How is Writing Online Different?
Where Do I Begin?
Over the past year or so, I have been looking into the online world of freelance writing. Writing itself is not something new to me. I studied English and Creative Writing at college. It came naturally. I always found it easy to knock up a short story and I wrote endless amounts of poetry. I was published at a young age and I enjoyed what came easy.
But I was incredibly creative which is great offline. Writing a script or a play comes from the imagination. Even English essays need to be in depth, as long as they are to the point. But doing that for a website or blog is a major error.
Doing it Online
While I have been writing my hubs on subjects which interest me, or relevant to jobs I have done, no one has really been there to criticize. The subject matter may not appeal to everyone or it may have been over done, but no one is buying what I have written. I am not doing them for anyone's business or blog, so there is less pressure to get them right. It is the same with my own blog. I write how I feel, not to sell.
But in the world of SEO writing with that frame of mind will not make your article a success. Researching keywords, writing an interesting piece and strengthening your site with quality back links can go a long way. Working hard to drive traffic to your pages, submitting to directories and affiliate marketing is something to work at. It is something which will turn your passion for creative writing into something to drive towards. Getting hits and making money will give you that extra buzz, as long as you remember it is writing you love first.
Writing for Love or Money
Going back to when I finished college I took a different career path. Although it was years later I realized it was not my vocation, I cannot regret my choice. If I had freelanced from a younger age, everything which I would have learned would be purely from research. None of it would be from experience.
After I had written personal blogs, played around with websites and written a few hubs, I submitted some serious articles. I was scared of the comeback though, so I ensured it was laid out right with no grammatical errors. But it came back. It was too 'wordy'. That meant I waffled on too much, trying to be creative with my sentences. For online writing that does not work. An article needs to be factual and to the point. If there is irrelevant information they do not want to read it. If the sentence is too lengthy it becomes too much for the reader. I was just trying to be clever, but making it simple is the clever way to write. My English teacher used to tell us to 'cut out the crap', and it is too true.
So after a year of playing around with websites and writing articles I realize I am just at the beginning. I am still learning about writing for an on screen audience. As well as having the knack of being able to proof read, the articles need to be relevant. People do not like to read a heavy amount of text on their PC, and those who are looking for an answer will skim the page for the main points. Ensuring you have a well written piece will increase traffic which is great for search engine optimization, and great for your article.
A Learning Curve
When I write now it is always for the internet, and I am more conscious of the way I write. It may not be perfect yet, but now and again I do get it right. I have published some stuff I am not fond of, but it is a reminder to me of how I can improve. Having that passion means improving is important.
Keeping up to date of the search engine's priorities and improving my article writing is my aim. I have read hundreds of blogs and taken advice from professional writers. From learning new skills all the time, I hope that one day someone will be able to take some advice from something that I have written.
