So, imagine how gladly surprised I was when I learnt I could write about anything I wished to, publish it on the Internet and get read by other people! And let's not forget, I get a small economic compensation for it.

Therefore, now it's been about a year since I write on Associated Content, mainly about comic books and characters, exclusively in English though I can write in Spanish, too, but AC does not accept content in Spanish.

Despite the fact that I got about twenty articles on several subjects, I started to look for other possibilities. Then I found Triond, and I stayed there.

Triond has several advantages over Associated Content:

One of the most attractive features of the AC platform is that they offer an upfront payment for every article, something between 3 to 5 dollars on average. Sadly, the upfront payment option is not available for people living outside the U.S.

The pay for every 1000 page views is USD 1.50 on AC, while on Triond it varies depending on the ads they can post on your article. In my case, it has gone from USD 1.8 to 2.8 per 1000 page views for my articles in English and much less for my articles in Spanish, but, overall, my average pay per 1000 page views is about USD 1.7. Of course, I don't write about very popular niches, there are plenty of niches with higher ad potential. Anyway, my articles about coin collecting on Triond have paid much more than my articles on Batman The Dark Knight on AC. And I have much more visits on Triond.

On Triond, you can remove and edit your articles anytime. You can also add photos. The good thing about it is, that when you are starting off you may want to change things on your articles. You can do it on Triond, but not on AC.

AC offers three types of licences for your articles, two of them do not allow you to remove the article from AC so you can publish them elsewhere (that happened to me, so I can't remove my articles from AC to publish them on Triond). Things on Triond are much more simpler, and you can remove your articles anytime.

Triond accepts content written in any language, which is great for me, since I write both in English and in Spanish (in fact, this article was originally published in Spanish). AC only accepts content in English, at least at the moment.

Summing up:

AC's platform is quite attractive, with lots of options, they offer an upfront payment plus the possibility of writing articles they asked for (Calls for Content) which pay between 10 to 20 dollars each. Sadly, both possibilities are available for US residents only.

Triond is better for the Latin American writer, since you can write in any language you like, although Triond doesn't offer an upfront payment (that would be great, by the way!).

Regardless which site you decide to write for (though you can write for both), the most important things to remember are:

• Write quality content, about things you like or are knowledgeable about.

• Try to continuously improve your writing, your spelling and your grammar.

• Write having your audience in mind, remember there's a human on the other side, not a machine. Write for humans, not for Search Engines!
  

I hope you enjoy the experience of writing and keep on doing it!

My articles mentioned here:

• Let's collect coins!
• Coin collecting: the basics
• This article in Spanish

Write local restaurant reviews

If you enjoy writing and the pleasure of trying new foods, why not put your skills to work and make money at the same time by writing restaurant reviews? You could potentially market your restaurant reviews both locally and online. Is there a local publication in your area that might publish your reviews on a weekly or monthly basis? Call your Chamber of Commerce and get a listing of all the local publications in your area. Get the name of a contact person and see if they would be interested in having you write reviews of local restaurants for their publication.

You can also market restaurant reviews online by submitting them to Constant Content, Associated Content, and by setting up your own local restaurant review blog. Once your blog is up and running, send out a press release to your local newspaper and other publications announcing your site. If you live in a city of moderate size, you should be able to establish a regular readership for your reviews. Be sure to include Google adsense ads on your blog to monetize your reviews.

Write personal ads for others

More and more people are looking for members of the opposite sex by searching online. Unfortunately, very few know how to write a compelling personal ad. You can fill this gap by writing an ad for them and charging a fee for your service. When a prospect chooses to use your service, you would send them a brief questionnaire to get the information needed to write their personal ad. You would then proceed to write a personal ad your customer can be proud of.

This business could be easily promoted online through online classifieds such as Craig's List, by publishing a blog, as well as through participation in online dating forums with a signature line promoting your unique business. This business would likely be well received since so many people have difficulty expressing themselves through writing. Who knows? Your ad may help to create an online match made in heaven.

To market your writing successfully, learn to think out-of-the-box a bit and consider both local and online markets for your writing skills. By doing so, you can build a successful, long term business doing what you enjoy.

I will guide you through eHow step-by-step to get it running quickly, save time, and frustrations when you start out.

Part One

1. Sign up for a free account.
2. Sign in to your account and it will take you to your profile page.
3. Tell a bit about yourself, your interest, and upload an avatar. Save your work.
4. Then on your right hand, click on “Write an Article”.
5. On Get Started Page, you will have to give your article a name begins with “How to”. Do not try to delete this. It is protocol.
6. Below it, you will have a choice of uploading an image, or a video, and rate your article on how easy or difficult it is.
7. Then write a brief introduction to your article. What do you want your readers to know how to do?
8. Next to a brief introduction, you will list all the things that your readers will need to finish the task. If you are writing about a recipe, list out all ingredients, and tools to use for that recipe.
9. If you are happy with this part, click on “Save and Continue” button.

Part Two

1. In this second part, list out the procedures for your article. What is the first step, and what is next?
2. When all the steps are done in theirs order, give the readers some helpful hints to accommodate your article. If it is about a recipe, suggest what goes well with that dish, and what they can substitute for a certain ingredients.
3. Below the tips section, list something that the readers should look out for. This warning could be “if you are allergic to peanuts, omit them.”
4. Click Save and Continue.

Part Three

1. In this section, it is a little confusing. There are three boxes of category. Highlight your category in the first box, the second box, and the third box.
2. Below the third box, click on “Add Category.” If you do not click on this button, you will not be able to get out of this section.
3. Next, add your key words.
4. If you want to add other related articles from other writers, click on Search for Related Articles. You can also skip this part; eHow will do it for you.
5. Cite your sources, if you have any.
6. Click Save and Continue.

Part Four

This is the fun part, click Publish it, and you are done with your article. You can view it online right away, and you are also able to edit after it has been published.

eHow is easy, fast, and fun to write. You earn points for each article you published, and the points are then converted to actual cash. However, you have to drive traffic to your article on bookmarking sites, and befriend with your community. How much you will make, depend on many times your article is viewed. Happy writing!

I realize now how counterproductive this really is. I didn't understand that starting my own business as a writer is a journey, and one that I needed to embrace. Once I started embracing it, I started to achieve real, measurable success. And, that success hasn't been without failure and without making mistakes.

Here's what I'd do differently:

Get Started Right Away

It's easy to decide to be a writer, but much harder to actually get started. I spent a long time researching and waiting for the right time. There is no perfect moment to begin. The sooner you do, the quicker you'll achieve success.

Make Plans

Yes, getting started right after you make the decision to be a freelance writer is a good idea. But, be careful of being too eager. Put some thought into the kind of writing you want to do and the subjects you want to write about. You don't need to spend a lot of time on this. Make a quick list and get started right away.

Don't Be Afraid to Make Mistakes

Fear of making a mistake holds a lot of people back. It held me back at first. I finally got over it when I landed an assignment based on a query letter with a few typos in it. I realized that sometimes, mistakes will cost you, sometimes they won't. It's all part of the learning process. Plus, just consider it a given that you will probably make some. That realization can bring you some much needed peace.

Work Hard and Don't Give Up

You will need to work hard, especially in the beginning. I probably wrote around sixty query letters before I landed my first assignment. I wrote around the same amount of bids on the freelance bid site Rentacoder before I landed my first client. Sometimes, you'll get lucky and start getting assignments right away. But, you may not. Stick with it long enough to see the results and don't give up.

When it comes to freelance writing, if you don't embrace the journey, you won't last. Even if you feel frustrated in the beginning because you aren't finding the success you need, with hard work and the right attitude, you'll find success.