually love my full time job. And I enjoy it. A lot. Not only that, I know there is still so much I can learn about International Education. I just don't want to miss out on that.
6. NON-US CITIZEN
This means two things. Some writing jobs are out of my reach becaue I cannot fill in the W9 and those other American tax related forms. And due to exchange rates, what may seem like a small payout for American writers is actually a nice one for me. Yes, I recognize that this argument also means that a nice and big payouts for Americans would mean huge ones for me.
FINAL NOTE
I realize that Freelance Writing is not a career for me right now. But it's not a hobby either. I think, in my mind, it's more of a side project. I still want to succeed in it. I still want to develop my skills in various areas and meet people. But I don't live and breathe Freelance Writing yet. There is this one point, my graduation, when I'll be seriously rethinking my approach to life and my future career.
Right now, I have so many plans, writing projects, novels, ebooks, articles etc.
Hopefully, I can achieve at least some of them while still working and being at school.
20 April 2010
Defining sick leave
Boy, I think I redefined sick leave. If this was a regular 9 to 5 job I would most likely get fired by now. But after the rather difficult flu, I hit a complete writer's block.
To be perfectly honest I'm still trying to cope as far as my fiction writing goes (the problem is it's not going at all...). And with a deadline just 10 days away, I'm slowly starting to panic. I have to finish this story because it's a big part of my fiction writing plan this year. If I fail,I'll probably won't find the strenght to finish the story at all...
So that's that.
I'm also a bit (a lot) behind on my thesis writing. Again, the deadlines are a bit hectic and I should really turn in *something* just so that my supervisor doesn't get mad. One would think with writing about what I do, the thesis would be easy.
No, not really.
And finally, the area where I actually HAVE written something.
My non-fiction writing seems to be... going is such a strong word... crawling forward. The goal of 40 articles by the end of the year is still there.
I wrote a review of Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and a list of 10 movies worth watching with your Mom during Mother's Day.
Additionally, I have several ideas for more articles, but I'm not certain if I shouldn't wait with them and concentrate on the story and (maybe :-P) my thesis first...
Wish me luck
To be perfectly honest I'm still trying to cope as far as my fiction writing goes (the problem is it's not going at all...). And with a deadline just 10 days away, I'm slowly starting to panic. I have to finish this story because it's a big part of my fiction writing plan this year. If I fail,I'll probably won't find the strenght to finish the story at all...
So that's that.
I'm also a bit (a lot) behind on my thesis writing. Again, the deadlines are a bit hectic and I should really turn in *something* just so that my supervisor doesn't get mad. One would think with writing about what I do, the thesis would be easy.
No, not really.
And finally, the area where I actually HAVE written something.
My non-fiction writing seems to be... going is such a strong word... crawling forward. The goal of 40 articles by the end of the year is still there.
I wrote a review of Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day and a list of 10 movies worth watching with your Mom during Mother's Day.
Additionally, I have several ideas for more articles, but I'm not certain if I shouldn't wait with them and concentrate on the story and (maybe :-P) my thesis first...
Wish me luck
30 October 2009
Things before NaNo: Articles and Helium Marketplace
Before I move to the actual point I have some articles to share.
New articles:
- Is donating blood good for you? which is an article I wrote for Helium Marketplace but it didn't get purchased.
- Everything You Need to Know About Helium Marketplace published at AssociatedContent.
Now, this second article needs some disclaimer. I've written three articles for Helium Marketplace. First one, about Tattoo Removal techniques was purchased. The other two weren't. One was about effects catnip has on cats and the other (linked in this post) about donating blood.
Like I've written in the article about Helium Marketplace, I still want to write articles there, but I don't think it's a perfect place nor that it's for everybody.
Next, because it's the end of the month,l I wanted to do a little of statistics.
Top earning articles at Helium:
- Experience with ReviewStream.com
- How young is too young to wear makeup?
- Which is better for writers: Finding a print or online publisher?
It's fun to see the top articles being from different categories and still performing well.
Unfortunately, I won't get paid from Helium this month. I find their minimum ($25) a bit too much to achieve in one month given my amount of involvement (which isn't much, and could be more). I won't probably be able to do much in November, with NaNo on my mind. But hopefully December will prove to be a lot more profitable than October.
Top earning articles at AssociatedContent:
- Get Paid to Write Reviews with ReviewStreamCom
- 6 New Years Resolutions for Freelancers
- How My Blog Earned Google Page Rank in Just Two Months
Now, I made a decision to be more topic specific at AC and so far I stuck to the freelancing, but it's very possible that I'll branch out a little. Either in December or next year. I also expect that the New Year Resolutions for Freelancers will have it's peek in December/January. For obvious reasons. I'll also get paid from AC, but it's not that difficult to achieve as the minimum payout is only $1,50
Now, you can see that the most popular article on both sites is the one about ReviewStream. And it's understandable, because it's an interesting concept and I still write for that site. Though, I have to admit, the minimum you have to reach is a bit overwhelming and not as easy to achive as on those others sites.
Alright. That's all for statistics. I just want to warn you that I won't be posting much during NaNo as I want to save up all my wordcount for fiction.
Please wish me luck :)
New articles:
- Is donating blood good for you? which is an article I wrote for Helium Marketplace but it didn't get purchased.
- Everything You Need to Know About Helium Marketplace published at AssociatedContent.
Now, this second article needs some disclaimer. I've written three articles for Helium Marketplace. First one, about Tattoo Removal techniques was purchased. The other two weren't. One was about effects catnip has on cats and the other (linked in this post) about donating blood.
Like I've written in the article about Helium Marketplace, I still want to write articles there, but I don't think it's a perfect place nor that it's for everybody.
Next, because it's the end of the month,l I wanted to do a little of statistics.
Top earning articles at Helium:
- Experience with ReviewStream.com
- How young is too young to wear makeup?
- Which is better for writers: Finding a print or online publisher?
It's fun to see the top articles being from different categories and still performing well.
Unfortunately, I won't get paid from Helium this month. I find their minimum ($25) a bit too much to achieve in one month given my amount of involvement (which isn't much, and could be more). I won't probably be able to do much in November, with NaNo on my mind. But hopefully December will prove to be a lot more profitable than October.
Top earning articles at AssociatedContent:
- Get Paid to Write Reviews with ReviewStreamCom
- 6 New Years Resolutions for Freelancers
- How My Blog Earned Google Page Rank in Just Two Months
Now, I made a decision to be more topic specific at AC and so far I stuck to the freelancing, but it's very possible that I'll branch out a little. Either in December or next year. I also expect that the New Year Resolutions for Freelancers will have it's peek in December/January. For obvious reasons. I'll also get paid from AC, but it's not that difficult to achieve as the minimum payout is only $1,50
Now, you can see that the most popular article on both sites is the one about ReviewStream. And it's understandable, because it's an interesting concept and I still write for that site. Though, I have to admit, the minimum you have to reach is a bit overwhelming and not as easy to achive as on those others sites.
Alright. That's all for statistics. I just want to warn you that I won't be posting much during NaNo as I want to save up all my wordcount for fiction.
Please wish me luck :)
19 October 2009
Planning for the future and Links
With NanoWriMo coming up in just two weeks I should probably be at least outlining those three stories that I want to do during the November extravaganza. But instead, I'm slowly getting my writing up to speed. Meaning I'm trying to train myself to write those 1670 words a day and not get a writer's burn-out.
Which probably explains why the first article I published after the long break is Preparing for NaNoWriMo: 5 Things to Do Before November.
I've written about NaNo before, but it's the first time I actually offered some tips. I hope you will find them useful.
On a related news, Joanna Penn at CreativePenn posted a great article: On Efficiency, Or How To Get Everything Done As A Multi-Tasking Writer which I found extremely useful. Especially since I'm doing a lot of multitasking nowadays.
Apart from being busy with training myself before NaNo, I've done a lot of thinking about how I want my freelance career to look like. And what I decided on was to create an e-book. A guide for aspiring freelance writers who are not necessary based in the US. Non-US writers face different problems, have to go around things in a slightly different ways. Some venues are more friendly for Non-US writers and others are completely closed for them.
That said, I don't want to alienate US writers completely and I feel they would find that ebook useful as well.
It won't be ready this year, of that I am sure of. However, I want to have a first draft ready before June 2010. I know! I know! It's not a very immediate deadline, but there is a lot of research I need to do. And I need to keep in mind that I already have writing projects on my plate: NaNo and then a story due to May 2010. Not to mention the article writing for Helium and AssociatedContent. And I want to write up some reviews to reach payout at ReviewStream.
See? A lot of work.
In the meantime:
My Helium Portfolio
My AssociatedContent portfolio
Which probably explains why the first article I published after the long break is Preparing for NaNoWriMo: 5 Things to Do Before November.
I've written about NaNo before, but it's the first time I actually offered some tips. I hope you will find them useful.
On a related news, Joanna Penn at CreativePenn posted a great article: On Efficiency, Or How To Get Everything Done As A Multi-Tasking Writer which I found extremely useful. Especially since I'm doing a lot of multitasking nowadays.
Apart from being busy with training myself before NaNo, I've done a lot of thinking about how I want my freelance career to look like. And what I decided on was to create an e-book. A guide for aspiring freelance writers who are not necessary based in the US. Non-US writers face different problems, have to go around things in a slightly different ways. Some venues are more friendly for Non-US writers and others are completely closed for them.
That said, I don't want to alienate US writers completely and I feel they would find that ebook useful as well.
It won't be ready this year, of that I am sure of. However, I want to have a first draft ready before June 2010. I know! I know! It's not a very immediate deadline, but there is a lot of research I need to do. And I need to keep in mind that I already have writing projects on my plate: NaNo and then a story due to May 2010. Not to mention the article writing for Helium and AssociatedContent. And I want to write up some reviews to reach payout at ReviewStream.
See? A lot of work.
In the meantime:
My Helium Portfolio
My AssociatedContent portfolio
12 October 2009
Projects worth considering
Let's start with the obvious one, at least for those of you who write stories and novels or really want to.
It's October, and therefore it's time to sign up to NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is an annual online event. Every year since 1999, November become the month when all over the world, people are writing their novels.
I haven't participated in the event since 2007 and I decided that since 2009 is a year of great changes in my life, with the job, with finishing a bigger story for the first time and with my first actual income from my writing; it might as well be the first year when I manage to write 50 000 words in a month. I did a little math, it means writing 1670 words a day. Do you think you can pull this off? I suggest you at least check out the main NaNo website, and the forums.
I already signed up and if you want to add me to your buddy list, just leave me a comment with your ID at NaNo and I'll add you.
***
Another project I decided to take on is the new contest over at Writer's Digest. I have never entered in a competition before but I think I could actually pull this off. Even in a recession, $15 entry fee doesn't seem like much. And hell, from where I'm standing it's going to be not only a good writing experience, but also a great adventure.
So if you don't plan on entering, keep your fingers crossed for me.
And if you do enter. Good luck!
***
I think taht's all when it comes to an update on me and my writing projects. Other than the fact that ReviewStream finally set up a Control Panel for its writers and I can finally track my submissions. If you write for them, it's definitely worth checking out.
It's October, and therefore it's time to sign up to NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is an annual online event. Every year since 1999, November become the month when all over the world, people are writing their novels.
I haven't participated in the event since 2007 and I decided that since 2009 is a year of great changes in my life, with the job, with finishing a bigger story for the first time and with my first actual income from my writing; it might as well be the first year when I manage to write 50 000 words in a month. I did a little math, it means writing 1670 words a day. Do you think you can pull this off? I suggest you at least check out the main NaNo website, and the forums.
I already signed up and if you want to add me to your buddy list, just leave me a comment with your ID at NaNo and I'll add you.
***
Another project I decided to take on is the new contest over at Writer's Digest. I have never entered in a competition before but I think I could actually pull this off. Even in a recession, $15 entry fee doesn't seem like much. And hell, from where I'm standing it's going to be not only a good writing experience, but also a great adventure.
So if you don't plan on entering, keep your fingers crossed for me.
And if you do enter. Good luck!
***
I think taht's all when it comes to an update on me and my writing projects. Other than the fact that ReviewStream finally set up a Control Panel for its writers and I can finally track my submissions. If you write for them, it's definitely worth checking out.
17 May 2009
Rediscovering the Internet
So it's been some time since I actually wrote something for the Internet and got paid for it. Or, to be honest, since I wrote something. Period. Editing of the big fiction piece is taking up all my time and there are exams that I need to pass.
Though I really want to start writing short articles again. I have some started, and I even wrote a review, but I think it's going to be at least two more weeks before I can say I'm back in business.
My very own journey of coming back to writing is pretty inspiring, and I'll probably be commiting few articles analyzing that. After all, your own experience is usually the best source for your articles.
In other news:
I had to give up my writing gig at Scribophile. This doesn't mean the site doesn't rock and you shouldn't check it out. To the contrary. People there are amazing and I wouldn't exchange them for any other social site. So if you're a writer, Scribophile should be one of your stops.
People connected to the site are also publishing their very own online magazine full of really great stories. Ruthless Peoples Magazine is made by people who are very passionate about their writing. AND. They are accepting submissions, so it's worth checking out. I encurage you to check their submission guidelines and submit something. Not only you'll be able to add it to your CV, but they will pay you for your story.
Writing challenge to help with your muse
This week (From Monday to Thursday), I'll be a guest host at Comment Fic. I'll be throwing themes at people, and other people will be leaving prompts in hopes of getting a flash fic in return. It's a very popular community, and even though it's mostly fandom related, I'm sure it still can help you with finding some inspiration.
If you write anything for the comment fic while I"m guest hosting, please let me know, I'd love to read it.
Though I really want to start writing short articles again. I have some started, and I even wrote a review, but I think it's going to be at least two more weeks before I can say I'm back in business.
My very own journey of coming back to writing is pretty inspiring, and I'll probably be commiting few articles analyzing that. After all, your own experience is usually the best source for your articles.
In other news:
I had to give up my writing gig at Scribophile. This doesn't mean the site doesn't rock and you shouldn't check it out. To the contrary. People there are amazing and I wouldn't exchange them for any other social site. So if you're a writer, Scribophile should be one of your stops.
People connected to the site are also publishing their very own online magazine full of really great stories. Ruthless Peoples Magazine is made by people who are very passionate about their writing. AND. They are accepting submissions, so it's worth checking out. I encurage you to check their submission guidelines and submit something. Not only you'll be able to add it to your CV, but they will pay you for your story.
Writing challenge to help with your muse
This week (From Monday to Thursday), I'll be a guest host at Comment Fic. I'll be throwing themes at people, and other people will be leaving prompts in hopes of getting a flash fic in return. It's a very popular community, and even though it's mostly fandom related, I'm sure it still can help you with finding some inspiration.
If you write anything for the comment fic while I"m guest hosting, please let me know, I'd love to read it.
2 May 2009
Dead, but not Forgotten
Yes, I am, in fact, still alive. Yesterday, after almost two months of writing, I finished the 20K story. It ended up being over 25 000 words (54 pages in word) and right now it's more of a first draft.
I wasn't online, and I disappeared from all my writing communities, because I wanted to prove myself that I can do it. That I can write a longer fiction piece and make it not suck. Too much.
Now that the story waits for the first edits, I can slowly reintroduce myself into the fold. I should probably check my Helium and AssociatedContent profiles. AS well as start writing short articles to keep my non-fiction skills high.
But first, I"m going to sleep for some time and hide my laptop somewhere I won't see it.
Finishing your first novella is exhausting.
But, damn, it's such a high :)
I'll keep you updated :)
I wasn't online, and I disappeared from all my writing communities, because I wanted to prove myself that I can do it. That I can write a longer fiction piece and make it not suck. Too much.
Now that the story waits for the first edits, I can slowly reintroduce myself into the fold. I should probably check my Helium and AssociatedContent profiles. AS well as start writing short articles to keep my non-fiction skills high.
But first, I"m going to sleep for some time and hide my laptop somewhere I won't see it.
Finishing your first novella is exhausting.
But, damn, it's such a high :)
I'll keep you updated :)
15 February 2009
Big Come Back!
I know, I know. I've been silent for what seems like ages. All is to be blamed on school. I had to face the finals which made me unable to write as much as I would want to.
I of course did write a piece for Scribophile every week and in between studying I wrote following articles there:
Learning (about) your characters
What type of McWriter are you?
Antiheroes: when good vs evil isn't enough
Challenges, contests and Writing Olympics: why do we participate?
It's all targeted at fiction writers, but mayne those of you who concentrate on other types of writing will find at least some of those interesting and helpful.
My piece about getting a page rank in two months got published at AssociatedContent, so head there if you're interested in how I did it.
In other words, I decided to return to fiction for a while. Mostly because I missed writing plot. Don't get me wrong, writing non-fiction articles and press releases and SEO posts is fun, but nothing is as satisfying as writing a good novel and having people comment with feedback.
I signed up to a chalenge that requires me to write 80K of fiction this year, including 20K long story by May.
Considering that last year I barely wrote 10K of fiction, I was concerned about my mental health, but even with finals, I managed to get over 8K of words in the last two months (almost 6K is one long story). So I'm thinking I'll be able to pull this off.
Keep your fingers crossed. I might manage to get some fiction published this year. And that would be awesome.
On the other hand, my non-fiction writing will definitely suffer, as apart from Scribophile articles I won't be writingany non-fiction until I finish the big project.
Good luck with your writing!
I of course did write a piece for Scribophile every week and in between studying I wrote following articles there:
Learning (about) your characters
What type of McWriter are you?
Antiheroes: when good vs evil isn't enough
Challenges, contests and Writing Olympics: why do we participate?
It's all targeted at fiction writers, but mayne those of you who concentrate on other types of writing will find at least some of those interesting and helpful.
My piece about getting a page rank in two months got published at AssociatedContent, so head there if you're interested in how I did it.
In other words, I decided to return to fiction for a while. Mostly because I missed writing plot. Don't get me wrong, writing non-fiction articles and press releases and SEO posts is fun, but nothing is as satisfying as writing a good novel and having people comment with feedback.
I signed up to a chalenge that requires me to write 80K of fiction this year, including 20K long story by May.
Considering that last year I barely wrote 10K of fiction, I was concerned about my mental health, but even with finals, I managed to get over 8K of words in the last two months (almost 6K is one long story). So I'm thinking I'll be able to pull this off.
Keep your fingers crossed. I might manage to get some fiction published this year. And that would be awesome.
On the other hand, my non-fiction writing will definitely suffer, as apart from Scribophile articles I won't be writingany non-fiction until I finish the big project.
Good luck with your writing!
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