About article formats.....

[DSWaltenburg]

In doing several pieces related to travel for my client's website, he has now requested several very short pieces, which don't really entail a full article-style writeup.

That being the case, when I submit these snippets for review, I don't want them to be rejected due to lack of a 'formal' introduction, etc. In most instances, these short works will be no more than 300 words each, being considered more of a 'description' of a certain place or thing, within a larger article that he now has.

Therefore, what do I need to do, in order to make sure that these don't get rejected for format? Is it ok just to include a note in the short summary to indicate what they are, adding 'per customer request'?

Help please?

Thank you!!

Deborah

[Ed]

Yep - just add a note in the short summary so I don't forget that these submissions take special treatment. Thanks!

[DSWaltenburg]

Sweet. Thanks!!!!!

[DSWaltenburg]

Ok, here's another question, about the shorter article formats for my private request:

Say I'm doing writing that's more closely related to captioning, with probably no more than 100wds per caption. Is it ok to put several captions in one article, which of course sends it way off the article format chart, so that the customer doesn't have to fiddle around with 10 billion different snippets?

Of course my ego would love it if my profile showed that I sold 20 articles, were I to send them all through individually, but that just wouldn't be cool, for the customer, or for Ed, right? Apart from which, being the last person alive to have dial-up, it'd take me about a year to get them all submitted individually. :)


Any suggestions, thoughts, etc.?

Grazi!


Deborah

[Celeste Stewart]

Yes, it's preferable to "bundle" assignments for everyone involved, yourself included. Imagine how long it would take you to submit one hundred "blurbs" and how long for Ed to individually open and approve each one. Next, the customer would have to do the same.

Here's what I do:

Blurb 1 blah blah blah blah blah

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Blurb 2 blah blah blah

+++++++++
Blurb 3 blah blah blah.

+++++++++++++++


I also do this for sets of articles. For example, if a customer requests a series of 40 articles, I'll bundle them into daily batches. That way, the customer gets say 7 or 8 articles a day and only has to deal with 3 or 4 documents. Sometimes, they prefer to wait until the entire series is complete in which case I'd give them the entire series in one document.

[DSWaltenburg]

[quote]I also do this for sets of articles. For example, if a customer requests a series of 40 articles, I'll bundle them into daily batches. That way, the customer gets say 7 or 8 articles a day and only has to deal with 3 or 4 documents. Sometimes, they prefer to wait until the entire series is complete in which case I'd give them the entire series in one document.[/quote]



Geeeeeeeeeeeesh......someday I HOPE to have that much work from writing!!!


Thanks for the info!! :)

[Celeste Stewart]

careful what you wish for. . . :)

[DSWaltenburg]

Are you trying to say that you, too, one time wished for lots of writing assignments? :)

The joys of positive thinking!!

[Celeste Stewart]

I never dreamed I'd have so much writing work. It's great, don't get me wrong, but it's not always easy to juggle it all.

[DSWaltenburg]

Is CC the only thing that you write for, or are you juggling a zillion other projects as well?


I'm such a neophyte, I can't comprehend how you manage it all. Perhaps you should write a book about time management for writers :)

I hope you don't mind if occasionally I pick your brain for clues on becoming successful here. I'm trying to keep an EXTREMELY positive outlook because this is something I really want to make a career out of, so any advice you can give would be muchly appreciated!! I promise not to be a consistent pest, however!


Deborah

[Celeste Stewart]

I don't mind in the least. Yes, I do most of my writing via CC but I do have a few other outside clients that are in the mix and I also occasionally submit articles to traditional publications as well. I'm also writing a YA novel but have been stuck on that darned last chapter for about a year. Procrastination? Yes. Sigh. I should just write it.

I ultimately realized CC's potential during maternity leave when about to give birth to my son 2 years ago. When my six weeks was up, I was so busy with CC jobs that I kept putting off going back to work. I finally went back but it was a disaster. It actually cost me money to go back to work. Plus, a big merger had taken place the year before and my loyalties weren't nearly as strong. I did have the killer job though and was one of the early pioneers of telecommuting. I knew I could never go back to the corporate world. I saved up two months worth of house payments as a buffer, quit the day job, and haven't looked back since. Ironically, my old boss (who is awesome) is one of my best referral sources for outside clients.

CC offers a ton of potential to each of us, day in day out. Not just the established writers. Look at you, you've been here how long? And you already have a regular private customer! Keep answering public requests as well and next thing you know, you'll have even more regulars. The thing that's cool about writers succeeding here is that they then become so busy with private requests that the new writers have a fighting chance with the public ones.

[DSWaltenburg]

How did you start with traditional publications? Was writing always part of your career, even in the corporate world? With your book, perhaps subconciously, you're not ready to set it free, so you're putting off the ending :)

With me, it seems that the stars or fate all lined up, and decided that it was time for me to really dive in and give writing a WHOLEhearted try, instead of just being a hobby. In person, I don't talk out loud much at all, but put a keyboard in front of me, and you can't shut me up!! :) Kind of like that singing frog in the shoebox from Looney Tunes.

I'm still kind of tripped out about getting that private job, and excited too, it's just all so freaky. I was working at a local Wal Mart competitor, in the produce department.....and in early July, my daughter had some issues of a mental sort that resulted in her being hospitalized. Havng only been at my job for less than a year, I didn't qualify for the Family Med. Leave Act, so, I took a leave without pay, and then added another week on, and then by that time, I guess they decided they didn't need me, replaced me, and here I sit!! Writing! I guess things all just fall into place when you really need them to. My son leaves for college this coming weekend, and my daughter starts back to high school this week, and she cannot be left alone at home, therefore this gives me the opportunity to care for her, and yet still attempt to do something productive, and something that I actually LIKE doing! :)

Wow. See. Keyboard. Me. NO Shut up :)

And, I think it's maybe less than coincidence that the private job entails writing about Arizona, since that has forever been my favorite place on earth, since childhood, and I just learned yesterday writing about the Grand Canyon that there's a WALTENBERG Rapid in the canyon. I guess you just have to always be open to all those little signs that the universe throws out there.

Now I shut up :D

Deborah

[DSWaltenburg]

I shut up, and so did everyone else. :(



Was it something I said?

[Celeste Stewart]

Oh no. Not at all. Time just flew by and the thread died as they often do. . .

[DSWaltenburg]

That's cool. Just wanted to make sure I hadn't said something offensive!