Freelance Writing

Normally, I would not post an off topic article. But this one hits particularly close to home. I received an email regarding Senator Obama's trip to Afghanistan. It was a letter supposedly written by a captain in the military. The person that forwarded this email to me stated "they believed it because it sounded real". How sad. I am not for or against Senator Obama or Senator McCain right now. I have not made up my mind about who I will vote for. I will say that I will not vote based on some assumed character trait or lack thereof that is forwarded to me in an email. But because these little emails can become HUGE truths if spread far and wide, I wanted to even the playing field...as much as little ole' me could.

Basically, the email stated that Senator Obama was anti-military and very disrespectful. I take this personally because I am married to one of our very fine American soldiers and very proud of it. So I did some digging and here's what I found...

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/iraq/
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/veterans/
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/defense/
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/fightthesmearshome/ (press release)

As a freelance writer, you know you won't stay in business long if you don't write original material. So if you use PLR articles to find "inspiration" are you violating some unspoken ethical code? That's a personal and professional choice each freelance writer has to make for themselves.

I believe the use of PLR articles by freelance writers is an acceptable practice. And I'll tell you why. First, they are great for inspiration, especially if you're not overly comfortable on a specific topic. It can also give you inspiration for new slants on a worn out subject. Secondly, you can rewrite the article to create your own original article. Make note: You must rewrite the original PLR article to claim it as your own. Not doing so can result in charges of plagiarism or violation of a copyright law.

Writing a book is a difficult task. For most, it takes months, years or even a lifetime to write just one book. Why would an ebook be any different?

Well, the truth is, a book doesn't have to take that long to write and neither does an ebook. It all depends on you and the tools you use to get it done. While we can't speak for your ability, we can speak about the tools there are for writing an ebook.

There are many tools to make writing easier. There are also plenty of books on writing. But the best ebook on writing an ebook quickly and easily is "How to Write and Publish Your Own eBook...in as Little as 7 Days" by Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale.

This ebook is written by two established and well-known authors and they truly deliver on what they promise.

In this ebook, you will not only find out how to choose and research your topic, but also how to format, publish and market your ebook. It covers everything from secrets you can use to mistakes you should avoid. And it's all laid out in a day-by-day guide so that it is completed and ready to sell in seven days.

The only thing this book doesn't do is teach you how to write. If you're interested in checking this ebook out, click here. You'll be happy you did.

I have taken numerous writing courses, studied many books on writing but none compare to the Sell Your Writing Online Now by Angela Booth that I'm currently enrolled in. This course offers a step-by-step process, with each step covered on a weekly basis. It has hands on assignments that, if really pursued, will allow you to make money while you learn. Not to mention that it has a very affordable monthly payment plan. If you are interested in making a living as an online freelance writer, then check out this course at www.sellwritingnow.com.

P.S. I am not receiving any affiliate pay, nor is anyone aware that I am giving a "thumbs up" to this course...I just really think it's the best writing course I have taken in a LONG time!

Hiring a freelance writer doesn't have to be a difficult process. However, there are some things you should watch out for so that you don't waste your time and money on a freelance writer that doesn't get the job done.

1. Presentation. How well do they present themselves in their correspondence with you? Do they sound professional? Do they have any grammatical or punctuation errors? Do they have a website? If yes, how is that put together?

2. Experience. Experience comes in all shapes and sizes like anything else. They don't necessarily have to have years of writing experience if they have working experience in your niche or a similar one. At the same time, if they are an experienced writer and don't have years of experience in your field, or a similar one, they may be good enough at writing to be able to find the information that is needed to produce well-written work product for you.

3. Fees, fees, fees. This may be listed last but it's a very important point. Just because a freelance writer is willing to work for pennies on the dollar, doesn't make them the best choice. Nor does the most expensive writer. A cheap writer usually is a sloppy writer. The reason being they have a lot of writing to do to make good money at their rates. On the other hand, an expensive writer may not produce quality work worthy of their fees.

The best way to hire a good freelance writer is to ask around. Many businesses use freelance writers for one thing or another and business associates should be able to recommend one to you. If you haven't been in business long, check out chat rooms and forums or even freelance bidding sites. You might be able to find some good help in these places.

Writing an article is not as easy as it sounds. If it was, there would not be so many resources on how to write one. Any writer that can write an article and write it well is coveted for their ability. But writing an article is not rocket science. It's actually a very siimple process that anyone can do with a little time and effort. The process for writing a well-rounded article are:

1. Choose Your Topic. Choosing your topic, with everything there is to write about, can be a little overwhelming. For your first time out, choose something that you know or are interested in knowing about.

2. Research your topic. Even if you decide to write about something you are familiar with, do some research. You might find something new or an interesting little-known fact that you will be able to share.

3. Decide who your target market is. You should do this before you decide on the slant of your article because your audience may affect the direction your article takes.

4. Choose your slant. Some might say that you should do this when you choose your topic. I believe you should do this after you do your research. Why? Because your research may open up ideas for slants that you hadn't thought of. Whichever slants you don't use this time, write them down for future articles.

5. Decide what points you want to make. Make a simple outline. Choose at least three points you want to make in your article.

6. Write the article. Incude your introduction, the points you want to make with supporting information, then conclusion.

7. Write your title. You should write your title last because then you can make sure it fits your article. If writing a title first helps you write your article, then make sure you go back and confirm that it still fits the body of the article.

8. Proofread and edit. You can have the best, most intelligently written article in the world, but if it's got grammatical or punctuation errors, it will fail. If you're not confident in your ability to proofread or edit your own work, you should ask someone or hire an editor and proofreader to do it for you.

These are the steps to producing an article. How well written it is depends on the time and effort you put into writing it. If you're interested in being able to write an article quickly, check out the 30 Minute Article System by clicking here.