4 Things to Avoid in Your Article Content - Writing for Pay As a Home Based Business

There are four very important things to avoid when writing articles especially those you are writing for pay as your home based business. These are very simple or basic things but also very important to keep in mind when creating quality content.

1. Simple grammar mistakes:
Writing of any type needs to be well proofed before it is submitted to be sure all the words are used and spelled correctly, the grammar is correct and most importantly the ideas are presented in a logical progression so that the article flows. Write as if you were having a conversation with a friend and you cannot go wrong. The only exception to this is if the buyer specifically requests that the article content be technical and written more as a manual than an article. This seldom happens because if the article you write is not easy to read and understand you will lose the interest of the reader quickly and no buyer wants this type of article.

2. College level words:
Using huge words does not impress the reader but will only send them in search of information that is easier to understand. For instance I could have said, "The utilization of colossal lexis accomplishes little in the aspect of electrifying the punter of the written word." This sentence says the same thing as, "Using huge words does not impress the reader." Which sentence would you rather read?

3. Unnecessarily lengthy articles:
Article length can be 300 words to over 700 words but keeping the article between 450 and 550 will be more attractive to readers. If your article runs over the 700 word mark you can easily divide it into two smaller and more appealing articles.  Sometimes a buyer requests a lengthy article so you need to do what your buyer wants.  Always strive to make your buyer happy.  Usually they will have perimeters for your article submission which will include the length they want.

4. Run-on sentence structure:
Avoid run-on sentences! These will make your article very hard to read and understand. For instance I could have said, "Avoid run-on sentences as these will make your article very hard to read and understand and if you fall into this trap of writing sentences that are way too long you will find that your reader will lose interest because they cannot understand your sentences." When you proof your article content look for these types of mistakes and simply break up the long sentence into two or three easy to read ideas. One sentence should equal one idea.

As you can see, these four things to avoid are very simple and basic but will kill the credibility of the content you produce. Do your best to avoid these little pitfalls. Writing quality content is really not difficult. Read your content carefully once your article is finished and make any necessary adjustments before you make your submission.

How to Start Earning Money Writing Online

Writing for Pay 

Here is my story:*Hi, My name is Penny Lee and this is me today in rehab recovering from a left broken arm (3 places) and a right dislocated shoulder (2 times).  This is the result of a fall in the bathroom.  Please be careful in your bathroom!  But, my story is not about my fall but about how I began making some extra income writing for pay using Online Buyers.  Writers write so even with two badly wounded arms I can still use my fingers to type so I continue to write!

Retirement came early for me, not because it was planned but because my doctor got in my face and said, "I cannot help you unless you quit your stressful job. If you continue on this way you will have a stroke which will probably not kill you but will leave you disabled!" I had no choice at age 61 but to retire way too early from my very stressful 8 to 5 JOB that I purely hated. Fortunately for me I found I was eligible for survivor benefits from my deceased ex-husband. Who knew?  As it turned out, the money was just $200 short of my income after taxes from the job that was literally killing me.

Needing a way to make some supplemental income and having no desire to attempt another 9-5 JOB even if I could find one, I began searching the Internet for options. There are tons of 'get rich quick' opportunities that cost you your hard earned money or savings as it were my case. I tried several but made nothing for my efforts. 

Step #1 Make a Decision to Write for Pay
Then I discovered a real way to earn extra income from home.  I am a creative person and had taken little correspondence courses over the years about fiction writing. This is not really my forte as it were. However, there are many, many different avenues you can take to create extra income writing for pay. What I enjoy is learning new things and doing online research to find answers. I found I have a knack for explaining things in a simple to understand way no matter how technical. 'How to' type of content suited me very well and I found writing these type of things very enjoyable.

At this point I had determined that writing would be my 'extra income' option for working in the comfort of my own home at my own pace. The next step was to find individuals (buyers) who would pay me to do 'my thing'. First I needed an opportunity and second I needed practice.

Step #2  Practice by Blogging
The first thing I did was pay for a course that would certify me as a blogger. Later I discovered that this is completely unnecessary and a waste of money. To be a blogger you can simply begin writing about things that interest you. Just like a 'writer writes', a 'blogger blogs'. Using a free program like Word Press which is now the most popular or other free programs like Blogger.com you can add lovely details like pertinent pictures or videos or charts as needed. You can also add optimization which is also free and can bring you some income.

  What is Blogging?
Blogging means you have written an interesting article or some kind of content that offers valuable information and then with an affiliate link or adsense or both added you have an opportunity to make a little money if your reader clicks on your link. In the next article I will explain how to optimize for your pertinent keywords or keyword phrases and how to choose the best words.

Step #3  Find an Online Buyer
My first writing for pay experience was through a website called, Freelancer. This is a free website that offers job postings. You just look through available projects until you find one you think you would like to work on and you place a bid. The same goes for many, many other websites similar to this one. These are all free. They may offer an option to become a paid member but this is not necessary. If it has a fee for bidding on available projects you should not get involved. Paying for a job is not necessary until you are granted a bid. Then the website will charge you and the buyer a small percentage or fee of the completed project. This is the way they make their income and is understandable but do not pay for a membership.

The jobs you will find in Freelancer and others like it will not pay much money. What you bid is up to you but if you bid too high you will not be chosen and if you bid too low you will be working for less money than is worth your time and effort. AS in all things in life, the more experience you have, the greater your reputation as a writer will become and the more you will be able to ask for any project (writing job).

Guru.com is another website offering job postings for writers as well as other types of at home jobs. They offer jobs for data entry (basically spreadsheet posting), web design, programming, technical writing, transcription, translating and more. Job posts in Guru are usually higher paying opportunities and probably for the more experienced writer. The website I use the most and swear by for many reasons is Elance. Yes, this is an affiliate link for me but when I go after a new project I go to Elance first. Elance also offers a large variety of job opportunities for all kinds of writing.

So, from learning how to make decent extra income writing for pay using websites like Elance, I have also learned how to optimize blogs and create optimized websites. In case you are wondering, this is not huge wads of cash but rather decent amounts of steady extra income.

Please 'stay tuned' for my next blogs that will explain how to optimize, how to bid, and how to build a strong reputation as a writer or blogger, where to post your articles and more.  BTW, the money I made from the project I was working on when I had my accident paid my medical bills.  Even though it takes a lot of work and time to get rolling as an online writer until you do build up your reputation, it is really worth it if you do enjoy the process.

To your success,
Penny (pennywrites)

Free Article Submission Sites that are Most Popular

Here are some of the free submission websites that I have used and found to be of high quality.  There these are my recommendations.  When you begin posting to several websites you will find it is necessary to redo the content of your articles and completely change the titles using different SEO keywords.  This can be very time consuming but I don't recommend using a spinner of any kind.  I just don't think they work well or that they are ethical.  These can get your accounts suspended.  My suggestion is to do your research for your article content and for your SEO keywords.   Plan to rewrite your content so each submission is completely original and will target a different group of readers because of the different keywords you use in your title and first paragraph.  This takes time and energy but will get you immediate quality exposure.  If you have not created a website you can create a blog at a free blogger like Blogger.com and then use that link as your website.  This gives you an opportunity to offer affiliate products on your website along with the affiliate links you may add to any free submission website where you post your article content.  This is not huge amounts of income but little bits over time do add up as extra income.   One way to make more money is to create your own product and then offer it on your website link.  Your own product can be an ebook you create which is really a lot easier than you think.  After you have posted or created several blogs or articles on the same topic you can easily take these and put them in logical order into a PDF file which instantly creates a very nice ebook you can sell. http://wizzley.com/accounts/register/?pr=49 This is a great site that allows its submitters to make money through affiliate sources.  My link here is  http://wizzley.com/simple-work-at-home-ideas-for-the-new-freelance-writer/
ehow.com This one pays you if you are accepted.  You apply through Demand Studios.
squidoo.com This one is amazing.  It is like building your own mini website and you have an opportunity to get paid for your article.
ezinearticles.com This is great for attracting traffic to your website but you need to use SEO tactics.
hubpages.com This one is pretty great.  You are able to use links to your website and upload pics.  It is worth taking your time to create a profile too.  This one also offers ways to make money through affiliate connections.  My link here is  http://pennywrites.hubpages.com/hub/4-Things-to-Avoid-in-your-ArticlesWriting-for-Pay
examiner.com This one is not for a beginner writer.  You must write only on suggested topics and you are considered an examiner.  It is basically about writing reviews which is an acquired craft.
articlesbase.com This one is easy to use and the topics are open.  It is good for generating traffic to your website.
goarticles.com This is a very widely known website and is easy to sign up but there are many, many guidelines to consider.  I have not posted here as they require completely original content (you cannot post your article to any other website first) and I haven't read all the guidelines yet.  Experts say this is a great website for publishing your content as far as exposure.
seekingalpha.com You need to be an expert in the field of finance.  If this is your expertise then this would be a good choice.
associatedcontent.com This is Yahoo.com Voice.  The submissions are monitored and some do receive payment.  The topics can be your choice or you may choose from a list of assignments.  Here is  my profile address:  http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1454165/penny_lee.html
suite101.com You can make an application to this one and they do accept any type of article topic while retaining your royalty rights.  You also get feedback from professional editors which can be invaluable, especially for new writers.
buzzle.com brighthub.com
selfgrowth.com
ezinemark.com
helium.com
thefreelibrary.com
infobarrel.com
articlesnatch.com
ideamarketers.com
pubarticles.com
articlealley.com
sooperarticles.com
bukisa.com
selfseo.com
amazines.com
triond.com
articledashboard.com $
web-source.net
articlerich.com
isnare.com
articleclick.com
articlecity.com
articlesfactory.com
articletrader.com
articleblast.com
upublish.info
EvanCarmichael.com
biggerpockets.com/articles
articleslash.net
xomba.com
articlecompilation.com
articlecube.com
thewhir.com/find/articlecentral
site-reference.com
articlemonkeys.com
abcarticledirectory.com

Rewriting Articles for Pay

There is a simple approach that probably every good writer uses for rewriting articles for pay. As a freelance writer buyers will often post jobs or ‘projects’ that require taking content from an existing article and rewriting it in such a way that it becomes original content. Frequently when creating your own original content for an article you will use ideas you gather from researching different pertinent websites for valuable information. This gathered information must be written in a unique or original manner. Copy and paste is never allowed for article content in any format.

Probably the easiest way to show you how to effectively rewrite the content from an existing article is to show you examples.
Example #1:
This is an excerpt from WiKiHow about combing your hair:

"Allow hair to air-dry before you brush it, to avoid damage. This can take a while, but it's better for the hair than blow-drying. Running your fingers through it periodically and fluffing the roots a little will speed the process."

Your paragraph might be rewritten like this:
• Before brushing your hair allow it to dry thoroughly to avoid damaging the follicles of the hair. This if much better than using a hair dryer which can dry out your hair. Try fluffing your hair occasionally as you comb by running your fingers through the strands.

This paragraph has the same meaning as the original with the important facts presented but reads very differently. You might even use a bulleted list of facts to make it even more original. This makes your content unique and it will make your buyer happy.

To be sure it passes for originality, after your article is rewritten you can check it with Copyscape.com. The cost for the pro membership is only $.05 per submission and it is much, much better than the free version so well worth the cost. Checking your articles with Copyscape will give you information you need should you have inadvertently copied another website entry. Your buyer will check your material with Copyscape before paying for the content so it is best to fix any problems before your buyer sees the material you submit.

There are actually two ways to do a rewrite of content. You can read a paragraph, take the meaning represented and then put it in your own words by rephrasing and/or changing some key words. For instance our example begins with the word “allow”. You can look this up in the Thesaurus which is part of your Word software and find a good substitute to replace the word “allow”. If you are not familiar with Word you will go to “Review” in the tool bar section and then highlight the word “allow” and click on Thesaurus. If you do not have Word software you can use the free version, OpenOffice.org. In this you will go to “Tools” on the tool bar, scroll down to Language and then click on Thesaurus.

Under the word “allow” in the Thesaurus search you will see a list under let (v.); let, permit, agree to, consent to, tolerate or under allocate (v.); allocate, set aside, make available, set a limit. Now you can see you have many great choices for the verb replacement of “allow” so all you need do is pick the one you feel is the best fit. Your rewrite sentence might then be “Before brushing your hair let it dry…” or you might say “Before brushing your hair permit it to dry…”

Occasionally you will run into a buyer who specifically requires that each sentence be rewritten separately. In this case you will just take the meaning of each sentence and rewrite it in the same way. The trick is to be sure the completed rewrite paragraph has a natural flow when you read it through.

When you are asked to rewrite a paragraph that contains a list of items either in a sentence form or from a numbered or bulleted list the trick is to rearrange the wording so it appears to be original.

Example #2:
This is a copy/paste from the website www.diabetes.org. It is written as a bulleted list.

"Type 1 Diabetes
• Frequent urination..
• Unusual thirst
• Extreme hunger
• Unusual weight loss
• Extreme fatigue and Irritability"

To make this original and unique you might write the list as a paragraph:

The symptoms for recognizing Type 1 Diabetes can be extreme hunger, urinating frequently, experiencing an excessive thirst, extreme irritability and fatigue and unexplained weight loss.

As you can see, the facts are present but are written in such a way that it becomes unique content for your article. This is all it takes to create valuable and unique content when rewriting articles for pay.  Be sure to list your items in a different order than the original while still including pertinent content.