“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.” - Charles Dubois

Well, as most of you know, we’ve been discussing the possibility of selling our home and moving. Our plans have finally hit fruition and we have chosen our new home. Now, just pray we sell our current one!

Here is a photo of the home we have chosen. We sure hope to get it.

I will be in and out as time allows, between my writing, assignments, kids and packing and preparing this house to be sold - I won’t have nearly as much time as I used to. But it will be so worth the whole thing when I am living surrouned by six lakes, a clubhouse, a beach and tennis courts and darn it I will feel like I’m in some wooded resort year round!
YAY!

Oh and the kids are SUPER excited.

Thirteen of My Favorite Places To Eat
(or grab coffee)

1. Starbucks
2. Bread Company
3. Mr. Goodcents
4. Cici’s Pizza
5. Steak N Shake
6. Macaroni Grill
7. O’Charley’s
8. Stage Left
9. Wendy’s
10. McDonald’s (yeah well, I’m a mom and I love cheeseburgers!)
11. Red Robin
12. TGIFridays (except they keep taking my favorites away)
13. Culvers

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What is your favorite Halloween candy? Or just favorite candy?

Ha! I’m a weirdo and I know it. My favorite candy anytime of the year is Recess Peanut Butter cups which goes back to the whole chocolate peanut butter thing I’ve preached about before.
EXCEPT - I don’t even like Recess Peanut Butter cups as MUCH as I love the holiday Recess Peanut Butter things - like the pumpkins for halloween, the tree’s for Christmas, the hearts for Valentines Day and the Eggs for Easter. There is something about not having those little chocolate wrinkly edges on them that makes them extra awesome!!

Deciding which one to list your stuff at can be a challenge. It seems lately, that I am learning more and more people enjoy the benefits of Associated Content, which I am not exactly sure I understand the reasoning behind.

Although I have never listed at Associated Content, I have listed at Constant Content. I have submitted three articles, all of which were accepted for their site. I have since sold two of the three articles and made $100.00 from that.

My profits off of Contant Content seem to be higher than those that list at Associated Content. It seems that AC only gives you something like $10.00 but then I have to look into it further. I guess I don’t understand the difference between the two.

From the Associated Content Webpage:

If you’re over 18 and a legal US resident, you can submit content for payment consideration. An AC Content Manager reviews the submission and emails an offer within five business days. The amount of the offer is based on topic, quality, competition and - very importantly - the Content Producer’s track record of promoting their content and generating traffic for Associated Content. Payments range from $3-$20. The highest offers are placed on exclusive submissions that are specific, discoverable (match a possible search query) and consumer driven. If you are not satisfied, you can always decline an offer and remove your content from our system.

I actually think now I understand. You submit an article in length of about 400 words, and you wait. They contact you with an offer to purchase the content. They might offer you anywhere between $3.00 - $20.00 per submission. I would imagine when you are just starting out that your pay would be about $3.00 per article. Not bad if just starting out, but when I am getting paid already $4.00 for a 300 word article I am not understanding how that benefits me at first. Of course, I guess it’s a nice way to make some extra cash. Upon reading further on the website and actually talking to a few people that submit to Associated Content, I understand that the more you publish, you gain “clout”. Your goal of course is to be the highest clout (10) which I have yet to meet anyone who has made. That means that you are gaining over a million page hits for all submissions. I have met someone who has gained a clout five which is 5001-20000 page hits total. She also said her pay has increased since going up several clout numbers. Poor me, I’m still at clout 1. LOL Of course that could be because I have never submitted anything. I need to free up some time to do that I guess just to see if it works. Some people swear by AC.

As for Constant Content - from their website:

Getting your writing skills noticed is important when you’re a freelance writer.

The site offers a two-fold method of making money with your writing talents. There is no pressure or quotas to meet. You only write about the subjects you feel comfortable with in your own timing. Content buyers at Constant-Content can request and purchase great articles while you, as a freelance writer, are allowed to have complete control over your writing time and efforts. It’s a win-win situation!

Essentially I see Contant Content as a far more professional site. That is not to say that someone writing for Associated Content is NOT professional. I will never say anything like that. In fact, I sincerely see it as a great step to take as a writer no matter your future direction. However, I feel upon researching both that Contant Content is the type of place where although they bring the clients to you, it is still VERY much your responsibility to market yourself. Your writing would need to be good enough to warrant a $50.00 or more payment, than a $3.00 payment is all I mean.
For instance, I sold both of the two articles I wrote for Full Rights. Yes, that does mean I lose my own copyright and I sign the article over to whoever purchased it. With a Full Rights license it means I have sold the article to them and they may do whatever they want with the article. They may edit it. They may claim it as their very own. They may do whatever. It is no longer mine. In fact, it’s like I was a ghost writer. But I am ok with that.

Reason that ghost writing works for me, is that on Constant Content they have this awesome little link you have where you can print a copy of the title of the article, what it sold for (Full Rights, Unique Rights, Free Usage, etc). It has your name in the author’s field, it says the licensee’s name or site or whatever information they provided, as well as the date it was purchased on. For me that’s an excellent addition to my writer’s resume - writing samples and clips. I am so thankful I have that.

So for the old age question CC vs. AC - which one should I post at? Why not both?
There isn’t a right or wrong! Only that you aren’t at either!

So post at both!

I am going through a period of growth and change in my writing, which is why I selected the past months quotes from Anais Nin. Once again, her wisdom reigns….

 ”There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin

I didn’t mean to let so much time pass by, between writing on the blog, putting the site together and still maintaining my writing career.

Life get’s in the way. Plus I have a daily…well monthly minimum of articles I have to complete, so I get busy and don’t come this way very often. That will change as I begin focusing more on my writing career and less on things that aren’t important to it’s growth.

I have found that one of the ways to get myself out there, and to “feed my muse” so to speak, is simply to write articles, doesn’t matter the topic, and list them on CC. Once there, they might sit for days, weeks, months and even a year. But eventually, when times seem the toughest and I feel like I’m not getting anywhere, one will sell. And it will remind me of how great a writer I am. It will remind me what my goals and dreams are. It will remind me what I should be focusing on and the path I need to travel to get there.

I really didn’t mean to make so much time pass by. I really didn’t mean to get so busy and caught up with life unimportant events. But, I’m glad that I’ve gained even more experiences in which to share with each of you.

I do have one request. If you want to hear me talk about something, or you want to see something discussed, leave a comment. All comment’s do have to be approved, to avoid SPAM, but once approved, hopefully they will spark lively discussions about being a writer and how to get there.

Talk to you all soon!

Thirteen of the Most Unusual Animals I’ve Seen
You can google any of these animals and get more pictures or information!

1. Black Dragonfish (amongst many other weird fish)

2. Aye Aye

3. Kinkajou

4. Binturong

5. Coati

6. Tasmanian Wolf (also called Tasmanian Tiger - extinct)

7. Okapi (ok so not that unusual but I absolutely love them!)

8. Pika

9. Fossa

10. Capybara

11. Blue footed Booby
(I had to include this because of course it was my brother and I’s favorite as a child - hmm… wonder why!)

12. Slender Loris

13. Long Beaked Echidna

 Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
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Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Anais Nin, once again shares her wisdom….

 ”When we blindly adopt a religion, a political system, a literary dogma, we become automatons. We cease to grow.” - Anais Nin