In this issue
-- Three Quick Ways To Create Freelance Writing Clips
-- Money Making Tip
-- Still Earning One Cent A Word?
-- How Much Does Freelance Writing Pay?
-- Diary Of A Working Writer - August 2007
-- Living The Freelance Writing Dream
-- Writer's Bookshelf

Welcome to Writing Lab News. Every issue of this monthly newsletter contains useful articles to help freelance writers learn to improve their writing skills. There are also pointers to useful resources that help writers manage and promote their writing careers.

This month's articles deal with getting published and getting paid to write. If you think it's time to move your career to the next level, then you will enjoy this month's guest article from Dana Prince and my tip for making money from your blog with very little effort. Next edition: September 3rd.

As a new freelance writer, it is often difficult to provide freelance writing clips when applying for writing jobs. Writing clients want to see examples of your work before they hire you, but if you are new to the writing business, you may not have any published work. Here are three quick ways to create freelance writing clips to show prospective clients.

There are hundreds if not thousands of article directories on the Internet and they are all looking for content. This is a gold mine for freelance writers, because you can pick your own topic and write a by-lined article that is reprinted on lots of websites.

There are two advantages to using article directories to create clips. The first is that you can write on whatever topic you like. You can be creative and can show off a wide range of writing skills. Second, your name appears on each article. If you have a website or blog, you can include a link to it in the resource box. This process, known as article marketing, will bring traffic to your site.

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One of the ways I make money from my site is through Text Link Ads. I signed up with them a long time ago and I had just about given up when the money started coming through. It's not big money yet, but it's a nice addition to the monthly income. All you do is install a plugin or paste some code and the links appear, as if by magic. And you can also sell links in your RSS feed. If you have a blog, there's no harm in grabbing the code and putting it on your site. As your blog becomes better known, you'll get some links and make money with Text Link Ads.

Most of the freelance writers I know are trying to change their writing lives. They want clients who pay more money and pay on time. That can be difficult to achieve, but once you've got some steady work, it's worth taking a risk.

Whether you choose to take the advice in Biblical terms (ask and you shall receive) or in more modern parlance (you don't ask, you don't get), the message is the same. The first step to changing your writing income is to ask for what you want.

Of course, you also have to prove that you are worth it. That's why you should always list the services that you provide to justify why you cost more than 1 cent a word. You may also have to increase your prices gradually for existing clients.

Once your writing clients see the quality you provide, they will realise that you are worth a bit extra. It doesn't have to be much. Increase your prices by half a cent or a cent and your income will get a boost without bankrupting your clients.

Don't be afraid that making this move will lose you clients. Value yourself and they will value you too.

Another thought provoking post from Dana Prince.

Three times this week, I've found through mybloglog stats that people have arrived on my blog by asking questions about what types of rates freelance writing pays. My answer to that question is that it varies.

Because the question has come up so frequently with my blog arriving on Google as an answer, I thought I would provide a more direct response.

I've been a writer for a little over a year although really, I've been a writer in my heart my whole life. My first paid gig was with a forum where I was paid to write interesting posts. That job paid me $12 an hour through Odesk. That was a really good rate for paid posting and isn't that easy to come by. Many paid to post jobs are a nickel or a dime per post. My next gig was with paid blogging companies and they paid $5 a paragraph with one clickable link. This was quite lucrative for a while until the rules changed and required three posts for that price for one of the big companies that had plenty of blogging work available.

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Every writer needs some time off, and I am no exception. I spent a week in Orlando, experiencing the delights and disasters of Disney with my four year old for the first time.

Back in blogland I started a list of the blogging communities I belong to. Be sure to stop by and add me as a friend. The move of Get Paid To Write Online has gone very smoothly - thanks to all of you who stop by and comment regularly. I've just started a series on paid blogging. So far, I've reviewed Blogitive and Blogsvertise, with more to come in the next month.

After a brief slump, work has picked up again and I now have more than enough to keep me busy for the next few weeks. I'm still on the lookout for new opportunities, though. Freelance writers can't afford to be complacent, so I make sure that I apply for a couple of new gigs every day. I'm also working on my freelancing book - expect a preview next month. Have a great month!

How do you plan your freelance writing career? Is it simply about working till your fingers fall off, grabbing every job that comes and feeling a vague sense of dissatisfaction? If it is, then maybe you're in the wrong job. After all, that's not the freelancing dream.

The freelancing dream goes like this: I will earn enough money to keep my whole family in food, clothing and holidays; I will work only a few hours a day; I will have plenty of time for my kids, my partner and myself; and I will still look good at the end of the day.

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