why do i read your blog?
I read your blog not because of your impressive writing abilities. Whether you believe it or not, I am a silent follower of this blog and that is not to say that the blogger can’t write well because based on her background, I think she’s doing great with her writing. If you don’t focus on the strict grammar rules of the English language, you might also enjoy reading her entries.
I read your blog not because you’re famous. I follow Heather Armstrong. She’s famous and she writes really well but that is not the reason why I read her blog. Believe it or not, most of the bloggers I follow are small time bloggers who cater to very few audiences.
I follow your blog not because I learn from it. I actually hate super pretentious blogs that tell you what to do. Google leads me to those kinds of blogs whenever I need info but the chance that I will return to those blogs is always almost zero.
I read your blog because you share something about your life and your thoughts with honesty. I read your blog because I get the feeling that we have something in common. I read your blog because we have the same opinions on some things. I read your blog because I like your humor. I read your blog because I can sympathize with your sorrows. I read your blog because it’s entertaining.
I, myself, don’t have a writing prowess to boast about but I have an idea why a few readers read what I write because it is also the very reason why I read somebody else’s blog.
I read your blog because I know that behind that blog is a “real” person.
Read Morea week at ODESK
My first week of working as a freelance writer at ODESK is done and I am hooked!
enjoying a cup of coffee while working on my assignment
I suspect that the reasons are because this is my first job as a freelance writer and that I just love the assignment I got. The pay is ok. I mean, if I would have been based in the Philippines, a 3$/hr rate is very good but since I am in Europe, it means that it is because I really love the job.
My first week brought me 51$. If this will continue, it would mean that I’ll have 204$ in a month. Again, it’s not bad for doing something I love doing.
I am a member of ODESK since November 2009 but it was not until last week when I started to apply for jobs (and immediately got one). Now that I think of it, I would have earned more money, work history, and feedback if I would have started right away. What stopped me from starting right away?
I think the very first one was the TESTS. Yes, there are tests at ODESK but, except for one, you’re not required to take these tests. The only test required is the ODESK readiness test which would entail you to read ODESK’s FAQ or TOS and to download the ODESK software (which is completely safe). IT IS NOT DIFFICULT. And if you fail, you can do it again. Other tests are just there to help you land your first job. For a neophyte, you won’t have a work history to boast about so better take some tests. In this way, your future clients will have something to base your qualifications on.
The second reason was the TIME. I thought… I don’t have time to spare for serious freelance work. I just learned now that that is a complete crap. With ODESK, you control your time. If you have just 2 hours to spare each week, that’s also ok. There are job openings that only ask a few hours each week.
The third reason is because I thought, I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH. I still think I am not good enough for certain jobs so I don’t apply for them. Simple. When I think I can do a job, I go for it.
Anyone who’s really interested can be successful at ODESK. All you need is a computer and an internet connection and you’re set.
After reading this post and you are still doubtful about ODESK, you can look around for other success stories. There’s a big community of Filipino Odeskers online. You can find them on FaceBook and Ning.
So don’t be like me. Don’t get stuck because of reasons that are actually nonsense. If you really want to work online as a freelancer, ODESK is the best place for you.
Read Morelevel up
Ever since I learned about the world of blogging, I always wished to have my articles published on real online magazines (would also be super great if I get my work published on print). Of course, I have some written works available online but they are all self-published.
I’ve spent years contemplating on submitting my articles to online magazines but I never got the courage to do so. I always thought, who would want to publish the kind of writing I do? I mean, no fancy words, no long sentences, no impressive idioms, etc. It’s like anybody who completed first grade can write the way I do.
But because this deep conviction to bring my blogging to the next level can’t be suppressed anymore, I signed up for ODESK and looked for some writing gigs. I have to tell you that I wasn’t so impressed at first because some buyers offer really cheap compensation (I mean REALLY cheap). That’s disheartening but I told myself that if I really want to do this, I must not concentrate on what I will earn. I should concentrate on getting jobs and starting my portfolio as a freelance writer.
So I started applying for jobs. I sent out nine applications and from these applications I got one rejection and three interviews. And from these three interviews, I got one job and I refused the other two jobs because the job I accepted requires 16 hours per week and that’s already more than I can commit to my writing. I want to be able to do quality jobs and since I am just starting and learning the ropes of freelance writing, I avoided quantity (As you know, I don’t enjoy pressure).
I rescinded my application for the other six jobs I applied for. I didn’t wait for buyer’s response anymore because I already accepted an earlier job offer.
Now, I want to talk about the job I got.
When I got a notification from ODESK that I am invited for an interview, I was ecstatic and of course, nervous. In my mind, I immediately reviewed possible questions that might be thrown at me and the corresponding answers. To my surprise, all I got was this:
Hi Vienna,
Thanks for applying. Do you have any blogs or writing samples that I can take a look at? It would be really helpful.
Thanks! S
So I directed her to this blog while thinking… oops, I should have updated my blog and written a better post. I was sure I won’t get this job but I was surprised to see her reply:
Hi Vienna,
I took a look at your blog and I love it! I like your writing style, its reflective and gives the glimpse into your personal thoughts through your writing. I also really enjoy that you write casually and not forced (some people write like they have to prove something!) and that you also include photos with your entries.I think you’re a good match! You can write about anything under the sun that is Wine, Food & Travel related. You can stretch the topic since it doesn’t have to be literal and can be interpreted in so many different ways. For food, you can write about your own herb/vegetable garden. For travel, you can write about past experiences, going to some place in town, or dreams of future vacations. For wine, heck – whatever floats your boat.
You can combine the topics or write them individually. Again, its completely up to you. There are no rules! You’re hired.
I’ll set you up with an account on the website, which is WordPress based. You can post the articles, I’ll review and publish them when ready. Just as a note, all articles also need to have a companion photo, which is located on the right hand side of the article page. This image will also be used as the thumbnail image on the homepage and throughout the site. You can also add multiple images in the body of your writing, just like you do in your blog.
Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll also need some time to set up your account… in the meanwhile, welcome to the team and I look forward to your writing
Cheers, S
Look at that! Somebody likes my candid way of writing. I was all smiles when I finished reading this message. I am really happy that one of my many dreams is about to come true.
I won’t tell you where my articles will be published yet. I’ll have to wait until at least one of my articles goes live. c”)
Read MoreGoodbye to my old theme
There’s a lot of revamping going on in my blogs lately and I am not done yet. I started with merging some of my blogs and changing the themes. Not only did this blog got a new theme but my other blog, Bizarre Marriage, is also running on a new theme since last week. The next few weeks will bring more merging. My target is to have less than five blogs and at the moment I still have like seven or so.
The reason why I am doing this is because I want to be able to manage all of my blogs well and with the day job coming this September, I’ll definitely have lesser time for blogging so I thought that it is better to keep fewer blogs but manage them well than to keep all my blogs and leave most them unattended.
So anyway, I like my old theme and it worked well for me but I’ve been using it for a long time so I thought of using a new one for a change.
I think my new theme is great! ElegantThemes.com has some really handsome themes and I particularly like this one because of it looks clean. The photos, if you noticed, are not related to the blog posts but for aesthetics’ sake, I placed one photo on each post. This theme looks way better with the photos and in the future I will try to put photos that are related to my blog posts. There’s one thing though… and I would do it if I could but I my PHP knowledge is very limited. It is actually not even enough to place the “recent comments” and “random articles” on the bottom of the page instead of displaying them on top.
And then there’s also the reminder from Sterndal that since I merge some of my blogs, I also have to fix some links. She’s right but I’m not sure if I would like to go through all that hassles. This blog alone has almost a hundred posts and I after putting photos on each of them, I don’t like to imagine going through each post to check if the links are linking to deleted blogs. But maybe I’ll do it someday. Who knows? It’ll definitely make my blog better.
Read MoreSo, what's up?
Our two week summer holiday is done and no, we didn’t spend it in Croatia. We stayed the whole time in Austria instead and visited some interesting places here and there. The reason why we didn’t go to Croatia is because it is not a part of the EU so I, as a Philippine citizen, still need a visa to go there and we just didn’t like to go through all that.
Austria has a lot of nice places that we haven’t seen so we spend the last two weeks making small trips and joy rides. I also spent most of the nights studying for my driving license and those nights paid off because I passed my theory exam today. I am so relieved. This means I am eligible to take the Practical exam. The next practical exam date will be sometime next week and I still have three practical driving lessons before that. On the last lesson, my driving instructor will be giving me his thoughts on whether I am good enough for the exam or not. I’ll see how these thoughts will affect my decision on taking the exam next week.
It’s been almost a month since my last post and the rarity of my posts is due to lack of time. Honest. I was busy—the teacher training, the German competency course, the driving lessons, the holiday, and some other things that follow like a complete medical check-up for the new teaching job in September, eye doctor’s appointment for the driving license, etc. But it’s getting better. I am done with the teacher training, the German competency course, the holiday, and I am almost done with the driving thing.
It looks like I will be having more time for my blogging from now on. I actually changed my theme a few days ago to sort of mark a new chapter of my life (ehem!). I am also planning to change the themes of my other blogs and merge some of them but that will follow. First, I have to see how it is going to be with the new job.
Read MoreMy writing is so lame
I want to write. To actually write. Not just about anything but to actually write about something interesting. And not just write about something but to write beautifully about something.
I want to write not with profound words but well constructed sentences. I want to really convey what I mean through words.
How does one do that?
Read More