Win a free copy of 'Living with Bipolar: An Australian Resource Guide'

Another day, another giveaway!

To celebrate the launch of the Kindle edition of Memoirs of a Misfit, I'm running a competition.

Although Memoirs of a Misfit is a work of fiction, it deals with strong mental health themes.  The idea behind this was not to glorify those, but to raise awareness of them.

So in the spirit of raising awareness of mental health issues, I'm giving away 10 copies of my ebook 'Living with Bipolar: An Australian Resource Guide'.

The book is an excellent guide for people who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, those who live with or know somebody diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or simply for those who wish to know more about the disorder.

To enter the competition, all you have to do is:

1) Like my facebook page
2) Comment on the giveaway post and tell me one symptom of depression

That's all there is to it!


Winners will be randomly drawn once the competition has enough interest.

Using links to generate more traffic to your blog or website

The above image is a screenshot from the stats page of this blog.

Why is this of interest?

Because the second top traffic source, bucketlistingblog.com is another blog of mine.

Why is this interesting? 

Because, as you can probably tell by the URL, my blog about completing my bucket list has absolutely nothing to do with freelance writing, and yet it's now one of my top traffic sources, and as you may be able to just see on the image, it is now the reason this blog is actually starting to get traffic to it.

Using links is one of the easiest and most effective ways to generate page views and direct traffic where you want it to go. For the sake of this blog post, I'm going to assume that you write on more than one platform.  If you write exclusively for one website, I'll cover how you can back link in another post.

So how can you use your writing to direct traffic to where you want it?

Like this:

That is a screenshot from a post I have on bucketlistingblog.com.  You'll notice at the bottom of it is a signature which includes a link to my twitter account, and three links to sites I write on, including this one.

You've probably also noticed that in the tags, I've included my own name and pen name.  The reason for this is simple; it's to improve my search engine ranking, and to give people who do search my name the opportunity to stumble across my writing.  When they do, they see those links at the bottom of my posts, which directs them to other writing I've done.

I could go on for ages about why this is awesome, but to be honest with you, I don't need to.  The screenshots speak for themselves.  If you include links where ever you can (I am in the process of adding them to every blog post I have), it will direct traffic where you want it, and it's as simple as that.

Also, it's worth remembering that you're not limited in only linking to your blogs.  If you write on hubpages or squidoo, you can include links to hubs or lenses you've written.

Like this:

--

Rebecca Millar is a freelance science writer, clinical innovation specialist, partner at SCG Innovation Institute, caffeine addicted serial blogger, self confessed geek and mother. Follow her on twitter here.

If you want to read more from Rebecca, why not check out:

Genetics of Huntington's Disease

Introduction to Counter Terrorism 

Forensic Handwriting Analysis

Win a free copy of Kindle edition Memoirs of a Misfit!

To celebrate the launch of the Kindle edition of Memoirs of a Misfit, I'm giving five people the chance to win a free copy! 

To enter the draw all you need to do is:

1) Like my facebook page

2) Comment on the page with "WYFD sent me"

3) Keep an eye on the page to see if you've won!

And as an added bonus:

Refer your friends for an extra chance to win!

To gain an extra entry to the competition all you need to do is:

1) Refer a friend to the facebook page

2) Have them comment with who sent them (ie: your name)

3) Keep an eye on the page to see if you've won

There is no limit to the number of friends you can refer, and each friend gives you an additional chance to win a copy of the book.

Winners will be randomly selected on January 17th.  Five copies of Memoirs of a Misfit (ebook version) will be awarded as prizes, one for each of the five competition winners.

Memoirs of a Misfit: new novel coming soon!

I'm proud to announce that I have just finished writing my first fiction novel, which will be released later in the year.  

Memoirs of a Misfit is the story of fifteen year old Giselle, set out in the form of a diary.  Giselle is given the diary to write in after she begins to see the school counsellor, and while she is reluctant at first, she soon begins to confide in the diary about her troubles at school, the difficult relationship with her mother, and the school bully who won't leave her alone and who seems determined to push Giselle to the edge.

"Even though I was reluctant to do this whole diary thing, I’m actually finding it quite enjoyable now.  I love writing in here, it’s kind of like having a friend I can talk to; one who won’t be nasty to me, or judge me, or tell me that I need to change."  

As the school year progresses, Giselle struggles to make sense of the bullying and why her own mother seems to hate her.

"Who knows?  And who cares really?  I’m so tired of all the energy I put into caring about all this crap, I just want a break from it."

As things get worse for Giselle she begins to withdraw from everybody and becomes more depressed.  The only way she can deal with the feelings her depression and self loathing evoke in her, is by finding a self destructive, and dangerous outlet for her emotions. 

"I try to be strong though.  It’s just such a fight, and I’m tired of fighting.  I’m tired of fighting with them (or them fighting with me, to be more accurate), and I’m tired of fighting with myself.  What they don’t know, is that I hate myself just as much as they hate me.  So they’re wasting their time; they don’t need to destroy me, I can easily destroy myself."

Raw, emotive and at times heartbreaking, Memoirs of a Misfit explores the emotions and thoughts so many teenagers deal with, but rarely want to admit to.  

Will Giselle ever be able to overcome her issues and find happiness?

More information coming soon!

Freelancing through third party websites

There are a number of websites you can use to find freelance writing jobs.  Typically you browse the jobs posted under the writing category of the website, then 'bid' for the job which usually involves submitting a job proposal as well as your rate for the job you are applying for.

These websites can be a great way to get started in the freelance writing industry.

One thing I have learnt during my time freelancing, is that the main thing individuals or companies look for when hiring you is the amount of experience you have as well as your reputation.  These sites can be a great way to build both.

Let's take a look at the pros and cons of using these sites:

Pros:

• There is an abundance of work on these sites
• You can often find repeat business through these sites
• You can set your hourly rate most of the time
• It's a great way to build up your reputation
• It's a great way to build up your experience and add to your writing portfolio

Cons:

• It's incredibly competitive.  You'll be competing against writers who have already built a reputation on that website
• Some sites have set rates, so you need to be careful that you aren't working for less than you're worth
• It can get overwhelming if you have multiple jobs at the same time, with more coming in
• The majority of the work you will be doing is ghostwriting for others, so if your dream is to see your name in print somewhere, this likely won't help you achieve that
• Buyers can sometimes be unreasonable, or unclear in their wants which makes it difficult

Another issue which should be considered, is the actual processing of funds through the website.  Most of them require the buyer to send funds through them, which then get paid into your paypal account and transferred from that into your bank account.  

With this comes commissions, transaction fees, and if you are working through a website that is based outside of your own country, you'll also have to deal with exchange rates and occasionally international transaction fees from your bank.

I strongly recommend taking this into account when deciding upon an hourly rate, or whether a set hourly rate is worth it.

If the website you use takes $1 USD for every $5 USD you earn, then you could easily end up with as little as $2.50 or $3 per $5 the job is being advertised for.  Considering how long it can take to research, write and edit an article to meet the high standards of the client, you may find yourself working for around $2 an hour on a payment scale like this.  

For most people, that's not an option.

If it is an option you wish to explore, the top websites to check out are:

oDesk
Freelancer
Peopleperhour
Fiverr

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: Diversify, diversify, diversify!

When I first started out as a freelancer, I basically had no idea what I wanted to do.  I knew that I wanted to write, I knew that there were different platforms I could use to write but I had no direction.

It was pure luck that I managed to stumble upon several things which not only helped me secure success, but also rocketed me almost 18 months ahead of where I anticipated I would be in terms of my business plan, writing career and income.  
The lesson here is don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Diversify the crap out of your writing (yes, that's a very technical bit of advice there!).  See what works for you, expand on that, prune whatever doesn't work for you after you've given it a fair chance, and use as many different platforms as you can to see what will assist you in building your brand the best.

Take the time to find a niche and platform that truly works for you, which will allow you to maximise your profits for as little time as possible.  Yes, I've seen people who earn thousands of dollars per month on one particular freelancing website - and if that works for you, then great.  But for others (like me), it was more of a way to initially build up some experience then dive into other areas because I was dedicating far too much time to ghostwriting for other people, for minimum income.

When it comes to blogging, what worked best for me was setting up a number of blogs (both free and paid), posting some content on each and seeing where traffic was getting directed before I worked out a plan to monetise them. Weirdly, the one blog that I started as more of a joke to explore my not-so-inner geekiness than anything else gets the highest number of views compared to the others where I'm writing on topics that I know inside out and back to font.

I can't tell you where and what to focus on.  In other blog posts I'll cover different places you can investigate as platforms for yourself, but what works for one may not work for the rest.  All I can do is share what worked for me, and share the lessons that I learnt with you and wish you luck in finding your own little piece of the writing world.

Working Offline

These days most freelance writers work either heavily, or exclusively online.  The internet has given us the chance to reach so many more people, allows us to be location independent and is fantastic for promoting our work. 

But there will always be days when you are forced to contend with a slow, or non-existent internet connection.  

It can be incredibly frustrating, especially the first few times it happens.  Which is why it is essential that you learn to work offline (to an extent).  Whether you spend your time offline researching with textbooks or in libraries, or use the time to organise yourself, re-evaluate your business plan and brainstorm how to further expand your brand, there is plenty of tasks you can manage without the internet.

Some other ideas include:

• Creating a database of all your articles and blog posts
• Catching up on keeping track of your income and expenses for taxation purposes
• Creating 'signatures' for your articles or blog posts which link to other articles or blogs
• Creating a To Do list
• Creating a list of topics you wish to write about
• Archiving your emails if you use a program like Outlook which allows you to archive in offline mode

Working without the internet doesn't mean you have to be completely unproductive.  As you can see, there are plenty of ways you can make use of the time.