Edit: I realize I will not get much of a response from this forum since this is a site that contains many talented people who can easily create their own site. If you could please pass this onto people you know, or suggest some other forums to me who you think would appreciate an opportunity such as this one, please respond with the links or direct your friends to this post. Thank you
Please read the entire post.
I know for a fact that each one of you are skilled at writing, and that each and every one of you have had unique life experiences that have given you unique views on life and ways that you live your life.
I want that.
I own a website called Mindkicker. I want to fill it with articles, essays, stories and other goodness that people enjoy. I could create that content but it would consume much of my time and eventually bore the readers. So I need your help.
I want you wonderful people to become once monthly contributers to Mindkicker. That would involve writing an article or essay once a month ranging from 250-4,000 words about anything you want to write about. If you want to discuss how horses are a great metaphor for life, go ahead and write about it. All that I ask is that you be yourself when writing.
I would prefer if you could produce one article a month, but if you have to skip a few months I am very understanding.
What you will get.
You will get an e-mail address such as "Slipper@mindkicker.com", which readers could use to give you feedback about your articles. You don't have to give out your personal e-mail address but you still get the pleasure of getting a response to your writing. You will also get your own sub-domain on Mindkicker.
What the heck does that mean? Well it means that you will get a free website with an address similar to this. [
http://example.mindkicker.com], substituting example for whatever you want (within reason). There will actually be two sub-domains. Your own personal domain and one set up just for the articles which I would create and maintain.
Since Mindkicker is new I cannot afford to pay you for your work, but you can generate ad revenue from both your sub-domains. The sub-domain set up for the articles would have one Google ad that I own on it, the other two (Google only allows three separate ads per page) would link to your own Adsense account.
I may be willing to pay for one professional freelance writer per month depending on the price.
Does all of that sound like fun? Great! I would suggest that you read some of the articles on this site (
[link]) for an idea of what I want.
What I am looking for.
1. Create valuable content.
Is it worthy of being read by people? Our purpose here is to provide something of value to the reader.
2. Create original content.
Takes longer to do, but in the long run much more rewarding. You may stumble upon a new idea, learn something about yourself or just have some good 'ol fashioned fun writing it.
3. Create timeless content.
Will someone one thousand years from now read what you have written and be able to apply it to their lives? One year from now people won't care about the most recent celebrity wardrobe malfunction. It is o-kay to write about time bound events, but for the most part focus on timeless content.
4. Let your audience see the real you.
Why is the Diary of Anne Frank so popular? It is a diary. Anne was not writing for a newspaper, she was writing for herself, letting her character, emotions and thoughts escape onto the paper. People feel like they know her when they read the Diary. You don't have to reveal intimate details about yourself, in fact I would not post it, but you can tell a story about a recent fight, a recent vacation, a family disaster at Thanksgiving...the list is endless. If you care about it, the real you will come out.
5. Write what is true for you, and learn to live with the consequences.
Don't try to be politically correct. We all hate it. If you write something that might offend someone, GOOD JOB! You just earned ten points on my cool counter. You will offend people through your life, there is no sense in sacrificing a good topic or paper because you are scared of offending someone. You may get some people that hate you, but you will get many, many more that love you.
6. Treat your readers like real human beings.
Assume that the average reader has an average intellect and treat them like you would treat anyone else if you where talking to them face to face. You will never meet them, and someone may read your work three years from now, but to them it seems like you are talking to them for the first time, because you are.
7. If you forget the first six suggestions, just focus on genuinely helping people, and the rest will take care of itself.
Don't be a self-help person who elevates themselves above everyone else. "I'm cool, your are not, here is how you become like me." Treat it like an everyday thing. If you see someone fall and loose all of their papers do you go to help them? There are borders in life, and they are great events to write about, such as getting married, becoming a parent, ect...But there is more to life than just borders. Every day we grow as a person. Your goal when writing these is to grow as a person yourself, then giving your writing to everyone you meet so they to can get the same enjoyment and possibly personal growth you got out of it. You need to want to help people and not expect anything in return. No "scratch my back and I will scratch yours" when you write these.
________________________________________ ________________________________________ _______________
If you think you can't write very well, no worries. I will have at least two editors go over your article (myself and another) correcting mistakes, suggesting different wording and making sure everything is crystal clear which I would then send back to you to make sure we have not destroyed what was there.
If you have not seen Mindkicker, here is the link to take a peek.
[link]
Happy writing!
If you are interested please respond with links to three samples of your work or PM me.
I am also looking for short stories to post on Mindkicker, if you are interested in that please make some note of it when you reply. Short Stories will not receive the same privileges as regular article writers.
