Having peeked in the window for days, I made up my mind to open the door and venture in to Constant-Content. So, hey, everyone! Nice to meet you, and to find myself in like-minded company.
If the definition of a writer is someone who sells their writing for profit, I'm not a writer. Never mind that I've written my way through Oak trees and stuffed many a mattress with the results. It was my own itch I was scratching and the notion that I could get paid for the privilege was sure to get an eye roll.
I enjoy a fulfilling life fringed with normal problems and a few exceptional ones. I have a failing-to-thrive garden and a huge, hairy, happy German Shepherd. My husband is even bigger, nearly as hairy, and pretty happy too. We are both social workers.
I've been pushed, pressured and finally persuaded to try writing for profit by family, friends and co workers. When I was in high school I won every local contest I entered and first place in a statewide essay contest. But that claim to writing fame has since become stale.
I'm ready to move slow, stick my toes in, and see what happens. If some of you who have been here a while would like to share your experience thus far with CC, that would be great. I have much to learn. Thanks.
New Here!
Moderators: Celeste Stewart, Ed, Constant
Re: New Here!
Hello there!
I've always thought that a writer was someone who could actually write grammatically correct sentences in an entertaining or enlightening way. So I'd call you a writer. Don't worry so much about the paid part of it, since most writers get paid so little for their work, they might as well work for free.
I've been here for over a year, so I guess that qualifies as experience. So here's my advice. Read all of the guidelines several times. Before you click on submit for your first article, read through the guidelines again to make sure your article follows every single one. Always proofread at least three times. Odd as it sounds, I like to read my article in a British accent - I normally have a Canadian accent - since I find it easier to hear clunky sentences if they're read in a different voice. If you do happen to get a rejection, remember that it's not the end of the world - just revise your article and resubmit.
Also, try not to focus too much on what other writers on the site are doing. By all means, read their articles and study their use of sentence structure and commas, but put most of the focus on your own writing. When I first started writing here, I would do a search on a topic I wanted to write about. If there were over three articles already written on that particular topic, I wouldn't write about it. I figured that no one would buy my article with so many others available. Big mistake. After I passed on writing about identity theft, someone came along and bought twenty articles on that very topic. I missed out on a sale - and learned to write about whatever I wanted to write about, not what other writers didn't write about.
Lastly, don't sell yourself short. Price your articles based on what you think they are worth, not on what other authors sell their own work for or what customers offer you. If you don't want to sell a 1000-word article for $5, don't.
And you might want to use your cute, hairy dog for inspiration - I find pet articles sell quite well here!
Good luck!
Amy
I've always thought that a writer was someone who could actually write grammatically correct sentences in an entertaining or enlightening way. So I'd call you a writer. Don't worry so much about the paid part of it, since most writers get paid so little for their work, they might as well work for free.
I've been here for over a year, so I guess that qualifies as experience. So here's my advice. Read all of the guidelines several times. Before you click on submit for your first article, read through the guidelines again to make sure your article follows every single one. Always proofread at least three times. Odd as it sounds, I like to read my article in a British accent - I normally have a Canadian accent - since I find it easier to hear clunky sentences if they're read in a different voice. If you do happen to get a rejection, remember that it's not the end of the world - just revise your article and resubmit.
Also, try not to focus too much on what other writers on the site are doing. By all means, read their articles and study their use of sentence structure and commas, but put most of the focus on your own writing. When I first started writing here, I would do a search on a topic I wanted to write about. If there were over three articles already written on that particular topic, I wouldn't write about it. I figured that no one would buy my article with so many others available. Big mistake. After I passed on writing about identity theft, someone came along and bought twenty articles on that very topic. I missed out on a sale - and learned to write about whatever I wanted to write about, not what other writers didn't write about.
Lastly, don't sell yourself short. Price your articles based on what you think they are worth, not on what other authors sell their own work for or what customers offer you. If you don't want to sell a 1000-word article for $5, don't.
And you might want to use your cute, hairy dog for inspiration - I find pet articles sell quite well here!
Good luck!
Amy
-
Everhelpville
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sat Jun 27, 2009 2:50 pm
Re: New Here!
Thank you, Amy, for the hand holding. Your suggestion to review the guidelines several times is at the top of my to-do list, as is familiarizing myself with CC. Unfortunately, I appear to be resistant to all things related to technology so find myself clicking about and muttering a good deal. What the heck is SEO? Then...what the heck is search engine optimization? I've found navigating and understanding the CC site an exercise in frustration, due largely to my innate weariness with technology. But perhaps not completely. Is it possible the site has a glitch here and there?
In fact, can I say this here? (Something I said somewhere was moved to somewhere else, so I'm a little paranoid as to which spot I'm spouting in.) My password never seems to work twice in a row. I log in with no problem, only to receive an error message on my next attempt to log in. Yesterday, I needed to log in in order to post here, received a message saying I'd done so successfully, then was promptly taken back to the page telling me to log in. This happened three times. The posting window appeared just in time to keep me from giving up and folding towels.
Thankfully, I've earned a measure of confidence over the years with my writing, which is a good balance for my frustration with navigation here. So far, that's kept my towels unfolded and in the laundry basket. It's also been interesting to read comments from others who enjoy writing. I've been reading my writing aloud for years, but found that having someone else read it aloud gives me an even greater degree of detachment. Maybe next I will ask them to go in the next room and read it aloud and I'll just put my ear against the wall. That distance is crucial to killing my "little darlings".
Your suggestion not to base a submission on how many exist on a given topic, is a good one. Never mind that I haven't reached the point where I can figure it out yet, I suspect I would have done exactly that. And I appreciate your advice about pricing. I am fanatical. Everywhere I put a word and everywhere I do not is important to me. And that takes time, even in a short piece. I bring all I have to my writing and serve up the best I can. My enthusiasm would evaporate quickly if I received $5 in exchange for my effort. Better I give it to my sweet dog. Jenny never fails me and is happy to chew on anything I write with a flattering degree of enthusiasm.
In fact, can I say this here? (Something I said somewhere was moved to somewhere else, so I'm a little paranoid as to which spot I'm spouting in.) My password never seems to work twice in a row. I log in with no problem, only to receive an error message on my next attempt to log in. Yesterday, I needed to log in in order to post here, received a message saying I'd done so successfully, then was promptly taken back to the page telling me to log in. This happened three times. The posting window appeared just in time to keep me from giving up and folding towels.
Thankfully, I've earned a measure of confidence over the years with my writing, which is a good balance for my frustration with navigation here. So far, that's kept my towels unfolded and in the laundry basket. It's also been interesting to read comments from others who enjoy writing. I've been reading my writing aloud for years, but found that having someone else read it aloud gives me an even greater degree of detachment. Maybe next I will ask them to go in the next room and read it aloud and I'll just put my ear against the wall. That distance is crucial to killing my "little darlings".
Your suggestion not to base a submission on how many exist on a given topic, is a good one. Never mind that I haven't reached the point where I can figure it out yet, I suspect I would have done exactly that. And I appreciate your advice about pricing. I am fanatical. Everywhere I put a word and everywhere I do not is important to me. And that takes time, even in a short piece. I bring all I have to my writing and serve up the best I can. My enthusiasm would evaporate quickly if I received $5 in exchange for my effort. Better I give it to my sweet dog. Jenny never fails me and is happy to chew on anything I write with a flattering degree of enthusiasm.
Re: New Here!
I understand your frustration. I hate technology, and technology hates me! If the site keeps giving you problems, send an e-mail to Support. Or try posting your problem in the Site Renovation or the Author Exchange section of the forum.
And don't worry, I rarely think about SEO when I'm writing. But if you do want a quick lesson, here's a great link: http://makemoneyforbeginners.blogspot.c ... asics.html.
And your dog sounds like the cutest!
And don't worry, I rarely think about SEO when I'm writing. But if you do want a quick lesson, here's a great link: http://makemoneyforbeginners.blogspot.c ... asics.html.
And your dog sounds like the cutest!