Interview with Tina Molly Lang

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From: Lily
Sent: 2008-06-03 16:10:25
Subject: Message from Lily

Hi Tina!

I was wondering if I could interview you and share it with all our friends here on A.C.? If you are willing to do the interview please answer the questions below and email them back to me! By the way you have some awesome articles on the every day things going on in this world!

LIlyo1019

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From: Tina Molly Lang
Sent: 2008-06-11 17:25:40
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Message from Lily

Here's the interview! You can edit the links so that they actually show up as hyperlinks for the article.

Interview:

1. How long have you been with A.C. and Why?

I started writing for AC at the end of May 2007. I published a few articles then took a hiatus until January 2008. Real life had gotten in the way! Since January 2008, I've been writing regularly for AC. I'm a freelance classical musician (violinist and singer). Work can be pretty irregular. Sometimes I have a lot. Other times not so much. Writing is a fun way to supplement my income. I also like the flexibility of being able to do it at my own pace.

2. Where did you hear about A.C.?

I was part of a pay-per-post forum called mylot.com. Someone over there (I think cathiesbloggs) posted a thread about AC. It's interesting because now I'm on AC way more than I am on mylot.

3. Do you write on A.C. for a living or for fun?

Right now I just write for fun. I don't write enough articles to do it for a living.

4. Do you think A.C. can support a living?

AC could support a living if you're able to write many articles in a short period of time without sacrificing quality. Also, writing for AC may lead to other higher-paying writing opportunities.

5. How long do you plan on staying with A.C.?

I plan on staying with AC for as long as possible. It's just a question of how active I'll be. There will be periods where I'll be power-writing. There will also be times when real life gets in the way. If I have a wide body of articles, I may be able to make money of the PV bonuses.

6. How is your favorite content producer or producers on A.C.?

It's hard to name just one! I have many favorite writers. When I first joined AC, I joined one of the subscriber threads (that big one in the Just for Fun forum). I don't depend on them for the page views. I just like the sense of community. They really helped me feel at home when I was a newbie. I also like the Accentuate Writers Forum (started by Michy Devon). It's a wonderful community for freelance writers. I've learned a lot about writing for AC and writing for the web.

http://www.accentuateservices.com/xmb/

7. What are some of your favorite articles, poems, and stories on A.C.?

I've had several front page news articles on AC. One of my recent ones was about Scott McClellan's tell-all book about the Bush Administration.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/790683/scott_mcclellans_book_criticizes_president.html?cat=9

My first AC article has been very successful. It has been featured a few times on the AC front page. Violin Practice Tips.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/266716/violin_practice_tips_how_to_practice.html?cat=33

My best performing article was about Kimberly Caldwell and David Cook. It has nearly 12,000 views. It hit 9,000 in the first two days. I've had better-written articles that have barely reached 100. You just never know which articles will be popular!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/789273/kimberly_caldwell_david_cook_spotted.html?cat=62

8. How do you come up with topics to write about for A.C.?

These days I'm focused more on increasing performance bonuses. Considering how long I've been with AC, I don't have that many articles. I want to increase my body of articles so I can have more chances for residual bonuses. I'm trying to have mix of popular content and evergreen articles. My popular content articles usually come from C4Cs. I write a lot of political news items, arts, and entertainment. I've been writing about the election, American Idol, and other news. Evergreen articles usually come from my general body of knowledge (usually music, politics, and lifestyle articles). These days I've also been doing a lot of product reviews. Product reviews are easier to write. But sometimes it's hard to find 400 words to say about soft-baked cookies!

9. What is your least favorite thing about A.C. and how would you go about fixing it?

I wish the upfront payments were a little higher. Sometimes it's frustrating to spend time pouring over an article only to receive a tiny offer. For the news articles, there's not a lot you can do about the $2.00 offers. I try to make up for it in page view bonuses. And at least you get quick payments. For the content I submit on my own, I'm hoping the offers will increase as my page view average increases. I'm going to focus on increasing my page view average and making my articles search-engine friendly.

10. What is your favorite part about A.C. and why?

I like that you can work at your own pace. With my irregular schedule as a musician, I like the flexibility that AC offers. I like the sense of community that AC offers. I've really learned a lot by reading other people's work. And I've met some great people over here. I also appreciate Jason for his hard work and continuous page view updates. It's nice to be able to see my progress on AC.

11. What are some of the articles, poems, reviews, and stories you have written here on A.C.?

Many of my articles are about news, politics, music, and lifestyle articles. I don't have that many articles about health, science, or technology, but that could change.

12. What are your hobbies to do when you are not writing?

Definitely music: (violin, singing, piano). Even though I do it professionally, I try to enjoy it for its own sake. I also like shopping, movies, books, friends, TV, and of course writing!

13. Where is your favorite place in the world to go and why?

I love New York City. It's such an exciting city. Each neighborhood offers such a different experience. It's also a great city for walking. Of the other places I've visited, I love London and Berlin.

14. Have you always enjoyed writing?

Yes. I've always loved writing. I loved all my humanities classes in school, especially American History and Literature.

15. Who are your heroes's in life?

My parents and grandparents, my history teacher from high school, many of my music teachers, my German teacher from college. And in popular culture, Michelle Kwan (figure skater), Roger Federer (tennis), Yehudi Menuhin (violinist), and Sandra Day O'Connor (Supreme Court Justice).

16. Do you have any pets and if so what kind?

I never had pets growing up. We were never home enough to be able to take care of them. I love playing with other people's pets!

17. What is one of the greatest lessons in life you have learned and why?

The Golden Rule also applies to yourself. You have to treat yourself the way you want others to treat you. If you treat yourself right, you end up treating others better too. This is something I've learned from relationships.

18. If you had some advice to give to other writers out there what would it be?

Just keep trying and learning. If you keep improving your craft, success will happen when you least expect it. From what I've seen, writing for AC leads to other writing opportunities (though I've only had a few targeted C4Cs so far). You never know who could stumble upon your articles. And you never know which articles will be popular. It's a tricky balance between learning to write well and learning to write for the web. I've learned a lot from reading the forums and getting advice from more seasoned writers. But at the end of the day, a lot of it just comes from experience.

19. What do you enjoy writing about and why?

I love writing news items, politics, arts, entertainment, and lifestyle articles.

20. What wouldn't you write about and why?

I don't usually write about health, science, or technology articles. My knowledge in those areas is less solid. And since I'm not married, I don't usually write marriage or parenting articles.

21. Last question, what keeps you inspired to write here on A.C Content and why?

I love being able to work at my own pace. I like being able to write about topics that I'm enthusiastic about. I also like being able to learn from other writers.
Writing news articles also keeps me in touch with what's going on in the world.

The End!

Thank you so much Tina Molly Lang for doing the interview you are the best! Thank you so all who have checked out her interview and are going to check out her work!