Seeing Future Potential in Something New

One thing I've noticed with some of the writing sites I've written for is that they are upping the ante when it comes to building relationships between writers and their clients. Textbroker has introduced "Team Orders" so clients can post to smaller groups of writers they like, and sometimes they pay more. There's still some glitches in the process though, since it's new.

But one site I haven't used much but may utilize a little more is Constant Content. There are specific orders for articles, but instead of just taking them out of the queue, you have to compete for them. You can also write about pretty much whatever you want and set your own price. It can take a while for an article to actually sell though. It can be tricky finding the right balance between uniqueness and marketability. You could write a review of the Two and a Half Men Premiere, which is definitely trending, but how many other writers are going to be doing the same thing?  You could also use the episode as a launch pad for something like helping a teen deal with a relative's tragic death  -- which, if it's not part of the premier episode or one coming up, it should be. Sit-com situations may be far fetched, but there's a real component to mist of them that can make for some pretty good articles. It only takes a couple mentions of the actual show and you have something salable.

Constant Content has introduced Writer Pools, where articles can be ordered from a specific writer who guarantees a certain turnaround time. It's an interesting concept, and one that I don't yet qualify for. It requires 10 articles accepted into the system, and I've only had two. Perhaps in about a month I will have enough on my  Constant Content plate to make it work. I find I spend too much time checking the queues of my most tried and true websites, even when there isn't much in them. I'll need to take time to step outside my comfort zone and start making some other sites work for me on a regular basis. The toe's in the water. I need to start wading.

So there's my advice to myself, and to any writer who is trying to sneak that writing income up to a live able wage. Make time for the unfamiliar. It may pay off when you need it most.