How to get started writing online

Writing online can be fun. It is a great way to adventure out sharing your opinions and ideas. It is also a great way to make new friends and learn. Writing online for me is relaxing plus the more I write the better my reading and writing skills improve. I have been writing online successful, meaning also making some income, since about 2008. The hardest part is getting started. Have no fear, this article will help get you started.

Find a site:

Now there are many many writing sites out there. Different ones work better for different people, kind of like having a bunch of schools or employers. The top ones I can recommend right now are Helium, Triond, and firehow. Helium take the most work because you have to keep up a rating star to earn money. However they also give the most chances to earn upfront money from assignment and have writing contests which can pay big. Triond is easy to use and will also earn you money into Google adsense account ontop of revenue from triond. Firehow is a good site, but you need to do your own promoting to do really well and is for “how to”articles only. Just like this one.

You may want to try a few sites at once or give one site a try at a time. To really see if a site is going to work out for you, give the site at least 90 days. It takes time to get started making money and many writers start to see a steady income after 100 good articles. The pay is often low, like a few pennies, but after getting many articles the pay adds up. The best part of writing online is the articles continue to make money as long as people are reading the article.

What to write:

Okay, we have some idea for site but now what. You have a blank paper in front of you or a empty word document. This is where I really like Helium. They have assignments you can choose from. You can find something of interest or learn about something completely new. Plus doing the rating stars often leads me to an idea. The best part is Helium allows many articles under the same title/topic this gives everyone a chance to share and the articles are rated against each other. This is a perfect way to see where you rank and what needs improvement.

You can write about anything. Often what is going on in my life is reflected in my writing. Kids school projects, learning a new hobby, sharing my opinion, and just being creative. People like to hear about what other people are doing, how to handle situations or try something new. If your a parent you can write about parenting issues, you don't have to be an expert.

We can't be perfect at everything, so it doesn't matter that we have a few not so good articles. What matters is that we are enjoying and learning. The money in the end is very nice. Writing online is actually my retirement idea. As long as I can use a computer I can continue to work and earn no matter where I am. So writing online is both a career and a hobby.

Joining an online group for writers is a wonderful way to help to find a topic to write about. Often writers will share ideas and tips.

Use picture:

Pictures are just nice. People like to see a picture that goes along with the article. Now I don't always take my own photos and although I can edit a picture, I can't draw. Use public domain picture. Those are picture that people have put online for anyone to use. Just make sure to always give credit where credit is due. Photographer may offer some free photographs so they can get more exposure for their name. It a win/win situation. You get a nice photograph and they get their name out. One good site to use is sxc.hu. They have both, free picture and picture you have to pay a little to use. Always check the rules before using someones photograph. Some may just simple ask to be told they photo was used. This is good too because you can share you link and they will visit your articles.

Important tips:

One very important rule. Never type your article directly into the website. Always type into your word program on your computer and save often. There is nothing worse then being done with an article, hitting the submit button, and losing all of your work. I have done this several times, trust me.

Articles can take up memory space, so you can download the articles to a disc. However, we then have discs all over the place. I like to use Google docs to save articles that I really want. This is good practice because it proves you are the owner of the article because of the date stamp. Some articles I don't save, like the ones that are sold.

Always check the web site rules. Some site require a year of use of the article before it can be published anywhere else. So although the rules are not much fun, take some time to check so you don't get into trouble and lose income.

Save often. Re-read. When you get stuck on what to write go back and edit old articles or articles that are low earners. Not all sites allow you to edit but many do.

Don't get embarrassed about mistakes. When you write an article sometimes you are too close to see a mistake. Even book writers have editors. If you see a writer has a mistake, send them a private message. Never publicly correct someone. I have made many good friends over mistakes. Writers tend to stick together and help each other, so take corrections with a grain of salt and edit the article if possible.

Picture from biewoef on sxc.hu http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1143356

Comments (1)

Carl Benjamin said:

	... I have been writing for years, but only the past 6 on the Internet. It is fun and rewarding. good job
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July 03, 2012
Votes: +0