When it comes to home-based online jobs in the Philippines, one of the possibilities that can be taken into account would be being an online writer. Filipinos are preferred by foreign employers not only because of excellent writing skills and work ethics, but also because of their affordable rates. While this is a promising online opportunity, competition is tough, which is why you should strive hard to be better than all others.
How can you be a better online writer? This is the question that I will address in the rest of this post. I have been doing online writing jobs for many years now, and with this, allow me to share with you some tips that have been effective not only for me, but for other writers as well.
Write, Write, Write
Champions are not born, they are made. With this, one of the things that I highly recommend is to keep on practicing until you are able to achieve perfection in your craft. The best basketball players, singers, and dancers are able to demonstrate exceptional talent because they are persistent in practicing.
In order to practice you writing skills, one thing that I can recommend is to create your own blog. In the same way, it will also help if you can maintain your own journal, where you can jot down how you feel and random feelings. This will make it easy for you to practice your writing skills, which can help improve your competence in your job.
More often than not, repetition is key. If you are doing the same thing for an extended period of time, you will get used to it, and in the end, this will be the key towards your improvement.
Use Various Writing Tools
In today’s technologically advanced time, there are many tools that can be used for writing, such as checking your grammar. Many of these tools can be downloaded for free. Take advantage of such to help you write better contents, which will not only captivate the attention of readers, but potential employers as well.
Grammarly is one of the best apps that you should have in your computer, which is available for free or as a paid app if you want premium services. Even the free app, however, will already be sufficient. It will spot common grammatical errors and suggest on ways how you can improve your piece.
Another tool that can be helpful is Cliché Finder, which, as the name implies, will let you know some of the clichés that you have used in your article. While clichés can be good to communicate a point, they are overused and having them in your written work can be tantamount into lack of creativity.
Listen to Great Music
This is one thing that may seem to be a bit odd for most people. I have talked to a lot of writers who are easily distracted when there is music playing on their background. However, depending on the music that is being played, it can actually provide you with inspiration and a steady stream of thought.
While we may have our own preferences when it comes to music, based on the majority, their kind of writing music is a soothing, slow-tempo music. You can create your own playlist of slow songs that can provide you with clarity of mind, which will be consequently reflected in the piece that you are writing.
Keep on Reading
Reading and writing are two things that are intertwined. If you want to improve in your practice of writing, I highly recommend that you make reading a hobby. This will be helpful in terms of enriching your vocabulary.
More so, I also recommend that you read articles or books that deals primarily with writing tips from professionals. There are many self-guide books or writing training manuals that can be found online, with some of them offering free access. With this, you will be able to learn new techniques from the pros, which can be applied the next time you write.
Be Familiar About Your Audience
Before you write, one of the first things that you should do is to be familiar about your audience, such as their demographics. By knowing things such as their age, gender, and specific preferences, it will be easier to determine the tone of writing, such as whether it is going to be quirky or professional.
Powerful and effective writing is all about being able to convey a message to the recipient. This, however, will not be possible if you are not able to connect well with your audience. This makes it important to know for whom you are writing to have an idea on how you should write.
Keep SEO in Mind
If you are working as an online writer as your home-based job, you are most probably aware about the concept of SEO. The latter simply means that you should write in such a way that it will be recognized by search engines to appear on top of search results. This can be done through using relevant keywords.
Therefore, when you are writing, research about the keywords that are being used by your audience. Make sure that they are found in the content to make it recognizable not only by human readers, but even by search engine robots.
Re-read and Re-work
Writing alone can prove to be an exhausting task, especially when you are writing about a topic that you are unfamiliar with. With this, many tend to ignore rereading and editing their work once they are already done. Regardless of how busy you are, do not forget to proofread to spot errors and determine how the piece can be improved.
As an online writer, there are many mistakes that we can commit. Errors in grammar, such as punctuations, are common. The wrong choice of words and misspellings are also popular. Read your work at least once before having it submitted to your employer, or at the very least, take advantage of the Spell Check feature.
Conclusion
If you want to succeed in online writing, which means being able to find excellent employers and generating attractive income, make sure to take note of the suggestions that have been mentioned above. While writing can be one of the most promising home-based online jobs, success may be elusive for many, especially for those who tend to ignore their craft. Love what you are doing, keep on improving, and you will be better in writing.
A graduate of Marketing Management who tried his luck with Sales and soon found himself writing for a living. He began as an Academic Writer before turning into online content and getting serious with his own blog. He daydreams of embarking on an exploration of what the world has to offer while finding inspiration to put his thoughts into writing. He currently contributes for WhenInManila.com. You can check his own blog at themusescamecrashing.wordpress.com.
