How long does it take YOU to write a QUALITY ARTICLE?

For me it depends upon the topic. If I am familiar to the topic then I can write a 400-500 words article in an hour but if its a new topic than it may take me 2 hours or more.

 

I use Dragon Naturally Speaking and I feel I have produce some very descent articles in 30 minutes. I take my time finding several articles to use as a reference but than saying whats in my head at about 120 to 175 words per minute really cuts down the typing time and review processes.

@gvannorman, If you are "writing" for 5$ an article then you need to try Dragon, if you are writing about the same topic you can write anywhere between 2 to 5 articles an hour. It takes 1 full day to set up Dragon so you effectively mass produce articles. Just to try it out you need about 30 minutes to get going.

 

What is Dragon?

 

Dragon Naturally Speaking is a voice to text recognition software. I believe it is the best on the market nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-pc/home-version/index.htm this is a link to the "Home" product for 99$ I have the Dragon Premium version. This is the best money I ever spent.

 

I had a writer doing some unique content for me and he was doing one 350 word article per hour. But I guess it really depends on the subject matter

 

Depending on how familiar I am with the topic, a 500 word article takes me between 20 minutes and an hour usually. For sites that I've worked for on a long term basis, I can write the content pretty easily since I know the topic inside out. New clients and topics take longer. This is for fully SEO'd, original articles written in the voice of the website and geared for preselling.

 

It takes as long as it takes. It's vitally important to remember that you're providing content or copy for a client, not the clock. Rush your work to meet unreasonable levels of production and your style and accuracy will suffer. I've always worked on the principle that it's better to spend an extra 15 minutes on an article and have it approved at the first time of asking than to have half-a-dozen pieces returned for rectification at a later stage.

If you're going to write for ridiculously low rates, you'll inevitably hurry things along to try and make a minimum hourly rate. Over the longer term, it's better to research your articles thoroughly, proofread them meticulously and only deliver them to clients when you're absolutely certain they're as good as they can possibly be. It's much better to demand higher rates and take more time over your work as long as you have the ability to deliver a quality piece in the first place.

 

@Rigmonkey: Well said, Sir! Some of my clients are from DP and they well know that I request for, and get, 5-7 days for a single article. None of them have had an opportunity to complain about the quality of my work. In fact, they are now more like members of my family. One of them even went to the extent of sending a gift to my recently born granddaughter, all the way from Serbia.

As far as rates are concerned, how about $10 for a 500 words rewrite? Occasionally, I do charge less, but that is only for new clients. Finally, never work at a stretch. Give your brain & eyes sufficient time to relax.

 

If your writing is good enough (and I'm sure it is), I personally feel a quality re-write should demand more than $10. Much of it depends on the market you're catering for; a large number of Internet Marketeers are already seeing the benefits of obtaining quality articles from accomplished English-speaking writers and are prepared to pay a fair price for the right type of content.

Many have fallen into the trap of writing for ridiculously low rates and as a result, work quality suffers. If I'm expected to research a topic extensively enough to provide gripping articles, I expect to be paid fairly in return. $40 to $50 for 500 words of fresh content isn't exactly expensive and it gets you the right article at the first time of asking.

Rewrites aren't necessarily my thing but I'd be looking to make around $20 on a rewrite assuming I could complete two per hour. Unfortunately, that brings the clock into play again and one has to be particularly careful when it comes to creating unwanted pressure to produce a specific quota within a designated timeframe.

For me, the most important aspect of writing is to never undervalue your talents. I don't deal with certain markets because I have very little respect for those involved and the prices they're willing to pay. I'd prefer to have one client who values my skills and pays me fairly than ten clients who want everything 'on the cheap'. It takes time to build a list of really good customers but the effort is incredibly worthwhile.

 

I'm speechless! Thanks a lot for your encouraging words. I'd have written a longer reply, but high temperature prohibits me from doing so. As far as re-writing is concerned, mind checking out its funny side?

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1968608&p=15116653#post15116653

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I write only the topics I enjoy, the topic I mainly write about is browser based games review so I spend a day, playing a few different games, and writing down notes and features, then i spend an hour or so to write a unique article about it.

 

While I agree, when using a freelance site to acquire work regularly the competition can be fierce. Additional, what buyers are willing to pay and what they are actually charging creates a very wide gap.

I just bought an article directory site that is set up to post UAW articles, My God are these articles crap. I am thinking of trying to find a different way to get content because they are useless...But they charge people like 15$ to do a first article and 2 others all with interchangeable paragraphs. But on freelancer.com buyers offer 4 to 5$ per set.

I think it depends on where or how you started writing. For me it was content and production and I found a way to do both. Some aren't so lucky and Buyers often just suck.

 

Remember that there's always more than one way to skin a rabbit! Freelance sites are a minefield and I tend to use different methods to drum up work. There are plenty of ways of doing so and there's no real secret to it. Fundamentally, it helps to know exactly what you want to write about. If you're aware of your market, it's easier to target companies, websites or individuals in order to find work. Remember that work isn't limited to the online marketplace. Consider magazines, business publications and other resources as a means of showcasing your work.

Freelance sites are notorious for offering low-paying gigs (many start at places like freelancer.com and end up being stuck there indefinitely) and I'd advise good writers to avoid them wherever possible. Remember that those sites are full of non-professional writers and an expansive overseas membership who can afford to work for peanuts because of the low cost of living in their own countries. However, their work is usually inferior and any company of repute will avoid these writers like the plague.

Always be aware of your value to prospective clients and sell yourself well. Good covering letters, excellent samples and keeping any promises you make are just three key ingredients to finding well-paid work and keeping it.

 

It really depends on what the topic is, how easy it is to research, how familiar I am about the topic, and the passion I feel for the subject matter. For example, I did a project for someone the other night on homophobia in hip-hop. I don't know a lot about the hip-hop industry, but I know a lot about gay rights issues, as well as hyper-masculine images in certain cultures. These two things helped me to set a foundation for the article, and then I researched examples in the rap world. It took me an hour and a half to send him a 1,500 word essay with resources, and he was very happy.

However, I did a piece for a local publication earlier this month about a folk legend here in my city. It took me two weeks to research it, as well as a trip to a few locations for pictures, interviews, and document searches. The article itself took me about an hour to write 1,200 words, but getting it together took time.

I can also write a political commentary piece in about 15 minutes, around 600 words. This is because I am knowledgeable and passionate about the topic.

I think that every writer will have a different answer to this, but it should really vary. A well-rounded writer will generally have a wide selection of clients they work for, and some projects may be easier to manage than others.

 

It really all does depend on the subject matter of the article and how difficult the keywords are. If it is a topic that I know nothing about, I endlessly research - so that, even if the finished article is a simplified version, at least the information behind it is solid.

I take about 1 -2 hours to write and edit around 500 words on a topic that I'm familiar with, 2 + hours for a topic that I know nothing about.

I wouldn't worry about the Philipinos, it all depends on who your clients are, and if they want top quality articles or any old crap with a few keywords put in. You also have to think about the article directories out there, the majority of them place any submitted articles under review, so if it is badly written, key-word heavy, with parts making no sense in order to squash in the keywords, then it will most likely be rejected.

 

Yeah, I would agree it takes an hour to write 500 words of quality. However, there's another hour (and years of life experience) in the research of that article.

When I comes to a novel, I write a novel in 100 days. (Usually 10 pages/day, for 75 days. That gives me 750 pages of material to then edit down to a 300-word novel over the final 25 days. This system has worked for me for many years.) But again, the research is down for months (sometimes a couple years) before I finally sit down to write the book. But I do the research at off moments, while I'm actually writing another project.

 

Why does an article need an hour of research if you're writing from years of life experience? If you're writing about a topic you know a lot about you don't need as much research and therefore should be able to write faster, no?

 

minimum 500 words is necessary to publish a quality article

 

No it isn't. It depends on the topic, style of writing, quality of information and tone of the article. While 500 words is usually considered an industry standard, it is not necessarily a minimum requirement for quality.

 

I know a few peole who write 10 articles an hours and the quality is one of the best i have seen, the quality of the 500 worded articles are immense, i wish i could write quality that fast.