Rebuilding from the ground up

I've been thinking a lot through the past months. I see new writers in the forum I frequent talking about how hard it is to find work. How excruciating it can be to get themselves out there. To find a niche and brand their style. I spoke with Bob Younce from FreelanceWritingGigs in an email concerning branding tactics.

Bob, if you stop by, while I may not have agreed- I get it. Really, I do.

A little over a year ago it became apparent that my writing career was moving far too fast to handle. This can be scary, especially for a freelancer that, while they have talent, their skills in organization fall short of the mark. Like many new to the business, I took on far too much work. In my defense, I had a houseful. Many of you that are close friends know that we had a house full: 3 children, my ill mother, and 4 extras-the Inlaws.

It was too much to deal with, then add in a freelance schedule that grew from a few blog posts a month to writing product descriptions, web site content, SEO, keyword articles, a few magazine articles...and then...(drumroll)...a positive pregnancy test.

Everything came crashing down. Gayla Baer from MomGadget (bless her heart) was my channel manager at b5 Media. I'd applied for and landed a cooking blog- Robust Cooking. Oh, did I have plans. Plans that I couldn't keep. If you're a writer and you've taken on too much, you know exactly what happens. You begin to hide. Each morning you grab your coffee and stare at the computer trying to force out anything, anything at all. If you're experiencing true burnout, nothing comes.

Gayla prodded gently in emails. "I'll get something..I promise" was my reply. Eventually we both came to a conclusion, I had to go. The same day I was sending out resignations all around, I received an email from her letting me know I'd lost the gig. That was the saddest week in my career. It all had grown so fast, but in an uncontrolled way.

You new guys are probably doing one of two things: nodding because you understand or shaking your head and wondering what the heck I'm getting at.

The point is, don't take on too much. Know your limits.

Second point, you can rebuild- if and only if you know what is happening and have the sense to step away and admit you're defeated for the moment.

Today my career has grown in a manageable way. I don't take on too much. I apply for a few jobs a day or week, depending on the workload I already have. Instead of sending out multiple pitches for articles, I send out one or two.

You may have heard that freelancing is feast or famine. This is all too true. The trick to avoiding the famine is having things on the side that can help get you through the lean times. Two years ago I applied to Demand Studios. While accepted, I never used the account until this past week. Today I received my first payment for articles I wrote that will appear on eHow. This is a valuable resource because even if I do not use the account often- it remains open.

I'm not big on revenue share sites, but my views are softening. I've always said, if you have something you can't sell- post it on a revenue share. eHow sends me a little present monthly- all from just a few articles I posted in 2007. It isn't much, but it comes in like clockwork. The same with Associated Content, though they bring in far less. HubPages is another place to post. You get to plug in your own Adsense publisher ID, Amazon code, and more. I personally know one person that brings in enough that I could live off of and remember I have a family of six!

I think I've rambled enough, but I did want to get out this story for new freelancers who might be worried about what happens if they don't make it the first time. There really isn't a first, second, or third time. Your career as a freelance writer is constantly evolving. You grow and your job grows with you. Even if you have to tear it all down and begin again.

comic: http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/

Shady Websites, Writers, and Markets for New Writers

I've been doing a lot of talking concerning new writers. I'm not the only one. Angela Hoy from Writer's Weekly wrote a recent rant on Pay Per Click sites. It's not just a rant, it is an informative post on just what these people are doing to new writers.

I could list the names of these places, but like Angela, I won't. It just gives them more advertising. Let me say that I don't have a problem with some places-like Hubpages, eHow, and yes, even Associated Content. I'll explain why:

Hubpages: Much like BellaOnline, Hubpages allows you to set up and plug in your own Google Adsense, Amazon, eBay, and Kontera affiliate codes. What sets HubPages apart is that you can write on whatever you'd like. I like this. It gives me another place to plug in articles I didn't sell, forgot to sell, or a blog post that went far over the word count I like to set. They do police the content and your profile prominently displays your score. The higher the score, the better and more informative the content. HubPages does not pay its writers-they are paid via their affiliates only.

eHow: eHow pays through a revenue share program. There are no upfront payments unless you work for Demand Studios which supplies content to eHow- I prefer using the compensation program through the eHow site. If the How-to's you write are done well, you can bring in a respectable amount each month. I've made well over what Demand would have given me per title by using the compensation/adshare program. It's probably the best program I've participated in and pays on time.

Associated Content: I'm only including this site as an example of something that's better than pay per clicks. Even this content mill will offer upfront payment. It's low pay- but it is PAY...better than a penny a month that some sites think is wonderful.

Angela Hoy puts forth that new writers deserve to be paid just like any other tradesman- which I wholeheartedly agree. She has a page that offers many links to publications that encourage new writers to submit. Why don't you take a look, HERE.

Good luck!