One of the women over at writer forums on WAHM.com had the idea to start up an accountability program. The idea is that each interested writer would team up with a one or two other writers to keep each other on track during the day. I teamed up with two women, one whom I talk to 2-3 times a day, and another whom I email back and forth with once or twice a week. I am also a part of the freelance writers accountability group through Google Groups, started by the same woman who had the idea for the accountability program.

It has been a month since I started the accountability problem. Am I getting more work done? Yes. Once you tell someone you’re going to get the work done, you’d better have a good reason for not getting anything done at all.

The biggest benefit of being a member of the program, however, is just having someone to bounce ideas off from, and having someone who understands the life of a freelance writer. Every time I get a great new client or a project for an existing client comes my way, it’s wonderful to know that there is someone there to cheer me on. Not that my husband and family aren’t excited about my success (they are), but other writers get it.

And those days when your just fed up with work? Your clients aren’t paying, Demand(ing) Studios is down (or the editors are driving you nuts), and you just need to vent? Yeah, my accountability buddies get that, too. And I gladly listen to all of their successes and stresses, too.

Having another freelancer (or two, or three) to talk to regularly is almost like having coworkers again. Although we all work for different sites (although we also work for a couple of the same content companies), the work is mostly the same. We all have to market ourselves, find clients, and we all have similar goals. It’s nice to not be working entirely alone anymore.

Interested in finding your own accountability partner? Join up with the WAHM Freelance Accountability Group. Get to know us, and then find a few accountability partners of your own!

Making Money through Residual Income

Building up enough residual income to live comfortably with minimum work is the Holy Grail of online freelance writing. Having money coming in every day, whether you are working or not, is an awesome feeling, I’m sure. I’m not quite there yet, but I am working on it.

I started at eHow in December, but I didn’t post anything until the holiday rush finished up, in January. I currently have 12 articles posted, not as many as I would like. My goal is 1oo by the end of the year. Not many by most people’s standards, but I keep really busy with writing for companies that pay weekly per article. When you need the money now, it’s hard to spend a lot of time working on articles that will pay eventually.

I signed up for Infobarrel a month or so ago, and I only just got my first article up, Why Does Ginger Ale Make You Feel Better?, but I can already tell that I am going to like this site. Your first 10 articles are approved before they are posted, but after that, I believe they go right through. I haven’t spent a lot of time on this company yet, but I like what I’ve seen so far. You can earn 75% of the AdSense and eBay impressions on your articles, which requires you to have both AdSense and eBay partnership campaign ID.There is currently a contest that will increase your percentages up to 95% if you post a lot of articles in May.

Suite 101 is the third residual income site that I have signed up for. I haven’t submitted anything quite yet, though. There seems to be a bit of a learning curve. Some of the hardest writing I’ve done since starting my career as a writer was coming up with a profile for this site. It took me a while. I don’t have the same qualifications and previous accomplishments as many of the other writers on this site. I looked through some profiles, and almost all of them were college graduates, with several years of experience in their field, and a few years (at least!) of writing experience. I have been at this six or seven months. I was one credit shy of graduation when I left college to become a mom. All I have going for me is (presumably) decent writing skills and a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I “grew up,” so I have studied everything from culinary arts to education, criminology, and psychology. I used this as part of my Suite 101 profile, and I think I now have one that works. I’ll be honest, though. Seeing everyone else’s profiles just about scared me off.

Obviously I have a lot of work to do before I am bringing in any real residual income. But I am working on it. The nice thing about Infobarrel and Suite 101 is that there is no limit to what you can write. It’s not just how-to articles. There are so many topics to write about, and the sites are ran very well, from what I’ve seen. Suite 101 even has celebrity posters.

My only problem is that, especially on Suite 101, I spend too much time checking out everyone elses articles, and not enough time writing my own.

What residual income sites are you using? Which ones have you had the most success with?

Suppose you are looking to buy a car. You have $20,000 in your bank account, due to smart savings practices. There are two cars, available from two different dealerships, that you like. One is a VW Bug, in that cool melon green color. The other is a trendy Chevy Cobalt. Red.

You actually like the VW Bug best. So you head on over to the Volkswagen dealership to check it out. You pull in, park your rusty death trap, and wander over to the area you think the car might be in. It’s hard to tell, as there doesn’t appear to be any real organization on the lot. But before you get there, you are greeted by the salesman. He is wearing a lime green shirt, a blue tie, and shiny black pants. He is practically glowing!…

“Hi!” he says, shaking your hand. “I’m Bill. And I’m here to sell you a new car.” He glances at your old car. “And I can see you need one. Look over here, we have this great little yellow VW bug. It’s the best deal on the lot. And I can offer you a lot of great perks.”

“Well, I really wanted the melon colored one,” you say, trying to make your way over to the car.

“But, look! We have this other great deal! And I want to sell you a car! I can sell you this car over here, it’s 20% off the original market price. We have a special today on upgrades too! We’ll throw in a free three-CD changer, and a hands-free headset.”

“I don’t want any of those things! I just want the melon-colored bug!” Frustrated, you hop back into your car, and drive across town to the other car dealership. Wary this time, you pull in, and park, looking around for another annoying and loud salesman. No one. You wander over to the cars you like, appreciating how easy it is to find the one you like. You get a few minutes to check out the vehicle on your own before a saleslady approaches you.

“How can I help you today?”

“Well, I’m looking for a new car, and I really like this one.”

“Great choice,” she says. “We have a great deal right now, and I’d love to help you get into this car.” You test drive the car, and she points out the features as you go. Later, she talks you through the paperwork, and you drive away that afternoon in your new Chevy, still smiling over the pleasant encounter you had with the second dealership.

Which one of these describes your website and marketing techniques as a writer? Do you come on strong, telling prospective buyers all the things you will do for them, or do you ask them how you can make their goals possible?

If you have a very flashy website, filled with more color and advertisements for your work than actual content, you may be guilty of being the first salesman. If someone is on your site, it is probably because they are at least a little curious about what you have to offer. It is your goal as a writer and business owner to direct that curiousity. Make sure that your website is set up in a way that makes sense. Let viewers know what you can do for them, and then stand back. Let your high quality content do the work for you.

Remember that bright colors and flashy buttons don’t sell your services. Quality and usability do.

I have a confession.  I am a twitter addict.  And it’s just getting worse. I check first thing in the morning, right before bed, and a hundred times between.  I may not post a lot, but I read a lot.  And I learn.

Social marketing sites, like twitter or facebook, are a great resource for writers, or other business people. It allows you to get in contact with other like-minded people, exchange ideas, and get your thoughts known.

The importance of twitter as a business tool, and how it can help your business and brand, has been beaten to death by other bloggers, all better known and more knowledgeable than myself. That’s not what I’m here to tell you about.

I use twitter for work purposes. But that’s not what I spend most of my time doing on there. I watch and learn. I interact. I am making friends. I am part of a little cluster of other mom writers who get on twitter to share not only the challenges and triumphs of their writing career, but also about how their darling son or daughter just will not go down for a nap. Or how their husband is out late. Or how they can’t wait to get together with a group of friends for lunch. I share about my obsession with Two and A Half Men, and House. I share about my love of cooking. Ask my twitter friends how often I post about baking. They’ll tell you. (Have a loaf of bread making right now, actually.)

It is definitely important to build connections, make business contacts, and find ways to grow your business. But it is, dare I say it, even more important to build relationships. Be friendly. Be supportive. Ask questions, comment, cheer people on as they meet their goals. I remember the interactions I have that leave me smiling. And if I’m looking for a product or service, I’ll turn to those people first.

Make a lasting impression. Not just with a great product, but with a great personality.

And, in case you’re wondering, you can find me on twitter as @bluewingz.