Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, to anyone who happens to venture over this blog. Many good tidings are wished your way.

Freelance Online

Many people every day think, "What's a good way to make money?" Online freelance journalism is a great source of extra income, if you've got the time and dedication. It's definitely not going to bring in tons of money right away, but if you're good enough, people like your content, and visitors steadily see your material; it may not be as far fetched as it seems.

Like anything, planning is a big step in freelance journalism. Even when you've planned out which site(company) you're going to work for, planning is involved with each article you'll be writing. But, before you starting slinging ink to a page, you should look into the resources at your disposal for getting your work out to the public.

Mass submission sites are often a good resource for beginning freelancers, for they take unlimited articles, review them, and pay you a small amount, fairly quickly. Sites such as AssociatedContent.com, AllVoices.com, and many others fall into this category, but there is a downside to them all. With such lax submission guidelines, people are submitting volumes of content, which has a good chance of drowning yours out of view, for you also receive a small payment for a certain amount of views.

Never fear, though sites such as these may give your competition the view advantage, there are plenty of other sites that allow you to make better money for your content. ConstantContent.com and ContentCurrent.com are two sites I am a member of, and each is a publisher request site(business submits an idea, their writers---you---have a chance to submit for the articles). Though these sites aren't mass submission, they have higher prices for articles, which means you have to write less to earn just as much. Most sites like these are only for professional or aspiring writers, not the hobbyist looking for a quick buck.

Some sites mix the pot, adding components of both mass submit and publisher request sites together into one. Helium.com is such a site, and they bring together a massive amount of topics anyone can write about, with a writer's marketplace that allows publishers to request an article. Along with pay-per-view, you can earn from their marketplace, which gives you two sources of income in one site.

Though there are plenty of opportunities throughout the Internet, it will still be an uphill battle to accrue a reputable source of income from online freelance journalism. This may not be what you want to hear, but the main point to take away is, it's possible, and you can do it too.

Sentence Structure Part-2

Welcome back, one-and-all. Today we're completing the sentence structure post series, learning about the rhythm of sentences. My previous post was about the 4 structures of a sentence, and how to write them correctly; now, I'm going to show you the rhythm associated with the structures, which will give the reader a clean flow from beginning to end.

Simple sentences are usually just comprised of subject and verb, so they have a quick, choppy rhythm when in succession. A man ran to the store. The man came back. Just these two simples sentences makes it choppy and boring, but A man ran to the store, then came back. delivers a better rhythm, giving it a better read.

Complex sentences are informative and fancy, but too many in succession can also detract from your writing's readability. A man ran to the store, soon he came back. He cooked us dinner, when he returned. He was a stranger, because I've never met him. Notice how it bogs your eyes down, and it eventually gains a slow rhythm. Break it up a little with a Compound sentence. A man ran to the store, and he came back. He cooked us dinner, when he returned.

Compound sentences can also drag down the rhythm of writing, if too many are used back-to-back. A man ran to the store, and he soon came back. He cooked us dinner, but he was a stranger. I've never met him, but he seems nice. Usually, you can just throw in whatever sentence you want. It goes the same for Compound-Complex sentences, which can be broken up by any other structure.

With rhythm of sentence structure, it mainly depends on your ear, for you often have to read it out loud, before you can hear the rhythm. Also remember, moderation with the styles is never a bad thing. If you feel it doesn't need a particular structure, don't fret you have four to choose from. Once you've mastered rhythm, readers will follow your prose seamlessly from beginning to end, and they will be fascinated with every well picked word.

C. A. Daniel

Sentence Structure Part-1:

Welcome all, it is finally time to begin this wonderful blog of writing, freelancing, and online money making. I decided to make my first posts a two-part series, introducing sentence structure---one of the main weapons in any writer's arsenal.

Simple Sentence:

These are by far the easy to comprehend and use, but with that said, used in the wrong way, they can detract from your writing's appearance. Don't take this to mean never use them, for they are very handy to have, especially when mastered.

Now for an example: John plays. This is the simplest type of sentence, with only subject and predicate(verb). You can get a little fancy by adding another subject or predicate, but make sure to get the agreement right. See if you tell the difference: John and Bill plays. or John and Bill play. Also don't forget, you can use two predicates as well: John and Bill run and play. All of the above examples are simple sentences, though some may not look it.

Complex Sentence:

Now, to step it up a notch. Dependant clauses add more detail to the Independant clause, either verifying a time or describing an action. These will certainly add some spice to your work, showing the reader you know your stuff. Like before, the next step is examples.

First one: I'm going to use the first sentence from before, turning it into a complex. John plays. Simple. John plays, while at school. Complex Notice what makes it a dependant clause, the while throws off the sentence, because what's happening while at school. You don't know. Using these can definitely add some zest to your prose.

Compound Sentence:

Next, the well known Compound sentence is up to bat. The definition of a compound sentence is two complete stand-alone statements come together, being combined, with a conjuction. If you don't include the conjunction, it's known as a comma splice, and if you have neither conjuction or comma, it's a run on sentence.

You know what's next...examples. Well use the previous sentences once again, so there's no confusion. John plays, and Bill runs. Notice where the conjuction if located, and the comma before it. If your sentences don't sound right with "and", have no fear. A whole list is usable in that location: and, but, nor, for, or, so(or is also a conjuction, in school i had trouble with that).

Compound-Complex Sentence:

Now you're getting fancy. This is sure to show anyone your writing chops, when you break out the compound-complex sentences. Not only are you joining two ideas, but two very detailed ideas, which can elaborate far more than any other sentence. Though like everything, and these especially, moderation is key. If a work is nothing but compound-complex, it can grow boring and heavy.

But, you can never have too many examples, so here we go. Returning to the first sentence, once again. John plays, when at school, and Bill runs, while at home. In that one sentence, I described the action of two boys and when they did it. Combines the detail of all the above sentences, delivering it in one impressive blow. Remember, moderation is key.

In Conclusion:

I hope you enjoyed this post, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Come back for the last post of the series on Thursday, about the rythym of sentence structure, and how to make it work for you. Till next time.

C. A. Daniel

Update:

My blog will technically begin tomorrow, and I'm planning on beginning a two post series about sentence structure. Monday will be the intoduction and first "lesson"; Thursday, we'll begin a little fancy work with changing the rythym of the sentences.

I will place the week's plan on Sundays, so anyone can catch up to where it is. I hope anyone who hopes to become a better writer finds my information useful. I do not mind critiques, and if anyone notices something wrong, do not be afraid to speak up. I'm already thinking up plans for the week after, and I'm excited about the post tomorrow.

To My Readers

Dear Reader:

Thank you for taking time to look at my blog. I know it's doesn't have all the bells and whistles yet, but give it time. I am an aspiring novelist, blogger and freelance journalist, closer to the latter, for I have a few articles published already and much farther to go.

The point of this blog, is to give you ways to make money on the internet, and possibly, share my knowledge of writing...if it's worth your time. This blog is just starting, but I hope that it will take the internet by storm, entertaining, informing and helping readers everywhere.

I will keep you posted on the progress of my book, which I've finished the chapter 1 outline today, planning to start writing tonight or tomorrow. Currently enrolled in school, I have lots of studying to accomplish before finals next week, but I will do my best to post twice a week(Monday and Thursday). With best wishes for your entertainment, thewriter.