If you don’t know what NaNoWriMo is, you’re obviously not a writer. NaNoWriMo is the shorthand term for National Novel Writing Month, an annual event where aspiring novelists gear up to write an entire 50,000+ word novel in the month of November. It’s something I’d tried doing before, but always ended up dropping out before I’d really gotten started.

This year? I did it. And I feel like a masochist, especially since I started over on November 14. My first attempt had hit a dead end. I reached 50,086 words at 11:39 pm last night with 21 minutes to spare. So what have I learned?

1. Fiction is hard.
2. Characters don’t always do what you want them to do.
3. Knowing how the story ends doesn’t really help you get through the middle any easier.
4. The built-in thesaurus feature is awesome.
5. It’s insanely difficult not to edit as you’re writing.
6. It takes longer to write 1,000 words of fiction than 1,000 words of non-fiction.
7. Family members need to disappear when it’s writing time.
8. Asking me “How’s it coming?” when I’m in the middle of typing will make me lose my train of thought – and then get very angry at you.
9. Writing 5,000 words in a sitting turns your brain to mush.
10. It feels good to be done!

How about you? If you participated in NaNoWriMo, what did you learn – about writing and about yourself?

10 Lessons I Learned From NaNoWriMo is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

Article writing and blogging are completely different animals. There are some spectacular bloggers who couldn’t write a quality SEO article if their lives depended on it. Likewise, there are many article writers who just aren’t cut out for the world of blogging. It’s a lucky find when you encounter a person who can do both. (It’s your lucky day!)

I’ll tell you why I love to blog. Blogging offers a lot more freedom than article writing. I can let my personality shine through. I can connect with readers and start conversations. And all of those grammatical rules I love so much? I get to break them occasionally for stylistic reasons. (Can you spot where I did it in this paragraph?)

Let me blog for you. If you’ve got a corporate blog that needs someone to help make your business seem less… corporate, why not let me make it more human?  If you’ve got a personal or hobby blog that you just don’t have time to update regularly, let me help you out with some fresh blog posts.

Rates are negotiated on a per-project basis, starting at $100 per blog post. Big companies may ask for $150-$300 per blog post, but they charge the same to large clients and small ones. I’m not going to ask Suzy’s Scrapbooking Blog to pay the same as Giant Monster Corporation Blog. If you need blog posts, make me an offer when you contact me. (Don’t forget to include total number of posts you want, or the frequency of posts you want on a recurring basis.)

Blogging Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

As QualityGal, I didn’t get much opportunity to write articles myself, but writing has always been a passion of mine. I’m a tiny bit OCD, which is good for the research process, as well as for getting everything just right.

Having created SEO writing guides and my own style manual, I have a handle on how to write Web content effectively.  My specialty subjects include health, mental health, children, family, gifts, special occasions, and product reviews, but I am willing to research many other subjects. I may not be the best fit for a highly technical guide to CSS or Perl, but I could write a page that explains what CSS is and what it’s used for.

If you know what content you need, I can write it for you. If you think you need content but don’t know what exactly needs to be written, I can help you figure that out for a nominal consulting fee, and then write it for you.

My rates will vary widely depending on the type of content needed, the amount of research required, and any special requirements. In general, my rates start at $.06-$.07 per word for general Web content requiring basic research. Large SEO companies or content companies will charge you $.14 per word (or more!) for the same work, and not necessarily return the same high quality work that I would. (I know because I’ve helped set company content creation rates!) By going directly to the source (me) you cut out a lot of overhead, and you know that you’re getting a top rate writer, not a 1 in 200 chance that the writer who works on your project has the same high standards as me. You won’t necessarily need to pay a copy editor to double check my work, either, unless you really want to.

Here is a starting point for negotiation, assuming basic research and no special requirements:

• $35 per article for general Web content, up to 500 words. (Less research needed.)
• $75 per article for specialized Web content, 501-1000 words. (More research needed.)
• $50+ per product review, plus product to review. (I won’t write a review without actually testing out the product. Sorry, but that’s the way I roll. Quality and ethics. Rate varies depending on depth of review.)
• Larger or more complex projects negotiable.
• Print media rates also negotiable.

These rates are subject to change based on project scope and non-standard writing requirements. Please contact me for more information.

Article Writing Services is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC