1. nursemandi

    nursemandi New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    USA

    Anyone have any idea's or resources for making money writing?

    Discussion in 'Traditional Publishing' started by nursemandi, Sep 7, 2012.

    I'll start by saying that I have a full time job that has decent pay but I'm always broke. I am finding that a second income would be amazing right now. I have read online that writing jobs do exist. I did find one site that interested me but it cost's money. I'm in no position to spend money to make money right now. I am not published, and I have no experience or degree in professional writing, though I have done a lot of writing that has had good reviews from friends.

    Any info on the following would be helpful:

    *Writing articles of interest. Topics that I would be able to write well about would be :The effects of bullying and or abuse, finding yourself through the blows life deals you, changing yourself for the better, loving who you are, understanding others, pets, theraputic activities, overcoming addictions, or working in the medical field.

    *Getting some of my work published.

    *Writing creativley in any way shape or form.

    I need to find somethingg that costs no money to get started in, will bring in some money, and accepts newbies.

    Thank you for your time.

    Amanda.
     
  2. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    May 19, 2007
    Messages:
    36,161
    Likes Received:
    2,830
    Location:
    Massachusetts, USA
    Good luck. Yes, there are writing jobs that can pay a living wage, but even they are difficult to get without credentials - a degree might help, but a portfolio of sold pieces and some recommendations from within the industry are far better.

    What you are looking for, many others are too, and the number of openings is not large.
     
  3. nursemandi

    nursemandi New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Thank you. Any tips on putting together a portfolio and where to go?
     
  4. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2010
    Messages:
    6,541
    Likes Received:
    4,776
    But I'm afraid if you're in need of some easy and fast cash, writing is not the way to go. Most of us on here are writers, published and unpublished hopefuls, and I'd venture a guess that 99% of us are not doing it for money because, to be quite frank with you, there's not much money to be had for most of us in writing. If you're in need of money, rather offer to edit people's work - freelancing anything is hard but editing and proofreading are more likely to give you that extra pocket money I think. Could be wrong, of course, but I'm sure about one thing - writing is not the way to go for making cash, really.

    Why don't you offer to tutor people on some skill you have? Maybe teach the piano, baking lessons, or the fast and trusted route of babysitting. You sound like you need the cash and writing is really more of a passionate dream, not for the faint hearted.
     
  5. ChickenFreak

    ChickenFreak Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2010
    Messages:
    15,261
    Likes Received:
    13,082
    I agree that writing is unlikely to make any money to speak of. You'd probably do better to seek a regular second job. And I'd recommend being very wary of companies that lead you to believe that you can make a bazilllion dollars writing or blogging if you just pay their reading fee or SEO services fee or membership fee.
     
  6. nursemandi

    nursemandi New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Messages:
    6
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Thank you for your honesty Mckk and ChickenFreak. The more and more I research on publishing and freelance jobs . . . I'm finding that I would be months away from making money, if any at all. I do still want to persue this because money is far from being my only reason to write.

    Thanks again.

    Amanda :)
     
  7. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

    Joined:
    Nov 21, 2006
    Messages:
    19,150
    Likes Received:
    1,034
    Location:
    Coquille, Oregon
    i've recently been supplementing my income with editing, rewriting and ghostwriting jobs again, but i'd been a professional writer for over 30 years and have been mentoring aspiring writers for more than a dozen years, so clients come to me, i don't have to go out and find them...

    as someone who's just starting out, you first need to be a really good writer, in order to get people to pay a fee for your work... and judging by the goofs and glitches in your posts, you probably have a way to go before you get to that level...

    if/when you do hone your skills to where you can turn out professional quality writing, there's not really any cost-free way to go about getting clients, since you should have a professional-looking website for starters, and that will cost a good chunk of change to set up and maintain...

    and if your full-time job is nursing, i'm guessing you're not going to have a lot of time available to be able to meet clients' deadlines...

    so my best advice is to follow chicken freak's... and pay good attention to the info cog provided... in re your question on how to put a portfolio together, notice that he said 'a portfolio of sold pieces'... as for 'where to go' i don't get what you meant... go for what?

    feel free to email me if you want any more detailed info on providing fee-based writing services, from one who does it...

    love and hugs, maia
    maia3maia@hotmail.com
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice