Writing with Pleasure

I have just finished another 4 projects for the travel company I am working with and I must say it really feels fulfilling to be able to do what I do best as work.

Ever since I learned how to use the computer (when I was 7 years old) I have been very adept in researching and gathering online information that none of my other relatives / friends knew where to find, and I loved doing it. It gives me a sense of pleasure being able to find what I need and being able to help people find what they are looking for, I’ve done it for years… 19 years to be precise and I have never grown tired of it. Even my husband would occasionally say, “Can you go look for this thing for me on the web, you are way better at it than I am…” and I must say I really am better at it than he is LOL.

I was also very interested in writing, I used to love the idea of having my own diary, but everytime I buy one, I end up not writing in it. I guess it bores me to actually try and scribble something, besides, I was not the type of student who wanted to take down notes in class — so it would only make sense that I do not like the actual motion of writing. But I do love to write, in the theoretical sense of the word, because I do not actually write but I TYPE. I keep journals about my life and my thoughts on my computer, I used to do a lot of this ever since I was 16 years old, I kept daily notes of my life, typed in in word and saved it in my computer. Then I realized I could do an internet blog, during the peak of blogging, I was one of the people who started my own blog. I did journals of my life, reviews of movies, and informative pieces about anything I could think of. But I stopped for a while. I guess I became very busy with taking care of “Love Life” and become obsessed with Boys like every girl.

I often came back to writing as the years passed by, I wrote blogs in multiply, or in blogspot, but none of them were ever really successful, in a way that I continually wrote in them. I wasn’t really able to rekindle my passion for writing all those years, except this year. I started Tumblr when one day I just thought, I should go back to writing, and I did. And after that I landed a Travel Writing Work From Home job that I truly love and enjoy.

I guess it was fate that made me go back to writing blogs again, it was my life’s foreshadowing of what lies ahead for me. I have never had a professional writing career, and the thought of landing a writing job eluded me for years. Who would have thought that I would get this one, not me certainly, but I am thankful and grateful that I did. Because not only do I enjoy what I do, but I appreciate it every moment I do it.

Now I am just waiting on a new project, and for the mean time just filling my days with empty tasks.

Working News

Last night my best friend and I were having a booze session here at my place. We started around 8pm and ended at 12:30 AM. It was really fun! After that I went upstairs prepared the bed for my daughter (who was watching tv beside her grandfather - in her grandads room) took about, so I wouldn’t stink from alcohol and got my daughter to get ready for bed. at around 1:00 AM I started talking to my husband via skype and like always I also started browsing the net.

I make it a habit to check my e-mail every hour, and last night I received one of the best news of the year. I have been shortlisted to work for a popular travel guide as a travel writer. (I wouldn’t name the company just yet, unless I am 100% its a go!!) and I got very very excited.

The letter of the Director for me below:

Hello Elaine

I thought your essay was good and I would be happy for it to be a part of future COMPANY NAME travel guides. If I already hadn’t been to the Philippines your essay would compel me to do so.  Coincidentally I am in Manila now, and suffering from the heat Can you cool it down please?

The next important issue is production time. The industry standard for experienced copy writers is 240 words per hour, including research. The key question, then, is whether you can and want to achieve this speed either now or in the future? I suggest that you can work more quickly when you are practiced at travel writing.

Further, you will be specialising in one or two countries which means that you can gain a “feel” for that place, and take advantage of overlapping data and cross-referencing while you research it. In other words, as time passes you will not have to research a topic from scratch. The history, culture, climate and geography of a region will have commonalities with the region of the country as a whole, and to the region next door. I will also give you some print travel guides for that country so that you can bone up on the various regions. Over time, you will not need as much raw research to produce an essay.

If you accept this offer we need to assign you to a country or two. The top 10 visited countries in the world are, in order: France, USA, Spain, UK, China, Italy, Ukraine (strangely), Germany, Russia, Mexico & Canada.  That’s 11 actually, but the rankings are disputed by different statistics. (You can see the tourism demographics at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism. It would be good if you could

select a country on the list … either that you have visited or are interested in researching.

THIS PARAGRAPH I OMMITED BECAUSE THIS INCLUDED THE PAY RATE.

We pay you using PayPal. This requires you to open a PayPal account which is free and can be done online at www.PayPal.com. Once I transfer funds to you, you can use PayPal to purchase anything online. You can also link your PayPal account to your bank account to receive the funds as cash. We will pay you within a week of receiving your essay.

Once paid for, your work becomes the property of COMPANY NAME Guide, although acknowledgement of your authorship is published with your articles. Editing of your material is done at our discretion, either by addition, addition or alteration. Often, grammar is tweeked and spelling is de-Americanised.

We will also give you feedback so you can align your writing more closely to our style and policies. This is normal even for excellent writing so it is not to be taken as criticism.

Let me know if you can work within these guidelines? If so, I will forward to hearing back from you.

Kind regards,

(NAME OF THE DIRECTOR)

This is a very exciting news for me and I feel that finally I will be doing something worthwhile as writing is a real passion of mine and so is research, and what more travelling!

I have already Emailed the director accepting the job, and just waiting for further instructions. So everyone please wish me the best of luck and I will update you on what the next email will hold. ^_^