Freelance Writer: Write Faster and Increase Productivity

A tool kit for making more money writing online: basic writing skills, using a timer, the Pomodoro Technique, reducing rewrites, researching efficiently and increasing your hourly pay rate makes it more profitable.

Writing articles gives you a legitimate way to make money online. It requires no tools beyond a computer of some kind and an Internet connection. It has the advantages of allowing you to work from home -- or even on the road, in cafes, libraries and outdoors.

One of the challenges comes from needing to produce enough writing to make plenty of money. To freelance full-time, as I do, or even to make a substantial part-time income as a writer, you need to be able to produce copy on a regular basis.

To get writing assignments, keep clients happy, get more assignments and make more money writing, it helps to write faster -- and produce clean copy. It takes practice, yet it's something you can train yourself to do.

To make money writing online, you can submit your work to rev share sites, write for upfront payments from sites that publish articles, write for private clients, create your own websites, blog, write eBooks -- and/or all of the above.

Agencies that provide a meeting ground between freelance writers and clients offer another option. There's usually no charge to writers, although some offer a free and a premium membership. The downside with most of them is that it's necessary to weed through a great deal of severely low-paid assignments to find any that might be worthwhile, and it can take time to build up a reputation and gain regular clients and better pay.

Always read the terms of service, TOS, in detail, and watch for changes -- including at rev share sites such as Hubpages -- so you understand the terms of payment and the rights you're selling. If it isn't something you'd agree to offline, why would you agree to it online? Some of the contracts for online writers are completely insane, so watch out.

Mastering basic writing skills increases your confidence -- and the confidence of your readers.

Needing to polish your grammar, use a spell-checker consistently and proofread everything you write doesn't mean you're not a good writer -- it means you're a professional and respect yourself and your readers.

Proofread, and proofread again. Using spell-checkers and grammar checkers isn't a substitute for reading the copy over before you submit it. I like to read it a second time, from the bottom to the top, to trick my brain into seeing all the elements of the copy as though I haven't seen it before.

Start using a timer when you write. Working with a timer has the advantage of keeping you mindful of how long you're spending to create an article. Focus Booster, designed for use with the Pomodoro Technique, Instant Boss -- which features an applause soundtrack when you finish your goal -- and WorkRave, a customizable timer that includes eye exercises and stretches to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries are my favorites.

Set a goal for how much money you want to make per hour and per day to give yourself specific work quotas. Based on comments I've seen in writers forums, it's common for beginners to take two hours or longer to write a 400-word article.

To make much money at piece-work rates -- which is what you get in upfront payments for work-for-hire online articles, you have to be able to work fast -- while fulfilling all the client criteria, producing clean copy and maintaining quality.

At first this feels like running backward chewing gum while shwooping a hula hoop and balancing a stack of books on your head -- but with practice, you get faster and increase your hourly productivity.

Best of all, you increase your hourly pay rate. Getting faster gives you a raise, and when you're self-employed, you're the one who gives out the raises.

• Increasing your writing speed and quality not only helps you make more money online, it improves your reputation over time so that you save even more time by reducing rewrites. Two years ago, I had a 20 percent rewrite rate -- average for freelancers, according to author Robert Bly. Now rewrites are rare -- I haven't had one in more than 30 assignments. This means I spend all my time completing new copy for more money without losing time reworking previous submissions. Another financial bonus from quality control: getting good scores, ratings and rankings for sites that work that way helps you qualify for higher-paying assignments.
• Write on topics you know well. Be honest with yourself about whether you could sit down over coffee with someone and talk about the subject of the article off the top of your head. If you can't, you're looking at a title that will take you extra time -- and cost you money. A good test at the beginning is to see if you can write an introduction for the title off the top of your head before committing yourself to writing any given title. If you can't, do yourself a favor and pick a title that you're more familiar with.

• Learn about the Pomodoro Technique. This method -- developed to improve focus and increase productivity -- taught me to recognize and master distractions, beat procrastination, write faster with less stress and keep my writing projects on track. The name comes from the Italian word for tomato, and there's a tomato-shaped timer available to use with the Pomodoro Technique.
• Set a time limit for research. Based on how much money you'll make for the title, set a limit on your research time. Some clients require references to show where you got your information for the article. This is another reason to write about what you know -- if you're already familiar with the subject, you'll find any supporting information you need faster than if you're working outside your knowledge base.
• Set a timer and write the article without stopping. Get that first draft out as if you're being chased by rabid wolves. Do not stop to fix typos, look up facts, find another reference, rephrase a sentence or do anything else. Just get it out there. This can take a lot of practice.
• Once you train yourself to write the first draft without stopping, experiment with working in shorter bursts. I usually work in the Pomodoro Technique 25 minutes work, 5-minute break pattern, with a longer break every three sessions. On projects that require more depth, I increase the work time to 30 minutes. To challenge myself, I'll cut the work period to 20 minutes.

• Take a break and then write the next draft. Repeat, until you complete your quota or sub-quota. Some people like to write all the drafts, then edit and then submit them. Lately, I work in sets of three. I set up three templates with references and anything else that's required, such as a note to the editor and a pic or two. I write three drafts and then edit and proofread each one. I use the After the Deadline app in Firefox to check for spelling, grammar or style issues. Try the polishmywriting website when you're first starting out -- it provides drop-down explanations of style and grammar issues so you can learn to recognize passive voice and other common problems.
• Take the time to read over every word of the copy, check every caption, header, subhead, link and link title for accuracy. This one step catapults you from possibly submitting something that turns off an editor to turning in copy that's polished and professional.
• Think of every article you submit or publish as your opportunity to make a positive first impression. Respect yourself, your editor and your reader -- and you'll find yourself making more money with less stress. Maintaining a high first-time acceptance rate saves you time, so you keep making money online with minimal time expended with rewrites.
• Writing fast means being efficient and focusing on the priorities. At first I worried that shooting for speed would mean sacrificing quality -- instead, my acceptance rate improved, my scores/ratings with all publishers increased, and I gained access to a new higher-paying market without having to apply. Writing fast makes me focus and keep the copy tight to the title -- one of the keys to content writing for websites.

I made my online writing debut on Hubpages three years ago. For the past two years I've freelanced full-time, producing content for several websites. Working in several topic areas has buffered me from the fluctuations in assignment availability that can cause downturns in freelance income. I enjoy writing about fitness, nature, health, science -- and any odd thing that catches my interest. I spent Monday at my favorite beach and wrote a couple articles on my laptop while I was there.

To clarify, most of my experience is with freelancing for up-front pay. I didn't monetize my hubs until this year and am a beginner at rev share. I've been spending more time on creating niche sites than I spend on commercial writing -- enjoying the freedom.

Whatever your goals are, it all begins with taking the first step. I wasn't planning on leaving my job to write full-time when I wrote my first hub. So, I'm offering this Make Money Writing Online series as a way to give something back, in gratitude for the life-change that has allowed me to follow my dreams. I wish the same for you.

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Trent Adams aka Hike Guy

Updated April 18, 2012

Copyright Travis Arts, 2011, all rights reserved. Protected by Copyscape.