Writing often takes the back seat to other things that we see as more important. If you really want to make time for writing, there is a way no matter how busy your life is. It takes a bit of determination and sometimes a great deal of effort to get those words written down. Take heart, you can still write for Helium even when you don't have a lot of extra time.
Here is a guide to help you organize your writing time:
• Set Goals
The first thing that you have to do with any venture is to decide what you really want out of it. If you want to use writing as a hobby, that's great. If you are more serious about wanting to earn a living at it, that is possible as well. Whatever it is you want to do, you have to decide now what that is.
• Make A Plan
It all depends on your goals as to how you plan out your writing. The idea is to decide how much you want out of it and then figure out what you need to do to reach that goal. Make the goals realistic so that you can stick with them. If you make them unreachable, you will get frustrated and give up when it doesn't happen the way you want it to. Each person will vary depending on the goal.
If you want to make sure that you make twenty dollars a day minimum writing for Helium, you will need to do the following: Number of articles needed X Amount of Upfront payments you will receive.
Here is how I calculate mine: I need to make a minimum of $430 a month to pay my bills. In order to achieve this goal for certain, I have to write a certain amount of articles each of the five days I am able to write. I have five writing stars, which means that I make $2.50 per article that I write to eligible channels. In order to guarantee that I will make enough money for that month, I have to write 172 articles per month. (Amount needed divided by the amount per article). Once I have determined the total amount of articles I need per day simply to pay the bills I have, I can break it down.
My general rule of thumb is to use five days a week times four weeks in a month. That gives me twenty days to write 172 articles. By dividing 172 articles by 20 days, the total amount of articles comes out to be 8.6 articles per day. That doesn't sound as bad as the original 172 articles per month, does it. (Personal goal, work from home.)
• Choose Titles
Depending on what your goal is, you will want to choose titles that will help you reach them. If your goal is money related, choose from titles that pay upfront payments. If your goal is the number of articles you write, then it doesn't matter what channel you choose. The idea is to simply reach whatever goal you have set.
As you rate, you will sometimes come across a title that appeals to you. In order to continue rating, start a spreadsheet that will allow you to quickly add the title to the list. This work when simply navigating the site as well. You will find that making a list to refer to makes writing go much faster than surfing the looking for just the right thing.
Choose titles that you know well. This makes it much easier to get the work done. If you have to do a lot of research on a subject because you don't know it well, you won't get nearly as much work done. The ideas and angles just aren't there when you don't know the subject that you are writing about.
• Decide on a Time
Lives get very busy with work, children and all the other little things that make it so great. If you want to write then you must set aside specific time in order to do it. Many writers who have children will do the work after the children have gone to bed. Some of the work at home mom's even work through the night so they don't have to pay daycare. Others, such as myself, write throughout the day. Yet others simply find time to write in between everything else. Whatever time and days are best for you, dedicate it to writing and stick with it. You can't reach your goals when you don't have a dedication to it.
• Make Up For Lost Time
If there is something that keeps you from writing at the designated time, make another time slot to complete the work. There will be times that it will be unavoidable to miss your writing session. Don't beat yourself up over it. Try to make up the time. If you can't do that, then do everything in your power to get back on track. You will soon find yourself back in the groove and ready to write your amazing works of art.
Writing is a great way to relieve stress. You can also earn a good deal of money at it now that Helium.com is on the scene. You have to be dedicated to it and love it in order to make it work well. There are no limits to what you can do once you set your mind to organizing your writing time.