A Writing Year

One year ago I found an advertisement for Triond.  I had been looking for a legitimate way to put my computer to use earning money, and I had been trying for many years to get some of my writing published.  It seemed like a good idea–something to try.  Triond had several good things going for it.  It didn’t ask for money up front, there was a real contract that laid out the conditions for publishing, and it didn’t require any special equipment or expertise.

So…I started writing.  The first month, I earned thirty cents.  The next month was back to school, and I didn’t get a lot of writing done.  So, it was October before I received my first Pay Pal deposit of sixty cents.  My account didn’t really pick up till January, when Nick Kenney noticed my writing and shared it with some other people.

Earning with Triond is driven on two fronts:  writing good-quality articles of interest to others, and viewing a commenting on the work of other writers.  Good articles that continue to earn month after month become the mainstay, quick little items such as poetry helps keep up interest and daily views.  To maintain good viewing with Triond, it is a good idea to post something every day.

Triond writers are great about sharing writing tips.  After reading several articles on how to make money writing online, I decided to branch out a little bit and write for other online publishers as well.  I tried out Associated Content, Ehow, Bukisa, and Helium.  Each has advantages and disadvantages; each has some unique requirements.  Of course, as soon as I signed up for all of them, Life (with that big capital L) happened, and I was hard pressed to keep contributing to Triond, let alone four more publishers!

Despite all that I persevered.  Like all good Triond writers, I like to share what I’ve learned with other writers.  Here is what I have learned this summer:

Triond:  Triond was my first on-line publisher, and it is still my favorite.  Since I don’t do a lot of promotion, my earnings are small and slow, but very steady.  Thanks to a good back-log of reliable articles that keep on paying, I average about ten cents per day from my Triond writings.  A bigger plus for me is the friendly give-and-take with other writers.  Reading my friends’news is a high-point of my day.  I miss being in touch when my schedule prevents participation.

Associated Content:  AC has pretty high standards for its publications; but that is fine–it helps me grow as a writer.  They tend to have a list of assignments that can be claimed by writers; those have the best chance of being picked up for publication, but you can also submit topics of your own choice.  They have two systems of payment:  upfront payments upon publication and pay-per-view, which is similar to Triond.  The upfront payments are made almost right away upon publication.  I’m still waiting for my first pay-per-view payment.  I’ve only reached seventy-two cents in that area.  However, I have received nearly $20.00 in upfront payments.  At that rate, I can afford to wait for the other.  Associated Content bases its ppv rate of pay on what they call “clout”.  The more popular your articles, the greater your clout, and the greater your pay per view.  I’ve made it to 3/10, so I’m not exactly getting rich quick.

Ehow:  Ehow focuses on how-to articles.  So far, I have only posted one article with them.  It seems to be doing pretty well (considering that it is one lonely article), but I’ve not realized any income from it.  I have some ideas, but Life really has gotten in the way of my writing plans.

Bukisa:  I’ve flagged Bukisa as a good place to launch semi-professional writing.  It also focuses on how-to’s, but from a slightly different stance from Ehow.  The primary “how-to’s” that I know involve art, teaching and librarianship.  I have two articles there, and have earned one whole penny.

Helium:  Helium is sort of fun and a bit of a challenge.  It does not pay out till you have earned $25.00, and I’m a bit shy of that still.  Helium posts starter titles, and then has participants comment blind on the items.  Since many people will be writing on the same topic, your writing will be ranked in comparison to others who have also addressed that topic.  When I have finished reading my Triond news, I flip over to Helium and critique articles there.  I’m a two-star reader now, and getting very close to three stars!  Non-fiction articles are also rated by stars, and I am a two-star writer on Helium.  It’s going to be a while before I’m a three star–I’ll need at least thirty good articles there to do that.  Creative writing, which doesn’t pay as well as articles (we all knew that, right?) is rated by shields.  I have Silver shield, and am working towards a Gold.  Like the articles, however, that may be a while.

Throughout the summer, I have devoted four to eight hours each day to writing.  I have used the same pen-name with all but one publisher to maintain consistency.  Even so, I publish unique articles with each company.  I have enjoyed the challenge immensely, and I am dreading going back to work; I am sure taking care of my day-job is going to seriously cut into my writing time.

One thing I have learned from this year:  writing pays slow, but it does pay.  And the only way to earn from writing is to write the stuff and get it out there before the public.  It doesn’t do any good stuffed in a drawer or saved on a USB drive dangling from a keyring; and while promoting your work may help drive traffic to it, you still need to have the content there for people to see.  If it isn’t interesting, they won’t be back for a second look and they sure won’t recommend it to friends.

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The other thing I have learned this summer is that taking a look at several publishers can be fun, will create new writing challenges and help keep your approach to writing fresh and lively. 

So, happy writing my friends!  Keep those good ideas rolling, don’t give up, and never stop working to improve. The next item you write may be the one to take off and shoot right to the top!