As content writers, we are frequently told to avoid “filler or fluff” as part of the instructions in our content brief. But this is often easier said than done. This article seeks to define fluff and help freelancers avoid fluff writing. What is fluff writing: unnecessary details Fluff definition can be summarised as unnecessary details…
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a job that also happens to be their passion. For me, being a freelance writer is no less than a blessing. Yes, starting out can be challenging, and finding a balance when working from home takes a little time. But once you’ve found your feet, the world is…
“The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates and a monthly salary.” Nicolas Taleb Being a freelance writer comes with many challenges. And, like any other job, one of the main concerns is no doubt the financial side of things. Sure, we write because it’s our passion, but there’s nothing wrong with getting paid for…
Every writer has their own story. Each of us has our own style, type of creative expression and preferred medium for writing. The realities of being a freelance writer, however, differ greatly from those of your typical novelist. The technological revolution is the playground of thousands of content writers from all over the world, and…
I was never a maths person. The very thought of numbers has my forehead breaking out in pimples and my armpits become suspiciously moist. Languages were always my forte. Well, one language: English. Yet, despite English not being my mother tongue, I have always been able to wrap the little bugger around my finger. And…
Recently, a first-time novelist by the name of William Giraldi made a worrying observation about today’s culture: More and more modern-day writers exhibit a disinclination to read. The most well-known of these, perhaps, is JK Rowling (of the Harry Potter series) who, despite professing that she rarely picks up a book – unless to sign…
So you’ve never written anything before, and now you’re staring at a blank screen, cursor blinking away, just waiting for that first brainwave to strike. Not as easy as it looks, is it? I feel you. Don’t worry – we’re here to help you take your first steps down that path you’ve been dreaming of…
Inspiration. That elusive creature that, like some ethereal fairy, often flutters just beyond reach – perhaps in those few dreamlike seconds just before waking, or when you’re teetering on the edge of sleep. Sometimes, an almost ordinary moment has me reaching for my trusty, battered laptop: the flash of gold in my son’s eyes on…
Being a freelance writer may rock, but writing regularly also comes with a very particular set of challenges. Balancing work and home life is not always the easiest of tasks, the costs of travel may sometimes seem insurmountable, and other times, your muse seems to have taken a hike along with your imagination. It’s at…
Bad habits… we all have them! Some of which are worse than others. Either way, they can seriously slow down your pace and prevent you from achieving goals you have set in your writing and worse still, your life. It can be a challenge to see our own faults for what they are and therefore…
Good-quality content is more than just a way to fill your website. Premium content has a host of advantages both for owner and reader; one of the most important, however, is the creation of a connection between both. You might think that engaging texts are more akin to novel-writing, but this article is out to…
As an aspiring writer, we endeavour to have consistent and interesting work to keep us busy. To reach this point takes dedication, after all, writing is hard work. It takes more than just sitting down for an hour and tapping out a few paragraphs. Many people don’t take into consideration the time and effort it…
Let’s take English as an example. Some say it’s a difficult language to learn, and others say it’s easy. I guess that’s something that changes from person to person, but one thing that can be said for this widely spoken language is that what you see written down isn’t always what you hear. Unlike many…
Grammar rules are an important part of being a writer. A particularly sore point for many writers can be punctuation, with quotation marks being especially befuddling. This article outlines what quotation marks are, what they are used for, and when they are practically unnecessary. What are quotation marks? According to Collins Dictionary, quotation marks are…
If you have ever compared titles throughout several different articles, you may be wondering why there are differences in styles and most importantly, which one is correct. After all, we want our work to look and feel professional. You will find that there are several different formats you can choose from when constructing your title,…
The rules of punctuation can be befuddling for the best of us at times. A good content writer has to be very mindful about their punctuation, as this may affect the quality of their text and potentially cost them good clients. This article focuses on that little punctuation mark that is commonly a sore point…
How grammar impacts SEO and why knowing what your client wants is important In the modern world, that marvellous little tool in your back pocket is literally the reason the world is our oyster. The internet – and all devices able to connect to it – is why search engines were invented in the first…
Are you looking to become a writer and earn money with your writing online? I have good news; it is completely possible if you know what you are doing. Writing is something that many of us dream of, but few dare to attempt. For most of us, we start reading at a young age, however,…
A blank canvas can be pretty daunting but if you flip it and look at it from the other side, it gives you the freedom to express yourself however you see fit. The main purpose of a blog is to present information and ideas about your specialised topic in an informal, almost chatty way. Remember,…
Google is by far the most formidable virtual entity on the planet. Omnipresent, all-powerful, and a constant sidekick to most of our phone-wielding generation, the idea of surviving without it is almost inconceivable. From solving family arguments, to predicting the weather, to providing users with a barrage of information, the usefulness of this giant of…
Years ago, when it was still possible to spend lazy days by the beach, my husband bought me a Kindle. We were still kid-free, and taking my eyes off the rippling waves for more than a few seconds wouldn’t have me struggling to my feet, sand-covered knees creaking, to wipe noses or soaked faces a…
Many of us take words for granted, using them purely as a basic means of communication. But they’re a lot more than that, especially if we use them correctly. When used well, words can trigger a whole range of additional emotions rather than leaving readers with something bland and rather forgettable. The range of emotions…
Nowadays, being a writer is heavily advertised as the easiest of easy jobs. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only is our work scrutinised by dozens of pairs of eagle eyes, we are also faced with a specific set of irksome challenges that most nine-to-fivers are blissfully unaware of. Perhaps the biggest challenge…
It’s 6 am and, as the first rays of sunlight dispel the darkness of the night before, the whole world stirs sleepily. Coffee is brewed, grains of cereal rattle noisily into ceramic bowls, workwear is hastily pulled on and there is the mandatory frantic search for misplaced house keys before the front door is pulled…
Writers often find themselves with a number of issues when it comes to beginning a sentence. It shouldn’t be that hard to start a line of writing, but somehow it is. One of the biggest areas of confusion arises when we start a sentence with a conjunction. That can be any of these words: yet,…
The demand for quality content has never been greater and so has the demand for good content writers. If you’re new to the freelance writing scene, finding your first assignment for your skill set may prove somewhat difficult. When I was first starting out and searching for a gig, I found a sheer abundance of…
When it comes to our writing, we don’t often know all the rules. This is especially true when it comes to starting sentences with different parts of speech. We also do different things and follow different rules when we speak versus when we write, and the two can get carried over. With all that in…
Writers are a very particular type of people. Right up there with all the other artistic types of the world, such as painters and musicians, they are often likely to be seen as fascinating, highly creative individuals capable of creating literary masterpieces. The modern writer may be far removed from the classic stereotype of the…
At Topcontent, we have two quality-levels: Standard Quality (SQ) and Business Quality (BQ). For BQ tasks, we only trust our highest quality freelancers to do the job. Here, one of our German freelancers, Joel, shares his experience with Business Quality writing. Travel and content writing hand in hand In February this year, I spent a…
When you are writing, the flow can carry you off, and before you know it, you would have made some silly grammar mistakes. Surprisingly, one of the more common mistakes often happens at the start of a sentence. Writers often ask, “Can I start my sentence with a conjunction, a number, or an adverb?” Many…
You needn’t be the most avid of bookworms for word of the literary genius that is Stephen King to have reached your ears. Most famously known for his horror stories – the likes of It and The Green Mile, which have both been made into films – this highly accomplished author has, literally word by…
When writing, it is always important to be able to have a flowing and readable structure. One of the fastest and most noticeable ways to mess this up is by beginning a sentence incorrectly. Both new and experienced writers often struggle with what they can and cannot start a sentence with, often having been taught…
Many writers struggle with knowing whether a sentence can be started with the word or. For most of us, starting a sentence with a conjunction was always a big no-no when it came to high-school English classes. But in fact, we can use a conjunction such as or, but, so etc. to start a sentence,…
Name: Elina Özek (Pöyry) Role: Content Manager Location: Istanbul, Turkey Thank you, Elina for taking the time to have a chat with me. I’m really excited that our readers are going to hear from you and get to know you. Elina, you’ve been with Topcontent for over a year now. Can you tell us a…
One of my favourite definitions of content is the one given by Business Dictionary, which compares content to the glue that sticks a website together, pulls visitors in and, once they’re effectively lured, keeps them from leaving. If we were to continue that analogy, your job as a content writer would be to tailor-make, customise…
There are a lot of books in the world, close to 130 million actually, with new ones being published every single day. Each book is a window to the soul of the person, or people, who wrote it. Choosing which books to read with the limited amount of time we have can be a complete…
Starting a sentence with a conjunction has long been a point of contention. Many of us have grown up with this grammatical style strongly enforced by our teachers. However, it might not be as wrong as we think. Recently, there has been a resurgence in its use with some likening it to um, and like,…
Let us help you become part of our team! Job roles are a dime a dozen and nowadays, all companies are using buzz words such as “great culture”, “beer Fridays”, “free lunches”, “learning and development opportunities”. These are all fantastic attributes that make a company attractive and certainly providing a great place for employees to…
It’s one thing to love writing, and it’s quite another to be grammatically correct. Many of us love putting a few words down on paper, but are we always following the rules when doing so? We were taught that lax writing reveals disrespect to the reader, but sometimes it is hard – especially when the…
Avoiding starting a sentence with because is arguably one of the sillier grammar rules out there. Bizarrely, though, it is one of the ones that a lot of people pick on if you get it wrong. One of the main arguments against using because at the beginning of a sentence is that it’s not “proper”…
In a nutshell, yes! There are a number of confusing grammar rules in the English language, and whether or not it’s okay to start a sentence with and is one of them. Many of us, from a very young age, have grown up being told that starting a sentence with a conjunction such as and…
It is no secret that most of us do not save any money. In fact, several surveys show that most people do not save nearly enough – most save nothing at all. Whilst being in employment can mitigate the need for savings, someday you might just need a Fuck Off Fund… I have been in…
For many of us, we were indoctrinated into the belief that starting a sentence with conjunction was, “A BAD THING!” This rule has haunted some of us throughout our writing life with active avoidance at putting anything such as but, and or so anywhere near the start of a sentence for fear of some reprimand.…
One of the most common questions asked by writers, no matter their proficiency level, is whether or not however can be used at the start of the sentence. The short answer is yes, indeed it can, but the long answer requires a little more explaining. That’s because the way you use however will determine whether…
Ok, let’s start with the basics. When did you join Topcontent and what do you do here? I joined Topcontent [previously known as Sidekick Content] in May 2017. I joined the team as a Norwegian Content Manager, working with Norwegian projects and tasks (writing, translation, proofreading, QC). Being able to work with content and languages…
The misconception that content writing services is an “easy” job is certainly one of the most misplaced in modern times. Accomplished wordsmith or not, anyone who’s attempted even the shortest of writing tasks will tell you that a substantial effort is required in order to produce something worth reading. Apart from the obvious time investment,…
Even before the first computers were introduced, using the user-friendly – if not exactly noiseless – typewriter was blatantly obvious. Chief among these advantages was – and still is – speed. Accomplished touch typists can reach admirable speeds of up to 120 words per minute, potentially saving a lot of precious time and money. Nowadays,…
You’ve heard about how writing is good for the soul. It’s therapeutic, you might have read. Or, You can work through stuff by keeping a journal. Or even, You can express your feelings in a way you could never do by saying them out loud. All true – if you only keep the writer’s needs…
“You don’t get much fun when you’re an adult, do you?” Michael McIntyre’s rhetorical question remains one of my most favourite one-liners to repeat whenever I feel the need to overcome my morbid fear of prolonged silences (which is pretty often!). As far as ice-breakers go, I find it unfailingly manages to provoke an animated…
Even before the last crazily grinning pumpkin has shrivelled and died, December starts to stir. Come November, a couple of stores dedicate a half-hearted corner of their displays to Christmas decor. A few days later, the whole window has been taken over by Yuletide paraphernalia. It’s not long before passers-by cotton on to the fast…
Every moment of our waking lives, we are bombarded by information. Colourful pictures, scrolling screens, rhythmic (and sometimes decidedly less so!) music and rapidly moving images flash continually before our eyes. This is the generation of today’s times. A world through which all that is digital runs rampant, intertwining seamlessly with our everyday lives. A…
I did it and so can you! Riding a bike. Speaking in public. Playing an instrument. Eating 20 hamburgers in five minutes. What all these pursuits have in common is one crucial thing – a mantra, if you will. Practise makes perfect. This also applies when you are looking to take on writing or proofreading…
Everyone starts out with no experience! If you’re reading this blog post, chances are you already are, or are thinking, to start copywriting. Copywriting is a great way of improving your language skills, making some spare cash as well as preparing for your next big step. Maybe it’s getting into journalism or finally making a…