My First Month as a Freelance Writer

In mid-October, I began thinking about giving writing a try. Finally, I decided to go for it. I began looking on Craigslist and Freelancewriting.com for jobs, but experience was a requirement for the majority of the jobs. On my lunch break at work, I began to investigate how to become a freelance writer. I read somewhere to start a blog to create an online presence. That is where my first blog “Squirrel is my name; multitasking is my name” was created. I added adsense, just to see what would happen, and promoted my blog on facebook. I will not create a link to my personal blog because I do not want to appear promotional, but it is a good read for a first attempt at writing. You can get to it from my profile page.

From there, I applied at Examiner.com. I know many freelance writers are cringing in the seats. For those who do not know, Examiner.com is an online “news site” who uses local writers to post stories about their location. They pay on a mysterious “per click basis” that is considered low in many circles. I have seen several articles on people who have made a ton of money writing for Examiner, and I have seen articles from people who did not make a dime. It is all in the topic and when it is published. I enjoy writing for Examiner.com even though the pay is low. I am the local historical places examiner. I have a degree in history, and I enjoy researching local items.

My next step, as a newbie writer, was to apply at The Content Authority. The Content Authority is an online service that provides web content to many different websites. The application process was arduous. They asked me to write on the history of mathematics. I hate math. It took me almost four hours to research and write it, since I did not have any information on the subject nor on their expectations. I was accepted as a Tier one writer. Within a couple of weeks of writing for The Content Authority, I had received my first paycheck. Many people do not like The Content Authority but they are giving me a chance to learn and grow. Each time I write, I am exercising my writing muscles.