Giving Up the Ghost: Moving on From Writing Sites That Don't Work for You

In January 2006 I joined an online writing site called Gather.com at the suggestion of my sister. I had written online before that, first at a diary site (I actually wrote most of the first draft of my novel on the diary site), I also wrote on Fanstory.com, under the name of Greta Quinn, and also tried out Write.com and Zoetrope.com. But Gather was the first that rewarded writers for their work.

Gather never paid much, at least not for me. For the majority of members there's a straight point system. 625 points equals $10. In the beginning it was all gift certificates, unless you could make 3000 points in a month-- then you got cash. Over the last couple years they introduced the $25 paypal option, and most recently $10.
In the last couple years I branched out, and last August when I lost my day job, the money aspect became more important. But I liked the idea of Gather, and the fact that I had a long friend list. But for what I do the earning rate is painfully slow. As I write this, I'm 11 points from 625, at which time I can cash out. I posted a poem this morning called Winter's Reprise in hopes of boosting views enough to cash out and be done for a while. Maybe even for good.

These days, I'm picking up most of my writing work from Textbroker.com and Writeraccess.com, sites that pay upfront for assignments and don't have a SEO revenue aspect. I've had a little success on Associated Content, and I haven't given Suite 101 enough of a chance, so I will try to write more for them as well.
Although I've written since I was a little girl, I've learned a lot about what works and doesn't work for me online. There have been a couple sites that especially did not work for me. But I've gone through the trials and errors, and I finally feel like I have enough knowledge to really move forward. Not all of what I write is glamorous or particularly creative, but I would moch rather be able to be a freelance writer than anything else, and ultimately, I will make it work.

As for creative work, I will make sure I find the time to do something on a regular basis fueled by my muse-- even if it's only a quick poem. Most of my creative stuff will most likely wind up on Associated Content or here on my blog, informative artciles split between  AC and Suite 101, with copywriting and ghostwriting going to textbroker and Writeraccess.

I did like Gather, but the site is a mere shadow of what I once knew it as, and it is time to give up the ghost. That's not necessarily a critcism. It's a good fit for a lot of people. Just not me. I've received a lot of guidance and support on Gather that I haven't been able to get anywhere else, but for now it's time to go and see where I can go without it.