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After the web copy job, I was upset and frustrated...I had applied for a position as a blog writer for a company called Adapt Inc., and hadn't heard back so thought that was a bust. The Tuesday after the Web Copy Fiasco, I finally received an email with all my blog invites...I was accepted, and would be paid a minimum of $5 for a 700 word post, up to $15 for a 3000 word post...with a monthly cap of $300. WOO HOO! This, folks, is half my stupid mortgage! Talk about being ridiculously excited...I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Well, not maybe THAT excited but you get the picture.
I immediately got to work and tried to crank out a 3000 word post...thankfully, they offer a wide range of topics from Gardening to Fashion to Movie Reviews and everything in between, so how could I miss? Gah...as it turns out, I could...I was blocked up like a loo in a spicy food restaurant. All I could pull was 1000 words, which was six bucks. Not bad, but not as easy as I thought it would be. See, back in the old days (before the child) I could write for hours, uninterrupted, thoughts flowing freely. Now, someone is always breaking my concentration, whether it be the child, husband, cat, or my very own self as I get distracted and surf around for something.
I did the math, and if I could manage two 700 word posts a day, for 30 days, there would be my $300 cap. 700 words was a breeze...and I could be distracted and still manage to keep things coherent. I wrote three posts, and then had another bad experience with a job (that will come later on this week for your reading pleasure)...and suddenly I wondered, am I going to do all this work and not get a dime for it?
So, I decided to wait until the end of the month and leave things as they were to see if money appeared in my PayPal account. And guess what?
IT DID! One of the best days of my freelancing career so far...I had found a genuine opportunity to make money! This month I'm up to around $100 bucks, not the full monty but all I had time for (FYI, selling your house yourself can take a boatload of you time). I'm not sure if they're still looking for people, but I found them at www.freelancewriting.com...they posted on the job board, so keep your eyes peeled!
Thanks to all for coming back to read more...it's so nice to have you, and I hope together we can all learn so very much!
I spent every day for a while scouring the Job Bank at Freelancewriting.com, waiting for opportunities. I saw one that seemed very simple, write five small paragraphs of website copy for $10. I emailed the poster and immediately received a reply...she liked my work and I was hired. Woo hoo!
Then I received all the job details, which were so poorly written that I was horrified. I visited the domain I was writing for (I thought) and saw that while the site needed some work, it was servicable and written well. My alarm bells began ringing a little at this point...but I ignored them.
Since the job details were nearly impossible to understand, I completed one paragraph of the project and sent it to my client so she could review it before I wasted any more time. I heard nothing back, and assumed that she didn't like it and didn't need me any longer. The money wasn't really a concern, as I had only put 20 minutes or so into it. No biggie.
Three weeks later, I received an email from the client asking when I would have the rest of the project completed. I replied with a copy of the email I sent with my first draft, explaining that when I did not hear from her I figured she wasn't interested in working with me. She sent back a panicked email informing me that she needed the job done the NEXT DAY. I then explained that I had not saved the work I had done so far and would need her to send me a copy and I'd try to get it done but wasn't making any promises. I aim to please, you know. 
So. This is where it gets fun and interesting, I promise.
She forwards me an email that has my file attached...and I read the entire content...to find that SHE WAS NOT REALLY THE END CLIENT, AND WAS USING ME AS A SUBCONTRACTOR. She bid on this project at GetAFreelancer.com, and the fellow who had paid her $150 for the job SHE THEN HIRED ME TO DO FOR $10 was very, very angry as she had promised to complete it in 7 days. All she did was take his job details he provided for her, butcher them, and send them to me.
I immediately sent her a very sarcastic email illustrating the idiocy of what she had just done by sending me this forward...and let her know that I WOULD NOT be completing the project and that if she used ANY of my work I would be in touch with a legal entity.
She had the gall to try to PAY ME for the paragraph I had done so she could use it. I again told her NO, with legal mumbo jumbo.
I haven't heard from her since, but just be aware of this in your adventures...always check and double check to be sure exactly who you're working for. I don't mind subcontracting at all...but I like to KNOW I'm doing so.
So, I had finally sold myself...my lovely first client sent me all of her info, and I had it done and ready for her to check out within 24 hours. She loved it, I made a few cosmetic changes and POOF! job well done. She had some amazing skills so I'm sure she'll find the perfect job in no time.
I quickly relisted the auction, but no takers. Relisted again, no takers. I began to doubt my new venture, and started combing the internet for freelance links and stumbled across Freelancewriting.com. They've got tons of information, plus a great job board...and best of all, it's FREE. For some reason I have issues with paying to access job info. I can't help it...it just seems wrong to me. Anyhow.
I inquired about several jobs, and was awarded four off the bat. Some paid a pittance, some paid more...but my main concern was would they really pay AT ALL? I'd heard horror stories about freelancers completing work only to have it stolen, used without their permission or pay. And I didn't actually KNOW any of these people...they were just a name on a screen. I even faxed my social security number to a company in order to be paid as an independent contractor. Was I slowly losing my mind here? I mean, REVEALING MY PERSONAL INFO TO STRANGERS TO EARN A FEW BUCKS...if I was LUCKY?
Tomorrow, I'll tell you all about the first job experience...website copy.
When you decide that you don't like your job...and you don't want to GO anymore...what comes next?
Much thought, that's what. I nearly drove myself (and my poor spouse) insane for six months blabbering about what we should do, where we should go, how much money we needed to make, how we were going to make it...GAH. I'm getting nauseous just typing about it
[ Click here to read more ]
Welcome, dear reader!
I've been working at a dead end job as an office manager for nine years. While the work is enjoyable and creativly satisfying, I've grown increasingly dissillusioned with my boss. Sound familiar? Sure it does. I've put my house up for sale, and when it's gone, I'M gone...headed for greener, warmer pastures and a home with no mortgage so I can attempt to live the dream of being self employed
[ Click here to read more ]
So, I had finally sold myself...my lovely first client sent me all of her info, and I had it done and ready for her to check out within 24 hours. She loved it, I made a few cosmetic changes and POOF! job well done. She had some amazing skills so I'm sure she'll find the perfect job in no time.
I quickly relisted the auction, but no takers. Relisted again, no takers. I began to doubt my new venture, and started combing the internet for freelance links and stumbled across Freelancewriting.com. They've got tons of information, plus a great job board...and best of all, it's FREE. For some reason I have issues with paying to access job info. I can't help it...it just seems wrong to me. Anyhow
[ Click here to read more ]
When you decide that you don't like your job...and you don't want to GO anymore...what comes next?
Much thought, that's what. I nearly drove myself (and my poor spouse) insane for six months blabbering about what we should do, where we should go, how much money we needed to make, how we were going to make it...GAH. I'm getting nauseous just typing about it
[ Click here to read more ]
Welcome, dear reader!
I've been working at a dead end job as an office manager for nine years. While the work is enjoyable and creativly satisfying, I've grown increasingly dissillusioned with my boss. Sound familiar? Sure it does. I've put my house up for sale, and when it's gone, I'M gone...headed for greener, warmer pastures and a home with no mortgage so I can attempt to live the dream of being self employed
[ Click here to read more ]
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Comment by Freelancing Rowan
on The Web Copy Writing Fiasco
Adventures in Freelancing
Anon, I don't mean for folks to think freelancing is bad...I am LOVING getting paid to write and create...I'm just sharing my personal journey and there are bumps in every road.