Valueable gigs and valueless ads

Value yourself as a writer

There are more than enough “freelance gig” sites available for browsing so I tend to try and stay away from doing this too often. Sometimes though I’ll happen upon a few little “gems” worth a look due in part to the level of specialization some require but also due to the exposure and pay that a few of them have already demonstrated in the past.  I still found more than enough  “lumps of coal”  though and one in particular is just the type I’d hope writers would steer clear of.

First though, for anyone who is still considering a freelance career and may be wondering whether you have the drive, fortitude and resourcefulness it takes to succeed, I located an article that although from 2006, has a decent “assessment” factor to it.  SitePoint.com has an in depth article available entitled “Fire Your Boss! The Successful Home Freelancer’s Guide” written by Neil Flannigan and Jarvis Finger. You may find it of value in helping you determine if freelancing in any area is a good direction for you to take.

Now, for the gigs worth a look – and a little more about the types to avoid.

Take a leap into Demand Writing

If you are a writer who has faithfully churned out numerous articles which have been based on topics, experience or hands-on knowledge that you have, you know that you can write these with conviction and with the voice of authority.  In Demand writing that “voice” is often downgraded  to a whisper when you suddenly find yourself faced with a topic that you know little to nothing about and have to learn quickly and write about it well.

Make note of the possibilities!

That’s where the first step of the journey begins – moving out of your comfort zone can be a little nerve wracking but quite frankly, by doing so you are broadening your horizons, opening up doors to other things and most importantly, you are learning something about yourself.  It just takes a degree of willingness to take the leap and investigate the opportunities.

Dipping your toes in Demand Writing waters

There are numerous sites out there that offer writers the chance to investigate Demand writing opportunities – all it takes is the same fortitude that you already possess whether you realize it or not.   Although my methods will definitely prove different than yours, here’s how I overcame the challenge and how, today, I look forward to assignments and the challenges they bring with them.

Start 2009 off on the “write” foot

As a follow up to my Jewelry post the other day, I decided to see what was available for the writer’s side of my coin – and here are some great opportunities I ran across in my travels.  Think you want to get involved?  Simply follow the link(s) of your choice and you’re off!  Enjoy.

Shared Reviews adds another unique opportunity

As a writer, I’m always looking for additional ways to gain exposure for my work and every so often an opportunity comes along I instinctively know is going to be a great one.  Such is the brand new opportunity that Shared Reviews, a product review site, is offering to its members.

Just recently announced, this opportunity will be going into full launch in January and members on the site are clamoring to have a piece of the pie.  I’ve been a member of Shared Reviews since it opened its Beta doors in October of 2007 and I can honestly say that the community that this site has grown into is one of the best there is on the Internet today.

Although the Shared Reviews area of the site – where members write reviews and vote on others to gain high standings in the community, has had a bit of a struggle over the past few months – you’d never really know it by the way in which the community has banded together to really bring Shared Reviews together.  During the month of September a few things happened that resulted in the shared revenue status the site was offering going on “hiatus” until things could be caught up.  By all indications this is going well and revenue sharing is expected to come back on line again in the New Year.

A new opportunity which has members quite excited is the “Bounty” opportunity (as described on the Shared Reviews Blog).  The guys at Shared Reviews have been working day and night literally to get the new Bounty program up and running, complete with a new site for it and personally I think this is going to be a great success.  With some of the highest payments in the ‘article writing’ venue, Shared Reviews is getting set to not only provide writers with a great way to keep busy with writing but also a great way to earn some additional cash!

If you are interested in becoming an active part of the Bounty program – simply head to Shared Reviews and sign up as  a member for their Reviews portion of things and once you’ve done that and have some reviews on-line to help the guys gage your writing style – you can sign up for the Bounty program as well.

You have to put together a resume and some writing samples – but that’s just a simple matter of posting to the Bounty sign up site.  I encourage anyone signing up to first have some reviews completed on the original site as this is going to be a win-win situation for the writers who want to get “two birds” with one stone.

Does Shared Reviews actually pay?

As mentioned, I’ve been a member here for several months and yes, they do pay – right now however the Review portion of the site is on temporary Hiatus (no pay status) but that doesn’t stop the members from really writing up a storm – new reviews are added hourly by the members and once the site begins its revenue program again in the New Year – payments will again be a part of the program – I’ve received payment from Shared Reviews and the Bounty program promises to be a payment cycle of the 15th of the month following the month you’ve written articles in…eg if you write articles in Jan you’ll have payment for them by about the 15th of the following month (Feb).

The payment process is through PayPal and signing up to the site (both Shared Reviews and the Bounty) are quick and simple to do.

The guys are fabulous and the community is terrific…so quick, check it out and then sign up because those who get in on the ground floor will have an excellent opportunity!!

Akaiya

Prepare for the long stretches

Coming off of an eleven article writing spree can be a bit of an adjustment.  Staring at the computer for an endless period of time, day and night, hour after hour while researching and formulating the basis for the work can lead to a few “withdrawal” symptoms once everything is said and done.

I pushed out eleven articles in the space of 6 days, almost 10,000 words that by the end of it all had my head “splitting” in protest.

If you find yourself on deadlines and glued to your laptop or desktop computer – here are some ideas that I’ve found that not only helps to keep me focused but also helps to keep me motivated and semi-relaxed.

Five Must Do Steps to Comfort

1.  Proper laptop platform: If you are like me and work almost exclusively with a laptop, one of the best possible investments you can make is to purchase (or have a handy partner who is a whiz at creating things and can design) a laptop desk.  I don’t mean one that simply slips over your legs and rests against a chair or your bed, sofa or wherever.  I mean one that actually keeps the laptop at eye level, on a swinging platform that moves easily from side to side to allow for easy access in or out of your favorite “roosting” spot.  My husband developed the laptop stand that I work with and it is done is such a way that it keeps my laptop screen at eye level (no need to have my neck bent down) and which allows me to keep my wrists free of the keyboard completely (no carpel tunnel threats).  Although the unit I use isn’t yet in production, and thus you’ll not see a photo of it yet for that reason,  it has saved me countless hours of pain and is definitely my most valuable tool when writing – particularly for long stretches.

If you can afford to spend a little extra on your comfort, this is one area I firmly suggest that you not go cheaply on – unless the solution you find is one that works well for you and provides you with the benefits you require.

2.  Voice Recognition software:  Although this isn’t a must have, especially if you have the opportunity to have a laptop table as above, it is one that I am becoming more associated with.   I’ve recently begun using Vista and decided to try the recognition software that comes built in to it.  Can I say that I am sort of “in love” with this?  Say what you will about Vista but in my opinion, for the  really long writing sessions, this has actually come in extremely handy!  Setting it up was a simple matter of going through the tutorials to train the program to my voice.  There are still some times when it will put in odd words here and there such as “blog” which it will refer to as “log” or something equally nonsensical – but you can bet that I’ll be using this to dictate my novel to – it works quite well overall.

Yes you can purchase Dragon Naturally Speaking – and eventually I may do just that, but for now, the Vista Speech is a relatively decent facsimile.

3.  Get up and move: Regardless of how fit you are, your body isn’t meant to be in a seated position for hours at a time.   Losing track of time is easy to do when writing or even surfing the net for that matter.    I have another very good reason for getting up from the computer every hour or so – I have Fibromyalgia which is literally a “pain” and if I am in the same position for too long, I don’t function too well afterward.   There are a few decent “interruption” techniques you can use that can assist in reminding you to actually get up and move for a bit.  A program called Workrave, which is open source seems to have a bit of a following which just might work well for you.  Of course you can use something as simple as an alarm clock, but just remember to reset it  after every rest period.

4.  Dehydration can give you a headache! You might not think so but ensuring that you remain hydrated is an important part of being able to write for long stretches (well that and food).  I usually keep a bottle of water next to me and sip on it through the hours – although a nice refreshing bottle of green tea or a caffiene free drink works just as well.  Often during my “stretching” periods I’ll wander to the kitchen and grab some fruit juice, fruits and nuts etc., to nibble on while I work as well.

5.  Get enough sleep: Regardless of what your deadlines are, if you haven’t had enough sleep – you are going to either miss them or the work you hand in could be a little more error prone than you’d like.  Even with a great spell-checker, it still can’t differentiate well enough to catch those “to” and “too” subtleties – your eyes (or  the speech recognition software to read back your work) are the best ways to avoid missing those small things that can trip you up.  Always get enough sleep!

Enjoy those long writing session, but do so in moderated time frames and with the proper tools and you’ll find things will be a little more manageable overall.

Akaiya