…that speaks to your audience and the search engines? You’ve come to the right place! I have written on a variety of subjects for both print and online publications. Technology, gaming, Yoga – you name it, I’ve probably covered it.

With wide ranging interests, a knack for quick research, and plenty of real life experience to draw upon, I am open to write on any content needs you have.

Want to find out more about my work? Find most of my published clips here.
Want to find out more about myself? Have a go at my resume!
Want to contact me about projects? Here’s my email.

My content is unique and developed around your specifications. There is no subject that I will shy away from, and I strive for the highest of quality in every piece that I pen.

Pricing

This varies from project to project, depending on the amount of research that is required, as well as any additional services you might want (such as editing or layout). You can find general guidelines on my Services page. If you would like an exact quote, please contact me and I will provide you with a no obligation free quote.
Services that I offer include (but are not limited to):
Keyword Articles
Magazine Articles
SEO
Brochures
Specialized Ebooks
Website Content Packages
Blog Writing
Editing
Newsletters

If you are interested in a service not listed here, please let me know and I’ll let you know if I can help out.

This means that you shouldn’t stop at just a word processor for your freelance writing toolbox. Here’s a list of some of the software I use on a regular basis (and what it’s good for!).

Word Processors

Open Office - Forget spending a ton on Microsoft Office. Open Office can read and write all the formats you need. This isn’t just a word processor - it’s a complete office suite.

Jarte - Although I love Open Office to death, it can be slow at times. It also has a bit of a memory leak, although I’m not sure if I should blame that one on Windows or the software. When I need a fast, low resource word processor I load up Jarte. It has basic word processing features (including spell check and word/character count) and takes up a minimal amount of system memory.
Blogging Tools

Microsoft Live Writer (Beta) - This is a standalone remote blogging software. This is a godsend when I need to post to multiple blogs. It’s also remarkably bug free for a Microsoft product. You can read more about my experiences with the software right here.

Performancing - Brought to you by the Mozilla team, Performancing is a Firefox/Mozilla plugin that allows you to remotely post to your blogs. It shows up inline with your browser window (as opposed to Live Writer) but I couldn’t get into this one as much (although I sorely wanted to). My main hang up with Performancing is the poor image handling, although I believe it to be superior to Live Writer as far as pure posting goes.

Unfortunately, on the majority of the blogs I work with (both clients and personal), I need basic image markup. I don’t want to have to go in and hand code images. You can read more about my experiences with Performancing if you’d like.

Graphics

Serif PhotoPlus 6.0 - I don’t do enough graphic design work to require the functionality of Photoshop. Serif Photoplus does exactly what I need - extremely basic editing and creation. All of their software is free for a quick registration. I linked the main page as there are several other interesting types of software that they offer.

FastStone Image Resizer - One thing that I do end up needing in many personal and client projects is a bulk image resizer. FastStone offers a nice little piece of freeware for the job - the thumbnails are pretty well done and it processes requests very fast.

Web Coding/Designing

HTML-Kit - Unless you have a full time web coder/designer on staff, you are going to end up needing to take a look at some HTML code. You do not want to run the code through any type of word processor. Many times they insert junk code that will completely ruin the functionality of the site. So you need to use a specialized editor (or notepad/notepad replacements). I’ve used HTML-Kit for several years now and it’s never failed me.

Aptana - Ever encounter CSS and need a great piece of software to help you edit it? Aptana is a complete godsend in that case. I don’t know how I managed to miss this lovely program before - I saw it mentioned on one of the designing blogs I read and I just had to go get it. It’s amazing for working with CSS and has Javascript and HTML editing functionality as well.

Color Scheme Generator - Have a hard time picking out color combinations?  This web tool will help you out in a variety of

Productivity

Agenda at Once - Oh how I love Agenda at Once. I spent a long time looking for a project/time management software. Some had too many features, some had too little - AAO is jussssst right. A few of the features that made me fall in love with this software:

• To Do List that can also be scheduled in your caldendar. You can add priority arrows to the list as well as specifying the type of project it is. I have mine set up as new client, repeat client, personal project, etc. You can also indicate partial completion on the projects. You have unlimited space (as far as I can tell) for project details so I throw in pastes of all relevant emails and chat discussions into the entry.
• A Quick Notes feature that I don’t know how I lived without.  Forget sticky notes, scribbling, and a mess on the desk - I can put all my short notes and messages right in here.
• Autosaving - I minimize and it autosaves all my projects, quick notes, and scheduling information.  Very handy.
• Easy to use interface - Far too many programs nowadays forget what it’s like to be a newbie user.  Agenda at Once is easy to pick up and get started with right away.

They offer a 15 day trial with no limitations.  After that you pay $30 to play - it’s well worth it.

Feedreader - My bookmarks were out of control and I was visiting a ton of websites daily to see whether they were updated or not.  Many of them offered RSS feeds but I hadn’t seen the aggregator light yet.  That changed when I decided to download Feedreader.  Work, play, or research - I now run all sites with RSS feeds through the aggregator so I know when the sites are updated.  It’s a great piece of free software.

powered by performancing firefox

That way I can just be lazy and point to this post instead of hunting around for links. I do that far too much! This is by no means a comprehensive Wordpress plugins list. You can find those here and here.

These are just plugins I have personally used or have had friends recommend. I hope this is useful!

WP-Cache - Great for improving the load speeds of large blogs.
Intouch - The only contact form plugin I could get to work for me.
Autoblog - Automate the process of updating your blog.
FeedWordpress - Need feed support? Get it here!
Wordpress SEO - SEO is a delicate art - optimizing your Wordpress site can be a chore at times. It doesn’t have to be, though. This plugin is here to help.
Semiologic rocks! - Want to expand beyond a blog but still want to use Wordpress? These plugins are perfect for you (I use Semiologic plugins extensively around my sites).
Related Entries - Connect similar entries with blog posts so your visitors can find all the juicy information faster.
Canvas - WYSIWYG gone right. This is an extensive plugin that allows you to make drastic changes on your Wordpress site - without touching a piece of code.
Notable - Mark out those posts that you want everyone to notice.
WP-Paginate - Need a better way to organize lots of static content? You need this plugin, then.
Google Sitemap - Need an easier way to get your pages indexed with Google? Try this - but be careful. If you have a huge amount of pages that still need indexed, you don’t want to dump it on google all at once.
Ultimate Tag Warrior - Implement tags and categories into your blog.
Fancy Tooltips - Tired of boring mouseover text? Jazz it up with fancy tooltips.
Adhesive - Sticky important posts to the top (like the very first post on this blog).
Static Jack - Wrap static non Wordpress content into a Wordpress skin. Very nice for establishing site continuity across several different formats.
Slug Trimmer - Hate-long-post-title-urls-like-this? Trim off the excess fat!

General Writer Resources
Absolute Write - http://www.absolutewrite.com
Burry Man - http://www.burryman.com/
Writer’s Weekly - http://www.writersweekly.com/
Freelance Writing - http://www.freelancewriting.com

Writer Job Listings
My Craiglist RSS Feeds of Writing Gigs/Jobs - http://www.bloglines.com/public/Selenia692
DebNG’s Writing Leads - http://writersrow.com/deborahng/freelancewritingjobs.html
Rent A Coder - http://www.rentacoder.com

Small Business Resources
Frugal Marketing - http://www.frugalmarketing.com/
Entrepreneur - http://www.entrepreneur.com/
All Freelance - http://allfreelance.com/

Books and Ebooks I found useful:
Well fed Writer - http://www.wellfedwriter.com/
Renegade Writer - http://www.renegadewriter.com/
Marketing Strategies for Writers - http://www.sedgegroup.com/
Make a Real Living as a Freelance Writer - http://www.jennaglatzer.com/

Do

• Provide a comprehensive overview of what your writing needs are
• Ask for reasonable qualifications
• Discuss your compensation. If you aren’t sure what to charge, give a general figure based on your budget. Here’s a good resource for guidelines on what writers charge (although the numbers do vary wildly from writer to writer).
• Discuss subject matter - it’s easier to get an expert writer if they know what topic you are looking for.
• Post an informative headline for your job posting that provides details on subject matter and the type of writing you are looking for (web content, newsletter, copywriting, etc etc).

Don’t

• Ask for a huge skillset unless the job requires it. Trust me, you don’t need dreamweaver, python, and XML experience to write a simple web content article.
• Promise ‘eventual’ compensation or a commission based on getting someone to publish your life story. The first is indictivate of no funding, probably because you never wrote up a business plan, the second is just unrealistic. Either way, it makes you look unprofessional. Actually, here’s a better tip - keep non paying jobs (this includes your hopeful eventual compensation) to the approriate boards. Approriate boards do not include something labeled paying or jobs.
• Require a four year degree without at least looking at resumes with equivalent work experience. Nine times out of ten, the person that has at least some real life experience in the field is more competent than the fresh out of college graduate.
• Use a misleading job title. We’re happy that you want to offer a “Look now make money from home!!!111one” job listing, but at least include what kind of writing you want. Possibly in place of all the exclamation points.
• Pay an incredibly low amount for far too much work. An example I saw the other day would be, say, $2.00 (or so, it was some amount under $5) an article for an 800 word article. Um….yeah. That’s just a bit too much, and someone would have to write over 6 of these articles an hour to even try to approach minimum wage. On top of that, the posting asked for them to be done within hours. Tight deadline, degrading pay - it’s bad. Here’s a tip - that price is so far below normal for professional writers that it’s not even funny.
• Make applicants email you for basic information about the job (word count, scope, compensation). This just makes more work for you, as you have to either set up an autoresponder with job information and then look through applications, or you have to reply to each writer yourself. Either way it makes more work for you and the writer.

Examples

Because I won’t rant and point out faults without giving you examples of what I am talking about, let’s go to some job boards writers frequent.

The Good

http://boston.craigslist.org/wri/171950155.html - Simple but effective. This covers the main parts of the job, what is required, and general compensation.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35248 - Covers all the important bits that the writers need to know.
The Bad<

http://austin.craigslist.org/wrg/172043381.html - I have NO idea.

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35206 - Ambigious title, wants contacted for additional information.
The Ugly

http://www.freelancewriting.com/jobbank/article4806.htm - Rush job, low pay, ask for experience, and don’t bother communicating word count requirements.

Magazine articles: These can be in either print or online publications. Presenting yourself as an expert on a subject in your industry can greatly increase your exposure and sales. It will also set you apart from your competition by showing that you are taking an active role in your industry.

Brochures: Whoever said you can’t promote your online business offline. A good brochure will inform and teach your customers what your company is all about.

Ebooks: Want to talk for more than a mere article length? Maybe an ebook would be more of your style. Whether you want to offer exclusive information to your customers, or you would like some extra promotion, an ebook can give you a platform to speak from.

Blog: Well, it seems like everyone has a blog nowadays. Blogs are great for getting personal with your customers, as well as letting them have an inside look at your company. Great for establishing a personality to your site.

Forum posting: You can use forums to build a community, or you can also use forum posts elsewhere for marketing purposes. Promote dialogues between yourself and your customers to see what they are really after.

Newsletters: A newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with your customers. Let them know what you’ve added, what you’re looking to do in the future, and maybe even have some articles and resources for them to enjoy.

FAQ: See the same questions being asked to your customer service over and over again? Consider making an FAQ on all the pressing questions. You might want to cover common questions with your products and industry as well.

Tutorials/How-tos: Your products might come with manuals but let’s face it, who really reads manuals? Stave off the incoming assault on your customer service by providing tutorials to explain all the features on your products.

Email Autoresponders: There are many uses for autoresponders - you can tie them in with your newsletter or ebooks, use them to cover pricing and product inquiries, send out industry news and information, or utilize them as mini-courses for informational products.

Syndicated Articles: These articles are written specifically to be distributed by various article agencies. Including a link to your sites and quality content about the subject you are covering will get you a great deal of promotion.

You don’t rise to the top by doing the same old thing that all your competitors are doing. Use content to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack - offer resources, insights, and guidance on the topics you know best.

There are plenty of free article directories, but most likely these are filled with articles that have already been used in dozens, if not hundreds of websites. You don’t want to get penalties for having duplicate content on your sites, so it is to your benefit that you look into original web content writing.

Additional values of adding content to your site include giving your customers something to look forward to. While you personally might be pretty excited at your product updates, your customers can be encouraged to share your enthusiasm by informative articles letting them know how the products make their lives easier.

You can also use content to promote interaction between yourself and your customer - adding a personal touch to your service. Distinguish yourself from the crowd by giving your customer something to remember you by.