The misunderstood writer: What to do?

It was satire!

As writers we're sometimes misunderstood or misinterpreted. This can lead to hurt feelings and mistaken impressions. In fact, if we don't word things very carefully, we may end up misrepresenting our own thoughts, beliefs and convictions.

I'm sorry to say that I've been responsible for hurting the feelings of a fellow writer in the past. She took a sarcastic blog post that I wrote quite literally. Ironically, I was making the very same point she made in her retaliation post, just in a satirical way. 

And them was fightin' words. 

In all seriousness, though, I was truly sorry that I offended her. Apparently, my satire was so good, she took it to represent my true feelings. Was it flattering that I could be so convincing? Sure. That doesn't mean I should have ignored her ire, though.

What can you do in this situation? Well, I apologized, quite sincerely, several times. I even rewrote the post. You might think this was unnecessary because it wasn't my fault she took my sarcasm literally. I disagree. Why?

Well, because no matter what my intent, I did indeed hurt her and I am sorry for that. My friendships with my fellow writers are very important to me. So, even though she directly insulted me in her retaliation post, I didn't take offense. I might have done the same if I took one of her articles the way she took mine, especially under her current circumstances. Sure, I could have been rude to her, but I think she genuinely thought I was insulting her choices. 

Plus, we were both making the same point. She was on my side. 

So, there you go. If you are a writer who offends someone, even by mistaken impression, try to look at it from the other person's viewpoint. Try to see what they're saying. And above all, be understanding. We all make mistakes. No point in hurting each other in the process.

Isn't it worth a little rewrite to save a friendship?

Making writing dollars from closed sites

Those old articles are writing gold!

In the past, I've written for some very popular venues that made me a lot of money. It really was scary when each of them closed. At first all I could think about was how much monthly page view money I was going to lose. But then, some other things occurred to me.

I was now free to publish those old, released articles wherever I wanted and keep making money. How awesome is that?

Further more, I could take a lot of my old, less worthy articles and turn them into writing gold. Because now I have more experience. I can write better articles now. Or, in this case, turn a bad article into something better.

And all those silly, embarrassing blog posts? Well, some of them were actually quite good, of course. But even if they're not, it's OK. Because the ideas were great, or at least fairly decent. With a little tweaking, they have a great deal of potential. So, even if I don't use one word of those old blogs, I can use the ideas to generate new money.

Plus, here's something else on the same line of thinking. Do you know how hard it is to come up with those article ideas? Sometimes it's the hardest thing about writing for a living. There's so much information out there. It's really difficult to be original. Well, guess what? I now have hundreds, possibly thousands of article ideas to draw on, just sitting there in my queue, waiting to be rewritten.

So, now, when a website I write for shuts down, I don't grieve for long. Instead, I make a profit from it. You can do the same. As long as the website you wrote for is OK with it, those articles are fair rewriting game. It's perfectly legal. They're yours now. So, why not use them to your advantage?

Are there benefits to writing through exhaustion?

Seriously? How can writing while fatigued possibly be productive? It may sound ridiculous, but my writer friends will understand this article slant very well. In order to make money writing, we have to write a lot. Burning the midnight oil is a given. It can be tiring. It can also be very inspiring. Plus, I'm one of those people who looks for the good in everything. So, here's the benefits of writing when you should be sleeping.

Dream-state promotes idea generation

Have you ever drifted off into dreamland while writing? I certainly have and quite often. What's the greatest thing about dream-state? Inspirational, unique thought trains, of course. Now, you may not want to include those purple unicorns in your article. On the other hand, you usually dream about whatever you were thinking about when you went to sleep. At least, I do. It may be a twisted dream and that's OK. It takes you out of your normal way of thinking and often generates new ideas.

More motivation to get it done

When you're tired, you pretty much want one thing. You want to lay your head on your pillow, cover up and say nighty-night. Unfortunately, you have a deadline. When I'm tired, I work faster so I can say hello to my pillow and my comfy bed. This inspiration may not work for everyone. Also, there may be editing to do in the morning. Still, having sleep as a reward makes me more likely to get it done.

Great for outlining

There are times when I'm just too tired to write or sleep. I need something to do. Preferably something that isn't too involved. That's when I write my outlines. Once again, that half dream-state really helps. Most of my articles are of the “how to” variety. That means I need a first paragraph and several tips in the form of subtitles. Drifting into dream state releases my subconscious mind. That allows me to come up with new and original ideas on the subject at hand. Plus, writing outlines isn't so involved that it requires deep thought.

Less stressful

For some reason, we writers find working as night owls less stressful than working during the day. There are fewer distractions from family members, for one thing. Late at night, they're pretty much all entertaining themselves or fast asleep. The housework is done. For those of us with regular jobs, the work-day is over. All we have to do is relax and type away. Being a little tired seems like a small trade off compared to dealing with the hustle and bustle of the day.

Naps bring even more ideas

There are, of course, those times when we give in to the sleep fairy. That's OK. Guess what? We wake up refreshed with a laptop in front of us. What better time is there to dash off a few lines or create a whole new article? Everyone's definitely in bed now. That leaves us alone with our thoughts and a blank page. What more could a writer ask for?

Beginners Online Article Writing Guide

This post is mainly for the beginning article writer with little or no experience writing online. I decided to write it because when I first started as an online article writer, I had no computer experience and no idea what to expect. I had a vision of sitting at the computer, joyfully tapping away at the keyboard all day, sipping lattes and watching little birdies flit around outside my window. I suspect that may be how many beginning writers envision this career. 

Unfortunately, it's just not that idyllic. There's much more work to online article writing than that. Just like any other career, it's not easy money. You have to work hard and educate yourself to succeed. You also need the proper tools.

Basic supplies - You'll need a good reliable computer and internet connection. Your computer should have a word processing program. If you can't afford one, download one for free. Always write and save your articles on the word program. Copy and paste them into the writing template on the site you're writing for, rather than writing directly in the site template. This way, you have a copy of your work in your word program in case of website problems. You should also periodically save your work in GoogleDocs or on a flash drive in case of computer issues. Some writers do both.

Getting paid - You 'll need to have a Paypal account to be paid for online article writing. This is the way most online article writers are paid. Some venues will give you an upfront payment for online articles they have a demand for, plus a page view bonus. Some pay only upfront payments. Others pay only for page views. Payments vary depending on the website and the type and quality of your article. As a general rule, private clients pay a lump sum, one time payment based on word count and content quality.

Plagiarism - Plagiarism can and will get you barred from ever writing again on most websites. Think about how you would feel if someone copied or rewrote your articles. Producing original well written, insightful articles will gain you respect in the writing community. Rewriting the work of another will have the opposite result. Be the type of writer others look up to.

Pictures for articles - Online article writing usually involves posting pictures for your articles. Wikimedia Commons is one good website for pictures. Fiickr is another. Or, use your own pictures to accompany your articles. Be sure the pictures you are using are public domain pictures, or that you have been given permission to use them. Pictures can be plagiarized too.

Re-sizing pictures - Occasionally, you may find that a picture loads very slowly or is not accepted by the publishing template. Re-sizing your pictures to site specifications will solve this problem. Online article writers can go to Pixlr to re-size and edit pictures for free with no registration required.

Educate yourself - If you want to be an online article writer, you must constantly educate yourself. Be aware of things like SEO and LSI. These are the main techniques that will help you generate page views and increase your income. There are many more ways to accomplish this. Read at least one educational article in the field of online article writing daily. The internet is constantly changing. Only those who keep up with new trends, regulations and techniques will succeed as online article writers.

Writing for multiple websites - Why is it important to write for multiple websites? The answer is simple. Diversification works for online article writers the same as for other professionals. You'll have a wider range of experience. You'll be able to see what niche your writing fits into. You'll have multiple income streams. You'll become a well rounded online article writer. Plus, if one website shuts down, you'll have a back-up income.

Private Clients - Once you build a good writing reputation and online presence, you may be approached to write for private business websites. If not, you should do everything in your power to market yourself to appeal to them. Why? Well, to put it bluntly, they pay much better than the content sites where you cut your teeth. You can solicit private clients by marketing yourself on your own author site. You can also add a professional writing page to your Facebook account and/or advertise on sites like Craigslist.

The importance of Email - It's essential to keep up with your daily emails. This is where you'll find some offers of work from the sites you write for. You can also direct potential clients from your website to your e-mail through a contact form. Your email can be used to keep in touch with other online article writers. Most websites for online article writing will send you an email message every time one of your articles, or that of another writer you've subscribed to, is published.

Organizing Email It's a good idea to separate your emails into separate folders. Most online writers receive thousands of emails a day. Separating them allows you to process them more quickly. For instance, you might have one folder for each website you work for, a folder for personal email, a folder for PayPal notifications and a folder for other notifications.

Subscribing to other writers - As you build your online writing career, you'll want to subscribe to the work of other online article writing pros. Reading their work can give you valuable information. Reading other peoples articles helps keep ideas flowing as well. Never copy the work or ideas of another online article writer. It is, however, perfectly acceptable to write your own article on a similar subject with a different angle.

Promote yourself  - Self promotion is not merely acceptable in online article writing. It's absolutely necessary. You'll need to sign up for social networking sites such as Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. Post a link to your articles on these sites every time you publish. This is one way other people find your articles and click to read them. This is how you get paid.

Bonus tip: Consider building an author's website featuring your work and fees. You can even do it for free.

Promote others - Don't just promote yourself. Help out other writers in your community by promoting them too. Post their articles on your social networking sites, as well as on your own author site. This isn't just about one hand washing the other. This is about common courtesy and consideration for other online article writers. Be a good online writing citizen.

Social networking - You'll want to make plenty of friends in the online article writing community. You can do this by chatting, playing online games together and discussing your writing experiences. Social networking helps gain exposure for your work. It's fun getting to know other writers and educational too. In fact, you may find yourself getting lost in social networking.

Prioritize - Be careful not to spend your entire day networking. It's easy to do. Remember, you're doing this to make money. The majority of your day should be spent writing, editing and preparing your work for publication. Try to establish a set routine that will guarantee your success. Play games at the end of your writing day, when all your work is finished.

A few vital parting tips and takeaways:

*Keep yourself educated.

*Manage your time well so that the majority of your day is spent writing.

*Give yourself breaks and get adequate exercise.

*Bookmark all the sites you write for and frequently visit for easy access.

*Promote the work of yourself and other online article writers.

*Build a reputation for high quality original and interesting articles.

Beginner tips - Five ways to increase online article writing success

Looking for ways to insure your success as an online article writer? Not sure where to begin? When I first started on this path, I had no idea what I was doing. I could have used some simple, easy to understand tips like this to get me started. I was lucky enough to have someone in the field who could help me. Otherwise, I would have found myself stumbling through technical jargon well beyond my expertise. Here are five ways to insure your online article writing success in an easy to understand format.

1. Fill your queue and your pages.

Fill your queue and pages as full as possible. Write and submit on a daily basis. The more quality articles you have, the more profit you will make. Several other things will also occur when you keep your queue and pages full. Your editors will take you seriously. Search engines will take you seriously. You will build a following.

2. Make outlines this way....

How do online article writers write so many articles a day? The secret is making outlines. Each day at the end of the day, write outlines for your next days' articles. Remember, this is the internet, not a novel. People are looking for short and sweet information on the topic they're searching. Write your headline with their probable search wording in mind. Write applicable sub-headings in bold. List your sources. The next day, fill in the blanks.

3. Educate yourself.

Take the time to read the work of other successful online article writers. Pay close attention to how they write. In particular, read their online article writing advice. You should read at least one article a day on the topic of successful online article writing. Don't forget to network with other writers, just like you would network with your peers at any other job.

4. Follow the rules, all of them.

Online article writing is different than conventional journalism. Some conventional journalists may put down online article writing techniques for their unconventionality. Don't listen to them. You are appealing to a different audience. Therefore, there are different rules you must follow. Some rules may go against everything you've been taught about writing well. Still, if you 're looking to succeed as an online article writer, you must follow the rules, however strange they may sound to you at first.

5. Take time off. Yes, really!

Sitting at a desk all day is stagnating. It's bad for your physical and mental well being. It also gives you nothing to write about. It's bad for your writing! It's essential for writers to make a life for themselves beyond the computer. Get up and moving. Get out and experience things you can bring into your articles. Want to be successful at online article writing? Get a life worth writing about.

Rewriting for the future today

I'm sure that I'm not the only online writer who has had her articles released to her when a website was closed down. Today, I'm busy, going through those articles and rewriting them for other publications. There are literally hundreds of them to sort through. Now, some of them are seasonal articles. That is to say, if I publish them now on another site, they won't be relevant as they were meant to be published in another season. What's a writer to do?

You know, I'm one of those weird writers who like to go through their queue in ABC order. It helps me keep my place. Plus, I just don't feel right skipping over things that need to be done or flitting from article to article with no particular pattern or objective in mind. It doesn't suit me.

So, I just go through the list one at a time, rewriting and publishing as I go.

What do I do when I come to a rewrite article that just isn't timely right now?

Well, I rewrite it anyway. And luckily, the main site I right for, beyond my blogs is Examiner. I say that because they have an interesting submission template that allows me to decide when my article will be published. So, I can get it done and submitted now for publishing in the future. Isn't that great?

You know what else? Say that maybe I have a fall article that I'm rewriting right now. In fact, maybe I have a lot of them. That means that in the fall, even when I don't feel much like writing, my rewrite articles are still being automatically published. I don't have to do a thing. And of course, the same applies to every season.

Isn't that spectacular? I think so.

But wait! What about the seasonal rewrites that aren't going on Examiner? What do I do with them? Well, in that case, I make a folder in my word program. In fact, I have 12 of them, one for each month. They are labeled January ready to publish, February ready to publish, etc. So, at the beginning of each month, I check those folders and get those articles up on relevant sites.

Rewriting for the future really benefits me as a writer with a chronic illness too. It makes it so much easier for me to keep things going when I have bad days or even bad months. I always have those ready to publish or automatically published articles to fall back on.

I highly recommend taking advantage of the option to publish later on Examiner or any other writing site. It can't be beat for those timely articles, whether or not they are rewrites. And if you don't have that option, do try the monthly folder method. It makes a huge productivity difference!

Analyzing your past content for future writing success

Taking a look at your old content can reveal much.

Do you check up on your content once you've written it? Doing so can help you decide what topics to write about. About once a month, I go through my content to see which articles have been the most successful. This tells me a lot about what I should be writing and which topics to leave behind. It's not just about topics, though. By checking the page views, highest view dates and more, you can actually formulate a plan for greater success. Here's why.

Analyzing your content can help reveal many rules of writing that you've missed.

Say that you're a bit lax in getting educated. You're not one to seek advice and tips on writing. That's OK. Experience and a good look at content performance can teach you a lot of rules you have missed along the way. For instance, I've noticed that the more familiar I am with a subject, the more popular any articles I've written on that subject are. Thus, proving the rule of “Write what you know.”

The rules are not the same for everyone.

By analyzing your content, you see, first hand exactly how the rules apply to you, personally. My writing, vegan, gardening and natural health articles do best because I'm passionate about those subjects. It shows in my writing. Injecting my sense of humor and quirky, snarky personality also works well for me. My page views increase greatly when I'm in a happy mood. Of course, those subjects and methods may not work for everyone. That's why it's important for writers to assess their own articles.

Look deeper.

I've noticed that when I answer questions commonly asked, my page views sky-rocket. In these cases, the subject matter doesn't seem to be as important as providing a quick answer. My all time best performer is an article about recognizing spider bites. It's not one of my pet subjects. It is, however, something a lot of people look up on the internet when they've been bitten. That tells me that while it's important to be passionate about your subject, it's even more important to fill a need. Therefore....

Surprise! Selling articles is the same as selling products.

The most successful products provide something that fills a need. Why should articles be any different? If you study your most successful content, you will find that it most likely filled a need people had at the time you wrote it. That's true, whether you're talking celebrity gossip or how to get rid of stink-bugs. Anything that people needed to know when you wrote the article will generate a ton of page views.

Checking the archives.

Sometimes when an event happens, you might recall that you've already written an article on that very subject. By pouring through your content on a regular basis, you're more likely to remember that article. Now, you can find and promote it more quickly. Don't wait for fate to drag it out of the depths. Pay attention to trends and promote those old “loser” articles. You might turn them into winners.

Reinforcing familiarity with your own content.

There is so much you can learn by regularly analyzing article performance. I could never put it all into one article. Plus, there are likely factors about your content that differ from mine. Taking the time to look back on your old work will help you decide what approaches, subjects and techniques to use in the future. Don't skip this important step that can not only help you correct old mistakes, but prevent you from making new ones.