Finding ways to earn a few extra dollars by writing is not the easiest path to follow. The biggest hurdle is finding the companies and individuals who need content, and then you have to convince them your words are actually worth it.

I’ve found Craigslist to be a decent place to tackle that first hurdle and locate a wide selection of writing related jobs, assignments, and internships. If you’re not familiar with Craigslist, welcome to planet Earth. I hope you enjoy your stay.

All kidding aside, Craigslist is such a simple site to traverse, I’m sure you’ll be just fine navigating the site even if it’s your first time visiting. Your first step should be to find and click on your city and then scroll to the bottom of the Jobs list. This is where you’ll find the writing / editing section. Below the Jobs section is the Gigs heading where you will also find a link to more writing related opportunities.

I have seen an incredibly wide range of writing jobs available posted in these pages, so I think this is a great place to prospect for possible work. Here are just a small sampling of the jobs types I’ve seen in the past few days posted under the writing / editing categories in different locales.

• Contract Blogger
• Newspaper Columnist
• Screenwriter
• Freelance Journalist
• Manuscript Editor
• Technical Writer
• Study Guide Author
• Fashion Writing Intern
• Music Writers
• Website Content Writer
• Ghostwriter
• Product Reviewers

If you happen to live in a smaller city and the postings are rather scarce, check out the bigger cities like Los Angeles and New York. Writing jobs can often be done from any location which is a plus if your area is lacking an availability of posts.

One of the greatest aspects of the Craigslist writing related postings is the multitude of variety in both career and skill levels. Whether you’re an experienced newspaper columnist, a work at home freelancer churning out website articles, or someone looking to intern in a specific field, you’ll find those possibilities in a Craigslist post.

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Associated Content is another content marketplace where writers can submit articles on a variety of topics according to their preference. One of the ways to earn money is to submit your articles to be reviewed for upfront payment eligibility. This puts your article in a queue to be reviewed manually by an editor, and if approved, can earn you some upfront cash. How much you earn seems to depend on a number of variables, but the impression is it averages around a few dollars.

There are three licensing options for your content at Associated Content. Exclusive rights gives Associated Content the most power over your material because your content cannot have been published elsewhere before submitting to the site, it cannot be republished anywhere else by you in the future, and you do not have the ability to remove your own content from the site.

A Non-Exclusive right to publish is fairly similar to the Exclusive right with the only notable exception being your ability to republish your content elsewhere in the future. The material still cannot have been published prior to submitting to Associated Content and you are still unable to remove your own content.

The third option is to submit your writing as Display Only which provides the author the greatest control over submitted content. Your content can be previously published, re-published, and can be edited or removed by you at any time. The drawback to this option is the ineligibility of upfront payments and distribution throughout Associated Content partner sites.

Another way to earn money if to find a topic in need of an article by visiting the Assignment Desk. This is where you’ll be able to browse the subjects in need of material and claim an assignment if you’re interested in writing about the subject matter. After you submit your material, it will be reviewed for acceptance and payment, although Associated Content does not guarantee your submission being accepted or even published at all.

Your articles are automatically entitled to earn revenue based on performance. The performance of an article is based on the page views it generates. For every one thousand page views your article receives, you’ll currently earn $1.50 which is paid out via PayPal. The more valuable content you publish and the more visitors your pages receive, your Clout level will rise which translates to a slightly higher revenue share.

As with any revenue sharing model, your success depends on your dedication to continually expand your body of work by adding valuable content while getting a sizable number of visitors in front of each one every month. It’s always encouraging to read inspirational success stories of authors really earning from writing, but before you submit anything of your own, it’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the terms of use regarding any rights you grant such a website.

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Helium describes itself as an outlet for citizen journalists where writers can contribute by writing about topics which they are comfortable with and well-informed. At this community driven site, rating other articles is not only encouraged, but it is also required. This is how they measure how much value you provide to the site.

Helium uses a stars and badges system to award users both visually and monetarily. This tiered structure is in place to also highlight the individuals who are contributing more to the site itself. You must remain an active participant to continue to earn revenue share. Participation is defined as maintaining at least a one rating star. To maintain at least one rating star, you must have completed a minimum of 40 quality article ratings within the last 90 days according to the user agreement.

There’s some confusing information because over at the stars and badges help pages it says something about needing 30 rates in the last 90 days instead of 40, so I’m not sure which one is accurate. The bottom line means that Helium is not just a place where writers can earn from writing. There’s a significant commitment involved to ensure the community continues to function as a self rating marketplace.

In addition to the standard revenue share that’s based on search engine traffic finding your articles, there are a number of other ways to earn money at Helium. Publishers seeking specific content will post their needs in the marketplace with the assignment guidelines and the amount the writer will be paid in plain view. Writers will compete by posting submissions to the publisher in hopes of it being the one chosen for the job.

The upfront payments and empty title bonus are also ways to make money on Helium, although both of these options appear to have more to do with turnaround time or being first to fill empty titles instead of being rewarded for quality writing. The amount you earn for being first to write for an empty title on Helium is $1 while the upfront payment amounts depend on how many rating stars you have, with the higher amounts naturally going to the more active (higher starred) contributors.

Stock content allows publishers to browse your archive of articles and if one is found that suits the publishers needs, the content is licensed through Helium and you get paid. Helium also offers a number of writing contests where the top three highest rated entries earn some cash. There’s even a writer affiliate program for referring other writers in which you’re paid 5% of the referred writers earnings.

There certainly seems to be quite a few different angles for generating income at Helium, but the writer must really immerse himself into the community and engage in all possible facets of participation to truly reap the higher level monetary rewards. Like most things, if you truly want to succeed, it takes perseverance and dedication to the craft and earning at Helium is no exception.

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1. Writing Articles for Constant Content

Constant Content is a growing article marketplace where publishers can shop for fresh new website content. The other side of the equation is the authors who provide the marketplace and its buyers with a continuous flow of new, quality articles.

Customers seeking new articles have three purchasing options. The usage purchase is an article that can be purchased for use again and again by different publishers. The unique purchase is an article that can only be purchased once with the stipulation that it be reprinted in its original form. The full rights purchase is an outright sale of the article with the ability to alter or resell it, or even take credit for the writing itself.

Although authors can set their own rates for all three purchase options, Constant Content receives a cut of thirty five percent on every sale. This is something you should take into consideration when setting your rates.

In order to keep the bar for quality content higher, Constant Content not only puts each submission through the iThenticate plagiarism checker software, but submissions are also reviewed by a human editor as well. This kind of scrutiny is a welcomed safeguard for both author and publisher by protecting the integrity of the marketplace.

At Constant Content you can choose to use your real name or a pen name to be seen by prospective clients. Something more professional sounding (like a real name) will probably be taken more seriously, but if you have your heart set on using your favorite flower or a Star Wars character as your pen name, that’s your choice.

Once you submit your article and it’s been approved, your content is now available in the marketplace and can be purchased at your set rate. There’s also an option to entertain offers that differ from your set rates which might be beneficial if the article has been around awhile and has not generated much interest.

Publishers can also send requests for certain types of articles which will be emailed to all (or select) authors. If you have approved content in the marketplace that matches this criteria, you can attach the article to the request for the publisher to review.

It’s a good idea to spend some quality time on your profile since any prospective client will most likely have a look before initiating a purchase with you. While you may feel your writing can speak for itself, your profile can serve as a miniature sales page that has the power to tip the undecided in one direction or another. In a situation where two different articles offer the same value to the customer, a poorly written profile might end up costing you a sale, but a well written bio that instills a sense of professionalism, reliability, and trust can be the catalyst that actually inspires one.

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The options for available writing software may be growing, but so are the price tags for these highly sought after programs. Some of them are priced high enough to ruin a starving writer’s entire week. The sad truth is that none of these programs will help us write better, but they can help us become more organized, efficient, and structured writers. Although I own two commercial writing programs, I’m still constantly on the lookout for free software that can closely match the feature lists of their commercial brethren. Actually, I’d be just as happy with something fairly easy to learn that can help me manage my writing notes and structure in an effective manner.

Here’s a list of twenty writing programs I stumbled upon and bookmarked at some point. I have to admit I have not personally used or reviewed any these programs, but as far as I can tell, they will cost you exactly $0.00 to give them a try yourself.

1. ywriter – Novel writing word processor.
2. RoughDraft – Word processing software with features for novelists, screenwriters, article and short story writers, and more.
3. WritersFocus – Regular word processor that blocks all other program alerts allowing you to concentrate on your writing and nothing else.
4. Storybook – Novel writing tool.
5. Write Again – Writing management software
6. Celtx – A full nedia pre-production system including story development forms, screenwriting editors, index cards, storyboarding, and much more.
7. Evernote – Online note taking organization.
8. The Literary Machine – Idea management for novelists and creative writers.
9. Manuscript Tracking Software – Track your manuscript submissions, query letters, follow ups, etc.
10. Text Block Writer – Virtual index card program for writers.
11. Character Keeper – Helps writers organize characters, plot lines, character relationships, back stories, etc.
12. Cinergy Script Editor – Fully functional screenwriting editor.
13. Papel – Intuitive word processor built with simplicity and organization in mind from first to final draft.
14. DarkRoom – Full screen, distraction free writing environment.
15. Scripped – Online screenwriting site where writers can write in script format and save screenplay right on the site.
16. Zhura – Online screenwriting social networking site where writers can write, edit, and save work a well as connect with other writers.
17. Script Buddy – Web based screenwriting software with a free and paid version.
18. PlotBot – Web based screenwriting software to write and save privately, or collaborate with other writers on your script.
19. Slang – Story creation tool for writers.
20. Lyx – Document processor built with both structure and appearance in mind.

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Elance is a freelance marketplace where individuals and companies looking to outsource project work or find specific occupational solutions can hire other individuals and companies to fulfill those needs. Like most of these freelance websites, the largest percentage of opportunities relate to the world of web and graphic design, programming, and a myriad of other technical vocations. Luckily for writers like us, the Writing and Translation section is a fast growing area with hundreds of job prospects.

The site offers a tiered level of membership with the most basic being free. The biggest differences in plans is in the amount of keywords and skills you can add to your profile as well as the number of Marketplace Connects available to you. Connects are virtual tokens needed to submit a proposal on a job posting and the number of connects needed per job depends on both the job type and budget. Connects are used as a safeguard to ensure a higher degree of proposal quality and to avoid the shock and awe campaigns of proposal spam.

The higher paid membership choices remind me of the pay per click search engine model. The more you pay (bid), the higher your results will be when employers are searching for certain job related keywords or skills. With the paid plans you get more Marketplace Connects which enables you to bid on more jobs and increase your chances of landing some work. While the ability to submit more proposals is ideal for a serious writer determined to become a true earner, it’s comforting to know we can start off for free and let our first couple of jobs pay for the upgrade to a better plan.

If you’re looking for some inspiration to sign up and give it a go, get yourself over to the Writing and Translation section and browse through some of the portfolios of other working professionals. You can see how much people have earned in the last six months as well as their lifetime earnings. It’s exciting to see people pulling in some decent yearly numbers, although I’m quite sure there are no slouches in the top spots.

For example, I saw one professional working by herself with lifetime earnings of over $460,000 and she’s only been a member since 2006. I found another team of one with earnings of over $140,000 and membership since 2008. Both are pulling in very impressive yearly salaries when you do the math. While these two individuals were clearly some of the most prolific writing related earners at Elance, there were plenty of others with very impressive numbers.

This transparency of earnings make it apparent that making money writing online can be achieved. It’s also encouraging to find real success stories like these because it renews that passion we all have for writing while keeping the dream alive that we can get paid for doing what we truly enjoy.

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Starting a blog for income might not be the most conventional way to earn money through your writing, but as many have proved before, it’s certainly possible. The key to success in this arena is just like any other freelance writing opportunity. If you can follow these tried and true general rules of writing, you may decide to one day forget about submitting your spec work to magazines and newspapers in order to put all your energy into something of your very own.

1. Be Consistent in Your Writing -  A blog is a lot like writing a novel that has no ending. It requires that you set aside time each day to add new content that will interest your target audience. Blogging is all about attracting the eyeballs to your website. If an individual read your first book and loved it, there’s a good chance he might buy your next one. The same concept applies to blogging. The more helpful, informative, and entertaining your blog is to your visitors, the better chance you have of them coming back.
2. Choose an Interesting Topic for Your Blog – You’ll want to select a topic that is at least somewhat popular and appeals to a large segment of the population. It can still be a smaller niche of a popular subject, but it should at least be based around something compelling to a larger audience. While rivalry is intense for topics such as making money, dieting, and celebrities, there are still plenty of other exploitable ideas out there to blog about that have less competition for traffic.
3. Be Passionate About What You Write – Just because a topic is super popular does not mean it’s the right choice for you to write about. If you select an idea solely based on what you think others want to hear, you’ll quickly run out of ideas, become bored, and eventually abandon your blog. It’s the same reason you don’t submit technology related articles to PC Magazine when you’re really a woodworking hobbyist. Unless you’re an extremely talented writer, readers can usually detect indifference. It’s like being able to see a smile through the telephone. People can just tell.
4. Treat Your Blog Like a Job – That newspaper arrives everyday with the same columns in it, and so should your blog. People are habitual creatures and your ability to regiment your readership can help you develop loyal visitors. The more erratic your “column” is, the more erratic your visitors will be too. You may also have a great article idea for a specific magazine, but despite being familiar with the ideas, you still might lack all the information you need. Just as you would do research to make your spec article factual and thorough, do the same for your blog.

I see a lot of published authors set up websites, mention a book a few times, and then go on to post about the mundanity of routine life. This might work for a select few big time authors who have reached iconic status, but for most others, your everyday life is just boring. When most people decide to write a story of some kind, it’s usually to entertain others and a blog should be no different.

If you’d like to start a blog as an author in hopes of it becoming another income stream some day, write about something that ultimately helps the reader. Even if you write about writing (even your writing), be sure you include something in your posts the reader can take away with him. Your visitors might not care that you’re boarding a plane to go visit your Aunt Helga in Hog Jaw, Arkansas, but they might be curious to know how you came up with the back story for the conflict between your hero and the antagonist in Chapter 12 of your latest book.

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Suite101 is an online magazine and writers network that pays its contributing writers a portion of the revenue earned from the ads included in and around the article text. Authors are obligated to submit their writing continuously with a minimum of ten articles required within a three month time period. While they tout the site as a magazine, it’s more of a content monitored article directory with revenue sharing.

You will have to use your real (legal) name on Suite101 as pen names are not allowed. You also need to be at least eighteen years of age because it’s a requirement of their payment processor PayPal. One little requirement I kind of like is that you have to include a picture for your profile. No, it can’t be a carefully crafted avatar that resembles you or a picture of your cat in a hat. It has to be a photograph and it has to be of you. I always thought profile pictures added something a little extra to articles, posts, or comments. When I’m perusing blog comments and there’s a lot of them, I always end up skimming through and paying more attention to the ones with pictures.

By submitting and publishing your writing on Suite101, you grant them exclusivity to your work for a period of one year. This means if you’re caught posting the same work on five other article directories and they find out, there’s a high probability of them tossing you out of their little circle of trust. After one year, you can submit that same content to every online article exchange under the sun if you so desire.

As with any revenue sharing site, your success largely depends on your knowledge of search engine optimization techniques to ensure your articles are found. It’s also a numbers game because the more quality articles you write for a service like this, the more exposure your content receives. I often wonder if the top earners of these sites are primarily writers or if there’s also some external marketing going on to bring additional traffic to their author specific pages.

I wasn’t surprised at how mixed the reviews were out there for Suite101. Some people are really creating some decent supplementary incomes while others are merely eking out a few bucks a month. The great thing about this income is that it’s residual. Whether you continue to write for Suite101 for years to come or choose to submit your writing someplace else, your content is still generating revenue.

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