A few ago a period of ill health meant that I was home more than ever before. As a person who had always worked full-time it was both lovely and difficult. The ill-health was a pain of course but all that time on my hands. What on earth was I going to do?
Q - How long have you been writing for?
A - It feels like a lifetime

Up until this time our home PC was mainly used  to play games, create databases and type the odd letter. However, our recent "Internet Connection" saw me researching all sorts of subjects.  Partly looking for something to while away a few hours but hoping that I could earn a little money into the bargain, I began to write product reviews. As they say the rest is history.

Looking back at some of my early work it was truly dreadful. I had been good at English at school but that had been many years earlier. I soon became an ardent writer and with time my writing improved.  Rushing headlong into writing ventures, I only researched so far. This meant that each site which I joined, was a learning process. A learn as you go along venture.

In the early days, I learned the importance of having a copy of your work. If a site folds, or your computer stalls as you are writing, your work is lost. it is worth typing a draft into Word or a similar programme, so that if the worst happens you have a copy.

The pen name, Ethel Smith, which now feels like my alter ego was chosen for personal reasons. Now that my writing has  improved, hopefully, Ihave  stepped out of the writer's closet.  We all have good and bad days. Some days confidence dives and creative juices refuse to flow., but that's life.

Online earnings can be good, bad or downright non-existent, but you live and learn. It is best to be selective where you write and only continue with sites that suit you. Writing online can be fun, a pain, social, isolated, creative, a chore and much more. You will need to at least enjoy writing or you may as well look elsewhere.

There are new sites and formats arriving all of the time but who would have thought that a site of my own would have been on the cards?

Many online writers begin to write for all sorts of reasons. For some the money is perhaps the main incentive but most people could earn more for working a few hours behind a pub bar, or the like. Part of the attraction is the freedom, the sense that you are working for yourself, the flexibility, the anonymity, being able to share your opinions and experiences, and having the chance to grow. You do not have to begin as an excellent writer but there is a chance you may become one.

Freelance writing is democratic these days and novices write alongside experienced professionals. In this way it is much easier to get a break as a writer, rather than trying traditional methods to get selected for writing assignments.

It feels like a lifetime?
Online writing invariably means that you reminisce, fall back on your experiences and share some of your memories. Perhaps this is why it feels as if I have written for longer than is really the case.  It may only be a few years since I began writing online but in so many ways it feels like a lifetime and it is doubtful I will ever stop.

Lesson Five

So you have decided to take the plunge and try your hand at freelance writing online. You may already be an experienced writer. This could be from a good education, further education or your work. Most people however do not fall into any of those categories. Do not let this daunt you. Sure you will come across some who have a better vocabulary, or way of wording sentences but that is them.

Most websites these days are a little more picky than years ago. They may want or even demand good grammar, correct spelling, proper sentence structuring and more. Most offer a spell checker which is always worth using before hitting that publish button.

Perhaps what is more important is finding your voice. Whilst it may not be appropriate to write exactly as you speak you need to find your online writing identity. Your voice.

Being a distinctive writer who has something fresh to say is the ideal. There are so many other writers online chasing a similar dream that you need to stand out if you can.

You do of course need to give yourself time. If you left school 40 years ago and have not tried your hand at writing since then you cannot expect miracles. Looking back at her early work this blogger grimaces. Still we all have to start somewhere. She still grimaces at times but these days can usually make the necessary corrections. Your writing style will also depend upon who you see as your audience. Blogging is different to perhaps creating a Hub on Hubpages or writing a factual news report.

Sites which allow you to write a news report often ask that you abide by AP, associated press, standards. Most of these sites are US based. In fact most online writing websites are US based but there are a few that are not, such as TEKJournalismUK. You can research AP standards by simply googling just that.

On the whole some of the dos and dont's of online writing appear to be:

• Avoid overly long Titles
• Minimise stop words such as The and And in Titles
• Do not write a Title in capitals or with unnecessary capital letters
• Avoid punctuation such as ! and ? in Titles. Go for the bare minimum instead
• Do not place a full stop at the end of a Title or Sub-title
• Avoid simply writing what in effect is a long list
• Try not to use the first person, as in saying I. Instead try saying this writer or the like
• Spell and grammar check your work
• NEVER copy another writer's work
• If you use another writer's work for research show the source as a credit
• Break your article or report down into smaller paragraphs. One huge block of text is hard to read and will put off would be readers

Some new writers like to get a second opinion on their work from a member of the website or a family member. Others like to remain an almost private writer who shares with the world but not associates. The choice is yours. 

Having written online the above is some of what I have learned. It is meant as advice though not a must do list. Try different styles in order achieve your goal.

You can try a few practice runs but often the best way is to learn as you write. You can after all procrastinate for ever whilst it might be better to publish and learn as you go along. Above all remember to have some fun and do not take yourself, others or your work too seriously.

Lesson Six - Where to write online

Tags: How to freelance write online, freelance writing online, making money online, news reports online

Lesson Three

Whilst you may think that it is time to get down to the nitty gritty working our way through needs such as an email account, paypal and affiliates will make it easier for you in the long run. Most of us tend to storm in once we have decided we want to write online. This can mean that your hard work fails to reward you. By the time you have sussed out where you have gone wrong it will be too late and you may be totally dispirited.

However you will usually need to have written somewhere online to be able to actually join any of the affiliate programs..

Becoming an affiliate will not be essential for all sites, plus the choice remains yours, but without doing so some sites will never make you any money. So what is an affiliate? In a nutshell it means that an advertiser will run ads on your work. Money is made by how many "impressions" your work receives or more directly in how many visitors click on any ads.

Take a look at the ad on this report. It is from Google and part of their affiliate program.

Sites such as Helium, Xomba, Triond, Wizzley and Infobarrel will simply need you to register with Google ads. Once you have done so you will need to make sure that you have linked your google ads account number to each website. This is usually done by inserting your google published ID in the allocated place. More often than not this will be in your site profile.

You need to bear in mind that most if not all of these websites will take a percentage of the money you make from their ads. Make sure that you read the site information regarding payment so you do not get any nasty surprises. Usually they will take 50 or even 60 %. Perhaps you might want to select sites that offer the best rewards. The devil is always in the detail so make sure that you fully understand what you have signed up for. As discussed in Lesson Two make sure that you review the agreement from time to time.

If you have your own website or blog you can place ads onto your site for 100% reward. This is when you are an affiliate. The easy way to find out what is on offer is to simply search online for "affiliate opportunities" You will soon see that there are many available and not all will be genuine.

The standard ones to join are Google, EBay, Amazon, Chitika and Commission Junction. The signing up process is usually fairly easy, with step by step help if needed. Not all who apply are accepted. Make sure that your written work is the best you are capable of, is not adult, abusive and that it is not spam.

The other way that you can in theory earn is by referrals. The link to Chtika above is my referral link. If you join via that I receive a reward. These also vary. Most websites offer a reward for referring other members.

The most important thing to remember is to be honest. Clicking on your own ads, or creating duplicate accounts to fiddle referrals is a definite no no. Sooner or later you will get caught and blacklisted.

Lesson Four to follow - Utilising social media

Tags: freelance writing online, referrals affiliates, google ads, Hubages ethel smith, infobarrel, online writing workshop

Lesson One.

Writing online can be many things. It can be fun, costly, make money, time consuming, social, lonely and much more. You get the picture. On the whole it is what you want it to be. For some freelance writers it is a want to share serious opinions and knowledge whilst for others it may be a simple daily blog.

So perhaps getting started freelance writing should initially look at your motivation.

The reason why you want to write online could help you choose the right websites, tools and direction your writing will take. 

•  Consider why you have decided to write online. It often will be to make a little "pocket money" but that is not always easy. Websites come and go plus with google's constant updates keeping up can be tricky.
• So what knowledge do you have regarding online writing? If the answer is none a product review website such as Ciao or Dooyoo could be a good place to learn. The "pickings" will be small but it is a start. It will help you get the feel of the "pecking order" of such sites. Trust me they exist on line in much the same way as they do in the conventional workplace.
• Do you have your own writing style? For many online writers this comes with time. It is like "finding your voice". You may try and follow particular guidelines but having your own way with words is important.
• What are your strengths and weakness, as far as knowledge goes? Whilst a good writer may be able to write about any subject if you are writing a factual report it will need to be just that. You can research your subject but you must not simply copy another writer's work. Utilising the knowledge you have gained during your life is the best way to begin. In other words write about what you know and understand.

Having written online for around six years this blogger has learned the hard way, many things regarding writing online. These include the best sites available, the pitfalls, the community, netiquette and more. Whilst it is an ongoing learning curve, and she continues to learn, her knowledge base has grown considerably. Sharing this in an ongoing blog regarding freelance writing online seemed a sensible option.

After all who would have thought six years ago she would now have a large portfolio of online writing and her own website to boot? Not her that's for sure. Sharing this knowledge could just help you avoid the pitfalls and potential scams.

Lesson Two to follow.

Tags: freelance writing online, online writing opportunities, get paid to write, citizen journalism, writing