Pen Meets Wallet

New Feed Address

2011-02-03T07:32:00.001-08:00

Please note that Pen Meets Wallet has moved! Update your RSS feeds to continue receiving updates!

Pen Meets Wallet Has Moved!

2010-12-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

Pen Meets Wallet has moved! Please note the new URL – http://penmeetswallet.com. If you are still following this blog from blogger, please take a moment to update your feeds.I am excited to finally launch Pen Meets Wallet from my own hosting account, since I was becoming frustrated with blogger’s set up. I hope you find the new interface much easier to navigate!

November Earnings Update!

2010-12-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

This month marks an exciting moment in my online passive income journey. I am only $7.50 away from reaching the $100 point! Here's the breakdown:Suite 101: $33.53eHow: $19.44Amazon: $2.61Adsense: $13.83Affiliates: $23.10Total= $92.51It was by far the best month I've had yet at Suite 101. I'm not sure what caused the spike since I haven't even added any new articles in a while, but perhaps it was

October Earnings Update

2010-11-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been MIA lately, and this earnings update is a bit late! I have been focusing on my family and balancing writing life with mommy life. All the good stuff!Here are the stats for those who have been itching with anticipation to see how I did last month:Suite 101: $19.13eHow: $19.57Amazon: $0.00Adsense: $3.82Affiliates: $23.11Total= $65.63My Suite101 and eHow earnings seem to be holding

September Earnings Update

2010-10-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

September was a great month for me in residual income. Although Suite 101 and eHow remained about the same, my adsense and affiliate earnings were at an all time high! Here are the stats:Suite 101- $18.42eHow- $21.76Amazon- $2.61Adsense- $11.48Affiliates- $25.00Total= $79.27I was able to write quite a bit this month, even returning to Demand Studios for a bit of upfront pay. The new eHow Home and

You Are What You Read

2010-09-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

As a continuation of my post, 'Helpful Resources for Freelance Writers' I'd like to mention another writing book I recommend. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg is a quick, insightful read writing and life.In her book, Goldberg takes her readers inside her own process and outlook on writing, encouraging writers to develop their own practice and make it a seamless part of their own life.

Update on My Keyword Academy Progress

2010-09-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

As most of my readers know, I started the Keyword Academy this month to help boost my online income, learn more about SEO and target better keywords. My original goal for the month was to finish the core videos and compile my list of keywords. So far, I have watched all the core videos (which were by far the most helpful thing about TKA!) and a few of the webinars. I also have come up with a few

References: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

2010-09-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

Most articles require references in order to fully cover a subject and for the reader to trust the advice given in the article. With search engines like Google, it has become increasingly easier to get references on just about any topic in the world. But are all references created equal?As an online writer, one of the most important skills you'll need is the ability to sort out bad references

August Earnings Update

2010-09-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Is it September already?! Although I am very excited for fall and cooler weather (the heat this year has been excessive and draining), I can't believe how fast summer went by. I suppose having a new baby can help make things seem like a blur!Here are the stats for August:Suite 101: $18.96eHow: $20.26Adsense: $6.32Amazon: $0.00Total= $45.54I added 4 new articles to Suite 101 in August and managed

The Keyword Academy

2010-08-31T07:55:00.000-07:00

I frequent many writer forums across the Internet, and time and time again I noticed successful writers and Internet markets referring The Keyword Academy as an excellent and invaluable resource for online writers. When I discovered they were offering the first month free, I decided to check it out. What could it hurt? If I didn't like it or didn't find it useful, I would cancel after the first

Suite Changes

2010-08-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Suite 101 recently made some changes to its contributing writers program. I was pleasantly surprised to find out 1) the 10 article quota has been done away with and 2) the restriction on voice has been removed.What does this mean for the Suite 101 writer?For those of us who write for Suite 101, we no longer have to figure out how many articles we've written over the last 12 weeks or worry about

Helpful Resources for Freelance Writers

2010-08-18T05:27:00.001-07:00

Here are some of my favorite books and resources for the freelance writer.Writer's Digest - This magazine is a staple for writers everywhere. I look forward to my issue each month, and the articles get devoured almost as soon as it's out of the mailbox! The magazine is not only a wonderful source of inspiration, but it motivates me as well. Whenever I finish reading it, I feel compelled to sit

June and July Earnings Update

2010-08-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

I'm back! The past two months have been unusually busy with the birth of our beautiful daughter. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to update, write or even get online! Now that our family is adjusting to life with a new baby, I finally have time (during naps!) to update my readers on my earnings and writing goals.Here are the stats for June:Suite 101- $14.83eHow- $9.42Adsense- $1.56Amazon-

Avoiding Passive Voice

2010-06-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been writing numerous articles for Demand Studios. Writing for DS is much easier than it used to be since I've mastered the styles of several formats. I also tend to write in select categories, so I'm quickly building an expertise on certain topics, which makes writing much faster.However, I've found that I still struggle with using passive voice. A couple CE's were kind enough to

May Earnings Update

2010-06-01T09:03:00.001-07:00

May was a much better month than April. I've started writing regularly again for Demand Studios, and my residual income at Suite 101 and eHow improved if only just slightly. I've finally started earning with amazon, so from now on I'll include monthly earnings from their associate program.Suite 101- $16.54eHow- $14.07adsense- $4.82amazon- $1.90total= $37.33My actual income from writing was much

The Power of Routine

2010-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

I'm the not the writer type who waits for inspiration to strike before putting pen to paper. And although I can produce some of my best work under a hoovering deadline, I like most of my writing to be done on a routine. That is, I write at the same time each day for a set amount of time.Now that my husband has a set work schedule, it is very easy for me to fit writing in. Although he used to be

April Earnings Update

2010-05-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late on this earnings update! But I wanted to share what I earned nonetheless. I've been very busy settling into our new apartment, and thus have not had much time for writing. Learning to navigate a whole new city alongside social obligations, camping trips and my husband starting his new job has kept me occupied.Suite 101- $15.41- Did not add any new articles.eHow- $11.95 - My eHow

eHow Pulls the Plug on the WCP

2010-04-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I included the dramatic announcement by eHow to end the WCP (Writer Compensation Program). After perusing many different writer forums, I've gotten a nice overview of what these changes mean.Future eHow Articles All future eHow articles will now be written by Demand Studio writers. This means that each article must go through an editorial process before being published on the

The end of eHow?

2010-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Just minutes ago, I received a pop-up message from eHow alerting me that eHow has now closed their Writer Compensation Program.Demand Studios is now the exclusive platform for writing new articles for eHow.com EFFECTIVE AS OF APRIL 5, 2010, THE WCP WILL BE CLOSED TO NEW PARTICIPANTS. Articles which were previously submitted under the WCP prior to April 5, 2010 will continue to be governed by the

March Earnings Update

2010-04-01T16:14:00.001-07:00

March certainly was an eventful month. Not only did we move, but we moved twice. After discovering a major problem in the original apartment we moved into, we became nomads for 4 days, living at the Holiday Inn. Thankfully, everything was resolved and we managed to find another apartment fairly quickly. However, it was very stressful, and I'm just glad it's all over.As a result of all this, I

Why Having an Idea Folder is Essential

2010-03-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

As a writer, one is bound to experience writer's block from time to time. There are days when I desperately want to write an article, but I just can't think of anything to write about. And then there are days when ideas seem to flow from an endless fountain of inspiration.Even if I don't plan to write that day, I write down my ideas in an idea folder. This helps tremendously. Not only does it

Demand Studios Now Accepting Canadian and UK Writers!

2010-03-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

For those of you who live in Canada or the UK, you'll be happy to know that Demand Studios is now accepting applications from these regions.Demand Studios is one of the best upfront pay content sites on the web right now. Although now I don't write for them save an article here or there, it was a great place to write when I needed upfront pay. Many writers make their living working from home over

February Earnings Update

2010-03-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

March is officially here! Spring is literally just around the corner, and that makes me very happy! Although February was a bleak month in terms of weather, I managed to stay quite productive and write a lot.I launched my first niche blog mid-month, and so far, I have earned almost $2 in adsense from this site. With only a small amount of content, it is already earning, which I am excited about.

Tax Information for Writers

2010-02-25T08:22:00.001-08:00

Every writer who earns an income is required to report their earnings and pay their taxes each year. For those of you new to or just unsure about the process involved, below is an article I recently wrote on how to make tax time easier for writers. I hope this helps those of you who might be filing taxes as a writer for the first time this year!Tax Tips for WritersFreelance Income ReportingAvoid

The Future of eHow?

2010-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

With less than one week left to the month, I am beginning to have serious thoughts about the direction of eHow's future. After several months of not submitting any new content, I published 3 articles near the beginning of the month but have yet to see any revenue from them. Aside from that, I am also earning half of what I was in January, if that is even possible (And January's earnings were half