I Accidentally Landed a Freelance Writing Gig

Oops, I got an online writing job that I actually like

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio for Pexels

What do you do when logic tells you to do one thing, but your instinct leads you in another direction?

Over time, I have learned that I’m probably better off doing what logic dictates because doing otherwise usually doesn’t turn out so well.

But sometimes, it’s like an invisible force is leading me to do something, and I have no idea why.

Call it instinct, or think of it as something more mysterious, but whatever it is, this time, I decided to follow my gut.

Here’s what happened.

I am going to make a living from writing online. I don’t have all the details worked out yet, but I’ll get there.

Many writers write for content mills as one of their multiple income streams.

Content mills usually tell the writer what to write about, and then the writer submits a finished story meeting the criteria. Once the content mill approves the story, the writer gets paid.

Unfortunately, content mill pay is usually pretty crappy (many pay only $5-$10 per approved story), so a writer needs to write many stories to make a livable wage.

And because there are only 24 hours in a day and the pay per story is so low, a writer needs to write fast so that they can turn out as many stories as possible in a short time.

I am a super slow writer, and I loathe being told what to write about. I want to write what I want to write and when I want to write. So, based on those characteristics, a content mill would be a terrible match for me.

Unfortunately, I am one of those people who frequently ignore logic and common sense. So, of course, I decided I should try writing for a content mill to make money with my writing.

I have applied to write for a few content mills, and what has happened with each of them has become a blur — sort of like a bad dream that you wake up from in a cold sweat and try to forget about.

I remember that one accepted me, but I decided not to write for them because I could spend time writing a story, and if the client didn’t select my story, I…