20 April 2010
Defining sick leave
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
1 January 2010
First steps into the new 2010
Resolutions for 2010:
- Write enough Reviews to finally get paid at ReviewStream.com
It's embarassing to say, but I completely ignored that site in favour of other revenue sources. But it feels like wasting the money I already earned there. So this year (hopefully sooner than later), I resolve to write enough reviews of pretty much everything to qualify for payment. The minimum payout is $50, which is the highest among all the sites I write for.
- Experiment and create a Zone at Helium
Zones are a feature that has been introduced at Helium this year and I have to say,I've been a little unsure as to what to do with them. But recently I got an idea for a zone that could not only work, but remain within my area of expertise and interest. I'll need to research the topic of zones a bit more before doing something, but it's definitely worth checking out.
- Publish an e-book
A few months ago I got an idea for a non-fiction e-book for newbie freelance writers with extra information for freelancers not located in the US. I then set myself a goal of finishing it by June 2010. But with writing my thesis, it appears it would be safer to assume August 2010 for the first draft and October 2010 for publication. Nonetheless, the idea isn't lostand will very much happen.
- Write at least 40 new articles
Last year, I've written 34 articles. With other writing projects (the e-book and fiction that I write) I think it's a very realistic goal. For full time freelancers this is of course not nearly enough to be able to support yourself on your writing, but if adding the passive income I have from articles already written, it should be a nice additional income.
I also reviewed the year 2009 using an article I've written in December 2008. 6 New Year's Resolutions for Freelancers. I was pleased to see that I managed to do most of what I invited other people to try.
And on that happy note, I hope your New Year's resolutions will come true. Good luck in the New Year 2010!!
30 October 2009
Things before NaNo: Articles and Helium Marketplace
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
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
17 May 2009
Rediscovering the Internet
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.
21 December 2008
Of Deadlines and New Year's Resolutions
Yes, I know it might sound slightly confusing, but I am perfectly capable of loving and hating something for the exact same reason. See, sometimes I need a push to do something. Deadlines provide me with that push.
But sometimes, I really don't have the muse to write anything but I have to force myself to do so, because... well, I'm on a deadline....
Getting into freelancing I was aware that I will have to make nice with the deadlines, because once I start getting work, I will start getting deadlines as well... Doesn't stop me from whining about it to my cat. Thankfully, my cat ignores me no matter what I whine about.
So that is my little rant about deadlines.
Next step: New Year's Resulutions.
Everybody I know always makes some sort of resolutions come New Year. I decided that I should do something similar regarding my freelance career.
Especially since soon it'll be Christmas and I will have some extra free time.
So here is the Great To-Do List for the year 2009:
1. Start using BizReef, Guru, Elance and oDesk. Complete profiles and start bidding on jobs that interest me.
2. Create a profesional website for my freelancing
3. Pay more attention to my blogs
4. Go back to writing for Helium, AssociatedContent, Ciao and ReviewStream.
Yes. Only 4 points. But when I look at them I see a lot of work before me. Especially since I also have a full-time job, school and family life to take care of.
But I'm sure I will be able to handle it all. Because I rule and it's Christmas soon. What with miracles and stuff :)
Happy Holidays everyone!
6 December 2008
On a roll, baby!
Apart from that, I also got my first freelance job. Remember how I wrote that I bid on some jobs and I had one i like best and hoped I'll manage to land it?
Well, the good news is that I actually did. I got an e-mail from the site owner and I'll be starting the job soon. Of course the moment I do, I'll give you lot a link. Mostly to show of, how awesome I am :P It's a meta-writing gig, so just right up my alley. I hope I don't have t tell you how excited I am...
On a slightly worse note, I didn't do much of actual writing. Yes, I a very ashamed of myself. Not even a short review and 've been watching some very review friendly movies lately... Maybe instead of reading stories online, I could go and write something... Procrastination is evil, let me tell you. But it feels so damn good...
30 November 2008
November
I've written over 7000 words in reviews and articles. I was planning on writting 15000 words, but obviously it didn't work out. For December, I'm planning a more realistic number: 10000 words. This time I'm taking into the account all the free days I'll have because of the Christmas AND at the same time, I'm not assuming I'll write 500 words a day.
I wrote ONE article for Helium Marketplace. I was planning on writing more, but titles were completely out of my area of expertise. Researching legal matters online turned out to be slightly more difficult than I thought. So for now, I'll stick to something that gives me less problems.
The title I did write for is currently pending final decision. I'll let you know when the publisher decides which article (out of 34) they will buy.
I started to write for two new sites. Ciao and AssociatedContent. While I'm sort of indifferent to Ciao (it's nice enough though not brilliant), I am slightly irritated with Associated Content. I've written 3 articles for them, two of which are still pending. I am told after 3 first article are published, it should go much faster. But for now I'm not feeling much love.
I sent my bid for 3 jobs. One of which is really interesting and I will thank all the Gods if I actually get it. But this is somethin I started doing only recently, so I don't know when it actually start paying off. Though I'm checking ads every day. So keep your fingers crossed.
And finally:
I requested 2 payments. From Ciao and myLot. I should get them at the beginning of December.
All in all, while I think November could've been better, it wasn't bad either. I'm sure December will be better :)
19 November 2008
Helium Paid and other things
That said, unfortunately I haven't been writing at all lately. Mostly because my favourite TV shows came back and I just can't seem to say no to them, or even watch them at the later date... Yes, I have no self-control. I hope though it will not go wasted, and I'm thinking about writing reviews of my favourite episodes for reviewstream. Something short and worth that $0.40. Don't get me wrong, I love getting paid full rate at reviewstream, but I wrote reviews of single episodes for that site in the past. It's not exactly sought after material, and therefore, it's not worth a full rate. But I'm not about to say no to getting paid.
I hope to get back on the writing horse soon, though I might have a small case of writer's block. Hopefully, by the end of the week, it will be all gone. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I have potential topics I could write about, so now I just need to get it together.
Another thing is setting up priorities. MY friend asked me to write a story for her. You know, fanfic... Completely probono writing, gosh, do I even remember how to do that? Writing fiction was fun, I should definitely at least try to go back to that. Okay, enough venting. Work to do :)
11 November 2008
Time Off
My article at AssociatedContent got published and I wrote a review of Profiler Season 2 DVD pack for ciao and reviewstream, so I'm back on the writing horse :)
Profiler Season 2 DVD set. (ciao.com)
Get Paid to write with ReviewStream.com.
5 November 2008
Writing Pays
Yeah. I think it's high time to talk about the money that I earn with my writing.
November is actually the first month hat I will be receiving a payment. It's mostly due to the fact that I became serious about my writing only las month and I actually pursued the paying aspect of the net.
So, any day now I should be receiving money from Helium. Most of it will be for the article I sold, which actually made me qualify for payment. But not all. Almost $8will be the performance payment. Meaning the money I earned from the page views of my articles. And given that I have only 21 articles, I don't think that it's such a bad turn out.
But I can be proud of myself, because after 5 days of November (implementing my November plan) I managed to finally reach payout at mylot.com (after months of slacking and half a month of actual participating) and payout limit on ciao.com (I've been a member there for like 3 days).
So it's 2 payments I'll be receiving for sure in December. And knowing that at the very beginning of November makes my mood a lot better.
And to close the tpic, I'm still waiting for AssociatedContent to publish my first aticle there... We'll see how that plays out :)
The Boondock Saints review
A Dog's Breakfast review
My Ciao profile
My Helium portfolio
2 November 2008
Ciao Baby!
But I don't think I will really get it untill I see the results.
Ciao (like Reviewstream) is about writing reviews. But it has a far more professional look to it.
You can rate, review and comment on products. And even more, you can friend people and rate their reviews. From the first look of it, it really does look far better than ReviewStream.
It pays for the ratings your reviews get. Though apparently some ratings are worth more than others and some aren't worth anything. I am yet to learn which are which (though it's safe to assume electronics are worth more than the rest as it's a really hot topic).
If you're already a member at Ciao, do tell me, I would love to add you as a friend.
I think I will end up reviewing a lot of DVDs and books as those are the subjects I really like writing reviews about. And to be honest I think I will try to write a good review for Ciao and then re-write it for ReviewStream. That way I'll be able to cash twice on the same subject. I'll let you know how that goes. :)
My Ciao profile.
Profiler Season 1 DVD pack review.
Stargate: Ark of Truth DVD review.
Stargate: Continuum review.
Also. In the navigation bar on your left you can see my progress on my November challenge. It's going nicely so far. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.
1 November 2008
Get paid for reviews
Yes, you've read that one right. ReviewStream pays you to review basically anything. You can write a review about a restaurant, a hotel, a lipgloss, your newest iPod, website you visited, book you've read, movie you've seen. And according you the site's own FAQs, you can even review your doctor.
So anything goes and that's the beauty of it.
Your reviews have to be minimum 200 words (though to be on a safe side, 300 words is a better choice). You can either get paid a full rate (which is $2, so not so bad) or a "bulk rate" ($0,40). It all depends on how original, well written is your review. Though it's safer to assume you'll get paid the lower rate.
To get paid you need to write 125 reviews (assuming each of them will get you a bulk rate), because they transfer money onto your PayPal account once you reach $50.
Additionally your reviews can get votes and each vote pays. Once you earn $5 worth of votes, the ammount will be transferred to your PayPal account. The beauty of it is that you can vote for your reviews.
To give you some idea this review was paid full price and this one got a bulk rate (Yes, I would appreciate a vote :))
Read more about my experience with ReviewStream.com:
Experience with ReviewStream.com
Get Paid with Reviewstream