Have you ever considered Freelance Writing?
By squaredsoft
@squaredsoft (93)
United States
February 28, 2011 2:58pm CST
Recently, I've been trying to find ways to use the internet to my advantage to make a few dollars on the side, looking for things that I can both learn and profit from, and during my search, I've found that I have not yet taken on the challenge of freelance writing. I feel that I'm currently a very good writer, with the potential to become great.
My main reservation is that despite all the research I've done, I haven't come across anything that screams at me to be the singular best method or site to benefit from my writing. I understand that there will be a lot of writing and a lot of research and editing, and I am fine with that. But I need to know where to start - what site offers the best programs and reliable payment systems? What type of content generally does best? What are some general and proven guidelines to follow?
There are a lot of unanswered questions for me before I get started. Has anyone else given it a shot or been thinking about doing so?
6 responses
@darkridersoumya (199)
• India
28 Feb 11
Thank God Guys,For starting this discussion.I have looking all over the web to get a platform from where I can start a writing career but still found none.In between if I make some bucks its an extra benefit.
@squaredsoft (93)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I've found several myself, but I need to research them more thoroughly to weigh the benefits and come up with my plan of action regarding my writing.
The sites I've found are:
Troind
Hubpages
Squidoo
Helium
Constant-Content
Elance
I'm just now hearing about Associated Content, so I'll have to look into that, too.
@squaredsoft (93)
• United States
1 Mar 11
Onyxe121,
I've never heard of Factoidz or Textbroker. I will have to look into both. It sounds to me like you have more (or at least, more favorable) experience(s) with Textbroker. How long have you been there and how many articles have you written for them?
I was aware that many require approval first, and I'm fine with that - I read they generally give a decision rather quickly and sometimes, when denied, they offer approval based upon making some necessary revisions.
@megamatt (14291)
• United States
2 Mar 11
Freelance writing is a tricky thing to balance to be for sure. You're on your own schedule, which can be a good thing but it can also be perhaps one of the worst things that can happen to you. Also, you're competing with many people in many different directions, that can really be something that can be a bit difficult to handle.
With that being said, if you enjoy writing, I encourage you to go for it. Really you have nothing all that much to lose. And also you have everything to gain, both in potential income and also valuable experience. Who knows, writing could lead to something rather more lucrative. So try it out, you might find something that makes some magic. Writing is something that many people overlook and some might be neglecting a very important talent.
@squaredsoft (93)
• United States
2 Mar 11
I think they tend to overlook writing because it actually takes a bit of work to make anything from it. The crazy part is, if you're any good at it, it's one of the best ways to earn income online.
It'll only be something on the side for me, and something's better than nothing. I'll work at it.
@dreamy1 (3811)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I wrote some articles for Associated Content a few years ago but didn't make a lot of money from it. The reason I haven't kept up with it is that I tend to get lazy and sometimes it's hard to think of topics to write about. My goal this year is to get back into writing. It seems that things like article writing is the key to really making money online so I just need to get down to it and start.
@divalounger (6117)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I love freelance writing. I use Triond for most of my poetry and Helium for regular articles. I haven't tried a bunch of other sites yet, but I think it is well worth doing if you can keep up with it. Good luck to you.
@hexebella (1136)
• Philippines
1 Mar 11
Hi squaredsoft!
I am happy to find your topic and learned a lot from the responses. I am also getting interested in writing and already signed up wth several sites. However I haven't started a thing yet as I would like to learn more about each site like the advantages and disadvantages, techniques to get more views, etc. Another thing that hinders me right now is my present work, it gives me a lot of stress due to the toxic environment. I am currently planning to leave my job, get a second degree in the university and during my free time take crash courses in creative writing and do writing as a hobby. If it turns well, i might as well do it full time. But now, it would be difficult for me to start due to the stress.
@squaredsoft (93)
• United States
1 Mar 11
Hexebella,
It sounds like you at least have a plan of acton in place for when you do finally leave your job, and I applaud you for that. Nice to see you're going to try for another degree and take some writing courses. I considered writing courses, but then I realized that I'm a good enough writer as is and will get better as I commit time to doing more writing. It's not going to be a primary income that I rely upon so I don't feel the urgency to spend time and money on a course for it.
@soapies1973 (931)
• United States
28 Feb 11
I have wrote some articles. I wrote 20 so far. I have only made a few cents though. Hoping for more. I guess we will see if it goes anywhere or not. I am just going to keep trying. Good luck.
