Looking for better freelance work

Have you checked Freelancer.com? It's sorta like an auction site where employers post jobs and users can 'bid' for them (as in, stating how much they charge and how long it'll take to do the job). They have a lot of different kinds of jobs, so maybe you'll find something for you :)

I'd be wary of some of the freelance sites. I've bid $30 for a project, got accepted and then told they would only pay me $5.00 for ten pieces of work. Not surprisingly, I turned that down. Another promised me $50 for a 1000 word article which is in line with what some websites pay. I was then told they wanted 100 articles for the $50. I turned that down too. Most magazines have an on line presence now. They usually have guidelines and will tell you what type of articles they accept and how much you will be paid.

I'm a pro freelancer. This is a "portfolio profession", and you need to go for work which will enhance your chances of getting work. Some questions you need to ask yourself: 1. What are your greatest writing strengths? These are the areas where you can really achieve something. 2. What can you write effortlessly, day after day? Stamina is a part of writing. I do a minimum of 4000 original SEO stuff per day, 7 days a week. 3. What are you an expert about? These are the areas where you can write with confidence, clarity, and style. It's better quality, and looks good when people are checking out your writing skills. If you can get technical writing jobs, they pay extremely well. 4. Do NOT go for just anything you find in freelance work, unless you have no choice. Go for the things where you know you're truly competitive. 5. Check out Elance, which is the benchmark for freelancers. The other freelance sites are very similar models.This is a contract site, and it's good practice for other freelance contract work. 6. Check out payment details, and research anyone offering work. (On Elance you can see the payouts) 7. Avoid anything called "research and academic papers" work. It's invariably a scam, with a lot of extremely dubious people involved. One lady in the States said she was owed $32,000 for months of work. 8. A basic rule- No pay, no writing. Be tactful but clear, if the client has paid before. Make sure you think about client relationships at all stages. If you're working remotely, it can get difficult, and you need the business. 9. Look for people who are likely to provide repeat business, not oncers. 10. Above all else- Keep looking- The work is there, it's a matter of finding it.

If you like freelance writing online, there area number of legit sites where you can write articles, short stories, reviews, and so on. Search engines would bring up the whole list of those programs. One I have been writing reviews for is "Review Stream". You can write brief reviews on a variety of topics, things you come across in your day-to-day activities, shopping, movies, restaurants, hotels, travel, and so on, and get paid once your submission is accepted. Enjoy writing !

Try your luck on ODesk too. It's similar to Freelancer.com I think. If you're lucky enough, oDesk pays good. I have a friend who resigned from his office work just to focus on being a freelancer. He's earning big and he now manages his time and works from home.