Writing Tip #134

Okay, so there aren't any other Writing Tips out there right now, but this one is #134 in the line of Writing Tips I have in my head. Basically, it's important, but not as important as, say, proper grammar.

Tip #134 is Be Aware. This essentially means be in business mode or at least acceptable mode when online. You never know where a client is going to come from (or return from). You never know who's reading your tweets and following your blog (ahem) so always give your best and be professional (yet personable) online.

Be timely with your work even if the client you're working with isn't the greatest at the moment. Maybe the pay is low. What if this client raises the pay down the road but you've already written them off and done less than stellar work. You won't be getting hired at their new rate and you're burning a bridge that could land you gigs with other clients.

Think ahead and Be Aware. Always, always, always. In freelancing, you never know where your next paycheck is going to come from.

Springing Into a New Week!

I hope that everyone had a restful weekend (or a profitable one, depending on your goals)!

Spring Break is over, and I am going back to the daily grind of full time work. However, I won't be putting writing and online money-making back in the closet. I have my goal of one residual income-earning article per day and I have a few articles due for private clients as well.

What are your plans for the week?

What kind of income goals are hoping to reach? What are you doing that is going to bring you closer to those goals?

I can't wait to hear what plans everyone has! I'm always inspired by the strong will of other work-at-homers. Here's to a new week!

Weekly Wrap-Up

What happened for you this week as a WAHP (P meaning person!)? We want to know! I'm always so inspired at others' work and I hope that each passing day finds you closer to where you want to be.

The freelance writing market has been good to me this week considering the cold shoulder I gave it for so long. I've written lots of (great!) content and landed a few private clients for the long-term. I invested the rest of my time and energy toward learning better SEO techniques, building networks with other freelancing mamas, and enjoying time off with my kids. I can confidently say it's been a tremendous week of growth for myself and my career.

Now share what made your week worth it or what went awry. What are your goals for the following weeks? Happy Spring, here's to new growth and opportunity!

Jessica

Write for Sites That Provide Residual Income

I've been thinking about the difference in writing for upfront pay with companies like Demand Studios, Quality Gal, Textbroker and occasionally Associated Content versus writing for "yourself" by placing articles up that will earn residual income from adclicks. My writing efforts were originally born out of necessity. I needed to make money to pay my bills. When you are struggling to make ends meet as a writer you definitely opt for quick money with upfront pay. Without the sites mentioned above I would have been sunk!



Now that my situation has changed I have felt the need to look at the bigger picture. It's nice to be afforded this opportunity. I am looking at where I want to be in 2 years and beyond. I know that I don't want to be writing like a madwoman all through the night to make deadlines on low-paying articles. Articles that, if I had kept the rights and published them with my byline at another site, could continue to earn money for me well into the future. So, it is time to re-examine my goals with this blog and with my web-writing in general.

Over the course of the year (and beyond, but I need a goal and a timeline) I will be submitting articles to various residual income sites that will pay through my current Adsense account or on their own through Paypal. These are the sites that I am currently a member of:

eHow

This site has proven to be a money-maker for many writers building their residual income streams. There are lots of great ebooks and even some inspiring, free tutorials to get started with. There is definitely a method to making eHow work. You must know how to keyword your articles to get some good ads and attract folks to click on those ads. It is very motivating to see some other web writers making passive income from this site.

Bukisa

Bukisa pays by pageviews, much like AC. The Bukisa Index tells the author what 1000 pageviews are worth for the month. The index changes depending on ad revenue for the site. For each 1000 pageviews the author usually earns between $3-$4 (this is a very rough estimate...keep an eye on the indexfor yourself).

Xomba

So far I like Xomba because it provides my articles with backlinks which in turn helps their search engine ranking and position. It also pays some residuals through my current Adsense account. Works for me!

Type-A-Mom

A great resource for moms to write for and get information from. Pays a portion of Adsense revenue through Google account. Great community over there!

Foodie Mama

Part of the Type-A-Mom company, Foodie Mama is all about great food and family recipes, dining, and kids. This site pays through Adsense a portion of the Adsense revenue.

Associated Content

Pays for pageviews and also offers some upfront pay every now and again. Right now, AC is low on my priority list, but that could always change.

So there you have it. Now for the goals. I hope to write enough for one article per day on either Bukisa or eHow and then post Xomblurbs to build backlinks to these articles. With "spare" time, I'd like to build up content at Foodie and Type-A. Like I said before, AC is low on the priority list. And then there's Suite101. I was accepted there in November but I started working a full time job and had not time so I put them on the back burner. I'm hoping to get writing for them in a serious way very soon!

Goals and Schedules

So I'm sipping away on a grande latte (one of those mornings let me tell ya) and I've been reading a lot of other freelance writers' ideas about schedules and what your schedule needs to look like in order to meet your goals.
Finding a schedule as a freelancer can be tough. It is especially challenging when you add in a mix of kids, household duties, and plain old procrastination.
My goals are going to look a lot different than a full-time freelancer. I have full time committments outside of the house. But on school breaks things move at a rapid pace because I feel like I'm making up for lost time. Not only do I need to write but I also have to make meaningful contacts with other writers, network within the field, and search for new clients and work.
My schedule is a blend of housework and organization this Spring Break week. I want to find some well-paying jobs that I can continue into the rest of the school-year and summer. I want to get our home organized and functional. And (always an and...at the beginning of a sentence no less) I need to spend some time making memories with the kids and partner. Whew!
Yep, WAHMs do it all, my friends.
Here is a little restructuring of my schedule and goals for the year:

1. Keep up with writing online. Write at least an article per day, before or after work, for myself (as passive income) or for content sites (like Demand Studios) or private clients. Write a blog post per week here that offers up some good information to visitors.

2. Search for private clients on a daily basis. You never know who will be looking for writers. I found a job posting that was written for me yesterday (please keep your fingers crossed!) and it isn't a large load of work but it pays well. It is something that I could continue to do well into the remainder of the school year.

3. Build up my residual income. I am currently studying how to write more effective articles and content that will turn up search results. I just have such a hard time writing for passive income because it's so up-in-the-air. I love the security of upfront payment, really I do so much. However, it's better to build up this residual income now while I have a full time job that meets all of our bills. I don't *really* need the upfront payment at the moment.

Okay, so what are somethings you're working on? What is the hardest thing for you to focus on as a WAHM? I don't care if you are a freelancing mom, a crafty mom, a store-owning mama, or anything else. I just want to know what you do to meet your own goals! (and participate in our poll over there <-------, too!)
Enjoy!