Freelance Writing

SEO Dominator

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:55:00 +0000

You've heard it before - Search Engine Optimization is key if you ever want to make money on the internet. Many of us know that, but never bother to learn what exactly that means. We're either too lazy, too tired, too bored to actually learn how to market our work online. But I'm here to tell you that's it worth it. It's worth every penny.

One of the keys to Search Engine Optimization is keywords and back linking. Some will tell you that one is more important than the other, but, in my personal opinion, I think they are both equally important.

My next series of Hubs and Blogs will focus on Search Engine Optimization techniques and how you implement them into your work.

If you don't want to wait and want to learn right now then go here

Top Five Fiction Writing Contests

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:38:00 +0000

Fiction writing. It's a interesting trade, skill, whatever you want to call it. It requires you to dig into your imagination, pick of the best of your ideas, and then transcribe it onto paper. It's a unique sill to possess - to be able to create a world out of nothing. But if you can successfully do it then its a very rewarding process.

There are hundreds of contests out there that are designed for just that: for writers who have grand imaginations that can write good stories. It's amazing that many of us just save our words and never show them to the public, allow them for some kind of critique - whether constructive or praise. It's vital in becoming a successful freelance writer - or a successful fiction writer - that we have no fear of the public eye.

And that's where the fiction writing contests come in.

Think about it. Is there any better way to first show off your writing? Instead of some public forum, or some local paper, you can submit it to a specific niche where the ones who are viewing it completley understand what your trying to do. No harsh judgments; no unfair realizations. Plus, if you enter fiction writing contests, you have a chance to be published and make a little cash. It seems like a win-win, doesn't it.

The fact is it is. Submit your work. Freelance writing demands that your open for anything.

Here is a list of the top five fiction writing contests:

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Bard Fiction Prize(http://www.bard.edu/bfp/)

Prize: $30 000 and contract as writer in residence at bard college for one semester.

Deadline: July 15th

Guidelines: Intended to encourage and further young writers career by providing money, as well as a strong intellectual environment to further your skills.

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Boston Review Short Story Contest

(http://bostonreview.net/about/contest/)

Prize: $1500 and publication in the Boston Review

Deadline: Summer

Guideline: Stories cannot exceed 4000 words.

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National Writers Association Novel Writing Contest(http://www.nationalwriters.com/page/page/2734945.htm)

Prize: 1st - $500, 2nd - $250, 3rd - $150

Deadline: April 1st.

Guideline: Contest open for all who recognize their creative ability to articulate.

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Orange Prize For Fiction(http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/home)

Prize: $30 000

Deadline: End of November

Guideline: Full length novel that has been written by a woman. It must have relevance to everyday lives, have imagination and a very strong and inspiring message. Cannot have been previously published in the UK, but can be published outside of the country

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Coffee House Fiction (http://www.coffeehousefiction.com/)

Prize: 1st - $350, 2nd - $125, 3rd - $75, 4th - $50

Deadline: January 31st.

Guideline: Detailed guidelines of website. Entry fee of $17, non-refundable

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Full List of the Top Fiction Writing Contests

Places For Your Writing

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:56:00 +0000

It's one thing to write a lot of articles, stories, or whatever else is your niche; but it's another thing to actually share those words with the rest of the world, get feedback, perhaps praise. And the latter is vital for your success as a freelance writer.

There are dozens and dozens of sites that are dedicated for you to submit your writing, share it with others, and receive comments of both praise and critique. What many of us don't know is what place is the right place, and what place is the best for freelance writers?

Or, in layman terms, what place will give me a chance to make some money while I write?

I have a list, a small list, but a list that answers just that question.

HubPages

What is it: A website that allows you to create hubs (articles, poems, stories) which are instantly open for anyone on the website to see. This allows your work to be viewed by the public without much hassle. The layout and interface is easy to use making the transfer of your work to the site very easy.

How to make money: HubPages is partnered with Google AdSense, one of the main avenues for people to make money on the internet. By signing up for AdSense, as well as HubPages, all your hubs will have Google ads placed on them. If anyone clicks on the adds you get money. Simple. Easy.

2. Info Barrel

What is it: The slogan is, 'Crowd-sourcing How To Guides', and the site remains true to those four words. A lot like HubPages, Info Barrel allows you to sign up and create articles, video reviews, and so forth. It has more variety in its layout and interface, but isn't as user friendly. It's more of a newbie - but that doesn't mean it isn't as good.

How to make money: Also uses Adsense; you also gain a higher percentage than from HubPages. You can also using Amazon, and Chitka.

3. Squidoo

What is it: This one has been around the longest and is also the most unique. Instead of barrels, or hubs, you create things called 'lens'. The interface is simple, but lacks many of the extra features HubPages and Info have. Is extremely popular, however, and is an easy place to gain traffic.

How to make money: Unlike HubPages or Info Barrel, you don't need to sign up for anything extra. As long as you have a PayPal account than you can get started right away. The more views you get, the more money you get. After a while you request a withdrawal and the money will be deposited into your PayPal account. It's popular because of its simplicity.

4. RedGage

What is it: The new, 'cool', guy. This one is decidedly different than the three giants before; it's simpler, more of a community, more intimate. This site isn't just for writing, but can be for posting home-made videos, photos, blog posts, as well as articles.

How to make money: Just post content, and the more views you get, the more money you'll receive. Like Squidoo but much more simpler. You get money via a RedGage credit card, which can be asked for whenever. Also RedGage will also provide bonus's for content which is deemed 'hot' by the public; and there are also many contests that occur daily.

All four of these places are great homes for your writing. I suggest you pick one or two to call you home and focus your efforts there.

What about Social Bookmarking?

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:05:00 +0000

Before I go deeper into more serious freelance information, I want to talk about social bookmarking. Social bookmarking is a great way to get your work out there to the general public and - if your serious about making money via adverting and other avenues like that - it's also a nice boost. It sounds simple, doesn't it? Just submit your blog, articles, or website, and watch the traffic pour in.

Unfortunately that's not how it works.

The social bookmarking sites have long since become bigger than you and I and are much more concerned about interesting news stories or the latest of the entertainment world. The chances of your little article or blog becoming on the front page are slim to none. So - is there even a point?

Honesty: it depends on how much time you have. If you have the time, and the energy, then there is a way to break through that wall and get your stuff noticed. If not then I would focus your efforts on making the best possible work; do your keyword research, back link, freelance write, ect.

If you do have the time then I have a few tips for you.

Get to know the social bookmarking site before you start spamming it with your own articles. Become part of the community, gain friends, gain trust. Become a valued member so when you do post your own stuff it will be well regarded.
Post interesting news articles from a variety of different sites. This will show the site that your not spamming, so that when you do submit your own it has a better chance of being promoted to the front page of the social bookmarking site.
Only pick three or four bookmarking sites and really spend a lot a time on them. You'll have much better success if you focus your efforts on a few than trying to spam twenty different ones.
Make sure on your profile on the site you have a link to your blog, website, or articles, so that when you do spend time in the community and are posting other items people will have the opportunity to look at your work.

Now that you know the tips its time you find a few sites and start working. Here is a list of the best social bookmarking sites around - at least the ones I think we'll give you the most success.

The Best Social Bookmarking Sites

Easy Tips For Article Writing

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 05:24:00 +0000

Becoming a freelance writer doesn't happen overnight. It's a long process that takes a lot hard work, patience and time. And a lot of that hard work has to be spent on getting your work out there - or, in other more metaphorical terms, get your words into the stream of thought that flows throughout the web. You have to gain at least some sort of recognition, some kind of accolade, so you get the respect and reliability of employers who need a freelance writer.

How do you get this kind of respect? Where do you start?

The answer is simple and somewhat obvious - you write. You write anything and everything. And much of this everything is writing articles; they are the most demanded piece of writing on the internet, because they are usually the simplest and contain the most information.

There are many different outlets to write these articles, but that's for another blog post.

This post is to give you the essential tips on how to to write articles that the internet will 'like'. In other words articles which will rank high on the search engines and will be popular with the general population. Get the respect of the mob, and get respect of the rest. It's a great place to start.

Brainstorm a bunch of ideas. Check out magazines, newspapers for anything interesting you think may be of interest of people. The idea here is not thinking of something that no one else has – because that won’t be searched anyway – but thinking of something that you know is searched but doesn’t have a lot of information on it. This part is the hardest, and most time consuming part, but it’s pivotal to your success.
Then take the keyword you decided was hot on the ones mentioned above and enter it in the Free Keyword Tracker. The results generated should give you what is the most searched phrase on that keyword, and all relatively close terms. This should give you a more definite idea of what topic to write about.
This step can be ignored if needed, but if you’re really serious about making a lot of money then you should go to the Google AdSense Keyword tool. Here type in the phrase or topic that you decided on in the previous two steps. Click high estimated CPC, and go down the list to see how much your keywords ads are worth and how much other, close, keywords are also worth

Writing these kind of articles will get you the attention - it will get you in the doorway - but it has to be the writing that gets you into the rest of the house. Find a good topic, find the keywords, and then use that foundation to create an informative and intriguing article. If you do that, well, you'll be one step closer on becoming a successful freelance writer.

*** Check out here for more article tips

Freelance Writing - Start

noreply@blogger.com (vanchen) — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 16:03:00 +0000

Many of us have the goal to become a freelance writer and earn a sustainable income from home. It's a dream some of us have - sitting on the couch in the morning, sipping coffee, making money. It seems like a stress free way to live, something that will better our lives. It is. But getting to that point isn't.

Many people forget that the hardest about freelance writing is the journey to become a freelance writer. You have to advertise yourself, write thousands of articles, apply for hundreds of projects; you have to build a portfolio that is respected enough that you don't have to work dirt cheap just so you can get a project.

The process is long. It's tiring. It can be painful. Right now I'm in the process, the journey, and I'm finding it very difficult.

Luckily there's many resources, and people, who are willing to share their expertise and help us a long the way. The purpose of the blog? To be the middleman between all these resources, to find the help that can help both myself and everyone else along for the ride. Because becoming a freelance writer is a very, very attainable goal.

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The first resource and topic I'd like to talk about is the place many of us should start. There are many, hundreds, of websites which are dedicated for freelance writing. Some have the purpose of content; some article writing; some even are for the purpose of writing someone else's academic paper. The point is there is a niche for everyone to fill, so finding an area you feel comfortable in, and place where you can make money isn't difficult.

But you should also be wary.

Many freelance sites promise things they can't actually fulfill. If you find a website that's promising it's important to research - perhaps ask an established writer what they know about it. A lot of the time you'll find out the website is a dud and a waste of your time.

I've spent some time searching the web for the 'good' sites, and I think I've a found a few that's worth the time and the effort. We're taking about specifics though, so I've composed a short list of the best sites for each type of freelance writing. (Some sites overlap each other)

Article Writing:

Elance - a giant with thousands of projects for you to bid on.
Guru - another giant, and the first of its kind. The most trusted freelance site on the web.
iFreelance - Smaller than the above few, but a great place to start a career.

Content Writing:

Elance - about a quarter of its projects are dedicated to content writing.
Guru - has an entire section of jobs specifically for content writing projects.
oDesk - get paid by the hour, with a selection of clients from all over the world.

Academic Writing:

Academia Research - the best academic and most reliable site for it.

***For a list of the best freelance writing sites (overall) on the internet follow the link below. It also has the pros and cons for each one to help you better decide.

The Best Freelance Writing Websites

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