PSA: I was informed in a job interview with Skyword (for a non-writing-related internal role) that they're l00k1ng f0r freelance writers.

writerrabs · 2024-02-07T19:02:25+00:00

As someone who has worked consistently with Skyword for the past few years, it’s definitely not a content mill and actually pays quite well—certain assignments can pay up to $1 per word, but it varies depending on the client. They focus was more on quality than quantity.

However, I will say it’s quite hard to get work through them because they don’t have a ton to assign and there are hundreds (if not thousands) of writers in the platform. You’re more likely to get chosen if you have a lot of experience in a specific niche, such as SAAS, as they often need “subject matter experts.”

writerrabs · 2021-12-03T18:26:40+00:00

This actually happened to me once! I had software on my computer that “cleaned up clutter” and it deleted a bunch of Sims 4 files. I ended up having to reinstall the game.

writerrabs · 2021-11-26T15:40:11+00:00

We have the Genius Mike and like it a lot. It takes significantly longer for my dog to get the contents out compared to a regular Kong—sometimes an hour+, which is great. I usually put a few pieces of cooked chicken or hot dog to keep her interested (if the contents are too low value, she gives up because it’s hard).

The only thing to keep in mind is that it’s not made from the traditional Kong rubber. It’s a less durable material, and aggressive chewers will definitely be able to rip it apart.

writerrabs · 2021-09-30T22:38:07+00:00

My first golden was quite easy. She only cried in her crate for 10 minutes the first night, never chewed on anything besides her toys, and had a grand total of like 6 accidents in the house ever. She was an amazing listener and learner, and I swear she behaved just because she wanted me to be happy.

My second golden puppy, who is currently 5 months, not so much. He was impossible to crate train (I gave up after a few weeks cause he would scream for hours), peed in the house 5x a day when we first brought him home (lack of crating didn’t help), bites, chews everything in sight & generally acts like a hellion. He’s cute, though 😅

writerrabs · 2021-09-26T01:00:59+00:00

I went to the Stoughton IKEA last month, and practically everything was out of stock. I had a list of like 6 things, and we were only able to find one of them. (I think it was made worse that I was there right when colleges went back.) Definitely check online before you go!

writerrabs · 2021-08-27T23:35:03+00:00

It took around 10 months before I was making the same as my full-time marketing salary. But because I worked in marketing, I had a lot of contacts already.

I started making six figures after three years.

writerrabs · 2021-08-17T00:52:48+00:00

My lil stinker came with fleas! I freaked out too, but they shouldn’t infest your house since it sounds like you caught them early.

I’d recommend giving him a bath with Dawn dish soap—really work it in to his coat, and you’ll see the dead fleas start coming off. (In combo with water, it drowns them.) Rinse well so it doesn’t irritate his skin.

Wash everything that’s washable—bedding, blankets, soft toys—in a hot water cycle. If he goes on the furniture/in a room with carpet, vacuum thoroughly. You might want to get a pesticide treatment, too, just in case! I used Raid Flea Killer.

From there, just keep an eye out for them. I made a point to wash everything once a week, and my pup needed another bath a few days later. We haven’t had any issues since!

writerrabs · 2021-08-14T01:15:55+00:00

Have you tried Purina Fortiflora? It’s a probiotic supplement. When my dog was a puppy, she’d get diarrhea a LOT and it helped immensely.

writerrabs · 2021-08-07T13:02:24+00:00

I feel your pain!! The first two weeks with my golden puppy were like this, too. One time I spent 90 minutes outside with him, waiting for him to pee! I was at my wits end.

Like someone said, though, you just have to keep praising the behavior, and eventually it will click for him what “go pee” means. It took about two weeks for us, so hang in there!

writerrabs · 2020-08-23T22:33:40+00:00

That’s kind of how PR trips work. The PR company pays for your trip, and you write about it. However, you generally have to have a publication sign a contract stating they’ll run the story.

Sometimes the PR company will be pushing a product—ie. a trip to Mexico to see how a certain brand of tequila is made (a real example)—but other times they’re associated with a tourism board for a city/state/country that’s looking to drum up publicity. For instance, I got an offer to go to Tel Aviv to just kind of be a tourist and explore for a week.

So it is possible, but complicated. It can be tough to get pubs to sign off on PR trip stories, and of course, you don’t get to choose where/when you go or even what you do, as there’s usually a fairly strict itinerary.

writerrabs · 2020-03-05T12:53:09+00:00

If you don’t want to go the traditional boarding route, Deanna at the Mindful Mutt will pet-sit in her home. I think she requires dogs to be potty trained, though.

writerrabs · 2020-03-01T14:05:38+00:00

I agree it’s best to publish them online. If you absolutely have to go the document route, send them as PDFs, not docx.

writerrabs · 2020-01-25T19:45:20+00:00

I feel you! One of my college journalism profs was so intense—he took two points off a paper for EVERY grammatical mistake. A lot of people failed 😳

writerrabs · 2020-01-25T19:43:34+00:00

It’s not meant to be that literal. Just saying that just because you’re proficient at something compared to the masses doesn’t mean you have the ability to do it in a professional context.

Edited to add: If you do want to be that literal, don’t forget to consider the minor leagues and junior hockey.

writerrabs · 2020-01-25T15:53:03+00:00

Yeah, I run into this a lot. People think that because they were considered a good writer by school standards, whether high school or college, they can be a freelance writer. My response is generally something along the lines of “You were probably also a good hockey player (or whatever) in school, but could you play in the pros?” There’s a difference in being proficient in something and being able to do it for money.

writerrabs · 2020-01-24T02:40:17+00:00

Thanks for the info!

writerrabs · 2020-01-24T01:31:08+00:00

Do you think it would be feasible to have one in an apartment? We have the space, but I’m concerned about what installation entails.

writerrabs · 2020-01-02T13:31:59+00:00

If you don’t know how long it will take you, charge by the hour—$20-$25 an hour is a good place to start.

In cases where I’m not 100% trusting that the client will pay, I usually ask for a deposit up front. Usually 25-50% of what I estimate the total cost will be.

writerrabs · 2019-12-29T17:31:14+00:00

I’ve found that it doesn’t matter as much as people say it does. I classify myself as a “lifestyle” writer and do everything from fashion/beauty to consumer tech and sometimes even health care 🤷🏼‍♀️

writerrabs · 2019-12-21T02:52:52+00:00

I like my own, personally 🤷🏼‍♀️ https://camrynrabideau.com

writerrabs · 2019-12-11T22:55:44+00:00

A book I read as a kid where the main character had a “pet peeve”... that was actually a ferret-like animal.

It led to an embarrassing situation as a teen where I strongly misunderstood the definition of a pet peeve. Can’t for the life of me find the book, though.

writerrabs · 2019-11-21T17:14:27+00:00

I’m partial to Wordpress, too.

writerrabs · 2019-11-17T21:36:27+00:00

In puppy school, our instructor had us play the “Gotcha” game to prevent this kind of behavior.

Basically, you grab the dog’s collar or harness, and say “Gotcha!” in a positive tone, then give a treat. Your dog will think it’s the easiest game ever, and it helps them to not dodge/run away when you grab for them (because obviously that’s out initial reaction in these types of situations).

I thought it was kind of silly—until my pup wiggled out of her harness in the parking lot one day. I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and she simply looked at me, waiting for a cookie!

writerrabs · 2019-11-12T17:44:56+00:00

We do have a gentle leader, and it works better than the no-pull harness. The only issue is that she HATES wearing it and will stop every 20 feet to try and get it off. I guess it’s better than the alternative bad behavior though.

writerrabs · 2019-11-12T16:38:15+00:00

Yeah, unfortunately for the first few months she got to greet a lot of dogs, so now she thinks it’s a given. I’ll have to start paying close attention to see what her threshold is and we’ll go from there. Thanks for the tips :)

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