tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:23:32 +0000writingarticlesGoogle Adsenseamazon associatesdemand studioseHowfreelancepromoting your writingsamplessuite 101EpinionsExpertsanswer questionsassociated contentblogconstant contentfillerswebsitehttp://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)Blogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-2823811315697358039Fri, 20 Sep 2013 21:53:00 +00002013-09-20T14:55:05.279-07:00Moving The Grapevine has split into two parts and will now be located on two domains. Please visit us on www.ncgrapevine.com and www.mdonnadesigns.com. Hope to see you there! http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2013/09/moving-grapevine-has-split-into-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-4537732160487344430Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:00:00 +00002010-06-13T21:00:32.332-07:00Save Money & Energy By Making Home Energy Efficient Changes: http://saving-energy.suite101.com/article.cfm/save-money-and-energy Food Shopping Using a Coupon Organizer: http://personalbudgeting.suite101.com/article.cfm/food-shopping-using-a-coupon-organizer Rain Barrels Can Help Conserve Water: http://water-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/how-to-use-a-rain-barrel-to-conserve-water http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/06/save-money-energy-by-making-home-energy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-1728679112844029189Sat, 05 Jun 2010 17:59:00 +00002010-06-05T10:59:23.276-07:00sampleswritingYesterday, a local newspaper editor asked me for several writing samples. My heart lifted, as it always does when I get another "chance" to be published. It's happened a lot before, but the happy feeling never changes. Thankfully, my husband was kind enough to set me up with a scanner some time ago. With a few clicks of the mouse, the scanner starts buzzing, and my screen magically displays a .http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/06/keep-your-writing-samples.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-3154936287662162184Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:25:00 +00002010-06-05T09:25:28.611-07:00ExpertsOnce you stumble upon a great story idea, you have to follow through. Sure, you'll want to write an outline, do your internet research, and read all background issues of that particular publication. But to really add meat to your story, you'll need experts. Expert advice is priceless. An article without an expert may be functional, informative, and even fun. But experts add authenticity. They http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/06/finding-expert.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-850513787663320646Sat, 15 May 2010 12:46:00 +00002010-05-15T05:46:59.299-07:00EpinionsImagine my surprise when I logged onto Epinions and discovered my earnings. I signed up way back in 2001, and frankly forgot about it until I saw it on someone else's blog recently. Back in the day, Epinions was having some issues and it seemed like it was shutting its doors. But I guess these struggles worked themselves out. So when I logged onto Epinions yesterday, I discovered two http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/epinions-is-still-alive-and-well.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-9016250098455020618Tue, 11 May 2010 15:32:00 +00002010-05-11T08:32:02.684-07:00The key to being a good writer is to write every day. The truth is that, now that I write every day, I have become addicted to it. I spend much of my day answering questions online (http://www.webanswers.com/) or writing for one of my article sites. What do you write? I'd like to hear where you are publishing; for example, are you writing for Hub Pages, WebAnswers, etc.? (Please just list http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-are-you-writing-online.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-7561907337024024834Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:33:00 +00002010-04-22T10:40:57.270-07:00Since the big change, many eHow writers are looking for a new venue. After all, the biggest benefits of eHow were the (a) great community, (b) friendly web design, and (c) the residual income. Many of them have joined Demand Studios, many have joined Suite 101, and many have joined Hub Pages--everyone is trying to find out how to make money. Of course, many have joined all of them! I've limited http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/writing-for-hub-pages.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-4642640243756201603Fri, 16 Apr 2010 22:45:00 +00002010-04-16T15:50:21.505-07:00articlesYes, I've been pretty busy writing articles for different online venues. I did some work for Demand Studios, which by the way is paying quite steadily. I've also written several articles for other online writing sites, and I am very interested to see if I'll be able to make a decent amount of money. It's nice to see that Google AdSense amount increasing daily! Here are some of my most recent http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/my-recent-online-articles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-439073705493542525Fri, 16 Apr 2010 05:12:00 +00002010-04-15T22:13:17.497-07:00promoting your writingSo what the heck is a backlink, and why do you care about them anyway? Because you want to earn money online. A backlink is created when another site links to your site. This page, which links back to your blog or article, tells search engines that you must be important. After all, why else would someone link to your page anyway? You must be a very talented writer, or have great advice on http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/backlines-yes-you-do-care-about-them.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-3519139396700190536Sat, 10 Apr 2010 14:58:00 +00002010-04-10T09:15:39.416-07:00amazon associatesGoogle Adsensepromoting your writingwritingIf you have been writing online, you have invested considerable time in your blog, web page, or online articles. In most cases, your income depends upon your page views (how many people visit your page). So if you really want to increase your income, you need to work on promoting your website. After all, big companies spend millions of dollars each year on advertising; it must be a good http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/promoting-your-articles-overview.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-7684282965791320812Wed, 07 Apr 2010 15:40:00 +00002010-04-10T09:11:13.571-07:00answer questionsWho knew? You can get paid to answer questions online. About two weeks ago, I visited Web Answers on a whim. My brain had started churning, and I realized that writers and visitors are flocking to sites like Ask.com, Yahoo! Answers and AllExperts.com. I figured that someone must be paying big bucks so writers can earn money while answering questions. The answer was surprising. Most of the siteshttp://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/im-making-money-on-web-answers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-7464724631575644940Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:25:00 +00002010-04-10T09:16:24.897-07:00demand studioseHowsuite 101writingYesterday was an interesting day for eHow's writers. Their lucrative writing venue literally transformed overnight. We awoke to find a new message in a bright box in the middle of our screen. It shouted that all eHow articles would now be written through Demand Studios. (Demand Studios and eHow are owned by the same company.) As a new eHow writer, I personally am not affected by the change. I http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/ehows-new-structure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-359654780591073454Tue, 06 Apr 2010 04:29:00 +00002010-04-10T09:17:26.452-07:00amazon associateseHowGoogle Adsensesuite 101writingOh my! It's been an interesting day for writers of eHow, who have been used to the revenue sharing program that has been in place for several years. Luckily, eHow's changes have not affected my writing, as I have only submitted several pieces. However, I do suggest waiting for the fall-out to finish before signing up. In the meantime, I have written one more title for Suite 101. It's been slow http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/ehow-has-changed-its-rules.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-4335810898611612195Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:37:00 +00002010-04-10T09:10:02.899-07:00demand studioswritingWhile I still prefer to write with pen and paper, I have found that there is a large online writing market. I've been experimenting with Demand Studios over the past few months, and I must say that it has been rather successful. Demand Studios pays fairly well, and the work in interesting. The pay rates vary per article; when I began the pay rates were $3 for a short answer, $7.50 for a fact http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/publishing-online.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-6205208643187796374Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:52:00 +00002010-04-01T09:54:47.566-07:00I've found that I'm an "old school" writer. (Mind you, I am not old though!) I've found that a pen and a pad of paper do wonders for my imagination. When I'm sitting in front of the computer, the temptation is too great. Within moments, I find myself playing Mob Wars or Mafia Wars on Facebook. It's not the pad and paper that bring my ideas to life---it's the temptation that doesn't exist.http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/04/writing-old-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-903617108345805807Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:16:00 +00002010-01-22T04:31:23.202-08:00Traditionally, a freelance writer's revenue depended primarily on print publications, such as magazines and trade journals. Over the past year, I have noticed that some of these magazines are shutting their doors, shrinking the opportunity to write for print publications. What's a writer to do?I'm currently testing the online writer's marketplace at two new sites, Suite 101 and Demand Studios. http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2010/01/writing-market-slow-down.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-3016772436965538395Mon, 21 Jan 2008 23:13:00 +00002008-01-21T15:21:38.814-08:00Some time ago, I joined up with both Associated Content and Constant Content in the hopes that it might just be the right thing for a freelancer. Almost immediately, another author contacted me with her concerns. She felt that these two sources were very profitable, and thus, not a good resource for the freelancer.Keeping her advice in mind, I continued on my journey with both sites. The http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2008/01/eh-maybe-not.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-7782572577445136455Thu, 06 Sep 2007 18:34:00 +00002007-09-06T11:44:11.967-07:00Once you stumble upon a great story idea, you have to follow through. Sure, you'll want to write an outline, do your internet research, and read all background issues of that particular publication. But to really add meat to your story, you'll need experts.Expert advice is priceless. An article without an expert may be functional, informative, and even fun. But experts add authenticity. Theyhttp://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/09/asking-for-experts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-8726826856109793720Tue, 14 Aug 2007 02:48:00 +00002007-08-13T19:55:02.068-07:00Recently, I enthusiastically accepted a low-paying assignment. Why? Because this assignment offered something beyond a financial benefit: It offered the opportunity to improve my skills.This new market was way outside my comfort zone. Normally, I'd never even think about trying something this new. But I was feeling ambitious---and a little courageous. So I took a deep breath and dived righthttp://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/08/writing-for-experience.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-2694236621603411423Wed, 08 Aug 2007 18:11:00 +00002007-08-08T11:20:49.543-07:00When sending queries, many writers are perplexed by the snail mail/email debate. Snail mail is old-fashioned and expensive, and email is quick and snazzy. So, do you stick with the days-of-old, or do you cruise down the submission superhighway.I'll 'fess up. I've tried both methods, and found a considerable difference in their response. My vote: go for SNAIL MAIL.Sure, email's fast. But http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/08/snail-mail-or-e-mail.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-418573651971854419Mon, 06 Aug 2007 21:40:00 +00002007-08-06T15:09:04.531-07:00Writers have to have a tough skin. Rejection happens all the time, and you just have to brush it off.It's not easy, though. Opening the mailbox to see your own SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) will make your heart skip a beat. Your hand will quiver as you tear open the envelope. You think, Maybe this is the one! And maybe it is. But more often than not, it's another rejection.So how dohttp://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/08/cold-calling-email-way.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-7678509080030844167Thu, 02 Aug 2007 12:13:00 +00002007-08-02T05:27:03.952-07:00In the wake of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis, writing seems so trivial. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and the families caught in this tragedy.-----Writing Magazine ArticlesWhen dreaming about writing magazine articles, most of us have visions of a byline in Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, or Reader's Digest. But the truth is that these magazines are already inundated. http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/08/writing-magazine-articles.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-983211289694554533Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:25:00 +00002007-07-23T05:38:53.977-07:00Over the past few days, I've received a few comments and suggestions regarding Constant Content and Associated Content. I've also learned a little about free article writing as well.First, I wanted to share that I did receive a comment against these sites, and I'd like to share it with you. Another popular blogger contacted me and indicated that they recommend writers to avoid these sites. I http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/07/update-on-constant-content-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-994271859574021893Fri, 20 Jul 2007 21:23:00 +00002010-04-10T09:10:34.642-07:00sampleswritingYesterday, a local newspaper editor asked me for several writing samples. My heart lifted, as it always does when I get another "chance" to be published. It's happened a lot before, but the happy feeling never changes. Thankfully, my husband was kind enough to set me up with a scanner some time ago. With a few clicks of the mouse, the scanner starts buzzing, and my screen magically displays a .http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/07/keeping-your-writing-samples.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38638321996881773.post-3388553753270696310Thu, 19 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +00002010-04-10T09:13:55.027-07:00articleswritingThe age-old advice is true: write what you know. When you speak about familiar topics, an air of expertise shines through. So examine your life, and focus on your interests. Your topics will find you. It goes without saying (and yet I'll say it anyway), that you need to pick your genre first. Now my genre focuses on non-fiction articles. In particular, I am fond of the how-to article. I find http://mdonnadesigns.blogspot.com/2007/07/advice-for-beginning-freelance-writers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Donna Wallace)0