Writing for CrowdSource and Roosevelt Island Movie Making
Yesterday my father and I made a visit to Washington, DC's Theodore Roosevelt Island to gather footage for an upcoming video which will soon be released on HistoricAmerica.org (that's why there was no blog post yesterday - sorry!). My father served as cameraman and I was the onscreen, *ahem*, talent. We shot a little behind-the-scenes movie after we were done,
We're looking forward to releasing the full video and hope you'll tune in (afterwards, Dad and I biked the Mount Vernon Trail which meanders alongside the GW Parkway and I took an embarrassing spill after foolishly attempting to traverse some awkwardly placed train tracks - the only thing hurt was my pride).
Moving on.
A few days ago, my application to become a freelance writer for CrowdSource was accepted. I've been looking for new ways to generate revenue streams for Historic America, and freelance writing seemed a likely source of funds. So what's writing for CrowdSource all about? According to Freelancewriting.com (which is a great resource, btw, for all you aspiring freelancers),
“...freelance writers...work as independent contractors and earn money doing something they enjoy...Approved writers can write content on their own flexible schedules without having to work the traditional 9-5 shifts. The company offers different assignments posted by employers. The diversity of assignments is something that writers will enjoy. You can find projects to write articles, blog posts, press releases, content etc., on a number of different topics and subjects. ”
I thought I'd give it a shot. After all, I can write well and know how to do online research, so why not put it to work for me? My first writing experience was last night. I signed on to the CrowdSource work portal and was immediately presented with a list of writing tasks from which I could select. The assignments were all requests for brief, informative articles on a wide array of subjects; everything from, "What was the Dred Scott decision?" to, "What's the most powerful Pokemon?" Given the nature of Historic America, I mainly opted for those assignments with a historical bent. I ended up writing five articles (two which were approximately 200 words in length and three which were between 100-150 words). The topics included,
A description of the New Testament books written by St. Peter,
A discussion of the Statue of Liberty and its replicas located in Paris, France,
The history behind the Bronze Star Medal and WWII.
I also wrote articles on why milk goes bad, and the nautical terminology used to describe the four sides of a boat, because I thought they seemed like fun. Basically, after a few months of doing this work, I'll be dominant in at-home Jeopardy competitions. The publication of these articles is now pending, and is contingent on proper review and editing.
To give you a taste, at the bottom of the page is the Bronze Star article I wrote. This was a subject near to my heart because my late, great uncle Donald MacEwen served in World War II and was seriously wounded during the Battle of the Bulge. He survived and was subsequently awarded the Bronze Star. Here's the story behind the origin of his medal,
During WWII, the Bronze Star was a medal awarded specifically to ground troops engaged between December 6th, 1941 and September 2nd, 1945 in recognition of heroic or meritorious achievement on the field of battle. The medal came into being after a recommendation made by General George C. Marshall to President Roosevelt in which Marshall argued that such a medal would boost morale amongst the ranks of long suffering infantrymen.
The original inspiration for the Bronze Star can be found in the Air Medal, an award created in 1942 as a recognition of meritorious service during aerial flight. The Bronze Star was envisioned as the infantryman's equivalent of the Air Medal, thus it is often referred to as the 'Ground Medal'. President Roosevelt authorized the Bronze Star's creation in February of 1944 and made it instantly retroactive to the beginning of the war so that it might be awarded to ground soldiers for past gallantry. In 1947, the Bronze Star was again retroactively awarded to anyone who had been previously given the Combat Infantryman Badge of Combat Medical Badge of WWII.
In appearance, the Bronze Star is supported by a red ribbon, and accented with blue and white stripes. The medal itself is an actual bronze star, 1 1/2 inches in diameter, with a smaller, superimposed star in the center. The reverse side of the medal is inscribed with the words, "HEROIC OR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT".