Writing Jobs for Freelance Writers Helps Unemployed and Stay-at-Home Moms Earn Cash

Mobile, Alabama (PRWEB) July 30, 2012

Writing jobs are one of the fastest rising forms of employment on the Internet although few people know that this work exists. There are many work at home programs that make promises of monthly income, but there are even fewer programs that actually deliver on the promises. Online Writing Jobs has now opened a database online that is full of companies that are now hiring freelance writers.

The jobs consist of writing short and long blog posts, how-to articles, short stories and forms of business communication. These jobs are designed to help those searching for a legitimate work at home opportunity to find steady employment and receive monthly cash.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics consistently updates U.S. employment data annually. Recent numbers have been reported that show a rise in virtual positions like call centers, online chat support, social media management and freelance writing. It was only 15 years ago when these types of jobs were known as telecommuting jobs and companies like IBM, Microsoft and Cisco helped to fuel the surge in what is now known as virtual employment. The growth of online jobs is something that many companies are watching closely. The cost savings to hire a virtual employee are helping companies to reduce the cost of physical labor.

Technologies like social media, mobile marketing and email marketing are new ways that small businesses and corporations keep in close contact with consumers. A well maintained mailing list can be one of the most useful tools to a company. Part of allure of employees to find online employment is the ability to set hours of working time that correlate to more personal time. An employee that writes freelance articles, blog posts or other correspondence can do so anywhere in the world with an Internet connected device.

The entertainment industry is one of the areas of business that frequently hire freelance writers from around the world. The cost of maintaining a full-time writing staff is now at peak levels. The recent unionized writer strikes have lead more companies to seek third party freelancers to write scripts, commercial ad copy and radio scripts. It is less expensive to hire a freelance writer that does not work for a writer’s union.

These jobs are designed to help those searching for a legitimate work at home opportunity to find steady employment and receive monthly cash.

Legitimate online writing jobs are usually obtained by going through a placement agency. Writers are typically tested with average typing and writing skills to help reduce the amount of unqualified applicants. A writer that passes all testing can be outsourced to companies that are searching for full and part time writers.

A recent poll of freelance writers estimates that the average writer without a union contract earns $27 per hour working completely online as a freelancer. The Writing Jobs Online database now provides a direct link between freelance writers and businesses in a variety of industries that are actively seeking writers to complete a variety of writing jobs.
About Writing Jobs Online

A comprehensive online database of writers and companies that hire them is the basic premise of Writing Jobs Online. The need for web content writers has grown substantially in the past five years and Writing Jobs Online is at the forefront of this increase. From stay-at-home moms to unemployed workers, average people from the U.S., Canada and Europe are now using the Writing Jobs Online system of freelance writing to earn legitimate work from home writing for businesses and corporations.

Read the full story here.

Freelancers Need Focus

by Dennis Nishi

After quitting her full-time job as an arts editor at a weekly paper, Molly Freedenberg, a writer now based in Austin, Texas, became her own boss.

“I was tired of working for someone else, being told what to write and when to write it and wasn’t allured out of these dissatisfactions by pay, benefits or promises of promotions,” says Ms. Freedenberg, who began writing for several different companies. But she soon wearied of constantly hustling for work, and she missed having co-workers.

After a year of yo-yoing income and long solitary hours, she went back to working a full-time job at a daily newspaper. Such reversals are common, say career experts. Not everybody is willing or able to adjust to the psychological uncertainties of freelance life.

Whether you’re planning to quit your job and freelance full time or are being forced to earn a living while in career transition, freelance success requires you to think differently about income, taxes, time management and retirement, says Sara Horowitz, executive director of the New York-based Freelancers Union, a nonprofit that assists freelancers with education, community support and benefits. “It can be overwhelming because you’re suddenly taking on many things that an employer would normally handle for you, like Social Security tax.”

tart thinking like a small business because you are one. Hire an accountant who can help you properly set up a bookkeeping system. You’ll have to discipline yourself to set aside around 30% of your income to pay quarterly estimated federal taxes. Fortunately, as a freelancer, you may be entitled to a significant number of business-related deductions like health insurance, a portion of rent, mortgage and mileage. Create your own freelance work contract to protect yourself, says Ms. Horwowitz. There are plenty of online resources and books that can help you create a contract, which you can take to an attorney for final review.

Establish daily routines and stick with them. It’s tempting to relax when you don’t have a boss cracking the whip, but it’s even more important to maintain a daily flow. Even if you don’t have many clients, you can productively fill time by searching for new clients, promoting yourself, blogging or being active in professional trade groups. Keep your professional contacts updated about what you’re doing through social media and set up regular lunch or coffee meetings with people to stay in contact in person. Propose collaborations with other freelancers if you feel the need to work on a team.

Think twice about taking clients from your former company. Although a noncompete agreement would typically discourage the practice—at least on paper—the bigger issue is an ethical one, says Lynne Eisaguirre, founder of Workplaces that Work, a Denver-based workplace consulting firm. Taking clients can scuttle your relationship with your former employer, who can be a good source of regular work, and it may also negatively impact your reputation in the industry.

“Your reputation is one of the most important things a freelancer can protect,” says Ms. Eisaguirre.

YOUR FREELANCE WRITING BUSINESS: HOW TO KEEP IT KOSHER, KARMICALLY

by Michelle Maynard-Koenig

Thoughts lead to purposes; purposes go forth in action; actions form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny. ~Tryon Edwards

Karma has its believers and non-believers. I happen to be a believer. My perspective is Karma exists in all aspects of life and, personally, it is my modus operandi. This can be applied to my freelance writing business, too. Every post I write, every article I sell, every project I take on, every person I communicate with, I see as essential elements in my business’ karma. Ultimately, what I think, what I say, and what I do, directs which way my business flows.

Below are what I perceive as the keys to keeping a freelance writing business (or business, in general) karmically kosher:

Keep it real.

Simply, be authentic and transparent. Allow others to know who you are and what you are about. Allow your voice to ring with honesty and truth. People may agree or disagree with you, you may or may not be their cup of tea, but when you keep it real, they will trust not only in your integrity, but the integrity of your business.

Keep the ego in check.

Rudeness can be your worst enemy. Being rude and arrogant always will come back and bite you in the arse, especially if you are building your clientele. Furthermore, when someone sends you an email, or posts a comment, realize they have taken the time and put forth an effort to engage with you; obviously your response is wanted. Though it is not always easy, it is so important to reply quickly; don’t keep people hanging.

Keep calm.

When a mistake happens, ask yourself, “how important is it?” Sometimes things just happen or deadlines are missed. People, being fallible creatures, will screw up. Excellence is something to strive for, but perfection will never be achieved. If you, or someone you are working with, makes a mistake, come up with a solution. Address the mistake without holding a grudge or resentment. Most people do not make mistakes intentionally. If the blunder is recognized and addressed, it is much easier to find a solution. Get over it; let it go.

Keep connected.

Linking to the works of others indirectly keeps you in contact and connected. It is a win-win situation. It promotes their skills and abilities, as well as brings attention to your own. Share ideas that have proven beneficial to yourself or others, whether it is related to business or not. Be a promoter of construction instead of a cultivator of destruction.

Keep active.

Don’t just sit there, engage online and offline. Engage with other freelancers and businesses. If you expect others to engage with your business or website, you need to be putting forth the same effort and interact with others. It is almost impossible to develop solid business relationships without actively engaging with others.

Keep it sincere.

Show gratitude for all interaction you and your business receives. Do not miss the opportunity to show and express your appreciation for referrals, testimonials, assignments and projects. A sincere expression of gratitude makes others aware of how you hold them relevant and in high regard. As a result, you will see others will want to continue utilizing your services.

The gist of it all, when you whittle it down, to experience prosperity, be generous; to enjoy what you do, be ethical; to work well with others, keep the ego in check; to be a leader, welcome constructive criticism from others; to maintain growth, practice listening instead of demanding; and always, Always, ALWAYS own up to your thoughts, words, and actions. When you do, you will reap the good side of karma in your freelance business. Capiche?!

VITAMIN “C” FOR WHOLESOME WEB WRITING

by Michelle Maynard-Koenig

So you have a lot of writing  ideas floating around in that head of yours, a lackluster website, and a blank screen imploring you to “WRITE SOMETHING!”.  What to do-what to do!  Here’s what you do—take a dose of Vitamin “C” for Wholesome Web Writing.

The information below will provide you with the essential elements needed to classify ideas and communicate more effectively on the web.  Likewise, it can further be used to organize and structure writing projects, planning, research and brainstorming.

Let’s take a look!

CONTENT

Write relevant content!
If it isn’t pertinent to your site or page topic, don’t include it. Web readers are in constant motion in search of information.  Unless your site or page gives them the information they are looking for, they will move on to another site.

CONCLUSION

Put conclusions at the beginning!
When you are brainstorming or beginning to structure your writing, visualize an upside down pyramid.  The whole nitty-gritty of its message should punch its way out in the first paragraph.  From that point on, expand on it, validate it.

CONCISE

Write only one idea per paragraph!
We humans are an impatient bunch.  We are always on the go.  It should be no surprise then that people do not read web pages, they scan them … and quickly!  Therefore, its is imperative to have concise and substantial paragraphs rather than long rambling ones.

CONGRUENT

Use action words!
Readers are visiting your site for a reason.  Often it is to learn something, to be inspired, or find something.  Avoid the passive voice.   Look at your site as a vast ocean, and within that ocean, a gazillion waves of written words flowing congruently together.

CLARITY

Use lists instead of paragraphs!
Lists are easier to scan than paragraphs, especially if you keep them short.

CONDENSE

Limit list items to less than ten words!
Studies have shown that the average person only remembers approximately ten things at a time. Maintaining short lists on your site/page helps your readers remember the important points.

CONNECT

Make your links part of the copy!
Links are another way Web readers scan pages. They pop!  Not to mention, links add validating cues as to what your page is about.

CLEAN

Always proofread your work!
Typos and misspellings will rush people off your site faster than anything. Make sure you proofread everything!

A TEAM PLAYER MENTALITY IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT TO A THRIVING FREELANCE WRITING BUSINESS

by Michelle Maynard-Koenig

Freelance writing is no walk in the park. In fact, some view those who embark on such an endeavor either two ways:  they have “heart” or they are plain NUTS!  Admittedly, not all freelancers hold themselves to high standards of integrity and authenticity. This is one of the reasons business owners and project managers cringe at working with freelancers. The question of  reliability always crops up because of bad experiences in the past with freelancers missing deadlines, presenting plagiarized work, or they completely disappear off the face of the World Wide Web.

For those of us who take pride in presenting clients with quality work product, we see days where it seems it is an uphill climb vying for substantial writing projects.  Even so, it is crucial to not give up, but keep climbing.  Sure the journey is not a quick one, but longevity affords the time to build trustworthiness and reliability in the business world.

Here are a few suggestions to consider that will benefit your freelance writing business:

  • Continually add to your writing portfolio;  regardless if the written product is a paid project or not.
  • Ask  your clients if they are willing to refer your freelance services to other business colleagues,  or write a testimonial to include in your business literature and/or on your website.
  • Maintain open communication with past, current and prospective clients.   Nothing is more frustrating for a client than to have an urgent project arise and not be able to get in touch with you ASAP!
  • Be honest.  If there is an assignment or deadline that is not within your means of completing, or it concerns a topic that is not within your expertise, advise the clients immediately.  Better to be up front with them than to present written product that is unstructured, mediocre, or arrives past the deadline.
  • Think like a team player, speak like a team player and perform like a team player on your clients’ projects.  Clients will be more at ease knowing you want the project to succeed as much, if not more, than they do.
“There is no such thing as a self-made man.  You will reach your goals only with the help of others.” ~George Shinn, Owner of Charlotte Hornets Basketball Team.

The success of your freelance writing business emulates the gumption you have to make others (businesses, websites, blogs, newsletters, press releases, etc.)  excel and shine through your writing skills, experience and, most of all, CREDIBILITY!

WEB CONTENT: QUINTESSENTIAL QUEST FOR QUALITY

by Michelle Maynard-Koenig

I am sure you have heard of the Three Rs, but are you familiar with the Three Qs? Quintessential Quest for Quality! As a writer, the Three Qs should overshadow the basic Three Rs. A website’s quality is sustained by its content. A site cannot … and I repeat … cannotprosper without providing beneficial content to its visitors and readers. Look at it this way. The entire wide world of Internet is powered by content. It is extremely crucial that marketers, developers and yes, even writers, give readers a reason to return to a particular site. It requires passion, sincerity and dedication to pursue the quintessential quest for quality.

“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” ~William A. Foster

However, only a few writers put forth the effort to produce great work product; to pursue quality more so than quantity. Too often, corners are cut for the sake of celerity and time; using shortcuts at the cost of quality when it comes to creating content for sites. As a result, the internet has become a trash dump of sites filled with spam and pitiful content. This has come to Google’s attention, as well. So much so that Google has updated its notorious PageRank with a new search engine results ranking algorithm. It is now known as Panda. Simply, Google aims at lessening or eliminating low quality content and fostering high quality content with the reward of higher search engine placement ranking.

Now that we know what needs to be done as far as our quintessential quest for quality of web content, how do we go about achieving it? Here are some useful tips:

  • Create content that is beneficial to visitors. Information that provides solutions to readers is the springboard that compels readers to share the site with others. This in turn increases site visibility and attraction. Remember, Google will be analyzing the “likes” and “shares” your content receives, thus determining your site’s page ranking.
  • Emphasize the message you wish to convey in simple ways. Make the web content easy on the eyes structurally and grammatically. Otherwise, visitors will not remain at your site very long, often choosing to go elsewhere. Consider how you read a book, magazine, newspaper, etc. People normally read left to right and the readers’ eyes generally are attracted to headlines and bulleted content first before, after which a decision is made whether to continue to read the entire content.
  • Focus on sincerity. Believe in what you write. Readers can easily see through a facade, an appearance. Remember: credibility v. falsity.
  • Give your readers a reason to remain at your site. Mix up the content but maintain the congruency.  Provide readers with relevant articles, blogs, resources, etc, yet be certain the information is relevant and beneficial to the targeted audience.

“Focus on the user and all else will follow. … Since the beginning, we’ve focused on providing the best user experience possible. Placement in search results is never sold to anyone, and advertising is not only clearly marked as such, it offers relevant content and is not distracting.” ~Google’s Philosophy

At this point, creating quality web content may seem commonsensical to you. You are correct! There are no secrets or mysteries to solve. The only way to change the direction of a web site sinking deep into a densely populated graveyard of failed websites is by saturating its content with integrity, believability, and sincerity. In turn you will find that the site soon soars into higher SEO rankings due to your quintessential quest for quality.

GRAMMAR GIRL: THE GURU FOR WRITERS

My guru for writing is GRAMMAR GIRL aka Mignon Fogarty.  I was introduced to Grammar Girl’s  Quick And Dirty Tips™ while listening to a NPR program one evening. I laughed, I sighed, I even Ah-HA’d! Everyone with the passion for writing, young and old, should visit her site. Grammar Girl posts tips and discusses long held perplexing questions regarding the English language. Even better, Grammar Girl hosts a podcast that is not only technical, but humorous, as well.

WRITING: FROM PASSION TO PROFESSION

Becoming the reader is the essence of becoming a writer.
~John O’Hara

Ever since I can remember, I have always had a passion for reading and writing. My first memories are reading “Danny And The Dinosaur” by Syd Hoff and “Little Bear” by Elsa Holmelund Minarik at the age of three or four. My parents always encouraged me to read early and often, often sharing books with me daily.

The passion for writing grew from my passion for reading. First manifesting in my story-telling, creating make-believe scripts, and utilizing everything in my environment to invent plays with my sister and friends. Ultimately, my love of reading and my enjoyment of writing led me to an enjoyable education.

After graduation, I entered college to become a an elementary school teacher. However, I ended up in a law office, working as a legal assistant. This is where I have been for 23 years. My legal career afforded me the ability to use my writing skills, and plenty of opportunity to read, though in a more narrow and technical way.  However, my creative passion did not dissipate.

While I was earning my living by providing written work product and legal research for attorneys, my inner writer was not dormant. I continually wrote in my journal, wrote poetry, and short stories.  Upon the urging of my husband, I then started transferring my thoughts and words onto a blog, SMILED SOUL.   Soon after,  I found myself interacting with other writers and poets online.   The more I engaged with them, the more I found myself estranged from the confines of the law office and the monotony of my vocation. After two decades of pouring my heart and soul into my job, I started longing for a work life not regulated by the hours 9 to 5.  I wanted to complete writing projects on a variety of topics; not court documents regarding personal injury or product defect.

My husband has been a tenuous cheerleader, rallying me to pursue my passion for writing. He, an IT specialist and web designer, often encouraged me to enter the world of freelance writing.  He had more confidence in my talent to produce web content, blog articles, and such, than I had in myself. I would help him occasionally on projects he was assigned, but had no clue how the freelance world operated, where to  start, the first step to take,  and to whom I should present my well written and interesting pieces.

I found myself looking for stories in everything and everyone. I found enjoyment in writing on topics through another’s point of view.  One day I met a friend who was established in the fields of  Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization.  She had worked with my husband on several projects and learned that I was wanting to write professionally.  She presented me with the opportunity to produce written web content and blog articles for her company.

Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.
~Baltasar Gracian

I will forever be grateful for the opportunity Julie gave me.  It opened the door for me to pursue what I love to do, professionally. The projects started rolling in. I then posted my profile on iFreelance.com, Guru.com, and LinkedIn offering my services as a freelance writer.  I enjoy working from home, conducting phone interviews and submitting my work electronically. I must confess, in the beginning I felt outside my comfort zone.  Being a perfectionist, I had to resist tweaking my product for hours and hours. Yet, as with everything else in my life, stepping outside the box of comfort is exhilarating. Before I started my freelance writing business, I was reluctant to tread on uncharted territory, now I look forward to it.  I search for it.

I don’t pursue my freelance writing to make millions of dollars. I write out of passion, not pretense. My bread and butter currently comes from my work as a legal assistant.  Hopefully in the near future, I can rely upon my profession to sustain me. Yet when I look back over the past year, I realize how far I have come as a freelance writer. Freelance writing has given my passion for writing wings and me the courage to soar. It is ultimate satisfaction. A dream fulfilled and on my own terms.

However, I am also grateful for my long legal career. It has provided me the means to live a decent life, to assist in providing for my family, and to provide the necessities of food, shelter and health. It has also provided me with valuable insights and experiences about people. While my freelance writing business is not making me rich, I have my legal career that affords me the opportunity to pursue my passion of writing professionally.

What I have learned on this journey is that every life experience can be interpreted in a myriad of ways. Every experience is a story waiting to be written. I have learned to connect with like-minded people and to step outside of the box of known and explore the unknown. I am eager to expand my awareness and I find myself speculating more than ever.

There is an aspect of my personality that is timid and shy.  I have learned to bypass it and pursue every opportunity for writing, even if it is in area where I have no familiarity.  Because of my passion for reading, I find anything can researched and anything can be written — if the passion is there.  However, it is not easy to establish yourself as a writer without someone having trust in your abilities and skills.  There are people out there willing to give an aspiring writer a chance. You just have to keep knocking on every door until you find them. Courage and resolve are the force that transform passion to profession.


AUTHENTICITY: THE CRUX OF PROFESSIONALISM

Writers should always be challenged to not sell their identity, personality, or strengths for a mighty buck, nor should they sell authenticity for the ease and convenience of quick production. Wikipedia refers to “Authenticity” as “the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.” It is one thing to research and visit other sources to assist in familiarizing yourself with a person, place or thing; do research, but it is another to present it as your own work. Plagiarism is nothing more than stealing. Including proper citations that give credit to the author of such information is always crucial in maintaining integrity in your writing.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. ~Judy Garland

Writing from one’s own experience and knowledge is always easier than writing about something of which one is unfamiliar. Writing from the heart and soul requires less effort and less thinking. The words flow from the fingertips as they dance away on the keyboard. But what about those times that you are contracted to produce written work on a topic that you absolutely know nothing about?  It is very challenging.  Do you take the time to learn about the subject? Do you research the subject guided by the “Five W’s?”   To do so requires committed effort.  It means requiring more turnaround time from your client. However, as a freelance writer, the strength of your integrity will take you further than being known in the profession as a plagiarizing mediocre writer with fast turnaround time. I do not know of any client who would want to pay top-dollar for a page of disingenuous writing they are forced to retract.

People continue to do business with those they trust. How does a freelance writer build their client base? Simply by producing work that is authentic from top to bottom, inside and out.  Copyscape, a plagiarism checker, is an excellent tool accessible to anyone who wants to check the factual incorruptibility of any written work.  This is a boon for clients who want to maintain integrity in the product they receive through contracted work with freelance writers.

Creative writer, Cindi Pugliese, sums it up best, “I can’t be whom I’m not. I can’t write poetry or scientific journals, nor do I want to. To do so would not be me, and so I write what I feel, I sense, I smell, I touch. I write about love and childhood dreams and adult fantasies. It’s all me.”  So, even though it may be tempting to bid on a writing project that may be out of your area of expertise, experience or knowledge, be certain you are honest with your client.  Be upfront with them and let them know that you will require a little more time than normal to learn about that of which you are to write.

In conclusion, simply be mindful that your integrity as a quality writer outshines your willingness to sell authenticity for monetary gain.   Preserve the validity of your own work to assure you are recognized as a top-notch professional in the freelance world. Authenticity is the crux of professionalism.

QUALITY WORK ISN’T CHEAP, CHEAP WORK ISN’T QUALITY

Though I have been writing freelance for just a short amount of time, I have done quite a bit of writing in the legal arena for a couple of decades. Lately, I am finding through my freelance writing, that my clients have had “not-so-great” experience with previous freelance writers or ghostwriters producing articles their for blogs, websites, press releases, etc. The reason could be the amount my clients are paying for written product. If you one does not hire a quality freelance writer, most likely the written product received will be mediocre, at best.

One thing to keep in mind is a top-notch freelance writer, such as myself, will always discuss details regarding a particular job or project, such as the direction of the written piece, the message needed to be conveyed in the article, and the goals one expects to achieve from it being displayed or published online. A quality writer will work in tandem with the client to create an excellent product that fits well with the client’s personality, so much so that the finished written product will seem as if it was written by the client.

However, low quality product is easily recognized. A writer lacking initiative or experience usually has little integrity and oomph. They will produce poorly written work product. This is where one needs to be choosy when enlisting the services of a freelance writer. The wrong choice could mean losing credibility with customers and/or visitors to your site. Lisa Mason, a freelance writer, with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles suggests the following:

    “If you’re going to hire an expert, it’s important to make sure you’re getting a qualified expert. Article mills, foreign ghostwriters and anyone who writes bulk content for $1-2 or less is not likely going to deliver the quality you want from a ghostwriter or freelance writer. This is going to reflect in your articles.”

Thus, a top-notch freelance writer will create professional, polished written product in harmony with excellent knowledge and skills … you will get what you pay for!

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