Freelancing Archives - Lunar Obverse

Today is the next best option to start

I wrote a lot today but none of it for the blog. I’m signing up for a bunch of different platforms for writers to post and get paid for their writing. Nearly every application had a bunch of essay questions to answer, and wanted me to write original, unpublished articles as a writing sample. They did all say that I retained the copyright on what I wrote (I would not sign up for any site that didn’t do this), but I will wait to post any of those samples elsewhere until I hear back about the applications.

The sites I’ve signed up for so far are:

Simily

I shared my application answers for Simily last night. The pay isn’t great, at $0.02 per unique view. So I will still need to promote my stories, engage with the rest of the community, and write a lot before it’s worth it. But this is the state of things: can’t get paid if I don’t write. And once I’ve built up a few popular stories, I have increased my portfolio for future freelancing. I’m building my public presence.

Vocal

Vocal appears to also be a platform for creative writing. It’s more structured, in that they have communities for specific topics or genres, like Art, Business, or Technology. They pay $3.80 per 1000 views, less than 20% of what Simily pays, but they do also offer the ability for readers to subscribe ($2.99/month) for recurring income, and accept tips, so perhaps overall it’s better pay.

I have a feeling, though, I’m not going to be able to use Vocal. Their payment is through Stripe, and Stripe seems to have a lot of niggling details that need to be taken care of before they’ll let a business accept payment. I had to upload a copy of my government ID to Stripe, I had to name my business, my business name had to match the URL of my website (it doesn’t), and the last thing I heard from Stripe, they were reviewing whether my business was using crowdfunding, which is a Stripe no-no. I’ve appealed but it seems like a lot of hoops and I may have missed too many of those jumps. Time will tell.

Textbroker

I have in the past applied to some of these sites before, back in 2016. I shared a string of posts where I shared my weekly progress in freelancing, which wasn’t that much at the time. (I’d been inspired at the time by Nicole Dieker, who regularly shared her income from writing as an act of transparency.) One of those previous sites was Textbroker, which I only knew because my password manager had an old login saved. But when I tried to sign in with that email and password, it said it sent a verification email to that address that I had to use before I could log in. I waited for a while and no email; it’s been hours later, and still nothing has shown up for that address. So I created a new account.

Textbroker has editorial, grammar, and punctuation guidelines, which to be honest is a good thing. I took their grammar/spelling test and I think I did pretty well! Then I had to write an original 250-300 word article, which took me a couple of hours. I wanted to avoid filler but also wanted to show off my style, so I overthunk it (as I do.) Still I’m happy with what I submitted and hope to hear back from them!

ClearVoice

The last one I applied to today was ClearVoice. They are a middleman who connects clients with freelancers, and if the list of categories and topics is any guide they deal with just about everything: white papers, reviews, lifestyle, sports, gaming, marketing and press releases… and more. I had to select a couple of niches when setting up my profile, so I chose blog and copywriting, and guides.

Since they don’t pay the writers directly (they take a cut) they allow writers to set their own prices. I’m technically a beginner, technically, so I set a low-ish rate: $0.10 – $0.30/word. We’ll see if I get accepted. I did link a wide variety of articles from my blog to give them the idea of my writing.

This wave of applications from me feels like a big step, and also frustrates me because I should have done this a long time ago. Or at least months ago. Or yesterday. But after all those possible times for me to do it, today is the next best option.

Now I wait… or keep finding places like this and apply. Or start working up articles I can post. OK, OK, I’ve got options.

My style and goals (as a writer)

Freelancing

Today I’m taking steps to trying to find paying outlets for my writing. Don’t worry, I’m not going to start charging money here. This place will always be free and open, and I will never put up ads or use affiliate links here (I have tried that in the past, so you might find old posts talking about that.)

No, I found a video that listed platforms that pay writers, especially beginners. I’m not exactly a beginner writer but getting paid for that writing has largely eluded me. So I’m on a quest! My goal this week is, on top of my normal job-hunting, to apply to all the platforms I can find, try them out, and see which, if any, work for me and my style.

The first one listed by Zulie Rane (that YouTube creator) is Medium. Um, let me set that one aside for now. I need to research who their current partners are. On to the next one! The next one is a site called Simily, which I have never heard of before.

I signed up for a reader account there, read through the FAQ, and was immediately impressed that their focus is not on how-tos, listicles, and SEO-packed explainers, but is on creative writing, particularly fiction and genre (fantasy, sci-fi, romance.) That’s refreshing! They’re asking me for writing samples, which I can pull from my blog, that’s not a problem. I started filling out the application.

And stopped in my tracks. They were asking deep introspective questions. I couldn’t half-ass this. I needed to think through my answers and be a bit more personal. Reader, as you might be able to tell, this is my butter zone. I live for personal, introspective, and empathetic writing.

What follows are the main application questions, and my answers. Tell me if you think this describes what you read here or not. I’m genuinely curious what y’all think.

What is your goal as a writer?

Through introspective and personal writing, I want to draw on my observations, desires, and anxieties to connect with readers and bring them into a specific scene or setting. I want to create understandable and flawed characters who have to balance their fears with their goals, who know the right thing to do but doubt their strength to carry it off, in worlds where it feels like there are no easy answers. I want to continue to examine themes like friendship, loneliness, the sacred and the secular, hone my voice, and share it with anyone who also wants connection.

How would you describe your writing style?

I have honed my writing style over the years to be concise and focused; I try to use exactly the words necessary to create understanding in the reader’s mind. I aim to illuminate personal, empathetic feelings and describe familiar, ordinary events as well as the unusual chaos of a simple life. I draw on observations and include just enough to bring the reader into the scene. I’m great at creating a setting, and relating natural and authentic dialogue from the people in the story.

If you could wave a magic wand, what would you hope to achieve with your writing?

I want to reach people and touch their hearts and minds, especially the people who wouldn’t ordinarily find my work. I would love to reach an expanded audience. I love when I hear back from anyone that they have read my words, even if they don’t agree with the point I think I’m making because I don’t always know what audiences want, but I can learn from every story I tell and the responses to that story.

Why do you want to join Simily as an author?

I’ve been a writer since I had a typewriter as a toy when I was a child. But finding an audience for my writing has always taken a backseat to getting and keeping a job. I’m now on a journey to try to make more of my writing and get it out in front of new readers, to help me hone my skill at writing things people want to read. I’ve got stories to tell; just need folks that want to read them.

Tell us more about how you hope to use the platform.

I’m very excited by the focus on creative writing. There are plenty of platforms out there for how-tos, technical articles, paraphrasing news items, that kind of thing. It’s rare to see a platform like Simily that is just for fiction, essays, personal stories and flights of fantasy. If you visit my blog, the archives go back 20 years and in total, my writing has always had a creative, authentic style. I would happily participate in Simily’s community of writers and readers if it meant sharing what I have and learning more from others.

Provide three writing samples

The three writing samples I gave them were:

The Princess and The Brewer – a short piece of fiction that drew from my 2013 D&D campaign setting.

That was a 4.7 bar – a recounting of an actual happy hour with my best friend recently. Oh and a bar fight broke out.

The internal struggle to maintain – Musings about loneliness, hope, and atheism vs. spirituality. Wishing won’t make it so, but it’s hard not to wish, y’know?

Stay tuned and I’ll update if I hear back! They say they select new writers at the end of the month, which means I need to keep applying elsewhere while I wait.

Life’s A Pitch

Freelancing, Portfolio

Sheets of hand-written text lit by soft light through curtains. — Image by Michal Jarmoluk from Pixabay

I broke the seal. I’m now sending out pitches for articles to various editors.

In fact I’ve already gotten a rejection! Don’t be sad, that’s a good thing. Well, not as good as an acceptance but still, it means I’m out there trying. That’s why I’m saying I “broke the seal”—the scary part is over, and now I can just keep moving forward, by, presumably, coming up with more article ideas and sending them out to editors until they accept one or more of them.

The rejection I got yesterday was not my first rejection. Many years ago I took a writing class. It was a night class, not for college credit. Just something I took to dip my toe in the water and spend time around other people who like and want to write. And after we finished our first story, the instructor made us all submit it to an editor.

She made us all send it to Redbook, I believe. Is that magazine still around? The magazine published lots of freelance or reader submissions, on a wide variety of topics, including little memoir-type stories like we wrote for our first assignment in class.

Our chances of being rejected were quite high, she explained, but the whole point is to get our first actual rejection out of the way and behind us, to teach us it’s better to pitch and fail than just wonder.

I still have that letter, I think. It’s framed somewhere in a box, but I saved it. I wish I had a picture of it; I’d post it here, because I like to include pictures with my posts when I can. I’m funny that way.

As of right now (write now? sorry, couldn’t resist) I’ve got one idea that I’m shopping around to some local publications. I’m aiming high; it’s a big article idea and the outlets I’m sending it to are kind of a high bar to cross for someone with no real published articles to their name. But it’s a start. I have some smaller ideas I want to send out, and for those I will be aiming at various small online-only blogs and websites. But the idea I’m starting with is one I’m proudest of, and one that would be a lot of fun to write.

No, I’m not telling you what it is. You’ll have to wait.

This is what I have to do if I want to be published. This blog is a testament to my ability to write lots and lots of words, very good words, arranged well and communicating emotion and facts and character and plot… but that’s not the skill I need if I want my words to be accepted by editors and then printed elsewhere. I love you all, all 25-30 of you that are reading my posts these days, but I need to see if I have what it takes to get my words in front of a wider audience.

And to do that I have to send out pitches. I was talking to Terry last night and I was explaining the steps, and one of the things I mentioned was that it is considered a negative if a freelancer sends the same pitch to more than one editor at a time. Not supposed to flood the market, even though that would shorten the time it takes for a pitch to find a home. “I don’t know why that is, but that’s the case, and I’m going to follow the conventions because I’m trying to break in.”

Terry laughed at me. “You’re not selfish enough!” he said, and he’s right. I’m not selfish enough to try to break in by breaking the (unspoken but socially-accepted) rules. I want to do it the right way. I consider that my strength, not my weakness.

Honestly I already have the advantage of being a straight white cis male. It may seem like that advantage is evaporating these days, but it’s still there. I am OK if that’s seen in a less approving light these days; there are plenty of other voices out there that deserve the spotlight. People of color, women, gay and trans and queer voices. I’m happy they are getting more attention; it’s long since past time for them to talk about the world as they see it.

That being said, I know that I’m still going to have a small advantage due to the accident of my birth in a culture that leans in my direction—my privilege. So I am not going to press that advantage at all. I’ll keep my head down, follow the rules, just write as best as I can and send it out and see who bites.

Because I’m always going to write. That’s not going to stop. I’ve demonstrated I may slow down from time to time, but writing is still second nature to me. Writing is one thing. Writing for an audience is quite another skill, so I’m beginning to develop it. Stay tuned.

It’s Hard to Ask for Help

Freelancing, meta

Help!

Although I’ve been working two jobs since late last year, plus writing when I have time or energy, unfortunately, it’s not enough. I’m in that gray area now where I make too much money for public assistance but not enough money to cover the bills. I’ve fallen behind on my rent and am in increasing danger of losing the home I’ve lived in for over 17 years, the longest I’ve spent in one spot in my whole life.

I’m ashamed I’ve been unable to fix this on my own, and my close friends and family have already been more than generous to me, and I am thankful for them. It’s not enough, unfortunately, and I have to turn to you, kind friends, for help.

There are, however, many ways you can help. Nothing is too little. Here’s a list.

Buy my writing! As Gloria Steinem once said, writing is the thing that, when I’m doing it, I don’t think I should be doing anything else. I have this blog to show my range, but if you don’t want to browse through 12 years and 2400+ posts, you can find selected clippings here. I charge reasonable rates and quick turnaround, and am particularly good at explaining technical subjects for a general audience with empathy and patience.
Help me find a better day job! I have 20+ years of tech support experience, having been on the phone and the front lines of the information economy. Again, I bring humility and compassion, and am fluent in talking straight to someone and helping them find a solution. Email me for a copy of my resume, or find me on LinkedIn, or pass along my info to any Portland-area companies that need a support specialist.
I can also fix or improve you computer! If you have trouble with your PC, Mac, smart phone or tablet, or know someone who needs help, let me know, or let them know about me.
Donate! If you are feeling generous, I will happily and gratefully accept any donation you can spare. There’s a PayPal button below this post, or email me if you prefer a different donation method.
Share this post! In fact, share any post I make. Get the word out! Post it on your Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram. Tell your friends about the services I offer. Let your co-workers, neighbors, bartenders and baristas know about me.

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for any assistance you can spare, even if it’s copying and pasting a link to this page. I often write and post in solitude, but I know you’re all out there.

My Week in Freelance Writing

Freelancing

Inspired by Nicole Dieker’s weekly reports.

For the week ending 4/29/2016:

Articles: 3
Total words: 1,770
Total hours (research/writing): 3.67
Dollars earned: $24.78
Dollars in my bank: $24.78

I’m back! It’s a small amount, but I did manage to write some articles for money this week. The experiment is not over. It won’t be over until I stop trying it, and I’m that kind of poor dumb sucker who just keeps trying, keeps on getting up after getting knocked down.

I’m not sure what the policy is on talking about what I’ve written; because they’re “works for hire”, I don’t retain any of the rights to them, and, in fact, the articles appear under someone else’s name. But in vague terms, I wrote two articles about traveling, and one About Page for a carpet store. Doesn’t sound very exciting to you? I actually enjoyed doing them. And after turning in the assignments, I got “excellent” ratings from the clients. One (the carpet store people) even added a note:

boom. mic drop.

Yeah. I nailed it.

Getting positive feedback is almost as important as getting paid. I’m making a note of this so that later, I can look back and remind myself that I’m good at this. I can write what people want to read. I’m right where I need to be, at least in this area of my life.

Writing through the distraction oh hey what’s on YouTube?

Freelancing

I wrote an article today. 580 words in 62 minutes, or $8.12/hour. It’s the first one I’ve written and submitted in almost 3 weeks. I’ve been sick, and distracted, and working my two day jobs, and worrying about whether I can afford to keep living in this apartment and in this neighborhood, and wondering about the future, and generally thinking about anything but writing.

But today, tonight, I made myself choose a topic on Textbroker, and did a little research, and outlined a few ideas, and then fleshed it all out, and submitted it. It’s not a lot of money, and it wasn’t a topic that’s going to set the world on fire, but it’s writing, and being paid for writing, and that’s what I think I want to do with my life.

My Week in Freelance Writing

Freelancing

This post got lost somehow. I know I posted it, and my Tumblr and Facebook pages both link to it, but here on bamoon.com, it’s no longer here. Maybe it got eaten when my host upgraded to WordPress 4.5? Anyway, here’s a reconstructed version, post-dated to the original date.

Inspired by Nicole Dieker’s weekly reports.

For the week ending 4/15/2016:

Articles: 0
Total words: 0
Total hours (research/writing): 0.0
Dollars earned: $0.00
Dollars in my bank: $0.00

Sadly I have been too busy at my day jobs to write this week, and the week prior. Also, caught a head cold last weekend which has sapped my spirit. But! I am not done with this project. I will persevere.

My Week in Freelance Writing

Freelancing

Inspired by Nicole Dieker’s weekly reports.

For the week ending 4/1/2016:

Articles:
Total words: 1,496
Total hours (research/writing): 3.5
Dollars earned: $20.94
Dollars in my bank: $37.04

If you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice that this “week” is short by a few days. It’s because I’m posting this early in order to sync up with the pay period of the main site I’m working on now. They pay out at midnight every Thursday, while I was preferring to end a week on Sunday. I got tired of keeping track of two different weeks, so as of today, these posts will come out on Friday.

Also, my two other day jobs got in the way of my writing this week. I was only able to complete two, and I wasted some time researching another one that I ended up returning without writing a single word, which hurt my hourly pay rate. But I’m trying to be scrupulous in accounting for my time, to see if I can get faster or better at this as I go. It’s tempting to not count that kind of unproductive “thinking about writing”, but it’s all part of the job and it keeps me focused.

Next week is already off to a good start! As a small preview, I’ve already written three articles today. Stay tuned to see my final tally!

My Week In Freelance Writing

Freelancing

Inspired by Nicole Dieker’s weekly reports.

For the week ending 3/27/2016:

Articles: 2
Total words: 1,496
Total hours (research/writing): 3.5
Dollars earned: $20.94
Dollars in my bank: $60.69

My secondary day job really needed me this week. I was scheduled for 36.5 hours there, and if you add in all the commute time (40+ minutes each way via train), I wasn’t able to find the time for my primary day job, or, as seen above, any writing.

I’ve been able to tell my secondary day job that I’m not available to work that many hours there, by adjusting my availability, but that won’t kick in for another week or two. They pay me the least, so an hour working there costs me time working on things I either love (writing), or time working at a higher rate of pay (my primary day job). But I still like having a fallback, a plan B, so I don’t want to give up that job just yet.

The money that actually hit my bank account this week is money I earned last week, but wasn’t available until after the work was accepted and transferred out on the weekly payday, which is every Thursday. I still have time this week to write some articles and get a nice payday next week, and I’m only scheduled for 22 hours at Day Job #2, and might not get many hours at Day Job #1, so hopefully I’ll get some time to write, too.

The experiment continues.

My Week In Freelance Writing

Freelancing

Inspired by Nicole Dieker’s weekly reports.

For the week ending 3/20/2016:

Articles : 6
Total words: 5,224
Total hours (research/writing): 9
Dollars earned: $73.14
Dollars in my bank: $13.85

I’ve known, vaguely, how to go about being paid for writing, but I’ve never really taken an active role in making it happen. I don’t know, I guess I’ve been scared. Fear is the little death, y’all.

A couple of weeks ago, I set out to finally, finally, start getting paid for writing. My understanding of the process involves collecting some samples of my writing, finding paying outlets, and pitching ideas to them while showing off my samples, also known as “clippings”, to potential editors and publishers.

I have this blog and it’s full of samples of my writing, but I feel a bit insecure about it all. I’ve never had a wide audience – as best as I can tell, readership peaked around 200 visitors a month several years ago, and has tapered off since I don’t update as often. But being selected by an editor carries more weight than publishing to my own site. So I decided I need to get more practice writing to someone else’s specifications.

Which led me to sign up for what are popularly known as “content mills”. I realize I’m not getting paid very much, but it’s a first step. I’m hoping that it will provide a base for me, and also help me make better contacts and get a better feel for how to pitch better-paying work.

And, honestly, as it stands now, it’s providing me nearly the same level of income as one of my current part-time jobs, with the benefit of being able to work when I want, wherever I want, wearing whatever I want, without any commute, and that’s in just 9 hours of actual research and writing time. If I could spend more time doing it, even at this level of pay, I could make more.

So here goes my adventure.