by Michelle Hozey

Created on: June 28, 2010   Last Updated: June 29, 2010

Wading through a seemingly endless stream of titles from your Demand Studios Work Desk can become an extremely daunting and time-consuming venture. This task is especially annoying when all you want to do is write so you can get paid. Hopefully these tips will help minimize your time spent searching and maximize your time writing and earning your living.

Write what you know

This phrase is plastered all over everything that has to do with writing. There’s a reason for that: it’s true. If you don’t want to risk rejection with every submission, this phrase should be your mantra. Granted, not every title that piques your interest will be something you have personally experienced or know the ins and outs of. However, you should at least have an interest in the subject. If you don’t know anything about construction, don’t write about hanging drywall or building decks. No amount of research can make up for a lack of knowledge about the terms, tools and tips that people will need in order to successfully complete a task. You may be able to fool the copy editor into thinking you know what you’re talking about, but your article will certainly provide no help to the reader.

Narrow it down

Use the category and subcategory listings on the left hand side of the Find Titles screen. If you know a lot about animals or enough of the basics to write about animals, click on Animals. If this search is too broad, then under Animals, choose what type of animal you would like to write about.  

Search keywords

If you have an area of interest or expertise, use the search box on the left hand side of the Find Titles screen to narrow down the list of titles. If you wish to write articles about New York or something else that has more than one word in the keyword, place quotation marks around your search terms, otherwise you will get everything “new” and everything “York” that Demand Studios has to offer.

Skip the impossible titles

Some titles that are available on Demand Studios are just about impossible to write to. If a title seems too vague, too strange, too broad, too demanding (such as requiring interviews with specialists in that particular field – you’re only getting paid $15, remember?), or too common sense to stretch into 200 or 500 or however many words, just skip it. You’ll thank yourself later on when you realize all the grief you just saved yourself from. The common sense titles, such as silly things like “How to turn on a computer”, may sound easy to write about, but word-stretching for the sake of meeting the word count requirement just wastes your time and the reader’s. 

Learn more about this author, Michelle Hozey.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.