Having decided to try your hand at making some money on-line where do you begin? Well many entrepreneurs consider freelance writing. That can be fun and earn money but there are a million and one writers all trying their hand at freelance writing. For those who are novices perhaps this article will help. There are no right or wrongs, just what works for you.

If you have bothered to take time to write on-line though why not see if you can make the effort worthwhile?

If you chose to write for fun, well good for you. The pressure will be off. For the rest of us let's take a look at passive income and what it means.

Passive income is money that you may earn with little or no continuous effort. Take for example the articles you create on websites such as Hubpages and Helium. If the subject matter is evergreen they could earn you money ad infinitum.

You may choose to update them occasionally, tweet them, or post a link on face-book but you do not have to if you do nott want to. Sometimes though this refreshing will gather new readers.

Choosing the right platform for you and your needs

Some freelance writing websites offer good money but need continuous effort on your part. You may find that each month the clock is re-set and, unless you are active on the site you earn nothing. It is up to you to work out if this suits your style and needs. If you are retired it may do so. If time is sometimes in short supply it may not.

It is no good choosing the most profitable site if it will not work for you.

With such a choice of writing sites available research the opportunities. Before you invest a lot of time and effort in any given website test the waters. If you decide its not for you then you have lost little or nothing.

Look for ones that fit your talents. What is your thing? Is it news, fashion, politics, fun stuff, products, travel or what? Choose the best platform for your style and skills.

We all have life skills. Many on-line writers have not received special training. It is all about using your knowledge and learning how to express it. It takes time but given the right amount of perseverance we all improve.

Expect some knock backs

When you write on-line there is always someone wanting to knock you. If it is valid then take it on the chin. However, if you feel it is someone bullying you, being over critical or the like make sure that the site's "moderators" are aware. Overly critical and abusive interaction often leads to members leaving or giving up. Don't let such people win. We all have something worth contributing.

Take the positive criticism and work with it. It could make all the difference as to how much you earn and how successful a writer you become.

Passive Income

Although you may have found a site which in effect offers passive income remember times changes. Many sites, including established ones such as Hubpages have had to change their rules lately. This is due to changes in Google and how we all use the Internet. When this happens you will have to update your work if you want it to still attract revenue. Ignoring any warnings from the site will simply mean your passive income disappears.

Sometimes there are other maintenance chores you will have to do to keep earning from your old articles, hubs and reports. Some will require you to read, rate and or comment on other member's work. Helium is such a site. If you do not maintain your rating stars there your old articles could become worthless. At Helium your articles are there for the long haul. You will not be able to routinely delete or move them.

This means that you must be conscious of any site's current rules. Such maintenance may be brief but essential. There are many other things to be aware of and learn but hey we are still learning too.

Finally

Try to diversify your writing. It can be hard writing on more than one site but it is always a good option. Sites come and go so this will prevent you being left high and dry. That said it could be a good idea to keep a copy of your work just in case.

Lesson Five

So you have decided to take the plunge and try your hand at freelance writing online. You may already be an experienced writer. This could be from a good education, further education or your work. Most people however do not fall into any of those categories. Do not let this daunt you. Sure you will come across some who have a better vocabulary, or way of wording sentences but that is them.

Most websites these days are a little more picky than years ago. They may want or even demand good grammar, correct spelling, proper sentence structuring and more. Most offer a spell checker which is always worth using before hitting that publish button.

Perhaps what is more important is finding your voice. Whilst it may not be appropriate to write exactly as you speak you need to find your online writing identity. Your voice.

Being a distinctive writer who has something fresh to say is the ideal. There are so many other writers online chasing a similar dream that you need to stand out if you can.

You do of course need to give yourself time. If you left school 40 years ago and have not tried your hand at writing since then you cannot expect miracles. Looking back at her early work this blogger grimaces. Still we all have to start somewhere. She still grimaces at times but these days can usually make the necessary corrections. Your writing style will also depend upon who you see as your audience. Blogging is different to perhaps creating a Hub on Hubpages or writing a factual news report.

Sites which allow you to write a news report often ask that you abide by AP, associated press, standards. Most of these sites are US based. In fact most online writing websites are US based but there are a few that are not, such as TEKJournalismUK. You can research AP standards by simply googling just that.

On the whole some of the dos and dont's of online writing appear to be:

• Avoid overly long Titles
• Minimise stop words such as The and And in Titles
• Do not write a Title in capitals or with unnecessary capital letters
• Avoid punctuation such as ! and ? in Titles. Go for the bare minimum instead
• Do not place a full stop at the end of a Title or Sub-title
• Avoid simply writing what in effect is a long list
• Try not to use the first person, as in saying I. Instead try saying this writer or the like
• Spell and grammar check your work
• NEVER copy another writer's work
• If you use another writer's work for research show the source as a credit
• Break your article or report down into smaller paragraphs. One huge block of text is hard to read and will put off would be readers

Some new writers like to get a second opinion on their work from a member of the website or a family member. Others like to remain an almost private writer who shares with the world but not associates. The choice is yours. 

Having written online the above is some of what I have learned. It is meant as advice though not a must do list. Try different styles in order achieve your goal.

You can try a few practice runs but often the best way is to learn as you write. You can after all procrastinate for ever whilst it might be better to publish and learn as you go along. Above all remember to have some fun and do not take yourself, others or your work too seriously.

Lesson Six - Where to write online

Tags: How to freelance write online, freelance writing online, making money online, news reports online

Lesson two

There are still many scam websites online. If a site promises the earth nine times out of ten it will be a scam. Some sound good but need you to remain an active participant of the site to earn any money. The differences may be hard to spot when you are a novice.

For example a site such as Hubpages continues  to pay money on your work long after it has been published. Hubs that were written years ago can still make some money. It is called "passive income" It may improve your earnings if you occasionally tweet your Hubs and tweak them but that is not vital.

Other sites such as Allvoices need you to remain an active participant each new month. Your previous month's earnings are just that on such websites. Unless you continue to work hard you will receive nothing.  Many sites change their rules regularly. Sometimes this is necessary to keep up with Google updates. However such changes can have a negative impact. In the case of Allvoices it reduced writer's earnings considerably.

It is up to you how you approach such changes and each site. If your prime objective in writing online is to make money you will need to act.

A wise move is to write your work in a document such as Word and keep a copy. If it becomes time to leave a site your work is still readily available. Give each website a little time before deciding if it is right for you or not. Some sites are in their infancy and on the way up, whilst others have had their day and will not be cost effective.

Make sure you fully understand the rules regarding a site you are going to join. Payment methods can vary greatly. There may be qualifying time periods or other loopholes. Ensure you know exactly what the payment structure is. Read it regularly to keep abreast of any changes.

It will usually be necessary for you to have an email address and maybe a paypal account. Create a new email address for your online writing and link this one to your paypal account. It is not vital that you have a separate email address but it is sensible. It limits spam and protects your preferred email address.

Lesson three to follow - Affiliates

Tags: online writing, freelance writing, making money online, hubpages, allvoices, creative writing, writing workshop