We’re living in strange times. Between COVID-19, political strife, and economic downturns, it’s harder than ever to make a living even if you’re a freelancer.

Yet you still have to pay bills, buy groceries, and cover rent. So what are you supposed to do?

The important thing to remember is that people are always going to keep using the internet, which means businesses and brands will always need new content to rank their sites higher in Google and reaching more audiences through social media. This doesn’t scale across just text writing content, but also video, graphics, ad copy and more.

So when it might seem hopeless, these are the moments when creative freelancers and individuals have the opportunity to thrive. With this in mind, by making some slight adjustments, you can increase your profits. Be sure to keep reading to discover how to increase income as a freelancer!

Work Smarter, Not Harder

One of the toughest things about being a freelancer is the lack of regular work. Since you might go days or even weeks without a gig, it can be tempting to take anything and everything that comes your way.

However, that isn’t the wisest idea.

For one thing, a lack of interest in the subject matter can shine through in your work. In turn, taking jobs you don’t care about can hurt your career.

Saying yes to everything can also keep you from discovering new opportunities that can further your career goals and result in more money.

In short, don’t be afraid to take a job. But remember that there’s only so much time. If you’re using it on things you don’t care about, you’re hurting your career.

Advertise Your Services

Freelance writers aren’t only writers anymore. These days, they have to be marketing gurus, too.

Though you might feel hesitant to spend money on a Facebook ad or a sponsored job listing, remember that these are investments. You have to spend money to make money, after all.

Plus, you can write off your advertising budget on your taxes.

Reassess Your Rates

You’re doing a ton of work and yet you still aren’t making enough money. Sound familiar?

Don’t cut yourself short. You’re a professional and you deserve to be compensated as such.

Every few months, reassess your going rate and see if you’re charging too much or too little. When thinking about what to charge, make sure to think about:

• How long it’ll take to write
• Resources
• Research time
• Competitor’s rates

Don’t cut yourself short. You’re a professional and you deserve to be compensated as such. You might undercut yourself without even realizing it.

Expand Your Niches

As this guide for freelancers points out, some industries are more profitable than others. Therefore, you can expect the gigs in these industries to pay better and even look better on your resume.

However, this means you’ll have to branch out of your comfort zone and become an expert in things you might not have a clue about right now. Again, think of it as an investment.

By investing your time and energy into a project in a profitable sector now, you’re giving your future self better opportunities.

How to Increase Income Even During the Toughest Times

At this rate, there’s no telling when — or even if — things will get back to normal. Since life can’t wait, it’s up to you to follow this guide on how to increase income so you can further your career.

Remember, work smarter, and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth. You’ve got this!

And if you’re looking for more great blogging tips, be sure to check out the rest of our blog!

How to Continually Increase Your Freelance Writings Month Over Month

In the world of freelance writing, design and content creation, it’s all about being aggressive and dedicating yourself to the business. This means making a great portfolio for your content and services, while also performing the necessary outreach to bring in new clients month after month.

There are also plenty of freelance marketplaces where you can acquire new services and clients as well. The days of sitting around and hoping for client work to come in are over, as it’s now more aggressive and competitive than ever before.

However, at the end of the day, the demand for services offered by freelancers are growing at a massive rate. Be sure to implement these effective tips and working methods to continually increase your earnings time and time again.

A ghost writer’s tools are crucial to their success. Whether you’re a technical writer, a freelance writer, or even a shadow scholar, the right tools will make your job a lot easier.

Any ghost writer who’s been at it for a while will be settled into a workflow, using tools they’re comfortable with. You can always teach an old dog new tricks, however.

Let’s look at three pieces of technology that every ghost writer should be using, whether they’ve been at it for a day or a decade.

1. Never Miss a Deadline with a Good Project Management System

Most ghost writers have several projects on their plate at any given time. Once you start looking for writer jobs, you’ll realize how much opportunity there is for a good writer.

Ghost writers live and die by deadlines. Missing a deadline is one of the biggest sins you can commit. A project management system lets you track all the projects, their deadlines, any resources the client has sent – everything attached to a given project.

Your project management system can be completely software-based using tools like Todoist, Trello, or Evernote. Or you might prefer to go “old-school” and use a paper-based planner and file folders to store any background documents.

For example, take a look any of the of the top technology blogs and you will find that they have content coming in from all over the place. By using these project management tools, it will allow for the site owner, social media team and freelancer writers to all communicate with each other when it comes to scheduling and promoting new content that might go live on the site.

You can also use a combination of the two. The key is to use a system that works for you. If you’re comfortable using it and you track everything consistently, projects won’t fall through the cracks.

2. Stay Healthy with the Proper Equipment

While it’s not high tech, the office equipment you use makes a big difference in your results. A good desk and office chair that are set up for proper ergonomics make your job a lot more comfortable.

And over the long-term, it’s not only more comfortable but it can help you avoid repetitive stress injuries (RSI), neck and back pain, and various other health problems.

You can also use high-tech solutions to help with this, such as a fitness tracker or software that will remind you to get up and stretch on a regular basis. Once you get into the flow, it’s easy to let hours go by without realizing it. Sitting for that long isn’t good for your body.

3. Be A Ghost Writer With or Without a Computer

When most people think of technology for writers, they picture someone banging away on a keyboard, creating page after page of text. But writing can take many forms. It doesn’t have to be putting words to paper (or screen).

A voice recorder lets a ghost writer record their thoughts and dictate the written word anywhere, with or without a computer.

If an idea strikes while you’re sitting on the beach or watching your kid’s ball game, you can pull out your voice recorder and get the thoughts down while they’re fresh in your mind. No more getting back to your computer a few hours later and thinking, “What was it I wanted to say?”

You can use your smartphone for this. Every smartphone has the ability to record audio, so you can dictate into it and not have to carry anything extra. Some phones will transcribe the recording for you but if not, you can send the recording to a transcription service.

Once the transcription is ready, you’ll have a written document that’s no different than if you had typed it yourself.

Keep Your Technology Running Smoothly

If you ever get frustrated with the technology you use for ghost writing, you’re not alone. There are plenty of time saving and self-help writing tools on the internet today. Simply take the time to look around and see which work best for your budget and tech skills, while also improving your grammar in the process.

Computers and other high-tech equipment can be temperamental.

Did you know that there are nearly 2 billion websites on the World Wide Web? That’s an overwhelming figure, but most of those sites never get seen!

Here’s the truth. You can have the most fabulous ideas of all time as you’re writing blog posts. But if you don’t know how to craft excellent blog posts from blog ideas, nobody is going to read them even if they have great content! You’ll then face the roadblock of having poor to no readership at all.

Let’s get into how to write better blog content that will get your blog posts seen.

Focus On Your Audience

Who do you want to read your all your content? Who can you imagine taking an interest in your content topic as you write a new blog post? Middle-aged women? Stressed-out millennials with too much work on their plates?

What does your audience do for a living? What kinds of problems do they face on an everyday basis? Where do they typically turn for their news? How will they benefit from the content that you post?

Successful bloggers know their audience, and they know them well. Because they know their audience, they can curate tailored pieces of content that their readers want to read.

If you haven’t identified your ideal reader, it’s time to do some reflection work to figure out the niche topic you should focus on. The more you can “hone in” on who you want to write for, the easier it will be to produce dynamic blog postings.

Own Your Writing Style

Yes, semantics matter. Yes, you need to learn the nuances of headlines, keywords, and search engine optimization or SEO.

Readers are drawn by compelling headlines. It won’t matter how good you are at content writing when you fail to write headlines that sell. Headlines should be made of simple yet powerful language. As you include primary keywords in your content, winning headlines should also have keywords with high search volume. Lastly, if you’re still new to SEO, it would be smart to understand the basics such as crawl accessibility, compelling content or content that answers the searcher’s query, and keyword optimization to name a few. Creating SEO friendly posts in your blog will definitely help increase your traffic and prevent all your efforts from going down the drain.

That said, you also need to learn your style and find your voice. This takes time, and it takes practice.

Do you want to be a serious authority in your field? Or, do you want people to feel like they’re talking to an old friend over a cup of coffee?

It doesn’t matter what you choose, but you want to stay consistent with your style – that way your readers know what to expect.

Choose Enticing Titles

We’ve all heard the latest news. Most people skim articles, only reading the headlines. What does that mean for you? It means that you need to adapt to this trend and focus on creating eye-catching titles!

First, you should learn the popular headline formulas. Typical examples include starting with numbers (i.e., “5 reasons why”), starting with a ‘How To,’ or offering grand promises (i.e., “The Comprehensive Guide To…”).

You’ll also want to engage in keyword research. This research will help you determine what your audience is reading, and what keywords are ranking! It also enables you to choose which content you want to focus on.

Increase Your Traffic

Quality content will always be essential in increasing your reputation. However, you do need a strategy for driving traffic.

This includes learning:

• Blog article formatting
• Using appropriate meta tags
• Formatting headers
• Backlinking and guest posting (check out this guide from SEOJet)
• Having a social media presence
• Optimizing for speed
• Implementing a mobile-first strategy

Even though this may not directly correlate with your “writing,” it’s necessary if you want to become a successful blogger. Fortunately, there are numerous guides and resources available online for you to learn these strategies.

Final Thoughts on How To Write Better

Learning how to write better takes time, patience, and discipline. The more you practice, the better you’ll become!

Ready to start your blog? Of course, you are! Check out the ultimate guide for getting started today.

If you are a writer or if you have always wanted to make money writing, there is a way to do this. In fact, many publishers, business owners, and websites pay writers well for their quality content. Why? Because high-quality content drives traffic. Sites need targeted traffic to increase their level of engagement and conversions.

Who Pays for Articles?

In addition to website owners, online blogs and publishers need articles that will interest their readers so that they will continue coming back for more. Getting regular readers is the goal of online publishers because they make money from ads that are focused on the content on their sites.

To find freelancing opportunities, you need to know where to look. Many websites and publishers pay writers for their work. But, for the online blogger or writer who wants to make a living writing, it is essential that they focus on the highest-paying jobs. Otherwise, they have to work too hard to make money. Making the most of their time is the critical element to financial success as an online writer.

Top 10 Paid Writing Sites

We’ve scoured the web to find 10 of the best freelance writing sites that you can start with if you wish to make a living writing online. While this is not an exhaustive list, it is a good place to start if you want to make serious money writing.

1. Crowd Content

Crowd Content is a site that has been around for a while now. Based in British Columbia, Canada, they offer writing for anyone who is a citizen of the U.S. or Canada. When they first started out, they had a large number of high-paying freelance jobs on their site. Now they seem to have migrated to a more project-based site that offers regular gigs with companies. They do still provide regular articles from their “marketplace” though. To get jobs on Crowd Content, you have to pass a writer’s test including a grammar and essay assessment. Once you meet the criteria for entry, they start you out on a level they assign, based on your initial assessment. You can then get jobs on that level with an opportunity to move up in the rankings to higher paying projects.

PROS: Crowd Content is considered a “content site,” but they do focus on producing high-quality content, so customers are willing to pay more at the higher levels.

CONS: There is limited work on the site many times, and you must grab the articles immediately, or they are gone.

2. Writer Access

Writer Access is another content site that offers writing work for expert writers who specialize in specific topics. There is limited work on the lower levels, but sometimes writers can get higher paying projects when they work up the ranks or specialize in key topic areas. They also have “expertise” areas and “elite” status options for writers. Creating a profile of yourself and your biography can contribute to getting better jobs. You can also get regular clients on this site if you pitch to specific clients and impress them with your work.

PROS: Excellent opportunity to develop your writing skills in a specialty area.

CONS: Work is hard to come by, and the site submits new jobs at odd hours like around 4 a.m. CST.

3. Constant Content

Constant Content is known as the most elite content writing site on the web. Clients and publishers flock to this site to get “the web’s best writers.” This company has done an excellent job of marketing their site as having only the very best writers who are highly specialized in their field. Therefore, you can make a much higher rate per article than on any other site. Additionally, this site allows you to create your content and upload them to their market that is open to anyone shopping for articles. It takes awhile to sell an article if you write one and submit to the general pool. But you can also send specific articles to individual clients who have requested pieces to increase your chance of an immediate sale.

PROS: High-income potential. Some writers have reported that they make between $70,000 and $100,000 per year on this site.

CONS: Work is not consistent unless you find regular clients who need work on a weekly basis. Grammar and writing test is complicated, and only a small percentage pass the test to get in.

4. TheContentPanel.com

TheContentPanel is another “mill style” content writing service that offers a wide range of articles in a similar manner to BlogMutt. Jobs are assigned to writers via an AI that (attempts) to learn the writing style & experience of writers to match them with clients. The AI offers gigs to the most “suitable” writers first, then it slowly opens up the job up to more and more writers until someone claims it to start work on. Like BlogMutt, The Content Panel has a lot of work available, but the opportunity for long term wage growth is limited. Pay ranges from $3/100 words to $7/100 words depending on topic complexity, the amount of research required, and the system’s rating of the writer. Pays out weekly.

PROS: Always hiring writers, lots of work available

CONS: Content mill work, that provides content mill pay

5. Freelancewritinggigs.com

This is not a site that offers specific writing projects like the other three we have reviewed so far. It is not a content site. This site is a “portal site” for freelance writers that attempt to connect freelance writers looking for work to many potential writing opportunities. The freelance writing job board is the best place to go to on this site to find potential writing gigs. The pay varies, depending on the number of words and quality expected, as well as other factors.

PROS: Lots of connections to be made on this site.

CONS: You have to pitch every job which takes time.

6. Guru.com

Guru.com is not a content site. It is a freelance site. Freelance sites are significantly different than content sites because they do not have lists of articles that are available. Instead, they are a project-based site where you can apply or “pitch” to any number of independent freelance projects including freelance writing.

You have to “bid” on these projects to get the job and companies, or individuals look at the profiles and portfolios of various writers to decide who they want to work with.

PROS: There is a variety of jobs available for all types of companies and individuals.

CONS: You have to bid a price that the client will think is fair, which is often hard to predict.

7. Problogger.com

ProBlogger.com is run by none other than professional blogger and affiliate marketer, Darren Rowse. This site features some high-paying writing gigs, and it is set up with a job board format. Writers can look for jobs that fit their area of specialty and then look at the price customers are willing to pay to see if it’s a good fit. Clients wait for emails regarding the job listing and hire the writers they like best. You need to have a good email pitch letter written that you can use on this site. The ones with the best pitches usually win the gigs.

PROS: Lots of high-paying jobs and many other resources for writers and bloggers.

CONS: Highly competitive. Sometimes hard to get the jobs due to the high level of competition.

8. Blogging Pro Jobs

Blogging Pro is another writing site (not to be confused with Pro Blogger). This site is set up more like a general job board, but it focuses on writing jobs. You can find the type of writing job you want to do and click on the links to learn more. The name of the company is displayed under the title of the writing job so you can research who you’ll be writing for.

PROS: Lots of jobs with a high variety of options and companies.

CONS: You must sign up for a job search membership with WorkForce Now to apply for jobs.

9. iWriter.com

iWriter.com has recently improved its software and platform, after many customers and writers alike complaining about the lack of user-friendliness in the past. The improvements make the site look better, and the interface is easy to navigate. However, there is a problem with this site. It seems that many of the customers think that the writers on this site produce poor quality content. So they are fast to reject or cancel orders that a writer may work several hours for. This discourages more talented writers from joining. But if a writer contacts the customer before writing for them, this seems to improve the results somewhat.

This site is a content site which means there are several jobs listed at any moment, but it’s based on a level system that you can easily get knocked down from after only one bad review or rejection or two. This site is excellent for picking up a few extra articles but don’t depend on it for regular income.

PROS: Lots of articles available to high-level writers.

CONS: Clients are too quick to reject articles, which lowers your rating.

10. FlexJobs.com

Flexjobs.com is not only a great freelance writing job board; it is a job board for any job. There are plenty of full-time, as well as part-time jobs available on this site. The site partners with several job resources that offer a wide variety of freelance writing job, design jobs, and more.

It’s free to start, but after a month, you’ll need to pay the $14.95 fee to remain a member of this site. You’ll find lots of jobs all over the country, and you’ll be able to see their approximate pay range and many other details about the companies.

For the serious writer who wants to write for a particular company rather than freelance, there are plenty of opportunities on this site, as well. You do need to have an active writer’s portfolio handy and a fresh resume and cover letter. This site’s job postings feature bigger writing jobs that may last longer than the average freelance jobs so it is most suitable for someone looking for a consistent long-term job.

PROS: Lots of jobs to choose from, many which pay a regular high rate of pay.

CONS: Highly competitive; similar to a job interview in the real world.

11. BlogMutt.com

BlogMutt.com is a content “mill” that offers hundreds of articles from specific companies. The problem is that, while the company charges up to $29.95 per post for a 300-word piece, they only give the writer $8 per post. The site is non-competitive which might be attractive to the beginning writer but not to the seasoned professional writer. There is plenty of work available, however, so if you’re willing to put up with editors that overdo it, this might be a place to try your wings.

PROS: Endless articles that you can write at your own pace.

CONS: Meager pay with only limited opportunities for pay increases.

How to Choose the Best Job Sites

The key to making a living (or even a part-time income) with writing is to locate those clients, businesses, and publishers that pay the most for your time, your expertise, and your work. This means connecting with only those opportunities that recognize and appreciate your talents. Don’t waste time with the low ballers because you’ll find it takes a whole day to make a buck. Instead, focus in on those writing jobs that are in your niche or specialty area, then pitch your resume and writing portfolio to them to get things started.

Overall, sites like Constant-Content.com are the best because they pay the highest dollar for quality articles. As a side note, Textbroker.com is also a reputable site with hundreds of materials available at any time. The pay on Textbroker.com is about in the middle when compared with other writing sites, but they pay weekly, on time, and consistently.

As in any profession, you have to pay your dues if you want to create a career for yourself with freelance writing. Start with some of the low ballers, prove yourself, then move up to the higher-paying clients and publishers.

A Word About Self-Publishing

Consider self-publishing, too as this allows you to write on any topic you choose and demand your price. Sites that allow you to create a writer’s profile such as Constant-Content and others will help you to get more business.

Alternately, you may also want to check out sites such as Digitalpoint.com, another writer’s market that allows you to write and upload articles. One perk about digitalpoint.com is that there is no editing. So the items that you write go straight from your hands to the market automatically.

Whichever way you go, it’s a good idea to try a little bit of everything at first so that you will have enough work for that “rainy day” when your main client doesn’t have enough jobs to keep you busy. Figure out what works best for you and don’t forget to also publish under your name with Kindle eBooks and your blog. This will help you create a name for yourself since this is something you cannot do as a ghostwriter for other sites.

In the end, you get what you put into it. So start writing some sample articles on sites like LinkedIn.com which now allows you to post blog articles. This is an excellent way to present your writing talent to potential customers and clients. You may even find some customers on LinkedIn, as well.

Try these sites and see how you do and make writing a way of life. It will pay off if you stick with it! We’ve come to the end of this article, and we hope you have learned something to help you on your journey. Let us know how you do but give yourself time to build up your writing business.

Now quit reading and start writing!

Freelance writing can be a very challenging way to make a living. According to a survey from Freelance Writing Jobs, nearly two-thirds of freelance writers have difficulty maintaining a stable income and finding clients. In addition to taking online courses and furthering your education, having a website or blog is one of the best ways to improve your writing skills.

If you are struggling to build a successful freelancing career, you should take a look at these Udemy courses. They can help you take your career to the next level and find better-paying work.

1.      Copywriting – Become a Freelance Copywriter, your own boss

Are you getting burnt out writing blog posts on Fiverr for $5 a pop? You can boost your hourly earnings ten-fold by becoming a freelance copywriter. If you aren’t familiar with copywriting, you should check out this great course by Len Smith, a freelance copywriter with over 20 years of experience.

Smith covers everything you need to know to be a successful copywriter, including:

• Setting a realistic date to launch your copywriting business
• Choosing projects you are comfortable with
• Pricing your work

Smith states that serious students should be able to launch their full-time copywriting business within three months.

2.      Freelancing for Writers: Use Your Words to Start A Business

This course addresses many of the concerns new freelance writers have, such as:

• Whether they can start a freelance writing career without any professional writing experience
• The types of projects they can work on
• Their earning potential
• Tips on using different freelance writing platforms
• Tips on finding clients on your own

The thing that I like the most about this course is the tips on using platforms like Textbroker, Constant Content and iWriter. Most other courses focus on finding clients on your own, but these platforms are a great starting point for professional writers, so I am glad they were covered in this course.

3.      The Complete Freelance Writing Course

This course covers a lot of material that other courses either gloss or overlook completely. It is a great primer for beginning and experienced freelance writers alike.

The course covers a lot of the fundamentals of writing great content for the Internet. However, it also delves into some great tips on finding clients in places other freelancers overlook. If you follow the tips laid out in this course, you will have a leg up on the competition.

4.      The Complete Freelance Writing Online Course: Beginner to Pro

This is a great course from Kirsty Stuart, a freelance writer and writing coach. Stuart created this course for people that are new to the world of freelancing. If you have no idea where to begin your journey  as a freelance writer, Stuart covers everything that you need to know, including:

• Choosing your niche
• Finding clients
• Understanding the nature of web writing
• Using the right tools for productivity

This is a best-selling course that has helped many Udemy users launch successful freelancing businesses.

5.      Freelance Writing For Beginners

Laura Brown created this course for new freelance writers that need some guidance on structuring their business model. It covers a number of important steps that you need to take to get your career off the ground, including:

• Choosing a niche that suits your interest
• Knowing how to find clients
• Maintaining a working relationship with clients
• Staying productive

There is a lot of great material in this course that is well worth the $95 fee.

6.      Freelance Blogging Blueprint: Attract Clients & Charge More

Making a living as a freelancer requires more than great writing skills. You also need the right mindset and a great business model. Too many great freelancers fail, because they don’t know how to manage their work-life, find good paying clients and optimize their earning potential.

Siddharth Bharath, a world-renowned online entrepreneur, created this course. It is highly recommended for any freelancer that is struggling to generate a consistent income or feels underpaid.

Don’t want to pay for Udemy courses?

In addition to each of the courses listed above, we’ve also done several review posts on other courses as well. Be sure to check out our list of free Udemy courses and how you can access them at no cost by using our unique coupon codes.

If you are a writer (and we all are to some degree), you need to be aware of the standard grammar errors that we make all of the time that get past our radar. The key to improving grammar and spelling usage is in becoming more aware of what we are writing.

This is especially true when writing any type of online marketing ad copy or even creating when a blog of your own. Just because you don’t have a team of writers or someone to proof read your content, it doesn’t mean that you need to simply go live with your first draft and let any grammar or spelling errors slip by. As bloggers and content creators, it’s important to always look our best and one of the best ways to accomplish this is through proper writing, spelling and pronunciation.

Not only will writing in proper English and using the right forms of grammar look better, it will also provide a better reading experience for your audience in the process.

The following common errors can be corrected by using common grammar practices, brushing up on skills, and using a dose of common sense. With practice, you can improve your grammar usage.

Anytime vs. Any time

This is one of the most confusing choices that writers make, even accomplished professional writers. When writing a sentence where you want to use this terminology, you should consider whether you mean to use it as an adverb or not. The term “anytime” used in isolation is an adverb, which “any time” should be used with the word “at” before it such as “at any time,” because it is identifying a specific time that you plan to do something. (Grammarly.com)

Affect vs. Effect

If you use the word “affect,” you should be using it as a verb. That’s what it is. For example, you can say, “This medicine could have an affect on your blood pressure.” But if you say, “This is the effect is can have,” you are using the noun form.

Bare vs. Bear

“Bare” and “bear” are homophones because they sound like the same word. Only when you write them down, do you see the difference in the spelling. The word, “bare” refers to someone or something that is void of clothing or a table that has nothing on it, for example. “Bear” is an animal or it can be used as a verb meaning to tolerate or put up with something. Be careful when using these words like this can stand out like a sore thumb. When using the term, “Bear with me,” you should spell it as shown in this sentence.

Comma Before But

When using conjunctions after a dependent clause, you should always remember to use a comma. This is considered good grammatical form in both academic and other texts. For example, look at the following sentence.

You may want to go to the game, but you have homework to do before you can go.

This is a standard error to forget the comma before the conjunction, but it is important to get this right.

Comma Before Because

You should also use a comma before “because” but only in instances when you are adding additional information. For example, “I liked camp because it was fun” requires no comma. But “I didn’t vote, because I was out of town,” works because it is serving to clarify the reason you did not vote. It verifies that the reason was not due to any other reason. Therefore, commas can serve to help make meaning clearer when the sentence is ambivalent without it.

Comma Before Which

Grammarly reports that a lot of people put a common before the word, “which” too often. They remind writers not to place a common before which in the following situations:

• When it introduces a nonrestrictive phrase
• When it is part of a prepositional phrase
• When it is introducing an indirect question

When to Use a Comma Before But

Put a comma before but only when it is connecting two independent clauses. Below is an example of this.

I would go to the movie, but I don’t like the director.

Notice that the clauses are independent because they can stand alone. When you combine them in a sentence in which they are used together where you’re explaining a cause and effect relationship, it requires a comma.

Comma Before And

Overuse of the comma is one of the common mistakes used in writing. This includes business writing, blog writing, and any other type of written communication. The only time you should use a common before a coordinating conjunction is when you are linking two independent clauses. An example is given below.

“I went driving, and I saw a wreck.”

Placing a comma after the first independent clause separates the first independent clause from the other one and shows that they are two individual thoughts that are bound by the conjunction. In other words, they are not dependent on each other and do not represent a cause and effect relationship.

Comma Before Such As

If you are wondering whether to use a comma before “such as,” consider whether or not you are dealing with a restrictive clause. Grammarly reports that a restrictive clause is a clause that is not necessary to the meaning of a sentence, but it enhances the meaning or adds detail.

Here is an example:

In this city, you’ll see many types of restaurants, such as fast food and seafood.

If we take the last clause out, it still makes sense, but the “such as” phrase helps add meaning through detail. In such cases, you should use a comma since you are using it to explain further.

Thru vs. Through

Many people use “thru” for “through.” But this is not correct. The word “thru” is a non-standard spelling of the word, “through” and should be avoided. If you are typing a text to a friend, it may be okay since they’ll know what you mean, but it should always be avoided in business or formal writing.

Does the comma go before or after but?

Commas cause writers many problems, whether they are writing formal content or casual communications. Struggles with commas cross over into a wide array of writing situations. But conjunctions seem to add to the confusion. Sometimes focusing on the rules and trying to be perfect is not the answer. Using common sense is a more accurate way to use best grammatical practices in most cases.

For example, when do you think you would ever use a comma after the word, “but?” According to Capital Community College, it is hard to imagine a time when you would place the comma after “but.” Look at the examples below.

1. I wanted to go to the game, but I had too much work to do.

2. I wanted to go to the game but, I had too much work to do.

The second one is just wrong and is probably due to the idea that many people have that you use a comma to take a breath. This is not accurate in most cases. Commas are used to clarify the meaning of a sentence or paragraph. In the first example, it helps to explain the independent clauses by showing that having too much work was the reason I didn’t go to the game. In the second example, it makes no sense. It also does not add to the meaning of the sentence.

Again, using some common sense when writing will help you to make the best choices most of the time.

Threw vs. Through

The word, “threw” is the past tense of “throw,” not “through.” The word, “through” is a preposition that is used to indicate a direction such as:

I went through the intersection without getting a ticket.

I threw the ball through the window.

These are two entirely different words and parts of speech so extra care should be used to make sure you don’t get accused of going “through” the rules or have someone say you “threw” away good grammar!

Improper Use of “Like”

Another common error is the misuse of “like.” Millenials seem especially prone to use this word incorrectly, using the word “like” to attempt to describe something. It is a crutch word when used in this way and has no meaning in the sentence. “Like” should only be used in situations where you are comparing one thing to another and not as a stop-gap word to gather your thoughts.

Run On Sentences

When writing content for a website or blog, run on sentences seem to be common place as many people might not be familiar with how to use proper punctuation and grammar. A run-on sentence occurs when there is a connection of two main clauses within the same sentence, without any punctuation to break them apart.

Here are two examples of the correct and incorrect way to write the same sentence.

Incorrect: Tommy wanted to write a blog post but he had to run to the store for eggs.
Correct: Tommy wanted to write a blog post, but he had to run to the store for eggs.

Spelling Errors

Many of the grammar problems we see in writing content are due to misspellings or typographical errors. Abbreviations are also a common problem and are used too much, possibly due to the vast use of technology and shorthand style of writing that is so common in texting on mobile phones.

There are many tools to help you clean up your grammar and spelling errors. You can also use tools such as Grammarly that help find and correct your mistakes. Writing is communication, and you need to utilize the tools and skills you have to make your written communication as good as it can be.