网络小说写作套路
Recently an ex-journalist friend asked me about freelance writing for the web. Although he might have 10 years’ professional experience on me, his questions came from the perspective of someone who wasn’t au fait with either freelancing or web writing.
最近，一位前新闻记者的朋友问我有关网络自由写作的问题。 尽管他可能对我有的专业经验，但他的问题来自于一个不愿从事自由职业或网络写作的人。
This wasn’t the first time. Since there might be some writers out there eager to make their first foray into web writing, either within a company or on a freelance basis, I wanted to cover the most common questions I’m asked. Maybe it will help you find your footing a bit faster.
这不是第一次。 由于可能有一些作家渴望在公司内部或自由职业者中首次涉足网络写作，因此，我想回答我所问的最常见问题。 也许它将帮助您更快地找到立足点。
Let’s start with my friend’s question.
让我们从我朋友的问题开始。
我是记者 如何找到在线写作的自由职业？ (I’m a journalist. How do I find freelance work writing online?)
If you have experience creating stories for print and other offline media, you don’t need to worry: the web is much the same. Research publications, find some you want to write for, come up with pitches, and send them in. Online, as offline, the money is in reliability and relationships. Good publications pay for the reliable delivery of quality content.
如果您有为印刷品和其他离线媒体创建故事的经验，则不必担心：网络大同小异。 研究出版物，找到您要写的书，提出建议，然后发送给他们。在线或离线，金钱就是可靠性和人际关系。 高质量的出版物可以保证高质量内容的可靠交付。
The things to focus on are finding what you consider good publications that reflect the areas and issues you want to cover, and pitching well to them. Use the same approach you would offline: introduce yourself, present a clear, concise outline of your idea, and link to a few other things you’ve done that relate or support your pitch. If you haven’t pitched in a while, and need a refresher, try this article outlining the 7 Principles of Pitching, and have a look at this piece on how not to pitch.
要重点关注的事情是找到您认为能反映您要涵盖的领域和问题的好的出版物，并向他们很好地宣传。 使用与脱机时相同的方法：自我介绍，清晰，简洁地描述您的想法，并链接到您所做的其他一些与您的建议相关或支持的事情。 如果您有一段时间没有投球了，需要复习一下，请尝试这篇文章概述投球的7个原理 ，然后看看如何不投球 。
Part of my approach has been to ask friends for recommendations of sites they like, and since many of my friends are readers, this turns up some gold. But I also look through social media and other links for places I want to pitch to, and to spark ideas I can offer existing contacts.
我的方法之一是向朋友询问他们喜欢的网站的推荐，并且由于我的许多朋友都是读者，因此这可以赚很多钱。 但是我也通过社交媒体和其他链接寻找我想宣传的地方，并激发出一些我可以提供现有联系人的想法。
我正在为内容工厂写作！ 酷吧？ (I’m writing for a content mill! Cool huh?)
Another variation on this question is, “Have you hard of [content spinning software]? That’s what I use!”
这个问题的另一个变体是：“您对[内容旋转软件]感到满意吗？ 那就是我用的！”
Everyone has their talents, but I’d have to say that this kind of writing isn’t for me and as a consequence I can’t really see how a writer who wants to produce quality content can make any money (or get any satisfaction) out of content milling. Maybe you can do both, for now. But as search engines continue to penalise sites that use this kind of content, those “opportunities” are likely to fade. If you want a career in writing online, you’ll need to think beyond content milling and build broader skills.
每个人都有自己的才能，但我不得不说这种写作不适合我，结果我无法真正看到想要产生高质量内容的作家如何赚钱(或获得任何满足感) )超出内容的范围。 也许您现在可以两者都做。 但是，随着搜索引擎继续惩罚使用此类内容的网站，那些“机会”可能会消失。 如果您想从事在线写作工作，则需要考虑内容铣削之外的其他事情，并建立更广泛的技能。
Producing unique content on a freelance or contract basis for legitimate publishers is a better bet in the short- and long-term. More bang for your creative buck, and more literal bucks for your time. You’ll also be building up a folio and a solid reputation in the process.
在短期和长期内，以自由职业者或合同形式为合法发布者制作独特的内容是一个更好的选择。 花费更多的钱用于创意，并花费更多的文字时间。 您还将在此过程中建立作品集并建立良好的声誉。
我应该把我的书变成电子书吗？ (Should I turn my book into an ebook?)
If you have a publisher, they should already have electronic editions of your book covered in your contract. So if you’re asking this question, I’m guessing you don’t have a publisher for your book.
如果您有出版商，那么他们应该已经在合同中涵盖了您的图书的电子版。 因此，如果您要问这个问题，我想您没有书的出版商。
That’s okay. But my question is: do you have an audience for it? If you already have a strong online following who you’ve primed to buy from you, you may well be able to make your self-published ebook pay some bills. If not, publishing your manuscript as an ebook is unlikely to make that audience magically appear.
没关系。 但是我的问题是：您有受众吗？ 如果您已经有很强的在线追随者，准备向您购买谁，那么您很可能可以使自己出版的电子书支付一些费用。 如果不是这样，那么将您的手稿作为电子书出版就不太可能使观众神奇地出现。
Also, consider that some publishers won’t publish anything that’s already appeared online. Think carefully about the likelihood you’ll make money off your book in the immediate and the more distant future before you publish your manuscript to the web in any format.
另外，请考虑一些发布者不会发布已经在线出现的任何内容。 在将手稿以任何格式发布到网络上之前，请仔细考虑一下您可能会在近期和更遥远的未来从书中获利的可能性。
Finally, if you decide to go ahead, consider the technical skills you’ll need to learn to publish and market your book on the web, and be realistic about your willingness to learn them to proficiency before you embark. As a starting point, see this post on self-publishing myths. It covers some of the key issues you’re probably weighing up – or need to start weighing up.
最后，如果您决定继续前进，请考虑在网络上出版和销售书本时需要学习的技术技能，并在上船之前对您学习它们的熟练程度持现实态度。 作为起点，请参阅这篇有关自我发布神话的文章 。 它涵盖了您可能正在权衡的一些关键问题–或需要开始权衡的问题。
我应该开始写博客吗？ 我怎么做？ (Should I start a blog? How do I do that?)
This question opens the ultimate can of worms. I’ve been asked it by authors published and unpublished who’ve heard there are huge audiences to be caught and cultivated online, and I don’t want to dissuade them. But again, a blog doesn’t build an audience: the writer does. And the first hurdle with most writers is the realization that you’ll have to do it for free—give your prose away, and give it away regularly.
这个问题打开了蠕虫的终极罐头。 曾经听说过出版和未出版的作者问过我，他们听说在网上吸引和培养了大量的读者，但我不想劝阻他们。 但同样，博客并没有建立受众群体：作家却可以。 对于大多数作家而言，第一个障碍是您必须免费获得它-放弃您的散文，并定期分发。
The next hurdle: marketing the site. How will you promote it to attract more readers? How will you retain those people? Do you understand the nature of the competitive environment you’ll be operating in, and that it covers far more than blogs, and far more than the web?
下一个障碍：网站营销。 您将如何推广它以吸引更多读者？ 您将如何留住那些人？ 您是否了解您将在其中运行的竞争环境的本质，它所涵盖的范围远远超过博客，还远远超过网络？
Most people don’t want to “read a blog”; they want to connect with like minds. Blogging isn’t primarily about writing: it’s about connecting, and while content might be the starting point for that connection, it is in no way the end point. Blogging is where the concept of personal branding was born, and that personal connection now takes place through social media, meetups and conferences, on and offline communities – you name it.
大多数人都不想“阅读博客”。 他们想用相似的思想联系。 博客并非主要与写作有关：与连接有关，虽然内容可能是该连接的起点，但绝不是终点。 博客是个人品牌概念的诞生地，而个人联系现在通过社交媒体，聚会和会议以及在线和离线社区进行，您可以将其命名。
Then there’s the question of building your blog and any media properties that might surround it (for example, a store, or a subscription-based community). Will you do it? Will you pay someone else to? Who will maintain the technical side of things?
然后是构建博客以及围绕它的任何媒体属性(例如，商店或基于订阅的社区)的问题。 你会做吗？ 你会付钱给别人吗？ 谁来维护事物的技术方面？
I could go on – there are a lot of questions to answer, and they require research. The place to start looking for answers is problogger. Have fun!
我可以继续-有很多问题要回答，它们需要研究。 开始寻找答案的地方是problogger 。 玩得开心！
将自己推销为在线作家的最佳方法是什么？ (What’s the best way to market myself as an online writer?)
Write. Publish on reputable sites (possibly including your own). Repeat.
写。 在信誉良好的网站上发布(可能包括您自己的网站)。 重复。
In all honesty, that’s it. If you want to be paid to write, you’ll need a folio of work with which to build new publisher relationships. I’m not talking about a website where you publish samples of the things you’ve done, though you could also have that. But you don’tneedit—I’ve never done that. All I have is a bunch of links to published work in a repository you might know called Google. I choose the ones I’ll send with each pitch to a new editor, and paste them into the email. Of course it’s a courtesy—they’ll Google me if they’re interested—but at least this gives them some relevant starting points.
老实说，就是这样。 如果您希望获得报酬来撰写文章，则需要建立作品集以建立新的发布者关系。 我不是在谈论一个网站，尽管您也可以发布自己所做的事的示例。 但是您不需要它-我从未做到过。 我所拥有的只是一堆链接，这些链接指向您可能称为Google的存储库中的已发布作品。 我选择将每个音高发送给新编辑者的内容，然后将其粘贴到电子邮件中。 当然这是礼貌的-如果他们感兴趣的话，他们会给我Google-但至少这给了他们一些相关的起点。
I also have PDFs of project work I’ve done—print materials, things that were online but aren’t now, or aren’t publicly accessible, for example. Depending on the job I can send those through as attachments or print them for an in-person meeting.
我还拥有完成的项目工作的PDF，例如打印材料，在线但现在不在线或无法公开访问的内容。 根据工作的不同，我可以将这些附件作为附件发送，也可以将它们打印出来以进行面对面的会议。
At the end of the day, if you want to be a writer in any medium, you need published work to show off. And you always need to be making more.
归根结底，如果您想以任何媒介成为作家，则需要发布作品来炫耀。 而且您总是需要做更多。
我应该不写工资吗？ (Should I write for no pay?)
This is one of the most controversial questions among writerly types. It devalues the art of writing, say some. It’s a good way to get a foothold, say others. It’s a great way to promote your work, say some more.
这是作家类型中最有争议的问题之一。 有人说，它贬低了写作艺术。 别人说，这是一个立足点的好方法。 另外，这是推广您的工作的好方法。
Ultimately, I think whether you write for no money will depend firstly on whether you’re a trained or professional writer, someone who’s studied writing and understands how it works, or whether you’re a person who’s passionate about writing but is comparatively green. The tactics you use will depend on where you’re starting from, and what you plan to do.
最终，我认为您是否不花钱首先取决于您是受过训练的还是专业的作家，研究过写作并了解其工作原理的人，或者您是对写作充满热情但相对绿色的人。 您使用的策略将取决于您从哪里开始以及您打算做什么。
I’d worked as a professional writer for years before I started freelancing seriously, so I always told myself I couldn’t afford to write for no pay. For me, this has been a good way to make sure I earn income from what I do, and focus on paying gigs and improving paying client relationships. Before long I found that not only couldn’t I afford to write for no pay, I didn’t have time to do it.
在开始认真从事自由职业之前，我已经从事专业作家多年，所以我总是告诉自己，我负担不起无偿写作。 对我来说，这是确保我从自己的工作中获得收入的好方法，并专注于支付演出和改善付费客户关系。 不久之后，我发现我不仅负担不起无偿写作，而且我没有时间这样做。
That’s the best place to be. Do whatever you think will get you there fastest.
那是最好的地方。 做任何您认为会最快到达那里的事情。
还有其他问题吗？ (Any more questions?)
These are the most common questions I’ve been asked about freelance writing, but perhaps you have others. Ask them below if you’re not too shy. And if your experience causes you to disagree with what I’ve said here, let us know howyoudo it in the comments.
这些是我问过的关于自由写作的最常见问题，但也许您还有其他问题。 在下面问他们是否不太害羞。 如果您的经历导致您不同意我在这里所说的话，请在评论中告诉我们您的做法。
翻译自: /6-common-questions-writing-web-answered/
网络小说写作套路
