New
Writers
If
you've always liked the idea of writing then why not put that thought
into practice today? The scope for freelance writers is immense. You
could write articles for newspapers, e-zines, websites or Blogs; features
for monthly or weekly magazines. You could enter your short stories
into competitions or submit them to women's weeklies for publication.
Or you could try TV scriptwriting, greeting card inscription or even
write that novel you've always dreamt of. Many authors began their careers
writing short stories for magazines or as newspaper columnists and journalists,
including Helen Fielding (author of Bridget Jones' Diary) and Jane Green
(best-selling chick-lit author).
A
creative imagination is required together with a good grasp of grammar,
punctuation and spelling. Pay varies depending on which area you work
in but generally short stories fetch anything from £50.00 to £400
per story and features/articles are paid per word count. You can find
current rates at The
National Union of Journalists
But
before you put pen to paper it would be a good idea to either take a
writing course or buy a good book or two to enhance your skills and
learn how to present work to editors.
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We
highly recommend the following book titles
We
recommend the following distance learning courses
NCC
Home Learning Freelance Fiction Diploma
This course covers short stories and novels and is
ideal for anyone who is interested in writing as a career. The coursework
covers 'Introduction To Fiction', 'Content/ Style/Technique', 'The Short
Story', 'Theme/Emotion/Viewpoint/Style', 'Plot/Characters/Characterisation',
'Writing for Radio/TV' and 'Writing the Novel'. After completing the
course you will be awarded with the ASET certificate. The ASET is a
national Awarding Body recognised by the Department for Education and
Skills and by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in Britain.
It has been accrediting vocational learning for more than 50 years and
now works with more than 200 providers in the UK and internationally.
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Writing
Short Stories for the Magazines
Before
you start submitting your short stories to magazines, we highly recommend
that you read
and/or taking a creative writing course. Once you feel that you
are ready to submit your short stories to magazine editors, the first
thing to do is obtain a copy of their individual guidelines as each
publication has their own style and requirements. You can do this by
writing to the fiction editor and requesting a copy of their guidelines.
Always remember to include a stamped, self addressed envelope with your
enquiry for a convenient reply.
Click here for a list of magazines that accept
short fiction.
Writing
Competitions
- FirstWriter
Offers
a complete guide to writing competitions and includes details, links
and entry information - some competitions are free to enter!
This offer is currently available in the UK,
USA and Australia.Click
Here for more details
Poetry Competitions
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Earn cash writing
Online Articles
Did you know that you could earn some extra cash from
writing online articles? No? Then read on. People all over the world
are earning cash right now for short articles they have written on their
chosen subject. Article Directories are eager to publish articulate,
interesting and useful articles on their pages that will interest their
readers and keep them coming back for more. Buyers need articles for
their Blogs, Websites, Newsletters and various other projects, so the
potential to sell is enormous. As well as earning some extra cash, online
article writing can earn you recognition as a writer. So don't let your
knowledge and writing skills go to waste, read below for more details:
HELIUM
Reading, writing and rating . . . and
even more - reward. Helium is a website
housing a host of intriguing and useful articles on a multitude of subjects
from Internet Security to card games, novel writing to conflicts and
crises; the list is endless. Helium is always on the lookout for new,
talented and skilful writers to write articles for publication on their
website. Apart from getting recognition for your work, which is always
a plus for your CV, you also get paid for your submissions. Helium pays
for well-written articles in two ways, Ratings and Marketplace. Here
is a brief explanation of each option:
Ratings: Write
an article on any subject you choose, proofread it then post it onto
the Helium website. Once your article is processed it will appear under
the appropriate heading where other members will rate it against similar
articles. The higher your article ranks in its sector the more views
you will receive and the more money you'll earn. How much you earn depends
entirely on the quality and popularity of your article. Helium rewards
you by offering you a share of their revenue generated from advertisements
displayed on the page running your article, so the more views and hits,
the more you will earn. Some members have boasted high earnings but
I must stress that these writers submit articles every day. Your articles
don't have to be lengthy. You could write articles as short as 300 words.
If you enjoy writing, you could easily produce one article per day at
the very minimum. So long as your piece is interesting, informative
and well written then it's likely to get top ranking. If you only submit
one article occasionally then you're unlikely to make money from this.
Quantity and quality are really the key factors at Helium.
Marketplace: Once
you've become a member of Helium then you are eligible to pick up writing
offers from the Marketplace. So what exactly is Marketplace? Marketplace
is a section of the site where publishers offer writers the opportunity
to write an article for them at a set price. Each publisher offers guidelines
such as word count, audience focus, style, story angle etc., If you
see an offer that you'd like to undertake then you should write the
article and submit it to Helium. Helium will review your article then
publish it on their website. The best articles received will rise to
the top of the list. The publisher then makes a selection from the articles
provided. If your article is chosen you will be paid by the publisher
the agreed sum. Fees paid per selected article range from £8.00
($16.00) - £75.00 ($150), depending on article length and research
requirements. Helium have a good list of publishers and more are being
added regularly. This is definitely worth
pursuing as not only will you see your work in print and establish yourself
as a writer, you'll get paid for it too.
In both instances the first thing you will need to
do is sign up to the Helium website. Registration is free but you will
need a Paypal
account in order to receive payments. Helium gets the thumbs up from
us. It's a fabulous reference resource and a great platform for aspiring
writers. Click
here for more details and free sign-up.
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CONSTANT
CONTENT is a markeplace that sells your articles,
reviews, tutorials and Blog entries online to webmasters and bloggers
in need of original copy for their site, newsletters or magazines. They
supply the customer and you supply the copy. Material can be on any
subject and length can be up to 2000 words but it must be your original
work. They offer variable price structures such as 'Usage', which
means that the piece can be bought over and over again, 'Unique',
which means that it is sold with a unique license for single use only
and removed from the Constant Content website once its been sold or
'Full Rights', which means that once your piece is sold it is
owned by the buyer who can then publish it and use his or her own byline,
re-sell it or make changes to it. It will also be removed from the Constant
Content database to ensure exclusivity to the owner. Please note that
selling your image on Full Rights means that you relinquish all
rights to it. You can also sell your article on a Best Offer
basis, which means that you do not request a price but wait for buyers
to make you an offer. You may accept or decline any offer made by a
client.
You could write film, book or T.V. reviews, tutorials on your expert
subject, or articles on any topic. Once you've gone through the free
registration process you can start uploading your articles for submission.
If they're approved they will be listed in the correct category along
with your requested fee and terms of usage. Constant Content will take
a percentage of your fee so please bear this in mind when setting your
price. As well as instant submissions you can also make money from custom
requests and private requests, once you've become established. Payment
is in USD converted to GBP paid via Paypal at the beginning of each
month providing the customer's payment has cleared and your account
has reached the $50.00 (£25.00) threshold. Click
here if you need to open a free Paypal
account. Please ensure before submitting your work to Constant Content
that it has been proofread as they are very stringent about punctuation
and grammar. For further details on writing for Constant Content click
here.
Important: Please read all listed sites
terms and conditions and FAQ section carefully before entering into
a contract with them as they may have made changes to their policy statements
since this article's publication.
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Work From Home As
An Online Content Writer (includes Data Entry work)
If you'd like to work as an Online Content Writer
then consider joining Get
A Freelancer (GAF). What is Get A
Freelancer? It's a corporate marketplace for buyers and freelancers.
Web-Content, Copywriting, Proofreading and Data Entry jobs are offered
on the site by the buyers to members. An estimated rate of pay is given
as a guide for completion of each project. The Writers then bid for
the job giving their fee and date of completion. This gives the buyer
an opportunity to view your profile and if he/she finds that you fit
the criteria, you will be offered the job. The more jobs that you accept
and undertake the more your profile will shine and consequently you
will be offered more work. This will enable you to build a good client
base. Unlike many other freelance sites, GAF offers jobs on a daily
basis. Our house writer receives several emails a day with up to ten
jobs in each message (too much for her to cope with!). Jobs offered
include articles (subject, word length and keywords specified), forum
participation, blog entries, email copy, web content, press release
articles, e-books and more.They also offer editing and proofreading
work.
Registration is free, and once you become a member
job notifications will arrive in your mailbox on a daily basis. When
you receive the e-mail notification listing all the jobs that fit your
criteria, chose the ones you like the sound of and feel that you could
undertake - then go to the website and bid for the job with your price.
You will be notified if your offer is accepted.
Although this type of writing work isn't as well paid
as some other markets there is plenty of work on offer, so the more
you write, the more you will earn. If you are successful, you can make
a living from this - but be prepared to put in the hours, work to deadlines
and do some research.
GAF is a global site and has freelancers and
buyers in the UK, USA, India, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. Payment is
made promptly by Paypal, E-Gold, Wired Transfer, or Moneybookers. Get
A Freelancer is a great way to find jobs in your professional field
and will work wonders for your CV. If you'd like to sign up or if you'd
like more information then visit Get
A Freelance. Registration is free.
Important:
Get A Freelancer is a Swedish company that started in 2004 and is owned
by Innovate It. As always, please read the company's terms and conditions
and privacy policies before entering into any binding contract.
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