My Audition for Project Accessory

Anyone familiar with the Lifetime (once Bravo) show Project Runway can quickly envision what the new spinoff Project Accessory might entail. This new show pits shoe, handbag and jewelry designers against one another to find the best overall accessory designers. Recently they held auditions in Miami, New York, Chicago and L.A. I was so excited to be able to go to the Chicago call out this past Thursday.

It was a VERY early morning for me. I planned on waking at 4:30am, but pushed the snooze until around 5:15. I left home around 6am, but with the time change, I was able to get to Chicago around 7am. The auditions were supposed to start at 9am at the Hard Rock Hotel. I figured the line would be around the block, but only around 30 people were there that early. We all headed into a room on the second floor and took seats to get ready for the first round of screening. It wasn't long before the room filled up and an overflow room also started swarming with hopefuls.

The crowd was such an interesting assortment of people, people dressed to the nines, or just completely quirky and bizarre, or more casual like me. Some people carried luggage filled with bags or shoes. There were a ton of jewelry designers and the screeners told us off the bat that we should feel lucky if we made it through the first round because they had seen so many jewelers at the other two auditions.

They called us up one by one to a screening table. One extremely nice and patient woman was doing all of the screening but she also had an assistant who handled all the applications and took photos of the people who got through the first round. The woman screening my jewelry was incredibly complementary and she even gave me some tips of what to say in front of the judges. On a side note, when I told her I was also a personal trainer, she told me that her last job was producing the Biggest Loser and she made a point of saying she had absolutely nothing to do with choosing Anna Kournikova as their next trainer. I knew this lady had great taste when she dissed Kournikova. Anyway, she passed me through and I shuffled over to the side to get my photo taken by the assistant. My photo was attached to my application and I was given a bright pink wristband.

After the first round, the waiting really started. We moved rooms and people kept shuffling in and out as they went through the first screening. Finally, around 3pm we were called to do an on-camera interview with the judges. They took us back to a hallway and a member of the crew hooked me up with a microphone. We were given very detailed instructions on how to proceed once we entered the room. We were supposed to drop off our jewelry and portfolios to the judges and then step back to a mark where we would answer some of their questions. I had made some hand-bound small portfolios of my work and I brought some necklaces and rings.

  

When I entered the room, the lights were so bright and the judges looked fantastic, as if they were being filmed for the actual show. There were two men and two women and they were all extremely nice. They asked me how I would take the concept of certain jewelry pieces and apply them to shoe and handbag design. They said they were really impressed by my answers. They also said that I should look into selling through the Sundance catalog because they thought I would do very well. They said that they may be contacting me for further information, so I didn't get a definite no or a definite yes. I will be shocked ten ways to Tuesday if I hear from them, but it would be amazing if I did!

All in all, it was an amazing experience and I will probably audition next year as well. It helped me to think more about how I present my work and it helped me to think from a fashion perspective rather than an art perspective. Now I'm focusing more on lines of jewelry and releasing new designs for seasons much like fashion designers. I may also take some time to do some side projects designing handbags and shoes to help my chances for next year. Ultimately, it gave me some validation and more creative impetus to take my jewelry to a new level and I can't wait to get started in the studio with the new energy I have.

Shifting my Focus

I've decided to slightly shift my focus for this blog. I originally wanted to blog about my attempts to make money as an online freelance writer. As circumstances have changed and my earnings have started to plummet, I'm realizing that its just not worth my time to keep plugging away on my writing. Sure, I'll still write, but I won't spend nearly as much time on it as I once did.

Ofcourse, writing was never my only job. After I was laid-off from my teaching job, I started my jewelry business, Quite Clever Jewelry. I also wrote curriculum and taught classes at my local art museum. Lately I have started teaching Zumba classes and I recently passed my personal training exam, so I will also start training clients, hopefully soon.

As many other self-employed people, I have pursued a number of jobs to create a steady income. Since I have managed to be successful in a number of self-employed ventures, I decided that this blog should cover the struggles and successes involved with transitioning to a self-employed career.

I will still be writing about freelancing, but I will also provide information on how to create your own job, how to diversify your income, how to save money and even how to handle taxes. I hope that you will enjoy and be able to benefit from this new direction. I look forward to sharing more about my other ventures. Thanks for reading and sharing this journey with me!

Content Mill?

So, those of you who have been writing for residuals have probably figured out that your earnings have taken a hit recently. It's all part of Google's attempts to weed out content mills from their search results. Though you might think that your articles are better than "content mill" quality, Google may not see them that way.

I actually was surprised by some of the sites that took the largest financial hits. Suite101, which I always looked at as being one of the better writing sites, has seen a page view and residual decline of nearly 40%. It's hard to convince writers to increase their articles with a down trend in earnings.

Oddly though, sites like eHow seem to be doing fine. eHow, to me, is the quintessential definition of a content mill. It's articles lack consistency and many of them are just poor. For some reason though, eHow earnings have not declined dramatically.

Since I am not a techie, I must admit that I don't quite understand why some sites or articles do better than others in this new Google environment. I'll have to wait to hear what the pros recommend. For now, I'm taking a bit of a writing break and focusing on my jewelry. Luckily, I have just also started a job teaching Zumba, so I have more money coming in.

For those who don't have that extra income, it may be time to regroup. Perhaps the next step would be to write fewer articles, but make those articles extremely well-researched and detailed. Again, I will keep my ear to the ground and listen to the pro's advice. One thing is for sure though, business as usual is over. It's time to change.

What are your thoughts on the new Google changes?

The Secret to Great Photography is to Take Enough Photos

Today, I was thinking about a photojournalism class I took in college, way back in the day when we used to use film in our cameras. Part of our requirements for that class was to take a roll of film a day. It didn't matter what we shot, as long as we used the entire roll of film and shot throughout the day.

The reason that this practice was stressed is because the true secret to great photography is taking enough photos to increase your odds of having a great one. Sure, you need to learn how to properly work your camera and how to manipulate your images with your shutter speed and f-stop settings, but great photographs are about capturing the moment. You can't do that while calculating your next shot in your head.

I think that online writers can also benefit from this philosophy. How many times do we online writers research techniques, chat in the forums and obsessively check our stats. Though it is important to know techniques and proper writing practices, too many writers spend too much time thinking about writing.

Instead of planning, just write. Write as many well-written articles as you can. Your writing skills will advance and you will increase your chances of writing an article that banks the big bucks. Instead of scouring the internet for trade secrets, write what you know, write it well and write it in as many articles as you can.

Sometimes we in the writing community just need more "do" than "think". This is not to discourage research and planning, but the more articles you publish, the greater your chances of hitting the residual earnings goldmine. So commit to writing at least one article a day and see where it takes you.

It's a New Year with New Goals

Some photos from my Christmas celebration that I used to spell out Christmas.

Well, quite a lot has happened since I last posted. We celebrated Christmas AND New Year's, I had a successful One of a Kind Show in Chicago and I finished teaching my first round of classes at the art museum.

All in all, it has been a great 2010 and I'm looking forward to taking my business and my freelance writing to new levels in 2011. I have a lot of business and personal goals that I'd like to tackle. It seems that I have so many pans in the fire though, it's hard to know which one needs to have the pancakes flipped. ha ha. It is just exciting though to have so many opportunities. It's amazing what you can carve out for yourself when you have to.



My booth at OOAK Chicago, 2010.

The One of a Kind show was really great. My booth display worked well, and I lucked out by getting a great spot right next to the swanky lounge area. They had fruit and brie plates that were y-u-m-m-y, even if they were a little pricey. Anyway, I sold a lot and made some good connections. At the moment, I am signed up to go back again next year.

As for my writing, I'm just going to try to focus on sending a lot of articles out into the stratosphere. It would be great if I could reach 300 articles on Suite101. If you haven't heard, Suite has added new incentives for writers who reach 300 articles. Contributing writers get a 20% bonus and feature writers get a 40% bonus. That's really amazing to think that we'd get 40% above our normal rate. At the moment, I'm only at 124 articles, but I could get to 300 if I eally pushed myself. It just might be hard to find the time with my jewelry and teaching.

Anyway, Rome wasn't built in a day. If I just keep my head down and keep chipping away, eventually I'll tackle my goals. Hopefully you all had a great New Year's Eve! I wish everyone a prosperous 2011 and I hope that all of your business goals come to fruition!

The Bare Minimum

Lately I've been doing the bare minimum when it comes to writing. I'm just doing enough to keep up with my quotas at Suite and AC. I've also not posted quite as much on my blogs. This is because I just started teaching a jewelry-making class and I am working to produce new jewelry pieces for the One of a Kind show in Chicago this December.

Granted, freelance writing is nice in the fact that it allows you to scale down your work load when necessary. That said, I wish that I could find the time to just double my bare minimum because it's always better to write sooner rather than later. This is because older articles tend to rank better in Google searches. Residual writing is like banking because the more you invest early, the more you'll reap in the end.

So even though it is sometimes necessary to just fulfill your minimum requirements for writing, it is never wise to signifigantly lesson your production for a long period of time. I'm hoping to offset my current lull with my own personal writing challenge in January. I'm going to try to write 60 articles in 30 days to kick off the new year and kick my residual earnings into full gear.

In keeping with the idea of the bare minimum, I should point out that less can also be a good thing, especially when you're self-employed. It's important to know what you can live without and arrange your life to cater to your real necessities. This will allow you to save money and thrive, even in financially lean months.

Even though I could cut back more, I have eliminated quite a bit of excess spending in my life. Perhaps the best way I eliminated waste was to clean my closet. I found clothes that I didn't know I owned. If I look in my closet I can honestly say that I don't need to purchase any more clothes for the year. I can get by with the clothes that I have and change up my look with inexpensive accessories such as belts and scarves.

I also cut and color my own hair. Instead of spending $60+ at the salon, I spend around $7 and do my hair at home. It's not as hard as one might think and there are many Youtube tutorials to help you cut and style your hair. If you have the courage, you might be surprised at your results. I'm quite pleased with mine.

I also cancelled my cable. I hated Comcast anyway and the channels would always hiccup and fizzle. I now go with a Roku player. The Roku player costs around $50 and offers a number of free Internet channels such as Newscaster, which shows all the network news shows such as Rachel Maddow and CNN with Anderson Cooper. It also offers Netflix, Amazon OnDemand, and Hulu Plus. Who needs cable with all of that?

There are lots of ways to cut costs at home. If you're having problems thinking of ways, try some of these:

• Make and take your own coffee in a thermos. It's probably better than Starbucks and at a fraction of the cost.
• Grow your own vegetables.
• Eat in more. Cut down your eating out to once a month or once a week if you eat out often.
• Use coupons.com to cut coupons for food shopping.
• Drop your phone's data plan. Instead of spending $80 for a data plan, get a $30 talk plan. You can even purchase a used smartphone and still use the apps with WiFi.
• Shop with a list and stick to it. (This one's hard for me)
• Drop the gym membership. Excercise by running or walking outside. When it gets cold, do excercise DVDs inside. You could even go to classes or get a cheaper membership at a community center rather than a commercial gym.
• Refinance your house. Though this may not be for everyone, the record low interests rates make refinancing very desirable. Talk to a lender and make sure you get a fixed rate and that your monthly bills would be signifigantly reduced.

Hopefully these tips can help you cut the fat from your daily expenses. Though it's difficult, I try to use the bare minimum while working as much as I can (withouth burning out). This is the best way I have of making my dream of being my own boss work for me. Eventually I can start working a bit less and spending a bit more, but now it's work time.

What do you go without in order to work from home?

Out of Office

Okay, so technically I was really "out of house" more than "out of office", but it's the same thing when you work from home. I actually have been all over the place for a while. I went to Portland with my best friend of 28 years (we met when we were 5). I was helping her move which I am incredibly sad about since she's now 2200 miles and three time zones from me.

Anyway, we drove a 16-foot Penske truck and towed her Honda Element. Oh, and did I mention that we also had her two cats in the cab with us? Crazy, I know. And the entire trip took us four days to drive from Chicago to Portland on Route 90.

During the trip we saw a lot of Wall Drug signs and drove through some mountains. We quickly learned that third gear is our friend when driving a huge truck down steep inclines. We also tested the limits of how much truck stop junk food you can stomach in one trip.

Luckily we made it to Portland in one piece and got her all moved in to her new apartment. I stayed for a couple of days and got to see the lay of the land there. I then flew back and started working like a mad woman in my studio.

You see, I have two upcoming art shows that are only two weeks apart from each other. One is this weekend and the next is the first of October. I am also teaching a metal's class at the local art museum that starts on October 6th.

So basically I have been prepping for all three events and have had little time to check back in with this blog. Luckily this morning I had a little extra time and the inclination to say hello . . . so hello.

I have to say that working from home and doing the work that I do requires me to fluctuate between extremely busy and slightly busy times. When I slip into an extremely busy period, some of my ventures tend to fall by the wayside. I guess that's just one of the things you have to deal with though when you work for yourself. It's sure better than working a "traditional" job.

What do you find are the pitfalls of working at home? Do you also have issues with trying to do it all? I always think I just need better scheduling, but then I never stick to the schedule, ha ha. Anyway, whatever your work-at-home challenges, I wish you luck! Now I'm off to work!

Crafty Book Club Blog

I've been working a lot lately on my newest project, the Crafty Book Club. I am loving this project because it combines my interests in art, books and blogging. This book club is different from most craft book clubs because we don't read craft-related books. Instead the club asks that members collectively read one book every two months. They then create one item inspired by that book and post it to a Flickr group. Select items are then showcased on the blog.

It has been such a fun experience so far and so many people have joined in a very short time. The blog attracted over 70 followers in the first week and the Flickr group has over 45 members and is growing every day. I can't wait to see what the artists create based on our first book, A Wrinkle in Time.

From a professional blogger's perspective, I think the blog will open up a world of possibilities for me. I hope that the blog attracts both book lovers and artists, expanding and diversifying my audience.

If you are a book and art lover, you have to check out this site. You'll have a ton of fun and see some amazing creations.

Set it and Forget it

I have to admit that I don't remember exactly which infomercial this phrase came from. I think it had something to do with Ron Popeil and a chicken roaster, though I can't say for sure. The words, however, convey truly sage-like wisdom. "Set it and Forget it." How many parts of our lives could we apply this philosophy? I know I can think of a few, starting with my writing.

I've realized this philosophy is what I have been lacking as a freelance writer. Though it can be helpful to analyze one's earnings, I find I spend so much time checking and obsessing over my stats. If I would just spend that time writing, I probably wouldn't need to spend as much time worrying. It is always so much easier though to stare at a revenue chart and hit refresh repeatedly in hopes of new income. I, however, am now choosing to "write it and forget it", at least in the short term.

I need to really earn some money from this endeavor now, and the only way I can do that is to write, write, oh and write. So now I am going to spend the majority of my online time typing away at the keyboard and adding to my residual earnings.

But what about writer's block? Isn't that why so many of us end up squandering time online? Well, I have discovered that some sites require more writing effort than others. I can bust out five to ten Bukisa articles in two hours, whereas I might just be able to write one good Suite101 article during that time. If I find that I'm hitting my head on a brick wall at one site, I can always switch to the easier sites and get in some fast articles. Either way, I'm making money instead of just staring at the computer in a fog.

I hope to someday not need to write so much in a day, but I need to make money and this seems like the best way in the short term to do it. I want to have a substantial residual revenue stream and that only comes with a large amount of quality articles. So, with that in mind, I'm going to write, write, oh and write my way to a steady income from residuals.

100 Suite Articles and My One-Year Anniversary

Today I published my 100th article on Suite101 and it has apparently taken me about a year to write all of those articles because it is also my first anniversary with Suite. So I thought I would provide a little run-down of my progress over the first year:

Articles Written: 100
Residuals Earned: $264
Bonus Money from Contests: $101
Average Earned per Month: $22
First Month's Earnings: $1.39
Last Month's Earnings: $29.95
Promotions: Became the Ceramics Feature Writer

Even though my monthly earnings have started to slow down a bit, I am still happy to be writing for Suite101. They have some of the best editors around and a supportive writing community who are quick to answer questions and give advice. I'm hopeful that my residuals will rise as I add more content and my older articles begin to mature and rise in Google searches.

For now though, I'm happy with the added experience and opportunities I gain from Suite. It has been a wonderful tool for me to further hone my writing and network with great people. So I raise my glass and say, here's to another sweet year at Suite!

Broke, Busy and Bustin a Move with Bukisa

Well, as the title above indicates, I'm pretty broke right now. Sure, I'm paying the bills, but my goal is to increase my residual income, and it seems to be stagnating. So no time for moping around, I'll just work harder and evaluate my goals.

Originally, I was spending most of my time writing for Suite101. Though I'm still writing quite a bit for the site, my earnings seem to be standing still. Who knows if this will turn around in the short term, though I'm sure that the earnings will pick up over time as I write more content. That said, I need to put my eggs in a few different baskets. With that in mind, I have decided to pursue another 100 article challenge.

My next goal is to publish 100 articles on Bukisa and track their earnings. I primarily use Bukisa as a place to promote my articles for other sites. Their 200-word requirement makes writing articles a breeze, and I have seen some decent earnings for the minimal amount of work involved. I might as well track those earnings and see just how profitable Bukisa actually is.

I have already done this experiment with eHow articles, and it will be interesting to compare my earnings from eHow with the earnings from Bukisa. I'd like to get 100 articles completed within two months, but this is also a very hectic jewelry-making time for me, so we'll see how things go.

Anyway, feel free to try this experiment with me. I would love to see exactly how much one can actually benefit from the earnings on Bukisa. I'm excited to track the progress. Be looking soon for my 100th article announcement.

Letting the Creative Monster Loose

Lately I have been spreading my creative energies quite thin, but enjoying every moment of it. I've been taking a bit of a break from the written word to focus on my jewelry. I've got a big show coming up in a week in Nashville, TN. I also have three other shows booked so far this year and I'm selling my work in a store in Indianapolis. Oh, and I'm going to be in the Emmy Awards gift baskets in August. Not too shabby for my first year in business ('scuse me while I pat myself on the back). Just Kidding.

Anyway, I'm trying to get a lot of product made and I'm also trying to come up with some new designs. Meanwhile, I'm still writing my minimum of one ceramics article a week for Suite101 and one crafts article a month for Associated Content. And, in the meantime I did this:

Yep, that's pink hair. I don't know what possessed me, but I am happy with the outcome. I cut and colored it myself with Manicpanic Cotton Candy Pink on top of a light ash blonde bleach. I had never highlighted my hair before, even with natural colors. Needless to say, I was a little nervous. Overall though, I think the color is great and actually pretty subtle.

I let my creative energies run wild this month and I ended up with pink hair. I'm just so glad that my work incorporates so many different creative outlets. Whether writing, making jewelry, or streaking my hair, I'm glad that I've chosen a creative life.

Where has your creativity led you? Into or out of a job? Into a new relationship? To new friends? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Lost is Over, Now What? My Top 10 Ideas for Lost Spin-Off Shows

I thought I would take a little diversion from talking about writing to comment on my favorite television show, Lost. It has sadly come to an end, and I do mean sadly. I bawled during the entire episode, and then totally lost it (no pun intended) over the final scene with Jack and Vincent. Now that Lost is over though, I've got some ideas for spin-off shows that I'd love to see.

1. Lost in LA: What happens when a washed up pilot (Lapidus), a formerly-immortal assistant to a metaphysical being (Richard) and a psychic who can talk to the dead (Miles) share an apartment in Los Angeles?  Hilarity ensues as they learn about life, love and each other.

2. Heaven Can Wait: Ben reunites with the daughter he helped kill and romances her cougar mother, Danielle, all why trying to teach history to inner city youths.

3. The Really Odd Couple: Join Ben and Hurley as they battle the immortal forces of evil and protect the cave of light on the island. On the next episode, Hurley makes a cake and leaves a huge mess in the Dharmaville kitchen right before obsessive compulsive Ben's book club meeting.

4. Punky Kwon: After Ji Yeon's parents (Sun and Jin) both die in an unfortunate submarine accident, she is orphaned and forced to live with her curmudgeon grandfather. She gradually teaches the old codger to embrace life again and take time to smell the flowers.

5. Behind the Music: Driveshaft: An in-depth look at one of the least influential bands in recent history.  Discover how bass player, Charlie Pace overcame his addiction to heroin and reunited the band for one last world tour.

6. Daniel Faraday, The Quantum Physics Guy: Hey kids! Want to learn about quantum entanglement, worm holes and particle accelorators? Join wacky Dr. Faraday as he explores the wonderful world of quantum physics.

7. Everyday French Cooking with Danielle Rousseau: This week, learn how to cook wild boar with rosemary and sage.

8. Cop Out: A gritty crime drama set on the streets of Los Angeles. Two detectives, (Miles and Sawyer) have to work with a tough-as-nails street cop (Ana Lucia) to solve crimes.

9. Glee Club: A look at what happens when new music teacher, Daniel Faraday, has to take over the high school glee club. Can he compete with fellow teacher, Dr. Linus, for funding and students?

10. Dharma and Greg: Join us in the 1970's as new Dharma Initiative recruit, Greg, joins the motor pool and helps conduct scientific experiments on a mysterious island.

Thanks for indulging me in these silly rants. I really am sad to see Lost go, but all good things must come to an end. I guess that's really what the final show was all about anyway.

Use Bukisa to Increase Page Views on Other Writing Sites

 Bukisa is an online writing site that pays residuals to writers. The site works on a revenue-share basis and writers receive money based on page views. At a minimum of only 250 words, Bukisa articles are short and simple to write. Membership to the site is free and anyone can quickly sign up and start writing.

Beyond the potential to make money with Bukisa articles, writers can also use the site to drive traffic back to articles on other sites. By using this simple strategy, writers can increase their income.

Start by finding articles you wrote that highlight a couple of different points. For instance, say you wrote an article entitled, "The Top Three Sushi Restaurants in Chicago" or "Three Green Craft Projects that use Recycled Supplies"? Both of those articles highlight three distinct items under one unifying theme.

After finding these articles, start promoting them through Bukisa. Start by writing a short article about one of the topics in your larger article. For instance, if you want to link back to the article on the top three sushi restaurants, write a Bukisa article on one of those restaurants. Because the original article contains three restaurants, three seperate Bukisa articles can be created and linked back to promote the original article. So for each larger article, you will create multiple Bukisa articles that link back to it.

The great thing about this strategy is the fact that you end up making money on all fronts. You increase your  page views for your other writing sites. You also earn residual income from your Bukisa articles. It's also a simple way to create a great amount of content with the same key words and topics. This helps to prevent research burnout and writer's block.

Use this writing strategy to work smarter instead of harder. Sign up for Bukisa and start writing short articles that can promote larger articles. It's one way to generate a larger audience and greater income without much more effort.

Suite Writers Now Accredited to Write Google News Articles

Yesterday I received a message in my inbox informing me about the new Suite news accreditation program. Suite writers who have written over 30 articles have the opportunity to become accredited to write Google news articles. The accreditation process is extremely simple and it doesn't seem like there is much of a difference in the article formatting of news articles.

Suite has provided new learning hubs to help writers understand which articles are considered newsworthy. It also provides help on formulating titles and attaching seo-optimized images. Aside from those tips, the basic Suite style of using seo sub-headings and third-person writing is still intact.

So what's the advantage of writing Google news articles? Well, news articles, on timely issues, could result in a high number of page views and added clout to a writer's resume. I must say that it was quite a thrill to see my first news article intermingling with big-name media conglomerates like BBC news and MSNBC.

The down side to writing news articles is the fact that they will eventually lose their appeal and cease to generate page views or income. Even at their height of popularity, these articles will probably not bring in as many ad clicks as the evergreen Suite articles.

All in all, I think this new opportunity is fantastic. I probably won't be writing a ton of Google news articles, but it's nice to know that I have the option now. It's just one more way of expanding my writing experience. I'm sure I'll also learn much more about writing online news stories as the program continues.

If you want to, check out my first dive into the deep end of the Google news pool here.

Say Hello to the New Ceramics Feature Writer

I've taken the next step at Suite101 in becoming the ceramics feature writer. Now I will be writing four articles a month on all things clay. As a ceramics minor in college and someone who has taught high school ceramics, I'm excited to share my knowledge on the subject. Beyond the obvious instructional articles, I will also be writing about mosaics, art schools, specific artist bios and ceramic art history. It should be fun.

In exchange for my clay knowledge, I will earn an extra 20% on top of my current residuals, and then an extra 10% once I reach 100 articles. I'm pretty excited about the added income and the extra motivation to keep writing.

Because I also need a lot of time to work on my jewelry, I'm focusing on writing ten ceramics articles to save in my drafts. They will be my emergency backup articles for those times that I'm too busy with jewelry to focus on writing. I've got two down and eight more to go this week.

Anyway, I just want to emphasize again how much I appreciate Suite101. I have discovered numerous opportunities through the site from contests to my new position. I'm excited to be on board and I can only highly recommend the site to anyone else who enjoys writing.

eHow's Writer Compensation Program is Over

I can't really say that I'm surprised that eHow decided to end their WCP. Though administrators continually told eHow members that nothing was changing, they announced this Monday that articles could no longer be published through the eHow publishing tool. Instead, all future articles must be written through Demand Studios.

Though I am a Demand Studios member, I am upset that eHow publishing tools are no longer available. Publishing with Demand Studios can be so much more arduous due to the inconsistent editors and the time it takes to find a title. Ofcourse you can create your own assignment, but it is still not as simple as eHow.

I also think that the closing of the WCP will only logically lead to mass article sweeps. It only makes sense that Demand Media would want to flush out old content in favor of flat fee articles that would make them more money over time. Because of this, I strongly encourage all eHow writers to back up their articles as soon as possible. If the articles get removed, you can post them to AC or Bukisa.

Anyway, I'm hoping that the transition to the Demand Studios publishing model for eHow content will be relatively simple. I guess only time will tell. I do know that I will continue to diversify my content over a number of sites to protect myself from any future sweeps or problems.

How do you feel about eHow's decision to drop the WCP?

Writing for Residuals: It's a Marathon, not a Sprint

I'm sure there are a number of people online who could refine SEO research down to the finest of sciences. I'm not one of those people. Yes, I have learned what separates good SEO keywording from the bad, but I have yet to pinpoint a formula for making thousands, or even hundreds of dollars in the short term, off of one article.What I do know, is how to keep it real, kind of like J-Lo (just kidding).

But in all seriousness, I will tell anyone who is listening that online writing CAN contribute significantly to a monthly income and it has the POTENTIAL to turn into a full-time job. Will most people be able to quit their day jobs and just write for residuals though? I'm afraid the answer to that question is, not anytime soon.


Making a Full-Time Living from Writing Residuals

Those who wish to live off of residuals need to start writing now and commit to the long haul to build their monthly residual streams. For most people, it could take years of dedicated writing before they are making enough from residuals to quit a full-time job. That said, it IS possible, and can become a reality by following some key steps.

• Diversify: There are many sites that pay residuals for articles. Some are better than others and each has its own method of assessing performance and payment. As a writer, I think it is important to experiment with each of these online platforms to see which ones work best for you. Writing for a number of sites is also like writer's insurance. For instance, if a website goes out of business, a writer can take articles from that site and publish them at one of the other sites he or she writes for. During that time, the writer will still be earning residuals from all of the sites he or she has written for. Some sites that pay residuals include Suite101, eHow, Associated Content, Bukisa and Triond.
• Prioritize: By writing for a number of sites, you will quickly learn which ones provide the largest return for your writing time. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the majority your writing time should then be dedicated to those higher-paying sites. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't continue to write for other sites, but just that you should focus the majority of your writing at the more successful sites.
• Learn SEO Research: Read up and learn about SEO research strategies. It really does help to drive traffic and increase residuals. There are a number of wonderful online resources and Suite101.com learning hubs provide some excellent tutorials for beginners. Absorb all of the information and apply it as often as possible.
• Write: This should be the most obvious tip, but many people just write four or five articles and expect to see residuals streaming in. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Instead of worrying about daily stats and earning trends, just keep writing. I always think of a twist on the Nike slogan, "Just Write It". Believe me, writing every day is the best way to create residual wealth.
• Endure: Luckily, I have run some distance races in my time, otherwise I would really struggle with residual writing. Online SEO writing is much like a marathon. It is all about incremental steps toward a far-off goal, and it requires fortitude. It is so easy to quit at any point along the course, but anyone can reach their goals with commitment and persistence.
• Plan: Financially successful writers treat their writing as a business. They set work hours and quotas to help them progress toward their goals. One of the best ways to stay productive as a writer is to create a long list of possible articles and post it next to the computer. A list like this allows writers to progress from one article to the next without sitting and pondering the next writing topic. Writers should also set a weekly or monthly article quota for each site they write for. Writers should also set long-term goals. Perhaps they could write a series of online articles that could later be put together to create a book. Each writer will have his or her own goals, but it is important to have an idea of where you are going so that you can create the path to get there.
• Scale Back: To make a living from writing, many people will have to scale back their finances. This might not require huge changes. It could be something as simple as giving up Starbuck's or renting movies instead of going to the theater. For others, this might require moving to a less-expensive house or even town. I'm lucky as I live in an area with a low cost of living, but I've even found ways of cutting costs here and there. I'm trying to make more food from scratch instead of eating out. I'm also living on a clear budget that helps me keep close track of my finances. If you need help creating a budget, there are a number of budget calculators online that can help you determine your monthly financial needs.

Keep Plodding Toward Financial Success as a Writer

Bottom line, writing is not for anyone looking for a get rich quick scheme. It takes a long time to create revenue streams large enough to equal a full-time job. That said, it is possible to build wealth over a long period of time with focused dedication and endurance. Remember that you are running a marathon and you have to run it to the very last mile to see the benefits. Stay dedicated and keep the faith. You will reap the rewards in the end.

Buck up Buttercup and Work, Work, Work!

Lately I have been spending a lot of time online and little time actually working. I'll get on the writing forums, read blogs, play around with my Facebook page and even create iTunes playlists. None of these things are getting me to where I want to be financially. They are also deceptively time consuming. You feel like you are doing something when, in reality, nothing gets done.

My struggle to stay focused is more than just the average daydreamer's. I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder when I was very young. I'm not sure I even needed the diagnosis though. The kids at my school were well-aware of my space-cadet mindset. They even stuck alien and space stickers on the back of my desk chair.

Now to clarify, I have the type of ADD that lends itself to daydreaming and spacing out, not the type that makes a person run around in circles and fidget in a chair. I was perfectly happy to watch a plant grow, instead of focusing on the daily lessons. I think that same mentality crops up in me from time to time in my adult life as well.

Over the years I have learned to deal with my ADD. I have never taken medication for my lack of focus, so I have been forced to learn coping mechanisms to get through the day and be successful in life. Though it hasn't always been easy, I'm glad I became somewhat self-reliant in my ability to correct my inattentiveness. Sometimes though, I will still go through periods where I will allow full days to go by without really focusing on anything that needs to be completed.

So I've decided I need to just make a schedule and stick to it. Even though focusing is more difficult for me, I've got to buck up and work in order to reach my goals. To compensate for my ADD, I'm going to set shorter timed work sessions for myself and set a buzzer to alert me of when it's time to work and time to stop. I'm also going to set a limit to my freetime on the Internet. I can so easily lose time online if I'm not aware of how quickly it is passing.

Anyway, this post is almost like a note to myself to be more self-sufficient and find a way to make it happen, regardless of my challenges. So to myself I say, "Buck up buttercup and work, work, work!!!"

What are the challenges keeping you from your goals?

I Took the Amazon A-Store Plunge

After putting it off for a while, I finally decided to take the Amazon A-Store plunge. For those of you who haven't heard of an A-store before, it's a store that is made up of Amazon affiliate products. You pick the products and then when someone purchases a product, you get a percentage of the profit.

I knew that niche marketing was important in setting up the shop. As a vegetarian, I always have problems finding high-fashion products that don't use animal materials, so I decided to create a Vegetarian Fashion store. I also incorporated a blog onto the site to drive traffic using SEO blog posts.

I set up the store on a Google Blogger site, just like this blog. I integrated the store into the heading and then placed the blog postings at the bottom of the page. I have no idea if this will be successful or not, but I will monitor my progress and report back.

I'm really just feeling my way through this process blindly. I really enjoyed choosing my products and setting up the site, but I have had very little success with affiliate marketing. I decided that it might be worth my time to invest a little more effort into the process though.

Anyway, I would love to hear any advice from those who have had some success with an A-store. I am sure there are some marketing tips that I am missing. I'm curious to see how the first month of the store pans out. I'll make sure to report back on my progress and let everyone know what worked and what didn't.