Don't just write to get Paid--Write because you LOVE it!

Thanks Johnny, I think some people need to learn that providing new or valuable or entertaining information is what will interest readers.

If you're writing something, and it's not getting any attention there are only a few reasons for that:
(a) Your writing is not new or interesting, it's repeated throughout the web, so why care about your article?
(b) Your writing is not well written or has useless information or opinion or speculation, so why care?
(c) Your writing is interesting, but only a very small portion of the population would even care to read about it (too specific a niche; or too much competition in the niche).

 

Yes agreed. But some people love writing for money only.

 

Yea, we DO agree to all the above threads that say Writing Is A Process Happens When We Love It or Take It As A Hobby, but we CAN'T stay there forever without having any additional motivators such as Money...!

Yes - Both!

 

Exactly! Love for a job does not pay the bills, or putts food on the table, and when it becomes work there will be enjoyable assignments and boring ones. A professional takes on the job and gets it done.

 

Hobby writing is the best kind of writing. That's what I do. If I finish my days work, I'll usually have some work lined up to keep me busy once my own stuff is finished. Not only does it prevent boredom, it also puts some extra cashola in the pocket. For the most part, I find writing content boring, but it's a different kind of boring. There's sitting at your kitchen table staring out the window boring, and then actually accomplishing-something-boring.

What's life without a little bit of accomplishment?

 

Damn, Matt, that's pretty good.

 

I quit my job early last year to write a book. I had prepared a nest that was supposed to last me for 3 years, time enough for me to finish my book. However, complications arose a few months ago, and my nest was bleeding profusely, leaving me with no option other than to seek a supplementary income.

My initial foray into the writing market was an absolute disaster. Writing articles with prepared keywords - which sounded easy enough - turned out to be a traumatizing experience for me. The next couple of jobs fared no better - from simple UAW to ghostwriting - leading me to question my choice to dabble into freelance writing (or something resembling writing).

I was a about to give up, until I unexpectedly came across a nice chap, who turned out to be my savior. He gave me a free reign to populate his various sites. No keywords, no restrictions, no preferred length, no deadlines; and I immediately responded in kind. He told me he has another writer in his stable who displayed the same symptoms/ frustrations I exhibited. After a time, he realized, creative writers cannot perform under constraints, so to realize their potential (as in mine), freedom of thought and expression mustn't be bridled.

Now, I get 90% of my work from him, with rates well above the market rate and I am contented.

So, the moral of the story is, there are no WMD in Iraq, or for that matter, Iran.

 

I see, looks like you found an easy job. Constraints don't stop creative writers, they simply focus their writing so it's not some esoteric piece of artwork, but instead serves a purpose (which is to educate, entertain, or bring back the readers).

If I hired you for a job like "well write me a humorous article about traffic and driving, but it has to be in some sort of list format, with plenty of funny jokes and lots and lots of images", it would be a lot of constraints, but if you can't be creative with that, then you're not much of a creative writer.

I say you deal with it, because I'm an engineer, I don't have the luxury of no constraints in my line of work, why don't you get any constraints?

When I say you should love writing articles--- I mean you should even love it even with tough constraints, and outperform your employer's expectations. If he wants a 500 word article, make a 700 word article, simply because you love to write. It will help your reputation, especially if the site owner's site succeeds.

So yes... there are no WMDs in Iraq, but Iran's about to acquire some alright.

 

I see, looks like you found an easy job.
not easy, fulfilling

Constraints don't stop creative writers, they simply focus their writing so it's not some esoteric piece of artwork,
creative writing doesn't imply automatic esotericism tarkan


but instead serves a purpose (which is to educate, entertain, or bring back the readers)
not necessarily so. it could be provoke, to instigate, to proselytize. pick a verb.


"If I hired you for a job like "well write me a humorous article about traffic and driving, but it has to be in some sort of list format, with plenty of funny jokes and lots and lots of images", it would be a lot of constraints, but if you can't be creative with that, then you're not much of a creative writer"
don't confuse constraint with requirements tarkan.


I say you deal with it, because I'm an engineer, I don't have the luxury of no constraints in my line of work, why don't you get any constraints?
well i'm a programmer by vocation, what does that have to do with anything?


When I say you should love writing articles--- I mean you should even love it even with tough constraints, and outperform your employer's expectations. If he wants a 500 word article, make a 700 word article, simply because you love to write. It will help your reputation, especially if the site owner's site succeeds.

you are oversimplifying matters and taking my statements out of context to drive home your point, which for the life of me, i do not understand. i could elaborate more, but based on your hostile mentality, it would serve no purpose. my aim is not to seek your approval, and your aim, like i said, i beyond me.

there is a place and a time to love what you're doing, under acceptable conditions. by asking a fisherman to fish in a swimming pool, by your reasoning, he should tough it out and cross his fingers that eventually a school of fish would pop out of the suction vents?

So yes... there are no WMDs in Iraq, but Iran's about to acquire some alright.

in the interest of brevity, i condensed my earlier post. never did i anticipate, verbosity is needed in a writing forum.

good day sir

 

Atreidis: Super post

You exposed the phony for what he was. For doubters check his postings.

First he says there is no such thing as SEO article writing. The next day he posts in the SEO forum how SEO is needed in writing content.

Anything to cause a disturbance.

False information hurts a forum, especially for members that want to go.

You get a star from me Atreidis!--------------------

 

Everybody here took the sign to cool it, but here you are...starting in again?

Look who is calling the kettle black. You're the only "phony" here.

*chuckles* Yeah, it does. Hmmmmm.

Now, let it go, uhhh, "Planet 9."


Hope you are still working on that book, atreides.

 

I love to write, but hire others for my all writing jobs. I cant write like professionals, because I love writing.

 

niralimarwadi what makes you think you cannot write? The problem I see most often is those who think they can write but cannot.

It would seem to me, that if you want something done right, check the quality of those doing it. Do you hire true professionals to write, or those that pretend to do so.

If you love writing, it only makes sense that you personally become better at it. By glancing up at the nature of your business, I would definitely consider that a must. -------------------------

 

dyadvisor,
that was not my intention. it was merely to negate some points which i feel placed in a bad light. but thank you for the star.

perry,
yes i am. thank you. six hours a day, everyday, except sundays. it is tough, if you wanna know. fact finding & confirmation is a bitch, as most of the authoritative materials are not accessible online.

 

While it is good to exceed expectations, especially in terms of the quality of your writing, it is not actually good to try to exceed expectations with the quantity of your writing. In fact turning in two hundred extra words without being given permission to lengthen your article is a good way to tick off your client--especially if you then ask to be paid for those extra words (not saying that you, in particular, would--just giving an example so don't get testy).

If your client hires you to write 500 words then make those 500 words the absolute best that you can make them. Ignoring a very important "restraint" like a designated word count is only good for getting a reputation as a writer who doesn't listen to his clients.

 

Snarke, On this one I definitely have to agree. You struck a good point. I am not trying to down shoot Tarkan as a person, but only some of the methods uses, and then how he is fighting anyone with an opposing view.

I know for example, by looking at snarke's website, she is a professional writer. Not only of content, but also a skill I do not have, that being the copywriting of long sales copy (which takes years to learn effectively)

Tarkan writing is not an ego building popularity process. If you receive pay, your client is your boss. 500 words means 500-520 words. Now as long as you can over deliver the results long-term your client will be happy. If you love writing that is fine, but loving riding, not exploring other methods, all hold back the fact. How do you know that a more responsive and better trained writer is not right behind you, tracking your clients, and ready to prove to your client they can do a better job?

The only way to do that is to follow requirements, keep improving results, keep learning, and stop thinking you have reached the top of the ladder before you fall off.-----------------------------------

 

Most of my clients are business owners therefore I get few requests for Adsense, essay or filler content. The few that have asked for specific word counts have primarily done so because they have no idea how to otherwise place a value on each written piece. Most have no clue why they want 500 words other than they've seen it posted on forums or on other writer's sites. I also suspect it's to ensure an unscrupulous writer doesn't submit 100 words or so and call it an article.

It's my job as a professional writer, SEO technician, business consultant and marketeer to put together a piece that works for both humans and search engines. If it takes 300 words or 2,000 words, the price is the same. Charging by the word is a losing proposition for writers as not all words are created equal. A winning tagline or sales pitch might be less than 10 words long but could take several hours or even days to craft. The big boys in the industry would scoff at being paid by the word - oh, yes Mr. Madison Avenue bigshot, I only want a one word product name because I can't afford a two word one.

And, before you start, I've seen the SEO experts and their studies on article length. That's well and good when you are creating filler content but when marketing a product or service it's ridiculous to mandate that each page must contain xxx number of words. And, for those clients who insist on a length, I work within those guidelines but do work on educating them as to the fallacy of the magic number 500.

Look at some of the big boys in the online writing industry like Michel Fortin and Alan Forrest Smith. You will not see anything about word counts. They don't even really talk about SEO. Their focus is on RESULTS!

So, if you truly want to up your game, you'll be looking for clients who want results not just 500 words.

 

Great articles can be written in much less than 500 words. If you are writing for people, you shouldn't even bother with word count and just make the article as long or short as it needs to be to convey the required information/ideas in a proper manner (Unless the client is adamant on a minimum word count).

 

YMC: I totally agree with you I was just making the point that if the client wants something a certain way--especially after you've talked it over and figured out the best approach for the project--not delivering the way that has been agreed upon would be a no-no (especially if it would change the payment arrangement).

I wasn't actually harping exactly on the word count--I was just using the example given at the time (look! smilies! that means friendly and not harping! yay!)

 

I agree with your point - give the customer what they want. It's just our job to educate them so they know what that should be.