So Maybe I Can Really Do It
Maybe there really is a way I can make money as a writer.
Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a web site that links to other sites where you can get paid to write. Now this isn't like writing a novel, or publishing magazine articles, most of it is writing short essays for someone else's blog. Sometimes it's copy writing, which I just learned is kind of a jargon, or euphemism for, persuasive writing. Still being very new to this I am just learning some of the lingo that goes along with all of this. I think I could actually do some "persuasive" writing as long as whatever I'm trying to "persuade" people to do doesn't conflict with my values.
So I applied to three companies where, if I am accepted, I can choose from a list of jobs, on different topics, and write 250-300 word essays. The starting pay for such an essay is only $8, but as you complete more assignments you gain a higher rating and then you start earning more money and you also get access to better, longer jobs. Yeah, I know, eight bucks ain't a lot. But it's better than nothing and if I can knock out three or four short essays in an hour it might actually add up. Nothing I can retire on but it would be earning money for writing. At least this sounds more realistic than some of the wild promises I've run across as I've been researching this whole idea. I mean, one web site has this really long video that tells me I can be a writer, that I can earn a six figure income from the comfort of my own home, or anywhere in the world, by writing just a few hours a day. Yeah, okay, sound too good to be true? Yeah, it probably is. Now you may call me a dupe, and I probably am, but the curiosity was killing me. So I went ahead and spent the $50 bucks (they say it's refundable and I'm probably going to ask for a refund) for a "membership" in their little club. And, as I suspected, when I got the introductory email I was once again bombarded with the whole sales pitch. Once again I was told that I could make big money working from home only a few hours a week, that this program would be the cure to all of my ills. But I couldn't find one thing, not one, where they actually tell me how to get started, what steps I have to take. Oh, but here it is, yes, if you're willing to spend another $148 you can enroll in the advanced copywriters course where they will tell you all the secrets, all the ins and outs you need to start making money in this supposedly very lucrative business.
Wait, I just spent fifty bucks and now you want me to plunk down another $148 before you've even given me ONE piece of useful information on how to get started doing this?
Okay, okay, okay. I get it. I don't expect to be trained in a new career for nothing. And I'm willing to spend some money on improving my skills, if it's legit. When I wanted to teach English in foreign countries I found Language Corps on line. But before I spent any money on them I researched them first. And when I couldn't find anything that definitively told me this was a scam, don't give them my money, I decided to give them a try. And I've never regretted it. My troubles, or you might say my failure, in Cambodia came from within me. As far as Language Corps goes, they delivered on everything they said they would. I spent $3,500 and I actually went to Cambodia, I got to see Angkor Watt, I became TESOL certified, and I actually had a job lined up before the training course had ended; everything they promised they delivered on.
So, no, not everything you see on line is a scam.
And maybe even this writing course has some legitimacy to it. But I think their advertising techniques are very obnoxious. Maybe their advanced course is really good. Maybe they'll deliver on everything they say they will. But when I've just put out fifty bucks to start learning this stuff, at least give me something to go on. At least show me the "slow path" that I can take if I don't want to take your "accelerated" course. Oh, and also don't keep sending me emails telling me that this price is only good for a little while longer, that after a certain time the price goes up. Once you do that so many times I'm going figure out that this is just your way of making me feel pressured to act. If this is an example of the kind of "persuasive" writing you want me to do...um....well... I think I'd just as soon keep on driving my cab.
So when someone comes across and tells me that there's actually money in this but it's only $8 an article to start and then you can make more based on how well you do at the beginning, it sounds more real to me. This isn't someone blowing smoke up my ass, telling me how I can make a six figure income by sitting by the pool writing "persuasive" copywrite. This sounds more to me like, "Yeah the money isn't glamorous, to start out, but if you work hard and hone your craft you might eventually be able to make enough to support yourself, or at the very least, make some extra money by working from home. And this is not the only company that works this way. There are a number of companies that tell you they give you a list of articles, or short essays, that are needed, you pick the ones that interest you and write them. It also makes me think that they are legit when they give me short writing tests to see if I have good grammar skills. So far I've applied to three companies. They say it could take a few weeks before I'll know if I've been accepted or not. That also makes me feel that this is not a sham, that they're actually testing people to see if they can write, not just promising that "anyone can do this."
So yeah, the path is loaded with pitfalls. But I know I will never learn if I don't give it a try. But as I said in an earlier post: I'm finally starting to like the act of writing, which is something totally new for me. I'm also tired of people telling me I have talent and not doing anything with it. So I'm finally going to give it a shot. I really like the idea of picking from a list of topics and writing short essays on them and making some money for doing it. I don't think I could write a novel, but if you give me an assignment with some guidelines to work within, I think I could very well do that.
I'm leaving for Maui in Six weeks. I bought a one way plane ticket and my flight leaves on June 2nd. I have enough money saved up to live on for a few months without having to take a job. So, if I get accepted to one, or all, of the companies I've applied to I might be able to get started before I go to Maui. But once I'm there and I don't have to concentrate on a "job" I can give more of my time and attention to this. And I do want to start a blog as well. So that should keep me busy while I live off what I've saved.
I've been trying to get out of cab driving for a while now. It's a hard habit to break after 20 plus years. I almost did it when I went to Cambodia, but I got scared when my money got screwed up. But maybe I was trying to bite off way more than I could chew. Maybe trying to start a new career, at the same time as living in a foreign country was more than I could handle all at once. I have friends in Maui who are very supportive. One of them knows how to use Word Press, which is what I'll need to learn if I want to start a blog. I've also been told that there are a lot of writers on Maui who I will be introduced to when I get there. So I think this might be a better way to get out of cab driving. I have friends and contacts, a support system, in Maui, whereas I didn't have that in Cambodia.
At first I thought being a writer meant you had to write a novel, or publish articles in magazines and newspapers. I didn't know there we so many other ways to make money writing. Just like when someone says they want to be a professional musician, most people think that means they expect to be famous. But there are so many other ways to make it as a musician: you can do studio work, you can play weddings, you can work in nightclubs, you don't always have to be "famous" to work as a musician. And now that I know the same applies to writing, it makes me think that maybe I can do this.
Last week a friend of mine sent me a link to a web site that links to other sites where you can get paid to write. Now this isn't like writing a novel, or publishing magazine articles, most of it is writing short essays for someone else's blog. Sometimes it's copy writing, which I just learned is kind of a jargon, or euphemism for, persuasive writing. Still being very new to this I am just learning some of the lingo that goes along with all of this. I think I could actually do some "persuasive" writing as long as whatever I'm trying to "persuade" people to do doesn't conflict with my values.
So I applied to three companies where, if I am accepted, I can choose from a list of jobs, on different topics, and write 250-300 word essays. The starting pay for such an essay is only $8, but as you complete more assignments you gain a higher rating and then you start earning more money and you also get access to better, longer jobs. Yeah, I know, eight bucks ain't a lot. But it's better than nothing and if I can knock out three or four short essays in an hour it might actually add up. Nothing I can retire on but it would be earning money for writing. At least this sounds more realistic than some of the wild promises I've run across as I've been researching this whole idea. I mean, one web site has this really long video that tells me I can be a writer, that I can earn a six figure income from the comfort of my own home, or anywhere in the world, by writing just a few hours a day. Yeah, okay, sound too good to be true? Yeah, it probably is. Now you may call me a dupe, and I probably am, but the curiosity was killing me. So I went ahead and spent the $50 bucks (they say it's refundable and I'm probably going to ask for a refund) for a "membership" in their little club. And, as I suspected, when I got the introductory email I was once again bombarded with the whole sales pitch. Once again I was told that I could make big money working from home only a few hours a week, that this program would be the cure to all of my ills. But I couldn't find one thing, not one, where they actually tell me how to get started, what steps I have to take. Oh, but here it is, yes, if you're willing to spend another $148 you can enroll in the advanced copywriters course where they will tell you all the secrets, all the ins and outs you need to start making money in this supposedly very lucrative business.
Wait, I just spent fifty bucks and now you want me to plunk down another $148 before you've even given me ONE piece of useful information on how to get started doing this?
Okay, okay, okay. I get it. I don't expect to be trained in a new career for nothing. And I'm willing to spend some money on improving my skills, if it's legit. When I wanted to teach English in foreign countries I found Language Corps on line. But before I spent any money on them I researched them first. And when I couldn't find anything that definitively told me this was a scam, don't give them my money, I decided to give them a try. And I've never regretted it. My troubles, or you might say my failure, in Cambodia came from within me. As far as Language Corps goes, they delivered on everything they said they would. I spent $3,500 and I actually went to Cambodia, I got to see Angkor Watt, I became TESOL certified, and I actually had a job lined up before the training course had ended; everything they promised they delivered on.
So, no, not everything you see on line is a scam.
And maybe even this writing course has some legitimacy to it. But I think their advertising techniques are very obnoxious. Maybe their advanced course is really good. Maybe they'll deliver on everything they say they will. But when I've just put out fifty bucks to start learning this stuff, at least give me something to go on. At least show me the "slow path" that I can take if I don't want to take your "accelerated" course. Oh, and also don't keep sending me emails telling me that this price is only good for a little while longer, that after a certain time the price goes up. Once you do that so many times I'm going figure out that this is just your way of making me feel pressured to act. If this is an example of the kind of "persuasive" writing you want me to do...um....well... I think I'd just as soon keep on driving my cab.
So when someone comes across and tells me that there's actually money in this but it's only $8 an article to start and then you can make more based on how well you do at the beginning, it sounds more real to me. This isn't someone blowing smoke up my ass, telling me how I can make a six figure income by sitting by the pool writing "persuasive" copywrite. This sounds more to me like, "Yeah the money isn't glamorous, to start out, but if you work hard and hone your craft you might eventually be able to make enough to support yourself, or at the very least, make some extra money by working from home. And this is not the only company that works this way. There are a number of companies that tell you they give you a list of articles, or short essays, that are needed, you pick the ones that interest you and write them. It also makes me think that they are legit when they give me short writing tests to see if I have good grammar skills. So far I've applied to three companies. They say it could take a few weeks before I'll know if I've been accepted or not. That also makes me feel that this is not a sham, that they're actually testing people to see if they can write, not just promising that "anyone can do this."
So yeah, the path is loaded with pitfalls. But I know I will never learn if I don't give it a try. But as I said in an earlier post: I'm finally starting to like the act of writing, which is something totally new for me. I'm also tired of people telling me I have talent and not doing anything with it. So I'm finally going to give it a shot. I really like the idea of picking from a list of topics and writing short essays on them and making some money for doing it. I don't think I could write a novel, but if you give me an assignment with some guidelines to work within, I think I could very well do that.
I'm leaving for Maui in Six weeks. I bought a one way plane ticket and my flight leaves on June 2nd. I have enough money saved up to live on for a few months without having to take a job. So, if I get accepted to one, or all, of the companies I've applied to I might be able to get started before I go to Maui. But once I'm there and I don't have to concentrate on a "job" I can give more of my time and attention to this. And I do want to start a blog as well. So that should keep me busy while I live off what I've saved.
I've been trying to get out of cab driving for a while now. It's a hard habit to break after 20 plus years. I almost did it when I went to Cambodia, but I got scared when my money got screwed up. But maybe I was trying to bite off way more than I could chew. Maybe trying to start a new career, at the same time as living in a foreign country was more than I could handle all at once. I have friends in Maui who are very supportive. One of them knows how to use Word Press, which is what I'll need to learn if I want to start a blog. I've also been told that there are a lot of writers on Maui who I will be introduced to when I get there. So I think this might be a better way to get out of cab driving. I have friends and contacts, a support system, in Maui, whereas I didn't have that in Cambodia.
At first I thought being a writer meant you had to write a novel, or publish articles in magazines and newspapers. I didn't know there we so many other ways to make money writing. Just like when someone says they want to be a professional musician, most people think that means they expect to be famous. But there are so many other ways to make it as a musician: you can do studio work, you can play weddings, you can work in nightclubs, you don't always have to be "famous" to work as a musician. And now that I know the same applies to writing, it makes me think that maybe I can do this.