Or, yet another way writers earn money besides writing
So, it’s been a while. In addition to the usual hail of deadlines, I’ve been occupied with maintaining websites and blogs and handling related social media activities for other organizations. This has taken up most of the energy I ordinarily siphon from my editing and writing work to pontificate here. Yes, dear friends, I am now officially a web monkey. I’d put that on my business cards (if I had any): writer/editor/monkey.
It’s not a bad gig: it encompasses ghostwriting, a small degree of scheduling expertise (think of it as pacing a narrative), and troubleshooting code (not unlike filling plot holes). In my case, troubleshooting usually means typing questions into a search box or emailing someone more proficient. If you know people like that, proficient coders who haven’t blocked your address yet, be extra nice to them. Bring them cookies.
The hardest part of the monkey gig so far has been extracting information from the owners of the blogs so I can then translate it into welcoming copy and upload it. I have no advice for that. Cookies again?
The best part? That would be surveying my creations and starting each day nerding out about stats. Oh, the other best part? It takes very little time and makes for a nice break between or during book-length editing projects. Let me rephrase: it’s a more lucrative form of avoidance behavior than Buzzfeed.
If you have tolerable WordPress skills, give it a try. Extra income is always good. What’s that you’re thinking? You don’t have tolerable WordPress skills; in fact, WordPress gives you fits? And you were just wishing that some magical fairy monkey with outstanding grammar would appear to help you keep your professional blog or site up to date? Hey, you know where to find me.