Honest Reflections of a Custom Essay Writer
As a freelance writer, I was not always lucky to have a stable income. It was not because I am a terrible or mediocre writer, but in fact, it was because I really did not know to find jobs that could turn into long-term projects. Even with certain essay companies, I have worked with in the past, which promised “lots of projects” the workload was never stable enough. So before, I was lucky to find Goessays, which I must admit, has been a blessing since then, I tried some of the crowdsourcing marketplace websites. For the sake of this article, I will only talk about my experience with one of them and my journey which has thankfully led me here.
This guy just registered with a marketplace site. What happened next will blow you away!
I had no idea where to start. Sure, I knew the basics, but I just did not know how to reach the customers to assure them that I could write their custom essay precisely as they requested. In addition, I had no reviews on the site. Therefore, how was I going to convince them that I was a seasoned writer who has proudly written thousands of words before?
First things first…
First, I drafted a real, heartfelt cover letter. I explained how difficult it was to describe my skillset and myself within character limit allotted. Although, this did not stop me from openly admitting I was just getting my foot in the door at this marketplace site. I was also very sincere about the way I worded my cover letter. I clearly stated that I was not trying to trick anyone with cliché quotes like “I can assure you that if you work with me once, you will always work with me…” which I have seen on many other profiles. So, yes! Whatever you do, wherever you work, I think the first step to success is being honest.
Honest guy with an honest cover letter but no customers…
Great… well, I actually felt great because at least I was able to express myself to my potential customers in that mini cover letter. Although, it did not last when the reality of me having no customers sank in hard. In fact, I was a little bit discouraged just by thinking what if I can’t get any customers because I do not have any reviews. Nada! Regardless, I pushed myself to browse through academic writing projects. I was eager to give my first bid for a project named “Experienced writer needed for a research paper”. By the time I was trying to write my first perfect proposal, the project was already awarded to someone else. “What? Are you serious?” unintentionally, I screamed.
The sad but honest guy with the correct cover letter still has no customers… at least, not yet!
Anyways… I decided I was not going to dwell on what I did wrong. By then, I already knew what my mistake was. I was trying to be a perfectionist as usual, and it took me a really long time to write a simple proposal. So, I licked my wounds and browsed through the other writing projects. Soon after, I noticed a project post for a ghostwriting position, which was titled something like “I need an exceptionally creative book writer”. I said to myself, this is it! I wrote my first proposal… and sent it right away. And for the sake of this piece, I am sharing here, in fact, for the first time anywhere what I wrote:
“The first page of a book… and when you read the first sentence… How it grabs your attention and demands it. Remember that? It quietly hints and promises you that continuing to read it will prove you the existence of new worlds and ideas, which you had, no idea could otherwise be possible. “This” is the book I am talking about. Yes, this is the one which can send people on a time-travel journey to their future or maybe childhood, or perhaps this is the one that can tell stories from the past to make its readers see hope in the future.
So, this is what I am proposing: to help you write “your book”… No! Not just a book, but also a time portal; to give your readers everything I mentioned above and more. When they read your book, they should not only see you but themselves in those pages, taking an ever-folding journey with your guidance through each letter and each chapter. They should experience the satisfaction of finishing it while at the same time genuinely wanting more.
In short, I guarantee to deliver what is most important here. A correct and accurate representation of you and your message but in a memorable and fascinating way…
Feel free to message me to discuss the details…
Thank you”
My first gig and a big one too…
Yup! I got the project… and it was great. Yes! Finally, I was going to get my first review. Although, I had not realized that this was going to be a very long-term project. And it was. It was a lot of work and collaboration, but it wasn’t extremely satisfying financially. So, as soon as I was rewarded the project and the reality of still not having any reviews sunk in, I started to browse the available writing projects again.
Academic writing project? An essay? Really?
My second proposal was for an academic writing project. The requirement for the proposal was to be creative. I was intrigued. This is what I wrote, literally:
“Hi there,
– As you might have already noticed, I am an experienced writer who is just getting his foot in the door here, on this site.
(you) Okay, great buddy! What do you know about academic writing?
– I have been writing papers, business plans, articles, essays, research papers, term paper, thesis, and dissertations (you name it…) for the last ten years, mostly for various organizations.
(you) Is that so? What degree do you have and in what field?
– I have an MBA in Business with a minor in Sociology and Media Studies.
(you) Can you upload a sample academic journal article that you have written?
– I will provide a sample when you contact me or I can write a sample/draft on a subject of your choice. This way, you can see if I am all fluff or I am the right guy for your project.
(you) Okay, I see where you are going with this… You are making this proposal very interesting actually…
– Thank you. I also want to tell you that since I am new here, I will give you a fantastic price for your 5-page essay.
(you) You know what!? I am convinced! You know what you are talking about! I am going to contact you via chat; sounds good?
– Yes, thank you for reading my proposal… I look forward to hearing from you.
(Hope it shows at least, a little bit of creativity and originality I am capable of delivering)
I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you”
The point is honesty
Yes! You guessed it right. Two for two! Pogchamp! My second proposal and my second project. At that point, I realized that I was being nervous for no reason as long as I reach out to people with brutal honesty. I think the most important thing for any writer (or for anyone for that matter, no matter what you do) to be completely honest. Being who you are or your skillset is not something you can fake. You are either a good writer or not. There is no point in pretending to be a fantastic writer and then deliver a subpar project. How are you going to face your customer? Well, that is why most writers have a hard time to find long-term customers.
What I learned in 30 minutes changed my life and for the better!
Two proposals I drafted in 30 minutes literally changed my life and for the better. In the first month, I have completed many custom writing projects. I did not bid on long-term projects, as my primary goal was to build up my reputation on the site through the successfully completed projects and reviews. I have always known that being true to who you are, gives you an advantage in life. It was just because I was trying this new marketplace site for the first time, I got nervous about the thought of failure. I felt like a 3 star Michelin chef who found himself in the back of a food truck. (Yes, I love food trucks, do not get me wrong. I just do not know how to operate one). Then I realized, as long as you are a good chef you can cook anywhere, given you have the right tools available.
Bump in the road
As I was completing one project after another, I realized something else. I had to bid much lower than my competitors who had actual reviews on the site. This was one of the downfalls of the site that I could not get used to. Come to think of it, even now, I still cannot. Why do I have to bid lower than them? I am probably a better writer than them!? Oh right! I do not have any reviews, and I am new here. So I had to…
Honest guy gets a happy ending after all
I must admit that I was lucky when I started at that marketplace site, looking for academic writing projects. It could have taken me months to land my first project, who knows? After all, I had no reviews to convince people that I could handle any writing assignment. Also, as I was working there, most of the projects I completed were all academic writing gigs. They were projects like “Custom essay needed” “Research paper due in 4 days” “Edit my Thesis of 2000 words” “MLA Format Essay” “Write a 6000-word evaluation essay” “Write an essay on a midsummer night’s dream” etc. I was content and but financially not very happy. I realized that I am spending too much time to write proposals, talk to people to convince them that I am the right person to complete their essays. For a project, little as “5-page essay on gun control” I had a chat with a client for over 2 hours, before I was awarded the project. I could have easily written 2-3 of those papers in that amount of time. I have already mentioned, I had to lower my rate so much that at one point, I did not even believe it myself. What could I have done, though? There were some bids as low as $26.00 for a 2000 word essay. Really? Which seasoned writer could have ever written at this rate? This was utterly absurd as it did not reflect the industry standards. No way, no how!
Hopefully…
At this point, I started to think that maybe this was not the best place to positively utilize my time and my skills. I decided to take another chance on custom essay writing companies. As I was browsing through some of the sites, I found Goessays (back in the day it was Go-essays). I must admit the first thing I loved about this site was the language they used on their pages. As I was reading, it was clear as day that these were honest people. For example, it clearly stated on the site (today, still does…) they would not take an order if they did not have the textbook to complete that order. Seriously? Who does that?
To make the long story short, it has been a rewarding experience and an exciting journey since then (In another article, I will talk about my experience working here for years now. Stay tuned!). As a writer, if you ever feel like you are stuck and you cannot find work, which will both financially and emotionally satisfy you, look for honest people and honest companies to work with. Be original whether it is a book report, case study or a movie review you are working on. Most importantly, be true to yourself, to your work and to the people you work with. Hopefully, you will also get a happy ending, as this guy did.
Cheers.
