Mmm, I'm pretty much an accent girl, period. There's just something about them. Furthermore, I've always wondered what American accents sound like to people who aren't from here.
That's one of those things that alway interested me - you can't hear your own accent, and nobody can really describe it to you either. If it's any help, the Californian accent is nice. To me it sounds very laid back and relaxed - but intelligent - and it puts you at ease. Just thank God you're not from Birmingham in the UK (think Ozzy Osbourne). Every time you open your mouth people would want to kill you just to stop those awful sounds.
Or from Massachussets Or worse..Rhode Island..lived there for 3 years. I could handle "Suppa time" for supper time, but when people started sticking 'R's at the end of words that didn't require and R..it was like nails on a chalkboard. Take the name Hannah for example. Most people in RI would stick a soft 'R' to the end of that name. LoL, nails on a chalk board for me.
I will be right back. I need to PAK the CAH (Park the Car for the rest of us). Oh, I have a great IDEAR (Idea to the rest of us). I heard that a lot when I lived back east.
I used to do SEO for a content distribution network (which shall remain unamed) and I can tell you it doesn't pay very well. If you market yourself as an expert in a certain nich, however, you can sell content directly to the buyer, which pays better. Things like personal injury law, plastic surgery, and other high-paying keywords are what you want to get into.
When I got into content writing I was a bit unsure as well. But after a couple of years at it I love it! I say at least give it a shot...
This is one of the most inormative thread I had seen on this forum. Jenny, your forthfightness and punchy insights, particularly intrigue me. I want you ask you and others. thus: 1) How do one identify a niche he loves 2) How can he gets a training? 3) Where can such training be done - offline or online? 4) Can you recommend anything? 5) Do you (or your company) provide trainings for would-be writers? Ii ask because I would like to become a BETTER writer that will command large fees. NOTE: You can even criticise this post of mine. Expecting your kind reply. Patrick Ubuane
1. First of all, identifying a niche should have absolutely nothing to do with keywords and seo issues. If you do that, you're not likely going to get anywhere in the long run, because the hot keywords of today could be worthless tomorrow. Find a niche by writing about something you both know about and enjoy. It could be a hobby. It could be an area of business. It could be reviews or some sort. etc. 2. The best way to get training is to go to college and get a degree related to the niche, and study a bit of writing while you're there. A degree is quite often the difference between making several hundred dollars for a short articles and making $10 for the same sized piece. Also, if you're planning to write in english, which I'm assuming isn't your first language, spend a lot of time conversing with people in forums like these, and invest in stylebooks or even a grammar textbook. It will pay off enormously if you can provide flawless pieces every time. 3. Most training would be done offline, but with more and more schools online now (find a truly legitimate one) you can get a full degree on the Web, or just take a few courses for a certificate or something. I'm sure there are also plenty of free and paid writing courses online where you can get help with more general writing issues. You can work on building some knowledge on your own in the meantime about your niche, by again turning to textbooks (unless it's just a hobby topic). Avoid learning about an industry from most websites, ebooks, or general market books, and focus on finding actual educational resources instead. 4. www.textbooks.com to find good resources for background. Right here on DP to keep on conversing to get a better feel for natural english speaking. www.writersmarket.com to see what markets are available and what they pay, which could be a factor in the niche you choose to specialize in. 5. Not yet, but I'll actually be launching a site doing things like that in about a month or so. Just visit freelance writing sites, especially ones with a community that will critique your writing for free. Jenn
Dear Jenny, Great post again. you are a GEM! I haven't seen anyone who takes time (more than adequate) in replying detail with ideas and top notch tips, for others to follow. Yes, I am a Nigerian, but I write fairly good English, at least good enough to write for those looking contents for their websites. You know, the $5 - $15 or more ranges. Jenny, please keep me posted, when you launch your website that will devoted to critique. Cheers. Patrick
lol VERY few people get away with calling me Jenny. j/k Yes, your english is fairly good. I didn't even realize your location was posted in your profile... there was just a simple grammatical thing that made me assume that. I'll definitely keep you posted on the site, and when the writers' community area is launched to handle peer critiques. Jenn
Just remember, grammar is but one part of the equation. Style and content are very important. You can write in perfect grammar, but if you lack the other two, your article is garbage. The perfect article has a great style, goes as deep as it needs to, has no fluff, is written in a concise fashion and is free from grammar issues. The first book one should read is the Elements of Style. It's a quick read and will get you set up for concise writing. If college is a possibility, go to one that offers a print journalism degree. This is the absolute best degree for those wanting to write articles. I would also recommend taking some communication oriented classes as electives (interpersonal communication, advertising, copywriting, into to PR, and so forth). There's a major difference between those who went this route and those who lack the education. Amazon is full of no less than 50 must-read books for anyone serious about making the most of their writing. If you polled everyone making 50 cents to $3 per word in various non-fiction writing areas, one common thread would be the building of a solid foundation. Without this, simply writing often means very little.
And another thing that happens far too often. Someone tries to write at a level beyond their comfort level with syntax and vocabulary .. as I just did! It's like being tied and gagged, and imprisoned in a small room on the first day of violin practice.
Okay Jenny, I will be interested. However, let me make myself much, more clearer to you and others. I am really NOT interested in pursuing writing as a career. No! But, I love writing and constantly write. My interest concerning any course on writing, could be a short course or training, just to further improve myself. My ultimate goal is to set up websites - possible starting with affiliates marketing and sell my own services. I brought the issue of writing courses, because I am presently writing articles for online organizations. Why? Because I want to raise enough money for my intended internet project. And, so far, my articles has been accepted for their qualities. NOTE: My kind of article may not up top the level that commands several hundred of dollars. Do you see the whole picture now. I will keep waiting for your update, concerning the website. Thanks. Patrick Ubuane
Maybe this will help you out in the meantime: http://netwriting.sitesell.com/ It's a course (.pdf download from that page) about writing website copy with the purpose of keeping visitors and increasing sales. I downloaded it and glanced it over... not quite so much on the grammatical end of things, but more about formatting and such. I haven't read it, so I won't vouch for the quality, but it might be worth a look. Jenn
PHP: Oh - I see. That course is from the great online marketer, KEN EVOY. Yes, of course you are right about it not very strong grammatically. It only focus on the main issue of writing to pre-sell prospects to become customers, without much ado. At any rate, thanks for your promptness and depth of your reply. I believe you’re a shining star here! Cheers. Patrick Ubuane
I'm a numbers geek so I made an Excel sheet to check it out. Assumptions Earn 60k gross a year US dollars 3 weeks a year vacation (leaves 49 work weeks) Work 5 days a week At 3 cents a word you will need to write (16.33) 500 word articles a day for 49 weeks. At 5 cents a word: (9.8) 500 word articles a day. At Jenn's rate of 35 cents a word: (1.4) 500 word articles a day.
Actually, a lot of those people writing at $.03 / word or less are giving up their exclusive rights. For me to sell the same rights just online is $.50/word. So in most cases I'd have to write even less. But it's not my primary form of income. Always nice to see things broken down by the numbers. And something else to add in is that those articles aren't able to be factored into a 40 hour work week. Most freelancers and consultants can only actually bill 22-23 hrs weekly (the rest is spend on admin, marketing, and other necessary work). So that means they'd have to write even faster. Jenn