Your ONE piece of best advice...

[HGW]

If you had to give only one piece of advice to new CC writers, what would it be? Feedback from CC veterans would be especially appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[Celeste Stewart]

Welcome! Here's the one piece:
Reserve judgment until you've given CC a decent trial period. That is, don't just submit one old article you have on some other site for usage and then decide that CC doesn't work because that one tired old article didn't sell. Instead, give CC a decent trial of least a month, perhaps even three, and submit original content regularly during that time.

[HGW]

Thank you, Celeste. That is a great suggestion. I am definitely here for the long haul. For me, it's not just about getting paid to write. It's about being part of a reputable writing community.

[Celeste Stewart]

And getting paid is a nice bonus

[HGW]

Any other authors care to share their #1 piece of advice?

[aprilk10]

I wouldn't call myself a veteran, as I have only been here about 6 or 7 months, but my best advice to new authors is to THOROUGHLY read through the forums and submission guidelines before submitting an article. Familiarize yourself with the way the site works and the rules here. Also (I know, that is 2), from what I have seen, "writers with attitude" (notice I did not call them authors) generally don't seem to last long here, either because they don't give it a chance or because their accounts get suspended when they are unwilling to admit that they may not write perfectly (we ALL have things to learn and can ALWAYS improve). I wish all new authors great luck here--it is an awesome opportunity. Be patient with learning the ins and outs of the site and have fun! Good luck and happy writing!

[Amy W]

Don't worry too much about what other authors here are doing - that's my best piece of advice. Every author here has a different strategy - some only write for public requests, some only write on spec articles, some price high, some price low. Some post entire articles in the summary section, some post only 1/3 of their article. Some write long articles, some write short . . . You need to find the strategy that works best for you. Try all ends of the spectrum - write some long pricey articles and some short affordable ones; click best offer for some of your articles and don't take offers on the rest of them; write for public requests and write some on spec articles, as well. After a while, you'll get a feel for what works for you - odds are, it won't be the same as what works for me. CC is so big, every writer here can settle into a niche that works for them.

[Evelyn]

1. Be patient. Real people really read your work and approve it. Really.
2. Set goals for yourself. For instance, submit 100 articles within three months. Submit so many articles in a particular category you're the top dog. Submit at least one article in every category (stretch your mind a little). Etc.
3. Don't get excited if it's the 2nd or the 16th and you haven't gotten paid.
4. Don't quit your real job yet.
5. Proofread 11 times.
6. Consider purchasing Celeste Stewart's ebook. (celestestewart.com)
7. Visit with us on the forum frequently. You're not alone in the vast, tossing ocean that is online freelance writing.
8. Promote your Constant-Content account everywhere you go, online and offline.
9. Put only your best writing here. Save the less-good stuff for other sites.
10. Use your sense of humor and way with words to make the writing more interesting. (I can guess you have a little personality because your username is mermaidontherun. Very nice.)
11. Expect great things from this site if you really commit.

[HGW]

WOWZA, what fantastic advice so far!!

Thank you soooo much. The feedback is deeply appreciated.

Evelyn: Your advice made me chuckle. First of all, you gave me 11 tips instead of one (guess that's part of write well and write often?). You recommend proofreading 11 times (not 10 and not 12; is 11 your lucky number?).

I am definitely treating CC as my longterm part-time (hopefully someday full-time) job. I am currently working 6 days a week in the non-writing world. My seventh day will be spent "working" here at CC, reading everything on CC including the forums, learning from the teachings of others, and perfecting my craft. There is so much to learn here; I look forward to soaking it all up, and maybe someday mentoring others, as I am being mentored now. Thank you all again; keep the advice coming!