We hear a lot about heroes in the news lately, and they\u2019re not the typical brave civilian stopping an armed criminal or landing a plane safely on a river. Instead, they\u2019re legions of everyday people helping to keep society safe and providing essential materials where they\u2019re needed most. Truck drivers, medical workers, grocery clerks, and, of course, first responders are inspiring the general population and showing that no capes are needed to be the hero we need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s with heroes in mind that we welcome you to the next installment of Writer Spotlight. While this month\u2019s hero may be safely sheltered at home with her kids and weiner dogs, many at Crowd Content will agree that Clarissa Howard (Kim in the real world) is right up there with the Jack Bauers, Dean Winchesters, and Jon Snows of TV lore \u2014 consistently answering the call when we\u2019re in a content crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It started two years ago in early May, 2018, when Kim wrote a Darice product description and a short article about saving money as a vegetarian (I read that, Kim. You\u2019ve come a long way!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since then, Kim has gone on to submit well over 4,000 orders. Many of these orders were the result of emails desperately seeking writers to hit a fast-approaching deadline. More often than not, and regardless of quality level, Kim would volunteer her services \u2014 even when better paying work was available. A consummate team player, Kim has proven time and again that she\u2019s something more than a freelancer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim\u2019s background includes time spent in IT sales, retail management, and music promotion, but she currently spends most of her time writing for Crowd Content and creating some personal essays for blogs and magazines. Add in a family, some dogs, a second-hand clothing business, and a part-time communications manager job, and it\u2019s easy to see why we\u2019re so impressed with the amount of work she handles for us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, Kim manages to find time for her hobbies and interests. \u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of stand-up comedy and try to get out to the comedy club as much as possible, which isn\u2019t very often these days, unfortunately!\u201d Kim says. \u201cI also enjoy hot yoga and am trying really hard to get into gardening, although I\u2019m absolutely horrible at it.\u201d A hero to all but plants, apparently. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim has been writing professionally for four years and has been published by Parents Magazine, Explore Magazine, Huffington Post, and YourTango.com. \u201cEssay writing is my favorite,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I also really enjoy any type of sales\/marketing writing, except for product descriptions, which I don\u2019t enjoy writing at all!\u201d Have you tried starting with an action verb? It makes all the difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim stumbled upon Crowd Content while searching for ways to make money from home. An online review of our platform sent her our way. Over time she\u2019s written on many projects but says she \u201cloves writing on the Caring.com\/PFSC projects and Lead to Conversion.\u201d Expertise snippets also hold a special place in her heart. If that doesn\u2019t make her a hero, I don\u2019t know what does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As has become a tradition with those showcased in the Writer Spotlight, Kim offered some major kudos for Crowd Content, and I\u2019m sticking to my story: It\u2019s completely unsolicited. \u201cI\u2019ve written on several other sites, and CC is infinitely better in so many ways,\u201d Kim gushed. \u201cOur project managers and editors are kind and communicate effectively; the availability of work is second-to-none, and the pay is more than fair for the work we\u2019re doing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But every rose has its thorn, and for Kim, that thorn is relatively minor. \u201cI\u2019d really love the ability to change my pen name! If I\u2019d known I\u2019d be sticking around here and writing as many orders as I have, I\u2019d definitely not have chosen the name Clarissa Howard.\u201d Let\u2019s see if we can do something about that for you, Kim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kim feels that listening to the feedback given by editors and project managers has helped her become the four-star writer she is today, and she urges new writers to follow that same path. \u201cStick with it and be open to the advice of editors and project managers. I\u2019ve gone back and read some of the work I completed in my earlier days on the platform and I can see how far I\u2019ve come in the two-ish years that I\u2019ve been here. In addition to honing your own skills, being open to constructive criticism is the best way to open doors for yourself and access more work on better projects!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While this is a treasure trove of compelling advice combined with dramatic heroics, we\u2019re all here for the real news, and as always, Writer Spotlight delivers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is your favorite author? What\u2019s your favorite book?<\/strong> My favorite author is Graham Greene. My favorite book is The Beach by Alex Garland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s your favorite restaurant or meal?<\/strong> My favorite restaurant is a local steakhouse called Caesar\u2019s; they make the best filet mignon and stuffed potatoes in the world. On the other hand, I\u2019m always up for Taco Bell!<\/p>\n\n\n\n