We are independent contractors. Freelance writers. We are hired, presumably, for our ability to create quality writing to meet our client’s needs. Right?

I have noticed an increase in the requirements for a lot of freelance positions. You need a Bachelor’s degree, at minimum. You need several years of experience. You need references.

Wait— What? Why?

I can understand wanting to hire the most qualified person for the job. Really. I get that. However, I wish these clients would remember that they are hiring someone for their writing skills. Yes? Not everyone with an advanced degree is a good writer, and some of the best writers are typing along without a degree. Maybe life got in the way, or they chose not to attend school. And the writer who will do the best work for you will not always have the years of experience some places require.

I was shocked when I saw my first request for references a couple weeks ago. References. Really? To prove what– that I follow through? That I turn everything in on time? I’m not going let someone pester my current clients to find out if I am a safe bet to take a chance on. Because I’m pretty certain that I’m taking a chance every time I accept a new client. Will he pay? On time? Will he be a pain in the rear to work with? Does she have insane demands? Can I call references for you? No? Well, then you’re not getting mine.

The thing that surprises me, though,  is that the pay rate is very seldom better for the positions that require a degree and experience, or whatever else they are asking for that goes beyond the norm. I’m sorry, but if I had a bachelor’s degree in marketing, or whatever else you are asking for, plus 4-5 years of experience, I am not writing your blog posts for $20 a piece.

If you’re hiring a dentist, look for his education and previous experience. If you are hiring a writer– look at our writing. Look at our resume, if you must. Consider our cover letter. Email us, and ask for more information.

I’ll admit to being biased a bit on this. I have only been writing for just under a year. I don’t have a degree. Came close, but it just never happened. I would love to go back some day, for business and marketing, perhaps. But I don’t think that a piece of paper affects my ability to write. I learn fast, and I am willing to research whatever I need to in order to write a piece that fits my client’s needs. And I think that is reasonable. I have several books on SEO, marketing, social media,  copywriting, editing, and what ever else I need to know. I’m always learning, not happy to sit back on previous experience.

That should be what clients are looking for. Someone who can write and who is willing to learn what they have to for their clients.  Judge a writer by their writing. Give us a chance, and remember that we’re taking a chance on you, too.

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?

Most of my posts so far on Writer at Home have been directed towards freelance writing, but that is not all that I write. I am an aspiring novelist. I used to (and still do, on occasion) write songs and poetry.

I want to know- What do you write? What do you blog about? Do you have dreams of writing a book, or have you already been published? Do you have ideas for novels, short stories,or even poems that keep you up at night?

I am considering adding in occasional posts about writing fiction, or about other types of writing. I believe that many of us got into freelance writing as more than just a way to pay the bills. I have always dreamed of becoming a published author, and this is kind of a stepping stone to that goal. If you are interested in reading about other writing forms, I would love to blog about them.

So, please. Take a moment today to do more than just read this post. If you have a spare moment or two, please let me know what your writing dreams are, or what you write for fun, maybe even for profit. Tell me how Writer at Home can help you, or tell me that you think I should stick with blogging about freelance writing, and not go off on occasional tangents. That is an okay answer, too.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Having Trouble Getting Started? Try These Techniques.

I have been going through a bit of a slump lately. After one wildly productive week, last week I got almost nothing done. This week, I need to turn things around. My biggest problem is focus. I am very easily distracted, and my mind wanders easily. So I spent some time this morning digging up some great focusing techniques that we can use while working.

The most obvious technique, of course, is to work in a quiet room with very few distractions. As a mom, I realize that a quiet, peaceful room to work in is almost impossible, especially if your children aren’t in school yet (or if it is during a school vacation).  Although we can work before and after the kids go to sleep, most moms I know need to work during the day, too, if only for a couple hours. So how do we stay focused between the dozen distractions of our daily lives?

1. Use an Outline

Many of us may have left this technique behind in school, along with the musty textbooks and useless math skills. Take it out, brush it off, and put it back to use. Make a general outline of what you want to cover in your blog post or article, and then research to fill in the blanks. Having a set idea of what you want to say will make research easier (you won’t get bogged down by unnecessary facts) and give you a place to start back at if you are interrupted. Writing will also be a lot easier, and go a lot faster, because your thoughts are already gathered. You just need to turn your notes into writing.

2. List Your Goals

This is one of my favorite focus techniques. Each week, I have a certain number of expenses that I am responsible for. This week, for example, I know I need $80 for a bill, $50 towards groceries, and $20 for an ebook, $150 total. Next to my laptop, I have a list of these three expenses, with the amount of money needed, listed in tens ($10, $20, $30, and so on.) As I complete each $10 article, I cross $10 off of one of the columns. This lets me track my goals, and gives me a sense of accomplishment at the same time, which helps me stay focused.

3. Just Five More Minutes

Tired? Bored? Really just want to quit? Keep going for just five minutes more. Five minutes, with no sidetracking, can be enough to get you back into the swing of things. It’s easier to focus if you know that it is only for a short amount of time, and then you get to do everything else that is calling for your attention.

4.Set a Deadline

Most writing assignments have a deadline built in. You have to have enough focus to get the assignment done on time. But some companies, WiseGeek, for example, or your own blogs, do not have set deadlines. It’s easy for these projects to be set aside for other tasks, like washing the dishes or chatting on Twitter. Set goals and deadlines for yourself. Treat them as seriously as you would any other deadline.

5. Close Down Non-Essential Programs

Once you’ve gotten all of your notes together, close down your internet browser. Turn off the instant messenger. Once you have taken all of the distractions out of the way, you’ll be able to focus easier on your writing. If you get halfway through the article, and decide that you are missing some facts, just make some blanks places(____________), and keep going. Once everything is writting, go back in and fill in the blanks.

6. Bribe Yourself

I’m all about this focus technique. If I can finish two articles by noon, I get a special treat. Or I get time off to hang out with my daughter and husband until after lunch. Most days, I go with “If I get X articles done by 5, I get the rest of the night off.” You can use anything that will inspire you to get work done. Here are a few more:

• If I earn an extra $20 this week, I can buy a new book/movie.
• As soon as I get this article completed, I get a nap/cookie/cup of coffee/to go for a walk.
• If I finish all of my articles by Thursday night, I get Friday off.
• We’ll have pizza for supper on Saturday if I earn an extra $50 this week.

7. Create a Trigger

Does Pavlov ring a bell? Train yourself by creating a trigger for your focused writing time. You can use anything that makes sense to you. Maybe a few stretches before sitting down, or something as simple as cupping your hands around your eyes for a few minutes, and staring at the screen for a few moments. It might even be reviewing your to-do list. Whichever activity you choose, if it is done every time you sit down to work, will eventually signal to your brain that it is time to start focusing.

8. Practice, Practice, Practice.

Practice focusing. Use these techniques, and any others that work for you, repeatedly. Every day. It takes a while for something to become a habit. Keep at it. Eventually, you’ll be able to concentrate on your work, regardless of what other activities are going on around you.

I’m going to be putting some of these focus techniques in place today. What focus techniques do you use?

I was playing around on Ebay this morning, looking for any great deals on books about writing, and I came across something that I would have never even thought of doing.

There was a woman selling her writing services on ebay. She set the bid at $15, but the amount would change later, once a contract had been agreed upon. It is a classified ad, which I didn’t even realize ebay offered.

I don’t know if I would ever do this, but it is definitely an interesting idea for those who are interested. I guess it wouldn’t really be all that different from all of the other bidding sites writers use to find work, just on a less concentrated site.

On the other hand, I think it would be a lot harder to get anyone to take you seriously. Your ad would be scattered amongst offers for adult friend finder services (complete with a mostly naked woman for the item picture) and offers to make someone an ordained minister.

But, hey, things change every day. What do you think? Is selling your writing services on ebay the next frontier, or just a dumb idea?

Success. It’s something that we’re all striving for. We all have goals for our careers that we would like to see accomplished, the sooner the better. Maybe it is being able to live almost entirely off residual income, or getting higher paying jobs so that you can work less but still make more money. Maybe your goal is to move into writing magazine articles, or even writing novels.

It can be difficult to move from here to there. So I rounded up some of the best tips for freelance writers, for everything to writing to meeting challenges.

Be consistent. Write every day. Blog often. The only way to improve your writing, and meet your goals, is to keep going.

Read writing that you wish you had written. Follow the blogs of the best writers. Look for their work. Notice their style, how they phrase things. By dissecting their work, you can probably improve your own.

Write down your plans. By committing your goals to paper, you are more likely to accomplish them.

Don’t measure your work by the amount of time you spend sitting at the computer. You can sit there for hours, and still not get a lot done. (I should know…) Instead, measure your accomplishments. Five hours of writing doesn’t mean as much as saying that you want to finish five articles. You should still set aside an exact amount of time to write each day, though, and stick with it. Don’t let yourself get interrupted.

Keep learning. Learn as much as you can about writing, editing, marketing, SEO, and everything else that a writer needs to know. Go to the library, subscribe to blogs, visit websites. There is more information available for writers than we could ever possibly read. Use it to your benefit.

And, finally, don’t measure yourself by someone else’s success. We all know people who have found the high-paying clients, or who have had an amazing amount of good luck with residual income programs, in less time than you have been writing. Instead of beating yourself up, figure out what they are doing differently. Was it just good luck, or do they do something that you aren’t? Not sure? Just ask. Most writers would love to share their success with others.

Do you have any great tips for other writers? Feel free to share them below.

When I began writing online, I started out with a blog. It was just a place to record memories of what our day-to-day life was like at the time. I got used to the feel of blogging: the conversational tone, talking in the first person, and the informal writing style.

A few months later, I had to make the switch to a more professional writing style. Writing articles is easy, but it requires a very different way of writing. Luckily, years of school had prepared me well, and it was easy to get into a groove.

Then, one of the companies I work for began offering blogs to their clients. In order to get into the program as a writer, you had to answer a few simple questions. One of them was, “What is the difference between a blog post and an article?”…

Hmm. I had to stop and think for a moment. A couple of differences were obvious. Blogs allowed for a more informal style, and you could use words like “I” and “we”, words forbidden in article writing. There is also a difference in length. Most articles run between 300 and 600 words, but a blog post can be any length at all.

Both a blog post and an article can be informative. And there are many topics where a blog is a better source of information. Blogs, however, usually get more readers and have the potential to create more of a buzz. Being able to include your own opinions and ideas about a subject usually makes it more interesting for your readers.

I read somewhere that it is easier to write a blog post. I am not so sure. I can easily write an article on almost anything. A little bit of research, some time to plan everything out, and then type it all up and edit it. Done. I don’t have to think too hard, or form an opinion myself. I once wrote articles for and against cloning in the same evening. It didn’t matter whether I was for or against it (against, if you’re wondering). I was just collecting facts, and putting them down on a page. If I blog about something, though, it means that I have really taken the time to think it through and form an opinion that I am comfortable sharing.

Articles are often taken more seriously. For example, if I were writing an article, I would be looking for factual information from other articles, not from blogs. If I thought I had a serious health problem, I would look for articles off of a trusted medical resource, probably not a hypochondriacs blog, no matter how much he or she may know about the disease. People trust articles as professional advice. If I am going to scare myself silly with the thought that I have some horrible disease, I want to at least get my facts straight.

And then, I would go back to the hypochondriac’s blog to commiserate. Nothing like sharing your misery and sense of impending doom with somebody who understands.

So, what do you think? Have I left any differences between blog posts and articles out?

I joined eHow back in November, but I didn’t really use my account until the beginning of January, when I posted How to Write Your 101 in 1001 List. Since then, I have written ten articles in all. Not as many as I would like to have written, but not bad for starting out…

My earnings stubbornly remained at $0.00 until the middle of February, when a Valentine’s Day article earned $0.44. And then my Green Eggs and Ham how-to earned a few cents. Finally, people caught on to this article: How to Trap a Leprechaun, timely posted about a months before St. Patrick’s Day. Two weeks ago, that article started to take off. By the time St. Patrick’s Day came around, this last Tuesday, it had over 2,500 views and had earned over $5.00.

I know there is a lot of wisdom in not writing a whole bunch of seasonal articles, because they only earn well a month or so out of the entire year, and I know that $5.00 isn’t a lot, compared to what other people are making. But it’s something. And I was very excited to see my earnings, and views, go up so quickly.

I plan on writing a lot more about eHow. My goal is to eventually be making what I am making now, if not more, in residual income. It’s going to take a lot of effort, but I know it is possible.

Here are some great eHow resources, if you’re interested:

Maria’s (WriterGig) eHow ebook– Supposed to be absolutely amazing. I haven’t been able to purchase it yet. As soon as I do, I will be writing a review.

The Cheap Bastid’s eHow Posts

My eHow Page

Before I became a writer, I had never been turned down for a job. If I applied, I got the call back. Without fail. Granted, they weren’t the best jobs. But I got them.

This is something that I’ve had to adjust to as a freelance writer, where, more often than not, I don’t get the job. I was turned down for two positions before I got into the companies I am currently writing for. And now that I’m trying to build my career, I am again running into a lot of rejection. In the past few weeks, I have applied for several private client positions, and haven’t heard back on anything.

I think learning to not let this rejection get to me is one of the biggest things I have gotten from this career. My first couple rejections stung. Now, I just let it go, and apply for the next one. I’ve put together a decent resume, and I’m building a better supply of writing examples to choose from. I’ve learned to pick out a good writing opportunity, and just skim past the questionable or ridiculously low-paying job posts.

One of the best things we can do as writers is to learn to distance ourselves from our work. When I was a cook, for example, I didn’t get upset if someone set food back. Usually. It’s the same idea here. Your work is not who you are. If you don’t get the job, move on. Apply to something else. There will always be a better opportunity. If you have submitted a query to a magazine or other print format and it is rejected, send it out again to someone else.

Building this attitude is especially difficult when you are working for yourself. There is no one else to fall back on. You alone are responsible for your success. You have put time and effort into whatever it is you are sending into the world, whether it be a query letter, and article, or your resume and application. Being rejected, or even just never hearing back, can feel like a personal attack. It isn’t. The people who looked at your work see the work of hundreds of other writers as well. They don’t make it personal. The best thing that you can do is to take a moment to accept the rejection, and then get back out there and try, try again.

Imagine a ladder.

There.

This ladder represents language, and word choices.  At the bottom, there are specific names — Rubbermaid bowl, Epson 3-way printer, Sony TV, James Harrison. One step up from that are “harsh” words — duck, chair, knife, and so forth.  Tangible items.  At the top of the ladder, there are loftier word choices — Heaven, freedom, distraction. There are rungs between these two extremes, becoming more concrete with each downward step. For example:

Heaven–>Sweet–>Candy–>Chocolate–>Chocolate bar–> Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups.

I moved from a lofty idea down to a specific.

This is called the Ladder of Abstraction. There are two ways to use this writer’s tool. When writing, especially in non-fiction formats, it is best to use as many specifics as possible. This gives your writing a very powerful feel. You are not a floppy writer. You know what you are talking about. Use that expertise, and let others know you have it. Which would you rather read?

The dog came to its owner.

The large black lab, Buddy, came rushing towards his surprised owner, tail wagging and mud flying.

See what I mean? The second option gives life and personality to what could have been a very boring read.

The second way to use the ladder of abstraction is to scale up and down the rungs throughout your writing. This can either happen gracefully:

Heaven, through its promises of eternity, has turned us all into backstabbing hypocrites. Knives, guns, and curses where we should see bibles and hymns.

Or not so gracefully:

Life is a series of twists and turns. He dreamed of peace and love, of freedom, but was faced with the cold reality of the smoking rubble where his city once stood. Torn and raveged bodies littered the streets.

These short passages both wander the ladder, making them more effective. If I had written them all on one level or the other, they would not be nearly as compelling. In the second passage, making the sudden transition between peace and love to death and bombed remnants will encourage the reader to take notice. They weren’t expecting that turn of events.

I challenge you to take a few extra minute today, or over the weekend, to experiment with this a bit. See how the ladder can improve your writing. Play for a while, and have some fun. Let me know how it goes.