Good morning. It’s pitch black out and the curtains are drawn, but even without looking out my window I know the wind is starting to pick up and it won’t be long before a storm arrives. I love storms. I find it very comforting to be inside, warm and safe, while all hell breaks loose outside. I love looking out and catching glimpses of trees blowing in the wind or a stray bag flying through the air when lightning gives me vision. Storms inspire me. They give me ideas. They empower me.
What are some of the things that inspire you?
Because leads were provided both Saturday and Sunday. this list is rather slim.
Leads…
- Academic/Business Research Writer
- Article Writers Needed
- Grant Writer – $30/hour
- Resume Writer Needed (from Yours Truly)
- Resume Upgrade
- Website Translator - English to Spanish
- Freelance Writer – .10+/word
- Government Contract Writer
- Writer for Twitter Whitepaper – $200
- Proofing Press Releases
- Grant Writer
Have a great day!
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I’m with you Deb. I love storms. Unfortunately, it seems the only ones we get here are hurricanes and I don’t really like those very much.
A good thunderstorm make me feel invigorated; a hurricane makes me want to run away from home.
The freelance writer position at .10/word is a scam. I applied, and I received this:
To qualify for this position we have a simple screening procedure, we require you to send us a short 50-100 word review of a current customers dating site, this can then be emailed to us at freelancewritinghr@gmail.com and our review team will decide if your writing style is what our clients are looking for. The dating site is on our company blog, where you will see a sample review displayed http://netdatingsites.blogspot.com simply fill out the short application form then take a look around the site and write a short review, this can include the theme, layout, style etc.
The FREELANCE WRITER 10cents a word add, gets an auto reply of this:
Hi, thanks for applying to our creative writing position, we are acompany who prides ourselves with having the best writers on our booksand can offer a constant stream of income to the right person. Our pay varies but top quality writers can expect upwards of $0.10 perword and we can offer as many articles as you require. We get our workfrom many internet based companies who require experienced bloggers,article writers, reviewers etc which we then outsource to the writerswe have on our books. Once you have completed our initial assessment you will be added toour database where you can request the amount of work you require. Youwill be sent an email with the job requirement and deadline for thework as long as the work is completed on time and to a good standardwe can supply you with constant writing assignments. To qualify for this position we have a simple screening procedure, werequire you to send us a short 50-100 word review of a currentcustomers dating site, this can then be emailed to us and our reviewteam will decide if your writing style is what our clients are lookingfor. The dating site is here on our bloghttp://netdatingsites.blogspot.com/ simply fill out the shortapplication form then take a look around the site and write a shortreview, this can include the theme, layout, style etc. Email us your short review and our team will contact you with ourdecision within 7 days. Thanks for your interest, we look forward to working with you. Alexis Tilman (Resource Manager)FreeLanceWritingCo.
I suspect Freelance Writer – .10+/word might not be real.
You get an autoresponse that wants to you submit a 50-100 word review of a dating site that you have to sign up for first.
Our friend is back. This is a scam.
@Matt: I thought that one looked fishy. Thanks for the confirmation.
Yeah I thought I recalled that Freelancewritingco ad being a scam.
I also agree about storms. When I was a kid, I’d love to spend a stormy Saturday inside reading a good book. I find it is equally good for writing. I’d much rather sit in and write on a stormy day. Today is sunny without a cloud in the sky and about 70 degrees and all I want to do is ditch the keyboard and go hiking or biking.
Hi Deb,
Loved your post this morning.
I love the little things that inspire writers, it seems to be be such a personal thing for each of us,;For me, one of the many things I enjoy doing is, I love driving slowly through a cemetery, I know that sounds a little weird, but for me I find it very relaxing I drive around until I find a “inspiring spot” and then park and shut the engine off, I listen to the stillness in the trees, the wind blowing softly through the leaves, I look around at how peaceful it all is and think about those loved ones who are eternally resting and how they contributed to this life. I usually don’t share that part of my writing because it is such a personal time for me, and I don’t think most people would understand.
I find inspiration in many things, but my favorites are:
While cooking. I find cooking to be extremely cathartic and relaxing.
While walking in the park, enjoying the spring or summer weather.
The seaside. There’s something so relaxing about the sound of the waves lapping on the shore and the cool, refreshing breeze.
Mountains. Period! Any time I go up into the mountains for a hike I get inspired.
I find storms to be inspiring as well. Some of my (to date) best fiction has come out of inspiration that hit me when a storm was going on or when I was hiking/driving through the mountains. It’s odd, but sometimes when I’m passing by a wooded grove or a snow-covered slope, I get flashes of scenes in my head, almost like a movie story-board, and it gets transferred onto paper.
Oh gosh…funny things I see in daily life inspire me! It’s true that life is stranger than fiction!
Hey Guys, Did any of you apply for the literary magazine job a couple of days ago? Well, I got a response saying I made it past the first round, but to advance further I need to pay $5 with my application. The reasoning is that they got so many responses that they had to hire extra staff to read all the submissions and the $5 is to offset the costs. On the one hand, I know it’s only $5. On the other, I’m wondering if this is some kind of horrible scam. Deb? Jodee? Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks, Cadence
@cadence,
Sounds relatively scammy to me – “only” $5? I wouldn’t touch it.
I have a question for you all…what’s everyone’s goals? Meaning, are you freelance writing because you can get some extra money doing something you enjoy doing in your free time? Is it more money to pay for bills/more disposable income to spend?
Or, are there people here who are hoping that their freelance writing in 2009 will propel them into bigger things in 2010 and beyond? Meaning, are you attempting to build a portfolio because you have goals of being a…sports writer? Or someday you want to build your own magazine or website?
I’m very curious to know what everyone’s “end game” or aspirations are in terms of freelance writing.
Well, Mike, I’m unsure what my goals are. I’ve always enjoyed writing, and was recently laid off. I’ve been trying to figure out how/if/what I can freelance, if I can do anything successfully with it, and see where it leads. I’d probably abandon attempts if a job came along, and work on, or try to work on, other projects. But I think I’m always on the lookout for bigger things, and a sports writer would be kind of a dream job for me.
My goal is to continue to write about what I enjoy. I get the satisfaction of seeing my name in print (literally and figuratively), and I make some extra cash. The tax write offs are a bonus too.
I started out writing as just a hobby years ago and it will likely end up being just a hobby when I’m done. I’ve made good money doing it and have several steady, good paying gigs with hopefully another very serious one coming up in less than 17 days.
I don’t think it will ever replace my day job as a CNC Programmer/Shop Lead-man because the money I’m making is pretty good. Luckily I enjoy this job too so it’s not like I’m drudging to work every day.
My goal is to keep making a decent living doing what I do, and hopefully earn more as time goes on. For me writing is not a hobby – it’s been my sole source of income for the past two years.
@Cadence, I’d definitely skip that one. First, any job ad where you have to pay a single dime is likely a scam. Think about it, you wouldn’t pay to apply for a regular job, why would you ever pay to apply for a freelance job. Second, their reasoning is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Because they are unable to narrow down candidates they expect the candidates to subsidize their operation? And they have to hire more people to screen all the candidates they already have? Does that make any sense whatsoever? That explanation is unlikely and entirely unprofessional. Even in the unlikely event it’s not a scam and you got the job, would you really want to work for a company that is that cheap and unprofessional?
My goals are to eventually make a good living and have the freedom and flexibility associated with freelancing. Since beginning full time last fall, I’ve been pretty successful at building up business to a decent level, still short of my long-term monetary goals, but not bad overall. However, I have yet to really experience flexibility–if I take a day off, I lose a day of pay. My goal for this year is to continue building up my straight income and hopefully get higher-paying work that could allow me to factor in things like vacation without directly losing money.
I’ve found it helpful to look at freelancing as a business rather than just a job. At first, I was thinking of it in terms of a job, but then it occured to me that it’s really a business and thinking of goals in the long-term is much more accurate and helpful. You’re not going to make a full-time salary right away and it’s going to take time and work to really get the business off the ground. Instead of being frustrated that I’m not yet making the pay that I was in my last job, I think of it as building up my own business, taking charge of my own destiny and securing a better future. In this way, one can put things in a more measured and positive perspective. It’s a positive just to make a profit in the first year.
I’m using freelance writing and creative short stories (fantasy and sci-fi) to spring-board into full time novel writing. I researched the business end of freelance writing for 6 years, as well as making a couple of dozen friends who were in the field, before I made the plunge last year, compliments of the recession killing my previous job.
I don’t do it for the money, although it’s been nice. I’ve purchased two gaming computers for my wife and I (we are active gamers, among other hobbies), home fitness equipment, house-hold stuff, a new diggy cam, and I’m about to pay off one of our credit cards. Her job pays the bills, so I guess you could say that I’m doing this for “blow” money, as well as for the writing credits.
The business plan was to spend 18 to 24 months building up credentials before approaching an agent with a manuscript. So far I’m pretty much on track for what I set out to do. I’m clearing 1500 a month now with ease, doing it for a few hours each day, and my first short story is out in May. In addition, I have a fantasy RPG for kids to teens that I worked on for 6 months coming out in May as well, so I’ve several creative writing credits about to pay off. Meanwhile, I’m about 30% of the way done with my novel, and I should have it done and ready to ship by Christmas of this year, which is roughly 22 months after I started this new career.
The bonus is that if for some reason my novels don’t make enough to see it be worthwhile, I’ll have at the very least put together two years of freelancing on the resume, and quite frankly, it’s a lucrative job. We (my wife and I) have plans to do several magazines for the Eastern Europe and Mediterranean audiences, as well as a cookbook I’ll have done sometime later this summer.
It’s what I always wanted to do. I simply went into the family trade because it paid damn good. I was clearing 50k by the time I was 22 years old, which meant that writing was always just a hobby, something that wasn’t really going to be possible until I retired. I actually consider the market crash in 2007 (the housing crash coupled with the immigration crisis) to be a blessing, because it pushed me out of the construction industry into the job I’d always wanted in the first place, and for all intents and purposes, early retirement.
I love it. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it’s rewarding. Just recently two of my articles at http://www.greendivamom.com have garnished praise from a MD as well as a cardiologist from Italy, which means my work is being read AND appreciated by the professionals of an industry I simply have a side-passion for (healthy food and fitness). In addition, two of my game guides for http://www.killerguides.com have been rated as the top selling game guides for the past several months and I’ve made several thousand dollars in commission from them, along with amazing customer reviews. I’ve also established myself pretty quickly with my content generation “paper mill” website and they’ve handed me some really sweet projects in the past months based upon my work always being weeks ahead of schedule and above-average quality. The congratulatory e-mails alone are a nice ego boost.
I don’t really have any plans other than to make a comfortable 40-50k a year as a writer. That’s really my only long-term goal. Whether I do that through freelancing, novel writing, or game development, I don’t really care. My passion is for creative writing, and I’ve been enjoying a really successful track record so far in 2009, so I’m extremely optimistic that I’m absolutely going to accomplish what I set out to do.
The downside is that I’ve been SO busy with freelance work this month that my novel got pushed to the side for the month of April. The thought of paying off one of our credit cards was too much to pass up. We still have a few K left on the cards from our moving over here, and the knowledge that half of it will be gone by the end of May is a really great motivator! I keep myself consoled with the knowledge that once the debt is gone, I can pick and choose my projects with even greater selectiveness and focus the vast majority of my time and resources on novel work and short stories.
I’m sure Matt and Chris are pulling their hair out by now if they actually managed to make it through the post, but that’s the short version
The world is what you make of it. If you believe you will succeed, then you will.
Thanks for answering, everyone.
I asked that question because, in terms of my personal experience (and I’m sure some of yours as well), while I love to write and have found freelance writing to be both fun, challenging, and somewhat lucrative–I also find it also to be very fleeting.
Now, I’ll admit…I’m 25 and am not in desperate need of “writing money” to pay for my children’s diapers, my wife’s car, or my mortgage. In that sense, I have it good. However, when I say that I find freelance jobs to be fleeting, this is what I mean…
In the fall/winter of 2008, I had about three different writing gigs. One was blogging about sports which paid a little bit of money. Another was interviewing filmmakers and writing articles which paid about $100 per article. And another was writing about anything from society to culture to entertainment…which paid anywhere from $100 to $200 per article. Nothing that’s getting me rich, but I think that’s pretty good.
However, after about three to four months, all of those jobs stopped paying. The blogging site couldn’t pay its writers and shut down the blog part of the website. The other site is still around, but cannot figure out how to pay its writers due to the person who funds the website putting his interests elsewhere. And the filmmaker writing job was fine, but required SO much work and time (at LEAST two-three weeks) that the $100 per article wasn’t worth the money.
I say all of that to say this…I’m not 100% sure of my goals, but I am pretty sure I want to be a writer. I really enjoy doing it, I enjoy being creative, I enjoy making people think. I like when people agree with what I write and I like it when they disagree. I like creating a dialogue. I went from making nothing or just $15.00 per article back in 2007 and early 2008 to making considerably more in late 2008. But for me, it’s not just about the money–I genuinely enjoy writing and the challenge it brings.
At the same point, I feel it’s very unstable. Is that just the nature of the beast, or is this just because I’m looking for jobs online? I understand the economy is in bad shape, but it’d be great to be able to latch onto a site for, say, a year and have steady work. I feel that once I get into a groove, the writing gig goes belly up. And the ones that don’t do not feel justified in paying you what you’re worth.
Then you have to spend the next 2-4 months looking over websites and hoping a potential “employer” will read your ONE email in a sea of the 500 he or she gets (because everyone thinks they can write).
This isn’t a woe is me post…I’m just not sure where to go from here. I mean, is it just a matter of patrolling this site, craigslist, Media Bistro and others and hoping to land an entertainment writing gig, or sports writing, or whatever you’re into? Are you pursuing jobs in magazines? Are you emailing websites you genuinely enjoy reading and feel you can write for them? I feel like there’s no direct way to pursue work, you know? And maybe I’m just slightly unlucky, but it seems that when you’re fortunate to get it, it’s gone all too soon.
And, looking at it from a different angle…let’s say you DO get that writing gig…and you’re making anywhere from $50-$500 for your article writing (or whatever writing services you provide)…at what point do you make the jump from that to, say, writing for a newspaper or magazine or website for a SALARY? How do you determine when you should “graduate” to doing something bigger (or at least more lucrative and stable)?
Sorry for the long post.
-Mike
@ Matt – I identify with much of what you are saying. As freelancers, we’re always wondering if gigs are going to fall through, and we can never really sit back and relax. After two years, I still can’t enjoy my down time at all, and realistically I don’t think I’ll ever be able to.
Some days I do think about the fact that, unlike my friends who went into teaching, law, etc., I’ll never get to just go to work and take comfort in the fact that I have a steady paycheck.
For me, though, the fact that I love what I do so much will, I think, prevent me from ever pursuing something else. Also, salaried writing jobs are few and far between where I live, and they pay less than what I earn, so that is not an option. If it was, it’s definitely something I would pursue.
@Matt–I think it’s all about what you want. Some people prefer the freedom and ability to be their own boss offered by freelancing and make the switch from a stable, full time writing career for those reasons. Others might want to do the opposite and find a stable, higher-paying full-time job. The question really comes down to what’s important to you and what makes you happy. For me, I think that as long as I’m writing about things that I’m comfortable and interested in and am making a good salary doing it, I’ll be happy–whether it’s freelancing or a full-time office job.
I hear you about instability. I know since I started in freelancing full time, every time I’d reach a big milestone and feel like I was on the way to really making it, there’d be a major drawback–a client didn’t have much work available, they didn’t have the budget to pay me anymore, they were reformatting and limiting content indefinitely, etc. To make these things worse, those decisions come in a quick, drastic way, like: “As of today we won’t be needing your services for the forseeable future.” i.e. I lose out on $50, $100, $150 starting that same day/week. It’s frustrating, but it is the nature of the beast. It’s why we’re all here every day applying, applying, applying. Even when you feel comfortable and are keeping busy, it’s essential to keep hitting the ground and getting out applications, queries, etc. because you never know what the next day or week will bring.
@ Mike:
Feel free to drop by my blog and hit me up with an e-mail. I’m more than happy to point you in the right direction to clients who pay on time, regularly, and are currently looking for more writers. I’ve been busy non-stop since December of 2008, and each month I’ve been getting busier and busier. If I really wanted to do this full time, I could. I’ve literally turned down 8 different projects in the past 2 months simply because I don’t have the desire to do them, because I rather enjoy my flexibility and 3-4 hours a day work schedule. Sorry, but my enjoyment of life supersedes my desire to make money!
I’m not sure why some people have suffered “fleeting” moments of work. I guess some if it has to do with the recession, but I’ve not come across any clients who cannot pay, or clients who are backing out on me. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but I’d like to think it’s simply because I’m a persistent bugger and I always get what I want, so I end up getting good jobs because of it. I absolutely don’t apply to jobs day in and day out. I’ve got several clients who keep me busy, who send me work opportunities on a weekly basis (some of which I have to turn down), and I generally only apply to those jobs which really, really catch my eye as something I want to do. I’m more than happy to spread some of that success on if you are willing to put forth the effort and work at it.
I will say this: the first 6 months or so that I was doing this I was absolutely trolling the sites for work. I was sending in 15-20 queries per day, but around December it all started paying off. Since then I’ve been so swamped in work that I can barely find time to work on my pet projects. I have over 1 thousand articles completed since January, I’ve gotten to do some investigative journalism, interview people, write for magazines, write quest dialogue and story stuff for a computer game, and now I’m doing health articles and how-to articles for Demand Studios, using my 3rd generation knowledge and 15+ years of first-hand experience to maximize my earning potential.
The last three clients I have found whose work appealed to me responded positively and I got the gigs. I absolutely believe that it’s because I’ve proven myself to be a go-to guy and my resume only proves that not only do I put out quality work, but I do it on-time. I’ve only had one request for a re-write so far, which is only a testament as far as I’m concerned. Yeah, I’m tooting my own horn a bit, but I honestly believe that it all comes down to how badly you want to succeed. You have to be a persistent and aggressive individual to make it in the business world. If you want it, and you go after it, you’ll get it.
Anyway, if you are interested in pursuing a freelancer career further, Mike, I’m more than happy to share my personal avenue for success with you and give you some tips on places to go to find work, as well as some places I know of that are actively hiring right now. Just hit up my blog and e-mail me. Cheers!
@Mike – I’m definitely in this for the money, but I also love this life!
I’m lucky because I have a small pension from a company I worked for for 27 years. I don’t want to start tapping my retirement nest egg – neither do I want to be retired at this point in my life. I took an early-retirement package because I wanted to start my own freelance business, and with the pension, the seasonal aspects of my income aren’t as important.
I’m not trolling for leads all the time, and I’m not applying for everything I see on this or the other good freelance job boards – but I do try to apply for at least one thing every day. Sometimes they come back months later and give me a dreamy assignment!
I won’t write for 10 cents a word and I won’t work for $15 an hour – I only apply for things I believe will pay close to my hourly goal. Between my pension and my business, I’m still contributing enough to my family income that we don’t have to hold back on anything we want.
Set your sights high. Go visit T.W.’s blog and take him up on his offer. Go for it – and good luck!
@ Hazel and Chris: Thanks for your input – one of the things I love about this community is the experience you guys are willing to share. So, thanks for confirming my suspicions!
@ Mike – I love to write, but writing is also my career. I’ve had some of the same issues you’re having, so you aren’t alone! My goal is to get to a point where I’m not seesawing back and forth with the whole feast or famine thing. And hey, look on the bright side: you’ve found this community where people like T.W. are willing to step up and give you help. How awesome is that?
Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback. It’s great to communicate with people who can completely relate to what you’re going through and who also share your passion for writing.
T.W…thanks for the in depth explanation. I am most certainly heading to your site and will send you an email. No question about it.
e-mail sent, mate. Best of luck, and if anyone else has questions, feel free to hit up my blog, send me an e-mail, and read my “The World is Your Oyster” series of blog posts detailing the effects of global networking and global competition and how to stay positive in the face of such conditions, as well as how to line up work!