Like many who have had a deep love for their craft but had to make a living, I have had my share of jobs that felt more like the following -

• A pool filled with crabs who are quick to snap but never really say anything.
• Duller than a box of rocks.
• Marriage to a person who is a lying, sloppy, deceitful dog that expects everything for nothing.

In trying to find that balance, I went through rough stages such as constantly changing jobs, being discouraged by friends and family who just wanted for me to punch a clock and not think about it. I would even go through stages of mild depression and would get upset at any reminder (regardless of how vague) that I was not living my dreams.

Getting There

Getting past the naysayers was the easy part but motivation was another issue. I took Deborah Gregory's (author of the "Cheetah Girls series and freelance writer) advice and just wrote - no structure, misspellings, bad grammar and all. When I began to get jobs where my business writing was complimented, my esteem grew and I was convinced that I could make a living from this - even if it was supplemental income. So in early 2006, I enrolled in two online writing courses. Surprisingly between the classes, I learned more about structure and maintaining the reader"s attention in Technical Writing Fundamentals than Write for Magazines. As I had a working knowledge in layout design as well as writing business reports, keeping a momentum in visuals was priority in all my efforts.

What the Heck to Write About Anyway?

Both of my classes stressed the 5 W's (who, what, where, when and why) and how but I also learned the importance of research and getting a good mental outline. I will admit, I have crossed the line in my subjects by not getting enough information to hold the readers interest or see something months later I could have done differently. My first article published online was a personal account of being told by my doctor that the only cure for my menorrhagia would be to undergo a full hysterectomy. Though it was a very tough period in my life, I saw no reason to make this article melodramatic nor downplay the overall discomfort that could be placed on a woman. I gave an honest, detailed account that was slightly quirky - and it sold! Some people have interesting lives to write about, some have strong, educated opinions that should be expressed to the world and others like to tell a story that can put any reader into a land called escapism from their lives as they know it. Sometimes just finding your writing niche (s) can be a job in itself but like a potato, your words can be used in many ways without being repetitious or stale.

Online Markets

As a relatively new player in the writing game, the waters are still being tested by emerging and experienced writers. The main complaints being there is no monetary compensation, author rights are not retained and if there is payment involved - it is low and slow! The key is to get acquainted with as many online markets as possible. Make time and research by Internet deep-linking (I would start with Google, using the terms "online or content writing" in the search engine) then you should find at least 10 compatible markets in one weekend. It would also beneficial to check out Yahoo! Groups for a writing group that is either local or has focus on the same genre. If you don't have any friends or acquaintances who write professionally or committing to a writer's group is not your style, Yahoo Answers is a good way to get feedback from those in a particular industry or interests. I've also had a good run with the following -

• Absolute Writer
• Eclectics
  
• Writing for Dollars
  

 Oh yes, and if a company or individual implies immediate prosperity from writing, don't even inquire or give them your email address. It is a scam or they are selling their own product. The only secret to good writing is tenacity.

Riding the Craigslist Wave

One day while web surfing, I ran across something called Craigslist and suddenly became internally ecstatic over discovering so much information on one page - and for free! As the days passed, I learned that it was free to post ads as well as get an account, using your actual email address is a choice when posting ads and is updated throughout the day. While I was fortunate enough to find companies like Associated Content as well as establish a client base for my business, I also have a mild horror story.

For the sake of no hard feelings, I will call this person Ms. Magoo. She posted an ad in the Writing Gigs section that mentioned she had ongoing writing assignments available and that new writers were welcome. Being a newbie, I emailed a brief letter of interest as well as my Associated Content link. She responded the same day saying that she liked my writing and the job she had in mind for me was going to pay me a whole $10 for just a total of 500 words. The catch was that this was a copyrighting assignment that was due in 24 hours. The client was a fairly large player in the candy business and for those who are not familiar with the industry like I was at the time, copywriters make $25-plus an hour. What I would learn later on is that sometimes they take on too many projects and end up passing it on to others who can help them meet deadlines.

Like a good workout, I appreciated the experience but in less than two days I knew that Ms. Magoo was not going to be a part of my writing future. For one, I was robbed of my 24 hours to finish the assignment with her constant emails about how I was doing and when did I think the job would be finished. After the job was completed and approved by her, I did not receive the entire amount promised via PayPal. There was a delay and it was short by $0.73. She said in her email that there was a problem being worked on but in the meantime she had more work for me. I took it in good faith and after reading the guidelines, replied (in less than 15 minutes) that this was not possible. Immediately, I got a stern message from her saying that my word was bond. I explained calmly that I knew nothing about the product (post-Atari 7200 gaming systems) and even if I did research I could not make the next day deadline. She replied with many compliments and other soothing words but no $0.73 so I thanked her and went on my way from there. Pimps are everywhere and must be avoided at all costs.

Self-Publishing

In the past several years, women's magazines that have stood for more than food, fashion or gossip have had a hard time staying afloat. Even with subscriptions, two feminist magazines betrayed me a while back by giving my information to a reproductive-rights group (my guess is that they pay the magazine's bills at the end of the day). So in creating my business, I followed advice that was given to me about marketing - use a tool to create an image or story behind the product.

Blogging, is the new way to place our words out there for the world to see. With the right blogging software, you can choose a pre-designed template (if your HTML skills are little or none) of your choice have it up and running within minutes for little or no cost. As we all know, some use as a sounding boards to get matters off their chests, promote goods or services or even celebrity gossip. Writers can also use a blog to promote their published work. Just create hyperlinks to all sites that have published your best work on one page that anyone can access with one click. If you are looking to make a little extra change from your blog, then look into affiliate programs that may be compatible with what you are trying to convey. I stress that because some programs use adult-themed ads that may be a conflict of interest. Same goes for blog directories.

If you just registered your blog with a directory that is not a familiar name like Technorati or Blogarama, be cautious for the reason that sometimes your personal information may be used in a way that you may not agree with or worse, your computer can be infected with a virus (it happened to me). Should the latter occur, remove all applications related to site you registered with. Their purpose is to bring more traffic to your site and nothing else.

For my "zine, I use basic (inexpensive) desktop-publishing software and while my "zine/blog is not strong on visual effects, it is image as well as reader-friendly. My priorities are information, humor and though I'm sure there are better illustrators (I mix my work with copyright-free images) out there or feminists periodicals with a more cerebral point of view, I feel there is room for everybody to have a voice. I have two columnists that get a small fee as well as room to plug their product. New writers are invited to come on board and everyone retains ownership of their work and receives a byline.

Payment comes from Google ads, ad space purchased and participation in other affiliate programs. I've also joined a few blog registries and am currently working to get into "zine distros (short for distributors or independent book stores) as well as develop relationships with like-minded business. The process can be arduous, especially when people are telling you to get some rest, worry more about your 9-5 or just go out on a date.

Staying Ahead

Stay aware of technology changes (This includes software as I recently wasted $10 on a PDF publishing program only to find I already had it when I added a toolbar to my word processing application). Read others" work. Keep notes on subjects you may want to research in the near future. Lastly, keep your deadlines -whether they are self-imposed or directives from someone else.

Last Words

I will wind down by saying that if you're looking to get rich in 2 years, you might as well get into real estate or play the stock market. If you like to read as I do and do not mind taking in occasional criticism and developing your writing talent while adding to your income, then writing online is a good way to get into bigger and better things. Whether you desire business writing, fiction, screen writing, self-publishing, or running a web blog - the opportunities are there!