Time spent writing a typical article

[melissan]

I am just wondering, how long does it take you to write a typical 5-600 word article on a topic that you are somewhat familiar with? When I calculate what I think an article is worth, I take into consideration time spent writing, time spent researching, and the number of words produced. I have seen writers sell for as little as .01 a word, I've written for anywhere between 2-7 cents a word and I have seen other writers request more. What makes the most sense? What I like about CC is that overall, articles are purchased at rates that give writers a reasonable income per word. I've tried other sites and I am not impressed.

I'm tired, getting crabby, but I am just wondering.

[Celeste Stewart]

You're doing the right thing by considering time spent researching and writing overall along with total word count. There's no right or wrong answer so long as you are being compensated at a level that you are comfortable with.

While going with a per word charge has its downside it does give both writer and customer a budget from which to start. Customers know that if they assign you a 1000-word article at ten cents per word, then it will cost them $100. You know that you must deliver a decent article at the $100 price point. If you want to make ten bucks an hour, you have ten hours to get it done. If you want to make fifty bucks an hour, you have two hours to do it. If you want to make one hundred dollars an hour, then your time limit is just one hour. If the article is a quality piece that meets the customer's needs, the customer won't care whether you spent one or ten hours writing it. It's up to you to produce the desired end product in a time frame that makes sense for you and gives the client the expected article.

Sorry, I guess I'm not giving you the answer you're looking for. It's just that there are so many variables. Some days, I can crank out four 500-word articles an hour. Other days, it takes me all day to write 1,000 words. I just checked my spreadsheet and I average 1109 words per hour (yes, I'm an obessive Excel geek.) So, I suppose my average for a 500-600 word article is roughly a half hour. But that's just me.

[melissan]

You did answer it, thank you. Four 500 word articles in an hour happened to me once after I'd already written close to 30 articles on male hair restoration. I needed ten more and willed my brain and fingers to keep going. Don't give me any ideas about putting everything on an excel spreadsheet...ahhh...what a great idea but I also work a mostly full time job and the spreadsheet would just tell me that I make much more an hour writing than I do being a paralegal. Although, the research required for me to actually use exel correctly would enable me to write a how to article for beginners. You've had me thinking with all of your suggestions lately and I have been sitting back thinking, how can I make this experience into an article? How can I pay for this new book I bought with an article?
Thinking, writing and dreaming the day away.