Good morning and happy December! I hope that the holiday season is treating you well. Personally, I nearly knocked myself silly with turkey, and let’s not even go there with mashed potatoes and stuffing. How was yours?

Let’s get straight to it. I have three great gigs, one awful gig, and a tip to help you find more work.

The gigs

1. Video scripts – a scriptwriter who does compelling copy is needed for a series of videos relating to achievement, success, and redemption. Each script is meant to be short (2-3 pages). To apply, send in samples of your work and/or links to videos that you have already done. Compensation is $100 per script.
2. News articles – Allvoices.com is seeking freelance journalists for Provoices who can put together a great article and have some experience already doing so. Special attention will be given to correspondents in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as writers who cover technology, terrorism, the economy, the environment, U.S. politics, U.S. foreign policy, international affairs, immigration, health, science, entertainment, pop culture, and geographic beats, among others. To apply, send in a cover letter, clips of your work, and a resume. Compensation is up to $250 an article.
3. Blog articles – a Chicago-based law firm is seeking a blog writer for 15 – 25 articles per month. Writers will be responsible for producing content as well as ensuring all research is accurate. The topics include nursing home abuse, trucking accidents, and construction accidents, as well as a general personal injury blog. To apply, submit a bid on this site through Elance, which requires a monthly subscription. Pay is $60 per article.

Job tip of the week - your friends can be a great source of jobs. When I first started freelancing, I posted a status update stating that I was looking for freelance work, and within moments I had found my first $300 gig. Not bad, considering the work was fun and easy and I had a new sample to work with within moments. Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family if they need work done or know someone who does. In fact, that’s how you can find some great gigs.

Worst gig of the week – If you are a college student or someone looking to make extra income, that has experience with blogging and online promtions we need your assistance. We are a indie music label named ———. We are currently working with an artist named ——– that has majors looking at his movements. At this point we are looking for people that can create a buzz in the —— area and throughout the US. Please email us if you are interested and currently have a blogg with a strong following. Price to be discussed upon submittal

Any gig that starts by talking about college students or making extra income is generally not going to be a high paying or great freelance gig. It usually means that they’re looking for someone to do work on the cheap or for free. It doesn’t generally hurt to ask, but don’t be surprised when they ask you for a low rate–if there’s a rate at all. What makes this one especially bad? They want someone who already has a blog with a strong following. They pretty much want you to do work for free and already have done a bunch of other work for free in the past. I think you can pretty easily see why this one is safe to skip.

If you’d like to look through longer aggregated lists of freelance writing jobs to help you save time in your job search, All Freelance Writing recommends Anne Wayman’s freelance writing jobs at AboutFreelanceWriting.com.