Discouraged

Completed my second blogger assignment, didn't have to make any revisions, and was rated lower than my first article, where revisions were needed. I am now confused about the system my work is being rated against, frustrated that these blogs are actually getting to use my work for no pay, as they don't pay high enough royalties to meet their "minimum payout" requirement for each pay period; if you don't meet, you don't get paid, and these earning do not roll over to the next pay period, you just lose them, thus your work is basically used for free unless you have the social media following of a Greek God. I don't.

Jumping of this freelance train for a while until I find something more upfront and reliable. It's not that I expect to make a lot of money at this, I just don't think I should be giving my work up for free.

More later.
-Shaylyn

Almost the weekend.

Turns out when you are a college student, and you leave your backpack at home because you get distracted with making sure your puppy gets lots of cuddles before you leave, you can no longer function on a college campus. True story. You turn to a life of crime, stealing pens and paper off your boss' desk just to get through the day... I'm not proud of my actions. I will return the pen. I promise.

But the puppy did get adequate love before I left the house so I do feel good about that.

I checked my blogger earnings for my first published article (found here if you are interested in reading that) after if first day of public availability... turns out royalties aren't very lucrative; maybe they become more profitable as your work improves? But with 28 logged views in one day, which I was very happy with, I have earned a whopping $0.59. I am hoping that as I complete more blog assignments, my "Writer Rating" will improve enough to allow me access to journalist jobs, which pay upfront in most cases.

But, at this point, good thing I'm not in it for the money.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!
And thank goodness its almost Friday!

-Shaylyn

Published!

My first "published" article. Turns out I get paid from royalties? Not sure what that really even means at this point... more Googling.

But, finally, here is the link!
Love That Lace - Shaylyn Reichert

Snowfall…

Do you know how hard it is to try starting up any sort of online career or anything of the sort when you don’t actually have internet access at your house? Very.

So I have been relying mostly on the blessing of being in college, which allows me to spend my days on a campus full of beautiful, up-to-date computers, free printing, and –can you guess it… WiFi! This has allowed me to do most of my searching and submitting without using up my family’s precious data plan.

But, alas, today was snowy.Absolutely gorgeous, like being trapped in a snow globe, but not very conducive to safe driving, or non-marshmallow-ish clothing. So I went to work this morning, and came home. Sorry, family data plan, but you are getting used today… (sorry mom)

Anywho, sitting here watching Friends, and cuddling with my sweet doggies makes up for it. Hot coffee helps, too, as well as fuzzy slippers. You know, I may never leave my house again :)

Hope you are all staying warm & snuggling up to your puppies, too!

-Shaylyn

Burning The House Down (nearly)

Well, my boyfriend managed to burn cereal last night while trying to make supper. He was actually trying to make mac n' cheese, not cereal. It was successful as soon as all of the escaped little cereal bits were retrieved from the burner...

Anywho, in the midst of him smoking up the whole house with his burning breakfast product, I was still Googling the heck out of more writing jobs and outlets. Found Hubpages, which turns out to be a lot more complex than just writing for the sake of writing. You have to include original photos and videos for each post or "hub" and as a beginner, five of your hubs have to be "featured" before you can finally just write and have your writing published on your profile. The way writer's generate profit here is by partnering with things like AdSense, so they make money based on views and ad clicks from their page. Seemed a little off base from my goal of writing and presenting that as it's own feature.

In other news, I am working on a website where I can compile all of my work as a portfolio. I hope to include my writing work, as well as some graphic and web design work I have created. This site will hopefully make a nice, presentable place for people to see what I am capable of.

Following Freelance Dreams

As many of my close friends and family know, writing has always been one of my favorite outlets, and something I have genuinely enjoyed for as long as I can remember. I was always enthusiastic about entering local writing contests, with this habit starting as young as the first grade, and continuing throughout my years in the K-12 system. Actually, I did surprisingly better in these contests than I ever expected to; my best award was a $2000 prize for about a page and a half of writing. While I wasn't in it for the money, it was nice to receive compensation and recognition for my time and effort.

Nearing the end of my second year in college, I have realized that since leaving high school, my writing has taken a back seat. I have spent the last two years writing nothing but required essays, and I miss what I was doing. So, here I am, deciding to go for what I am passionate about. I am bound and determined to step through the threshold of freelance writing, no matter how slow my internet connection may sometimes be, or how little pay per word I receive... You have to start somewhere, right?

Let me just tell you a little bit about my journey so far, which started about a week ago:

Day One (February 19th) - Google searches for hours lead me to what other writers like to call "Content Mills." The first one I stumbled upon was Textbroker. I signed up, printed about 22 pages of FAQ information, and still have not figured out how to access an assignment - it now won't let me log in, saying they are "verifying my information." But they also said they appreciated my patience... that's nice of them.

Day Two (20th) - Still cannot log on :( More Google searches don't tell me why, but do lead me to the website of a seasoned veteran (28 years old and freelancer for 1.5 year) who has a beautiful website and portfolio of work. On blind faith, I send her an email, asking for any advice she has for getting into these secret freelancer world.

Day Three, Four, & Five - I have found another content mill, much easier to get into, and submitted my first assignment. If it gets posted, I will share the link!

Day Six - The seasoned vet actually responded, and was very kind! She offered wonderful advice and was very welcoming considering I am a twenty year old wasting her time and filling her inbox.

Day Seven (Today, February 24th) - Received feedback on my first assignment, just had to take out a few "you"s and resubmit! I think that's a good sign. Hope to have my first official work published to their blog in the next few days!

Thanks for reading,
Shaylyn