I'm so excited!

[VersantScribe]

Many months ago, I signed up with Constant Content. Back in October I put up an article which was accepted right off but remains unsold. I was just happy it wasn't rejected on the first try.

Then near the end of last year I put up another article that had been a sample I'd written for a gig I wasn't selected for. I tweaked it some and put it on Constant Content, but this one did get rejected because I had a pesky misplaced modifier (I do like that they have strict editing policies, though.)

Eh, okay, so I waited a while before putting it up again because I was afraid it would get rejected for something else. With their 3 strikes rule on rejections, I wasn't in a rush...The other day, I finally re-read and corrected it, and re-submitted it.

I got a notice this morning that my article was accepted then SOLD 16 minutes later for full rights!

I was shocked! I mean, not SHOCKED but I really didn't expect that! I understand this isn't normal, but I'm pretty proud that it sold just about as soon as it was posted.

I now have $35 (before fees) for an unused, barely tweaked sample that I wrote off the cuff in about an hour.

I need to go back through my files now and see what else I can use and submit!

[Celeste Stewart]

Congrats! Fun when that happens!

[ThisOldMan]

Three strikes and you are out? I wish I did not know about that. Now that my first submission had been rejected, I have just two more tries left. Having a sword like this hanging overhead while writing is definitely going to constrict the flow of the creative juices.

Congratulations to you on your first sale. May it be the first of many more to come.

[jak]

My last submission sold before I even knew it was accepted, so I know how you feel. It was great.

[VersantScribe]

Having a sword like this hanging overhead while writing is definitely going to constrict the flow of the creative juices.

I know the feeling! But lately I've been working on creating first, and editing later. If I just let my right brain go and don't read over or evaluate the work with my left brain in the middle of my progress, the creative juices flow pretty nicely. Don't think about the sword, just write then set it aside for a bit before you rip it to shreds repeatedly in that search for "perfection." Whatever THAT looks like...lol.

[ThisOldMan]

I think I will do just that. Write the best that I can. Then proofread it again and again and again. After that, submit it and go have a break. Also keep telling myself that the world is not going to come to an end if I get three rejections.

btw do you know of any software that can help to check for errors, especially errors in grammar and style?

[VersantScribe]

The only software I know of is Word, and it only looks for grammatical errors, such as sentence fragments and the like. I don't always listen when it points things out because there are times when I fragment on purpose (like in writing copy for sales literature.)

I don't know of anything that corrects for style, though if you'd like to use your techie expertise and create one I'm all for it. The only program I've written in my life was in 1994 when I used C++ to make a Christmas tree on the old MS DOS screen. That was in 8th grade, and there was an error in the program so I don't even remember getting a good grade. I do remember the smirk on the teacher's face, however. Since then I've learned to leave the software to the pros. LOL. The extent of my technical knowledge ends with editing HTML in profile templates like Blogger and Myspace to take out attributions and other elements I don't want.

As for learning to hone your stylistic skills, I suggest looking at "The Elements of Style" by Strunk & White. Though there is an online version by Strunk Jr. that you can find here: http://www.bartleby.com/141/ I'm not super-familiar with the specifics of what's outlined there, only because I've done more academic writing for more English teachers of different styles and requirements in the last few years than I care to count. I've learned to become versatile with the whole style thing according to what gets me the best grade (and now the best price for my articles.) Strunk & White literally "wrote the book" on style. If anything, it should be a refresher course for you.

Hope that helps some!

[ThisOldMan]

Thank you for the update. Looking at it now. btw for such a young person, you definitely have got a lot of experience.

[jadedragon]

The so called "three strikes" rule is not really true. If you submit garbage expect to be canned on the first try. If you submit good work with the occasional error on the occasional document you are fine. I've had more than 3 rejections and most of the successful writers here have. The issue is to learn your errors and correct them. CC needs good writers to make money so they don't reject anyone unless the so called writer is wasting everyone's time.

[ThisOldMan]

Suddenly the sun is shining and the birds are singing again. Thank you, Jadedragon. Not a Jade Lady, by any chance?

Seriously, I have written and been paid for more thousands of words than I remember and I have my own weird style. Weird as in not conforming to norms. Including some of my own peculiar spelling. However, like I said earlier, its good to have my ego deflated now and then. Besides, Constant Content has got the highest paying rate that I know of. For example, that request for an article about "War on Boys." For just 500 words, the buyer is prepared to pay 500usd. If that's not a typo, that works out to 1usd per word. An astronomical amount considering that tons of buyer pay 00.01usd or less.

Just curious. I saw an urgent request that needs to be filled within less than 72 hours. How are the articles going to be reviewed in time to meet the deadline?

[Sharion]

My articles usually get three passes.

1. First write, get it out and don't nitpick every detail. Let the creative juices have their way. Set it aside, sometimes for a couple hours, sometimes for a day or two.

2. Now that the heat has passed go back over it with a critical eye. Keep in mind the things you've been rejected for in the past. Keep in mind the things other post about getting rejected for. Make sure it opens and closes well, and that it flows logically. Try for this to be the final version, but do not sign off on it yet.

3. Read it one more time for anything you've missed. Run the spellchecker. (Spelling and grammar are the last things I check. Otherwise I might create a problem during my edits.) As I do not have Word, I then turn it into a text file, shoot it over the network to my husband's computer, and open the text file in Word for the grammar check. Some things that it flags I let go because it isn't always right. Other times it actually catches something. If you don't have access to Word, spend extra time on the final read through. You might know a rule forwards and backwards, but it's easy to make a mistake anyway.

Only after it's been through my three passes do I create the keywords, summary, etc. and submit it to CC. I find that if I follow my three-pass checklist, they get accepted.

[VersantScribe]

Sharion, that's a good system! I realized last night while converting an older article that I'm going over my work way more than three times. But part of that is the fact that I'm becoming anal about whether I missed something and I am trying to use such a fine-toothed comb that I start and re-start over again after I find a mistake (or even just to tighten the wording.) I suppose I'll get better at this as I go, but I think I've always been this way with my own work. Part of me thinks I'm wasting my time, but the perfectionist in me hardly cares. I pray for the day I can get good enough to do it your way.

But that's what writing is, isn't it? 20% creative and 80% editing? I hear all those sayings about writing your heart out and then cutting out at least 20% to make it GOOD writing. Whenever I need to think about the impact of my words, I think of Hemingway's famous short story- "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn."

Jadedragon, you've just made my year. I still think that it's a healthy fear for new writers to think there's a 3-strikes rule if for no other reason that it will help them understand that CC is not a "content mill" and it demands high standards. That's what we want, isn't it? As someone who really does strive to make every piece as perfect as possible, it is a relief to know I won't lose out on this opportunity because I misplaced a comma for the "last time."

And OldMan, I think you should try to be as stylistically independent as you can while still staying within CC's structure. Honestly, there is not a single thing in the guidelines here that isn't applicable to scores of other kinds of writing, even academic writing. But I believe strongly in being proud of your own voice, as long as it's grammatically correct. At least in a marketplace like this one. I'm sure CC would hate for you to lose out on a sale because a client got distracted by some odd error or wording.

Also, I am young (to many, though sometimes I feel 40 in my head, lol), and I may be experienced. But I have SO much to learn.

One of my favorite quotes is, "Education is nothing more than the progressive understanding of your own ignorance." I feel like the older I get and the more I do, the more I realize that I have a looooong way to go before I "get there."

[jadedragon]

Writing is an engaging interesting tone will help you sell articles. Buyers want something with punch.

My online persona JadeDragon reflects a number of concepts including leadership, power, luck, stability and more. My Chinese name is Big Dragon and my daughter's name is also Jade. I'm definitely a daddy and my real name is Cameron.

[ThisOldMan]

Ah, so you are Ta Long. Well met, brother. Give your Siau Yu a little kiss on the cheek from Lau PePe. Just curious. What is the ratio of native to non-native English writers here in CC? Seems like the first forum I have posted on that does not discriminate against those who never learned to lisp in English from their mothers' lips.

[Elizabeth Ann West]

For those of you who do not have Word, Openoffice.org. It's free and let's you save as a .doc

It also have spellcheck and grammar check and you can even tell it you want to check fro American versus British English. It also does spreadsheets, databases, presentations, and drawings. It looks very similar to Word, so the adoption time is minimal. About the only significant variation is to format your page it is under :Gasp: the FORMAT menu, not FILE. Also, you can format everything at once, page, paragraph, styles, etc.

It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. I've used it on all three systems. HTH