The Article Writer

I try to answer most of my emails quickly and directly, but that isn’t always the case. There are times when I’m under a deadline or an emergency pops up and I’m just not able to tackle an inquiry immediately.

Sometimes, I’ll simply tweak the person’s question and post it to this blog as part of my mailbag series, leaving off the person’s name as most people would prefer anonymity. Then, I send a note thanking the person for their inquiry and supply the link to where they can find their answer.

The most frequently asked question lately seems to center on starting a freelance business, particularly as a writer. Many of our fellow bloggers hold down full time jobs and are exploring whether pursuing freelance work is right for them. Granted, I cannot give anyone a specific yes/no answer; instead, I try to impart my knowledge and leave the exploring up to them.

It seems that I am not alone when it comes to freelance inquiries as I have found a spate of posts from other freelancers who are also fielding similar inquiries. For a sampler, why not visit the following blogs to see what these freelancers have to say:

All Freelance Writing — Jennifer Mattern suggests that writers should choose a specialty when seeking a freelance career. The reasons? You’ll be much more knowledgeable about a subject and be able to command more money.

The Writer’s Manifesto — Monika Mundell shares her thoughts about freelance writing rates, discussing the disparity between article mill jobs and offline assignments. Yes, there are jobs out there that pay more per word than what some people pay for an entire article.

A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye — Lillie Ammann is at it again, offering a new article series, this one discussing how to become a freelance writer. Lillie always thoroughly covers a subject so check out her blog to follow this series as it unfolds.

I always encourage people to follow their passions when it comes to choosing any career and that is the same bit of advice I offer to prospective freelancers when pursuing a writing career. If you know that this is something you must do, then follow it with all of your heart. If not, then don’t.

Freelancing can be difficult, especially for the person whose sole bit of income is garnered from their clients. Up and down times will come and not everyone has the intestinal fortitude to stick with it.

My freelance career started in November 2002, but it wasn’t until Spring 2005 that I made the decision to stick with writing and jettison the web design part of my business. The transition was tough, but I’m now getting good paying jobs and have the luxury to cherry pick assignments.

There was a time when I said I wouldn’t work for someone full time again, but I’m not sure that’ll always be the case. Yet, where I am at this point in my career is fine with me with still loftier goals within site.

Related Story: Should you follow your passion?

I’ve been contributing articles and/or editing for Wikipedia since last July, by helping expand articles, providing relevant citable sources, and responding to the occasional call for help. Time isn’t on my side when it comes to editing for free, but there are those times when a Wikipedia diversion provides a needed boost for the editor within.

Soon after joining Wikipedia, I also registered for Citizendium, another wiki-style site which launched in early 2007. Founded by the same person who started Wikipedia, Larry Sanger, Citizendium is small potatoes compared to Wikipedia.

It is also a lot more accurate than Wikipedia, in my opinion.

Yes, Sanger feels the same way that I do — Wikipedia’s purity has been sullied by its anonymity, something Citizendium has corrected by requiring contributors to disclose who they are. With Wikipedia, there isn’t anything more annoying than some cyber-troll coming along and mashing up your contributions. Sure, you can reverse the vandalism and dispute changes, but there are some article topics which seem to be dominated by editors with an agenda to uphold.

No, I haven’t done anything with my Citizendium membership, but that is likely to change. The first Wednesdays of the month is Citizendium’s “Write-A-Thon” day where members are encouraged to contribute a new article (even if just a stub) or provide a substantive edit to a current article. By participating you’ll contribute to a growing and respectful resource that is controlled by its members, not by a foundation, private entity, or public owners.

To get a feel for Citizendium, check out their blog. If you have a wee bit of extra time during the month, then stop by and lend a hand. I won’t be able to participate in this month’s “Write-A-Thon” which is today, but I plan on offering some assistance in the near future.

I’m not a professional researcher, but as a writer I do research various topics to help form the backbone for many of my articles. Oftentimes, I’ll come across something online worth quoting or get information directly from a source (e.g., a press release) and use that as the basis for what I write.

Occasionally, I’ll find something that’ll raise my eyebrows, details which can have serious repercussions if I choose to include it. The fall out from damaging information could be far-reaching — negative news which might impact a company’s earnings, lower employee morale, and bring about a whole host of unimaginable consequences.

If I do choose to go with negative publicity, there is certain personal criteria that must be met before I will include that information:

1. I must be able to verify the news through at least two sources.

2. The quality of those sources has to be reputable — I’ve come across claims on a message board that while likely containing an element of truth, isn’t always posted without malice.

3. I need to ask myself — “Am I including this information to benefit my career or to inform the public?”

Lest you think that I’m being completely altruistic by not including something that might benefit my career, I’m not. However, if building up my career to bring down others is my motivation, then I’ve lost sight of the reason why I’m sharing what I know — to inform the public.

Yes, the basis for this article stems from recent experience where I chose to shelve damaging information instead of sharing it. While some people might have been helped by what I discovered, the first two of my personal criteria were not met. However, instead of tossing the information away I have saved it in the event additional veriable details eventually surface.

I don’t shy away from sharing potentially damaging information, but my personal reputation trumps the public’s so-called “need to know.”