The internet is an easier place to break in with your writing than magazines or book publication. That being said, if you want to make money with your writing even on the internet, you will have to learn the correct style and what is expected for the type of writing you will be doing.
Give it Away for Free
No one likes to give things away for free, but it can be beneficial to allow your writing to be published without pay. It gets your name known and allows you to get critiques from others to help you improve. This is especially beneficial for web writing. There are numerous places where you can see your writing published on the internet. Some of the most popular ones are Hubpages and Squidoo. While they don't pay you to write for them, you can earn money from page views. Of course, it can take a long time to get to that point, but in the meantime, you will be getting comments from others who write on those sites. This will help you grow as a writer.
Consider Lower Paying Sites
Look at sites such as Yahoo Contributor Network or other sites that pay you a small fee to publish your work. It will not be enough so that you can quit your day job, but you will be able to say you are a paid writer. With sites such as these, the benefit is the experience you will get as a writer. You will learn more ao bout what works and what doesn't work and how to edit your articles.
Don't Forget Contests
Put a search in Google for writing contests and you will find thousands of listings. Sort through these and you will find some that suit your style and don't cost a fortune to enter. Sometimes, you can even get feedback from these contests about your work. That is worth more than the prize money if your goal is to be a published writer.
Look at Outsourcing Sites
Sites such as Elance and oDesk have projects and writers who bid on those projects. You can often find jobs that interest you that you can get paid for. It's not easy to get started and the pay is often low, but you can make a decent second income from these sites. I wrote an article titled How to Get Work as a Freelance Writer on Bidding Sites Like Elance and oDesk. It details how to set up your profile and how to bid on jobs and tips to help you get them.
I don't recommend trying to make a full-time living with these sites, even though some people do. At the very least, it's a great way to start your writing career and let you experience writing for someone's specific demands.
Becoming a successful online writer takes time. Each of these steps is a way to get you exposure and help you learn more about your craft. With patience and persistence, you can become a professional online writer.
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