Hello from Florida!

[cgardener]

Hi,
My real name is Deborah, but you can call me Deb. I'm really new to freelancing, but have been writing for as long as I can remember. I'm sure I have MUCH to learn about writing for money, but I'm hoping that I can learn it here.

A friend recommended me to this site, and so far, it looks awesome! I've submitted a couple of articles, and hope they get accepted. If not, I'll just keep trying until I get good enough to get one accepted.

I actually hope to make a living writing online, and have already sold a couple of articles, although not for nearly enough money to even consider myself a freelancer. Still, you have to start somewhere, so I figure that if I keep trying, I'll be able to work less and make more someday.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Deb

[Word Gypsy]

Welcome to cc! You have a great attitude, so you should do well here. Reading through the forums is a great way to learn. Good luck with your writing and sales. WG

[cgardener]

Thanks! I have been using you as sort of a guide as to how to write my articles and how much to charge. I'm not charging much for my first few, just to see how it goes. I really would like to do this full time, and make a living from it. I don't need to make a ton of money, just enough to live.

[Word Gypsy]

Well, thank you. I feel honored. Sometimes I price my articles a bit lower if they don't take too long to write (for example, topics I am knowledgeable about.) It is easier to sell when the price isn't too high since some customers have small budgets. You can try this if you want the thrill of the first sale. It might even get you customers who buy your work on a regular basis simply because they can afford you.

However, it is nice to have articles that sell for a decent amount as well. I have some articles priced a bit higher when I am in no hurry to sell them. I also price them higher when I need to do a lot of research for them. I guess it all depends on what I need by way of income at the time, too.

My advice is write, write, and write. I have been sitting on my laurels so to speak lately and haven't been submitting much lately. I have too many outside commitments at the moment. Set yourself a goal and stick to it. Also set yourself a period of non-writing so you don't burn yourself out. Good luck to you!

[cgardener]

Thanks for the advice. I love to write and I have so much running around in my head that I could easily pop out 10 blog posts a day. My blogs are pretty subject specific, so I want to write some other stuff, just to satisfy my own curiosity about it. Everywhere I look, it seems like everyone wants finance and health articles, so I figured I'd take a shot at writing some of those.

You're right about charging too much, of course. Then, if you charge too little, you are setting a bad precedent. I sold a couple of articles on the outside, like I said, and not for too much, so that will probably be my lowest price (+35% of course!)

I just know I'm going to love it here. I've submitted 4 articles already, and have lots more to write about!