by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

I can be one of the most positive and forward-thinking people out there. That said, I'm here to tell you that being "gloomy" is okay, too. Sometimes people need to hear the truth, whether they like it or not. Don't be afraid to tell it like it is. People will trust you more if you are open and honest.

If things are flowery at the moment, then fine, be all rainbow-sprinkled-unicorns with purple magic fairy dust flying through the air. But if that's not the way it is, you don't need to pretend it is to produce writing. In fact, the best writing will speak the truth, no matter what that may be.

When you always speak the truth, whether it is fluffy or gloomy, your readers will learn that they can trust you and come back for more. Beyond that, you can always be confident and satisfied in what you are doing. Be gloomy if it's necessary for the situation. When what you speak is the truth, you'll feel much better for doing what you do.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Those who know me or follow me often ask me how I get so much done in a day. I have many techniques that I use. But fast writing comes with practice as well. Someone not used to being this productive will likely have to build it up over time.

I have been writing for years. So this is not something that just came to me overnight. In fact, when i first started, I was lucky to get one article done in a week. My highest record is 35 articles in a day. However, that is obviously not every day and would generally be things I would write from personal experience and not need to research.

Start at a comfortable pace and gradually add more each day to build yourself up. Try some of my productivity techniques along with that. Practice, practice, practice -- aka write, write, write. I know from experience that if you try to write more than you can handle, your final product will suffer.

It's not a competition. Each person writes at their own pace and in their own style. Therefore, there is really no fair way to compare by the number of articles or blog posts produced each day. Besides, we're all in this together. Practice often and you too can be a fast writer -- at your own personal fast pace.

Productivity Techniques:

Write More Articles by Eliminating Unnecessary Steps

Succeed in Freelance Writing by Making Goals More Attainable

Freelance Writing Tips: Maximize Productivity and Inspiration Through Timing

Using Goal Lists to Stay on Task in Freelance Writing

Creating a Writing Schedule that Works

How to Write Large Numbers of Articles Quickly

Does Using Multiple Computers Speed Writing Productivity? How?

Tips for Writing Multiple Articles at Once

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are you competing too much with your peers? Trying to keep up with their writing success so you can match or exceed it? If so, you're doing it wrong. Completely. Why are you in competition with your writing peers when you can empower them instead?

But Lyn, if I empower my peers, they'll beat me at my own game, won't they? I know that's what you're going to ask because it's been asked of me countless times.

I've been in web writing a long time. There is no competition. I repeat, we are not here to compete with each other. Be unique. Be you. Be true. Be helpful. But don't be a poor sport. The most successful web writers work together as a team to help each other succeed. Trust me, there is plenty of work for us all and then some. There is no shortage of content needs and each writer has their own style and topic strengths.

Empower your writing peers by teaching them what you know, as well as encouraging them when you can tell they need a push. What's in it for me, you say? If you're actually asking this question, you just don't get it. It's not about credit or paybacks. It's about working together to empower each other and build something awesome, be it a large venue or a small blog where a few of  you contribute.

What if someone helps you and can't help them? Once again, this isn't about paybacks. It's about working as a team. If you want to be of service, pay it forward to another writer who could use the kind of help you offer.

have you empowered a fellow writer today? If not, get on it!

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Being a momtrepreneur with several active careers (yes, several) and a house full of kids and pets, I don't have much time. Therefore, I have many tricks to help me get everything done. Drafting titles is one of them.

There are several ways to draft titles. If you are going to be posting on or submitting to a venue that allows you to save drafts online, you can create and save drafts with titles reflecting your desired topics. I usually save multiple titles and try to make them as close to titles I would actually use so that changes are minimal to non-existent. With all the titles right there, all I will need to do is paste in the content once I write it. It also helps keep me with a steadily flowing stock of ideas.

If you cannot save drafts to your desired venue, simply use the same technique in your word processing program. For instance, I have hundreds of blank documents saved in OpenOffice. The document titles are my possible article titles -- and they can always be changed later if I decide to change one after writing it. Sometimes, once a piece is written, the title isn't quite right any longer.

No matter which of theses methods you use -- and you may use both -- when you draft out your titles ahead of time, it can give you more time to focus on the actual writing. Sometimes, thinking up ideas can take more time than the writing itself. But if you keep a stockpile of these title drafts at all times, you won't have to stress about your ideas when you should be writing instead. make sure to add to your title drafts every time you get ideas. I set aside time each day just to focus on titles. If the ideas keep flowing, I extend that time until I run out of ideas. Then, I move on to writing.

Do you have strategies for drafting titles? Please share in the comment section.

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Are your readers getting bored with your posts? Are you getting tired of writing them? The quality may be good but for some reason, no one is reading. Why? One reason may be lack of creativity.

You aren't writing a text book. Get creative! Make your content shine by showing off its style within the text. Obviously, it needs to be readable. But there is no need to be straight facts and no fun. Dress up your content as if you were dressing up yourself. Get glammy, glittery, and gluey -- if that's you.

No one wants to read the same thing they can read anywhere else on the web. people want something different. Don;t just report the facts. Talk about what you would do or have done in the same scenarios -- and don't be too mainstream in how you do it. Just be your creative self. You're an artist, correct? Remember, that is what we writers really are deep down? Use that to your advantage and show it off.

Have you been taking advantage of your creative side?

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

I was browsing around Facebook and came upon a site called Bubblews. A friend had been posting content from there, so I decided to try it out. Is Bubblews.com worth it for freelance writers?

The answer to that question will depend on each individual person's writing needs. However, I personally find it both fulfilling and profitable. The best way I can describe Bubblews is that it's like blending facebook and your own blog together with some simple submission guidelines and getting paid to use it.

Earnings at Bubblews are based on page views, comments, and other activity on your postings. How much you earn depends on the effort you put in, as well as how much people are interacting with your work. It is also based upon the ad revenue being generated by the site. I generally earn an average of around $13 per 1000 views, give or take. When I am receiving more activity on my posts, that number is higher. Bubblews also pays for referrals. But the amount per referral is low, generally around a penny each time a referral makes their first post. Therefore, the real earnings are in the writing, as it should be on a writing site. Payout is achieved as soon as is enough is earned. The minimum redemption amount is low and there are several payment options, currently including PayPal, check, Visa Gift Card, and an option where you can shop online and choose to have Bubblews pay the bill with your redemption.

Networking is a big part of the site and you will find it integrated into pretty much all actions there. On the articles themselves, you can like or dislike, leave comments, click on tags that lead to related content, find other members to interact with via their comments, share to other social sites, and more. Profiles display a member's posts, offer more personal commenting, and display other activities as well. You can also connect to your favorite Bubblews members to get notified of their newest posts. Though not required, networking is heavily integrated and can be beneficial in many ways.

After being a member of the site for almost two months, I would definitely recommend other freelance writers try it out and see how it works for them. It's an experience that must be examined by each person individually to see if it's right for them. As for me, I am enjoying putting the site motto "Speak Freely. Write Your World." into action and have received several payouts already. Looking to try it out? Sign up today! 

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

If you want readers to keep returning, activity is a must. Are you keeping your blog as active as you should? No matter what your site is about, it needs to keep moving.

Many find that having  a blog is the easiest way to do that. There are only so many updates you can make to informational and product pages. But a blog can be updated as often as you are able.

Just remember to keep your blog flowing for the most reader activity as well.

By Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Do you actually make money with your writing? It's just for fun or because you're bored, right? How do you pay your bills when you just play on the computer all day? These are the types of questions i get from people interested in learning how to make the most money in web writing. Often they are skeptical, thinking that a decent income is impossible in this business.

You need a website. Some will tell you this isn't necessary. But, I repeat: All web writers need a website. While you can definitely make money writing online without having your own website, you're likely to earn more money if you do. Sometimes my clients find me via the various companies I publish with but they tend to visit my website even if they find me elsewhere. Your website should be a place where clients can learn more about what you do, find out your rates, and contact you for services. Without a website, that's more questions they will need to ask you and some will skip over authors they can't research more readily.  You can even place an easy to reference online resume page on your website to save your potential clients more time.

Query, submit, query, submit.. To keep your name out there, you need to be actively querying new outlets, as well as submitting to existing clients. For instance, if you have signed up with two sites that allow freelancers to submit work, keep those sites active. But in addition, query for other work and sign up for additional sites as often as possible. It is always better to have an overload of opportunities you can pass on to your writer friends than to have none at all.

Publish, publish, publish. Like querying and submitting, do what you can to make sure you are publishing as often as possible. The more your name gets seen in writing, the more potential clients will see you. If one venue is not publishing your submissions as fast as they say they will, don't be afraid to pull them for publication elsewhere if beneficial.

Always have multiple clients and venues available. It is perfectly valid to post the most often with the venue or client that will publish your writing most often. Just be sure you do still have some variety where possible, as variety keeps your name spread around and keeps you learning varied experiences. To make the most money in online writing, you need to be sure that if things are slow or undesirable with one venue or client, you still have other revenue possibilities.

Be yourself. When you see a successful writer, it is easy to fall into line and try to mimic what they are doing. There is only one of each individual. The better strategy is to use some of their techniques and apply them to yourself. Be smart, but also be original and unique. Be you. If you think about the people you look up to in web writing, most likely you will be able to say that there is no one quite like them. The writers that are honest with and about themselves -- and in their experience are most likely to succeed. Copycats will eventually show their true colors -- usually in their work.

Be flexible and choose appropriate work. Clients can sometimes be particular about what they want. It is normal to make suggestions you feel will be helpful. But the end result should always be something your clients are satisfied with. To avoid conflicts in this area, choose topics and workloads suited to your personal experience and preferences and leave the other work for someone else.

Be adaptable. The world of web writing can be largely unpredictable as far as what works at the moment. Smart web writers stay prepared for changes to occur and adapt with the changes instead of running from them. Because the world and the web are ever-changing, it is important to stay up to date with the best current strategies and marketable skills. Those writers who are willing to go the extra mile in preparation are the ones that will continue to succeed now and into the future. 

More from Lyn:

Web Writing Tips: Forming Ideas

Web Writing Tips: Risks are Necessary to Succeed

Simple, Effective Ways to Enhance Your Brand

by Amanda Zieba
If you are like me, you are thinking about taking your writing to the next level. But how? The new year is a great time to make some new goals and some new habits. Read how one writer plans to propel her writing career here with .