Triond - Sign Up
I came across a new writing royalty service today called Triond. It has an unusual name, but the service seems to be straightforward.
The Welcome page states:
"You have original content and you want to publish it, but you're not sure where. Online publishing services can be complicated and unfriendly. So what do you do?
Triond has the answer!
Triond is a comprehensive publishing platform that lets you publish your original content online, freely and easily.
With Triond, you not only have a great way to share articles you write, photos you take, music and podcasts you record, and videos you film, but we even pay you for it!
You share your content and in turn get royalties for life. Sign up now!"
If anyone signs up for the service, drop me an email (mt12mindset@gmail.com) and let me know how it works out for you. It may be one to keep an eye on!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Scheduling Smarter: Editing on a Different Day
One of the greatest challenges for me as a freelance writer is keeping a schedule. The nature of freelancing tends to be feast or famine to begin with, but I often schedule new projects first thing in the morning, after I've had my second cup of coffee. This is probably not a wise decision, as the caffeine rush gives me delusions of grandeur and I think I am Super Writer early in the morning. By the time the caffeine wears off and the midnight hours tick by as I struggle to complete that day's schedule, I find myself vowing that next week, I not schedule myself so heavily.
One of the best reasons for not over-scheduling is editing a project the same day you write it often results in mistakes slipping through. After spending a few hours performing research and typing up your ideas, you are often too close to the material to be objective about your editing process. Once you walk away from the subject for a few days, you are more likely to catch mistakes that would otherwise go unnoticed.
This is especially true when you push to complete a project. If you are feeling under the weather or have not slept well the previous night the quality of your writing is sure to suffer. By scheduling editing at a later date, the overall condition of your work will greatly improve.
One of the best reasons for not over-scheduling is editing a project the same day you write it often results in mistakes slipping through. After spending a few hours performing research and typing up your ideas, you are often too close to the material to be objective about your editing process. Once you walk away from the subject for a few days, you are more likely to catch mistakes that would otherwise go unnoticed.
This is especially true when you push to complete a project. If you are feeling under the weather or have not slept well the previous night the quality of your writing is sure to suffer. By scheduling editing at a later date, the overall condition of your work will greatly improve.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Find Work as a Writer NOW!
Many journalism majors graduate from college, hang their degree on the wall and go back to the same job that got them through college. They may deliver pizza, work in a factory or care for the sick. Their friends and family know they love to write and may encourage them to take a chance on a writing gig, but for one reason or another they never step outside their comfort zone.
I have been utterly amazed by the poor quality of samples written by those with formal training in the art of writing. I believe this deterioration in writing skills comes simply from a lack of use. After all, some degree of natural talent must have been present at one time to spark an interest in writing. It saddens me deeply to see talented writers lose their passion and hard-earned skills.
Writers must write every day. Only through writing can the author hone his skills. Reading and critiquing the works of other and having your own work reviewed can also help you learn to self-edit your work. Daily writing exercises are often found in the form of journaling or blogging. This is helpful, but does not create a sense of professionalism or a strong motivation to improve your skills
Recreating that sense of urgency present when an essay will be graded, is a great way to help boost motivation and quality. This can be done by writing with purpose and writing for a paycheck, no matter how meager. I began writing for peanuts and happened upon a great partnership with the folks at Northern Lights Press. They offered me professional editing, positive feedback and a significant raise in pay. I was also blessed with the terrific guidance, friendship and support of a Christian editor with a major publishing house (thanks Eric!). My path to professional writing was not typical.
For most aspiring writers, the path to professionalism is long, rough and discouraging. You want to write everyday and getting paid for your efforts would be even better, but quality jobs are hard to come by in the beginning. There are several paying markets on the Internet that allow even beginning writers to earn a few bucks and take pride in their work. Signing up for these services can help get you noticed and provides increasing motivation to evolve as a writer.
Be forewarned, there are lots of scams out there. Always check out any writing service and steer clear of anything that seems suspicious. (You will not make $500 a day as a freelance writer with any system, period.)
Paying markets and non-paying services with high exposure are good to start with. These markets can also be used by freelancers to fill gaps in their schedules and gain some publicity. A few well-known markets are:
About.com (http://www.freelancewrite.about.com/%20-)
Ezine articles (http://www.ezinearticles.com/)
Associated Content (http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html)
451Press.com (http://www.451press.com/write)
Article City (http://www.articlecity.com/article_submission.shtml)
Life Tips (http://www.lifetips.com/guru/guru-signup.html)
Street Buzz(http://street-buzz.com/authors/register)
Suite 101 (http://www.writingnonfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/becoming_an_expert_write)
Helium (http://www.helium.com/)
Faith Writers (http://www.faithwriters.com/)
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com/)
If you have the soul of a writer, write! Write every day and don’t let your excuses hold you back any longer!
(Please keep in mind that I have never personally used any of these services-outside of Faith Writers; I have simply discovered them as I researched topics online. Please feel free to send along any others you have discovered or let me know about your experiences with any of these companies.)
I have been utterly amazed by the poor quality of samples written by those with formal training in the art of writing. I believe this deterioration in writing skills comes simply from a lack of use. After all, some degree of natural talent must have been present at one time to spark an interest in writing. It saddens me deeply to see talented writers lose their passion and hard-earned skills.
Writers must write every day. Only through writing can the author hone his skills. Reading and critiquing the works of other and having your own work reviewed can also help you learn to self-edit your work. Daily writing exercises are often found in the form of journaling or blogging. This is helpful, but does not create a sense of professionalism or a strong motivation to improve your skills
Recreating that sense of urgency present when an essay will be graded, is a great way to help boost motivation and quality. This can be done by writing with purpose and writing for a paycheck, no matter how meager. I began writing for peanuts and happened upon a great partnership with the folks at Northern Lights Press. They offered me professional editing, positive feedback and a significant raise in pay. I was also blessed with the terrific guidance, friendship and support of a Christian editor with a major publishing house (thanks Eric!). My path to professional writing was not typical.
For most aspiring writers, the path to professionalism is long, rough and discouraging. You want to write everyday and getting paid for your efforts would be even better, but quality jobs are hard to come by in the beginning. There are several paying markets on the Internet that allow even beginning writers to earn a few bucks and take pride in their work. Signing up for these services can help get you noticed and provides increasing motivation to evolve as a writer.
Be forewarned, there are lots of scams out there. Always check out any writing service and steer clear of anything that seems suspicious. (You will not make $500 a day as a freelance writer with any system, period.)
Paying markets and non-paying services with high exposure are good to start with. These markets can also be used by freelancers to fill gaps in their schedules and gain some publicity. A few well-known markets are:
About.com (http://www.freelancewrite.about.com/%20-)
Ezine articles (http://www.ezinearticles.com/)
Associated Content (http://www.associatedcontent.com/join.html)
451Press.com (http://www.451press.com/write)
Article City (http://www.articlecity.com/article_submission.shtml)
Life Tips (http://www.lifetips.com/guru/guru-signup.html)
Street Buzz(http://street-buzz.com/authors/register)
Suite 101 (http://www.writingnonfiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/becoming_an_expert_write)
Helium (http://www.helium.com/)
Faith Writers (http://www.faithwriters.com/)
Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com/)
If you have the soul of a writer, write! Write every day and don’t let your excuses hold you back any longer!
(Please keep in mind that I have never personally used any of these services-outside of Faith Writers; I have simply discovered them as I researched topics online. Please feel free to send along any others you have discovered or let me know about your experiences with any of these companies.)
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