Using oDesk to Find Freelance Writing Work

I thought I'd introduce you guys to the website, oDesk.

I've been using it for a just over 24 hours now, and while I haven't actually gotten any work from it, it seems very promising. You have to wait for the employer to accept or reject you for an interview, and considering I've only been applying for maybe 6 hours, I can't see this as either good or bad.

It's different to a lot of other freelancing platforms in that it charges the person who hires you and offers a platform to do hourly work which can be monitored by your employer in order to offer a payment guarantee. Obviously there are strict rules about it, but they're not that hard to abide by.

There's also a distinction between fixed-rate and hourly work, which is nice, as if you need the omney you can apply for the fixed rate ones (although most of those are low paid "i wunt 20 articles for $5" type jobs, but hey, if you're desperate)

You get to set your own wages, and you see how much the employer is charged when you set them, which is interesting to say the least.

It seems like a very friendly, easy to use platform, that I don't see running out of jobs any time soon.

Overall, it seems definitely worth a try.

Useful Things for New Freelance Writers to Read Jan 21st

On top of the bi-weekly posts (Wednesday and Sunday), I have decided to post useful links I have found for new freelance writers in packets as I find them.

While I'm not going to give away everything I learn for free (as this is a competitive trade), I do feel the need to help people beyond blog posts, and maybe the easiest way to do this is by posting things I learn from so that others can learn from them in their own ways and take whatever they take from them.

So without further comment, here are some things I've found useful over the past few days.

• Top 3 Ways to Get Started in freelance Writing

A helpful and informative post from a freelance writer in response to being asked all the time about different ways to get started.

• Getting Started in the Field of Freelance Writing

Admittedly an About.com page, but it has LOTS of useful information on how to get started and many pitfalls newbies to the industry fall into.

• Between Books: The End of Illness, Mr Rogers, and My Daily Freelance-Writer Schedule

This one is a very interesting post. Not only is it suggesting a good book, it also stresses the importance of a daily schedule for the freelancer, as it's easy to get lost in the freedom of it all.

• Freelance Writing Blog

OK, this link is to an entire blog. I've been reading through it today and it's a very frank and honest look at someone's freelancing career. She doesn't pull punches and doesn't make the same "you can be a freelance writer too! Everyone can if you read this!" pitch.

Do you have any useful links for new freelancers? Let us know about them in the comments section!

Mark Ferbrache is a freelance writer, art enthusiast, and avid learner. He also runs RUNTpress, a publishing company devoted to obscure knowledge and new thinking. His portfolio can be found here.

Earning Your First Income as a Freelance Writer

It's a daunting and competitive world, especially in writing freelance, and a lot of people often ask how you make the first steps to getting in on the business and getting clients.

Unless you already know a plethora of people waiting to give you money for doing something that you love, you're probably going to have a tough time to begin with, but there are things you can do to ease your way in.

In this article, I'm offering a few ideas that have helped me so far.

• Freelance Websites

Many people who already have clients or regular work scoff at the thought of writing for these websites, but for the new starter, it might not be such a bad option. Of course, the pay isn't great, but it's something to get you going, and you can often build links to your own website or portfolio with each one you write.

• Article Websites

There are websites that pay for articles, like listverse, and while it's a little more difficult to get articles through as you're blindly pitching, once you get the hang of the style it can be a real life saver. You can also add links and a short author bio at the bottom of the article, building awareness of you as a freelance writer and boosting your SEO.

• "Just Going For it"

This option is the most difficult by far if you don't have any funds to fall back on. If you have a very large buffer to live on in the mean time and are extremely disciplined, then by all means, go ahead!

What I mean by "just going for it" is going straight out and only focussing on getting clients (something I will cover in a future post).

What I recommend as a new freelance writer, is doing a combination of at least the latter two. You need to spend time earning money now, but also take steps towards your future and the clients you can be working with in it.

Do you have any recommendations for new freelance writers or have you learned anything you want to share with other new people recently?


Mark Ferbrache is a freelance writer, art enthusiast, and avid learner. He also runs RUNTpress, a publishing company devoted to obscure knowledge and new thinking. His portfolio can be found here.

Welcome to the Blog

So, here it is. My Blog.

I'll get all the information-y things out of the way now.
I've made this blog to track my journey into becoming a freelance writer and to hopefully then be able to help other people who want to start in this field as well.

As I'm literally just starting now, hopefully you'll be able to see a learning curve and I'll be able to look back on it later and re-hash previous posts with updated learning.

 I don't believe that withholding information from anyone is going to get me anywhere. As far as I can tell it's a game friends, not competition, so I'll post pretty much everything related to freelance writing here that I can stand to put. Even the tedious little things like to-do lists and work updates, not just useful information. heck, it even might give someone an idea of what freelancing is actually like as opposed to the glamorous "four hour work week" type information out there.

For now, any information on here, sadly, cannot be taken as good advice as I have no experience in this field as of yet, but one day it will be. I hope you enjoy following my journey as much as I want to enjoy embarking on it.


Mark

Mark Ferbrache is a freelance writer and artist based in Bristol, UK. He loves contemporary and queer art, and is starting a business selling printed matter, RUNTpress.