Any advice for a brand newbie on helium?

Hi Suzieqmom, you can forget about the writing score and the writing stars. Helium has changed so much that all of us are trying to keep pace with it. I do not know whether the rating system is still valid. I think for a newbie, the best you can do is to search the articles of those five stars writers, and read their articles. You will get an idea of the writing style preferred in Helium. Make it a habit to read the forum regularly. Do not be afraid to seek for help. Once you are confident enough, just go to the Marketplace, grab a title and write.

The payment FAQ you have read may be outdated. Just recently, early this month, Helium changed their payment schemes. The upfront fee based on writing stars is now inoperative and Helium articles eligible for upfront fees are now positioned at the marketplace. About five articles will be purchased in each Helium marketplace title -- all under exclusive rights. The best article will be paid according to the purchase price while articles 2-5 will be paid a transition credit.

Hello, Suzieqmom. I only just found this, but I hope I can help. The main thing is, before you can earn on Helium, you need a rating star, so rate articles, then do a few each day once you've got that rating star. If you build up to 5 rating stars, you get a $3 rating bonus each month. Not much, but it's something for virtually nothing, which is not to be sneezed at. Speaking for myself, the top 10 earners for page views tend to be health and fitness articles, especially those about dieting and nutrition. Relationship articles also earn well, so do personal finance and travel. I'd suggest cutting your teeth on some open titles before heading for marketplace. Build up a good online portfolio to build up your writing score and earn stars. They're still valid, as some titles in MP are only open to 3 and 5 star writers, and those are the higher paying ones. There's a link to my Helium homepage on my profile page. Message me over there and I'll try to help with specific questions.