See, when you’re a writer, you are your own boss. You might have an editor or publisher or agent to answer to, but when it comes to getting the work done, you are your own immediate supervisor.

Reasons to get writing? You don’t want to disappoint yourself, and you enjoy that felling of accomplishment, of having finished a work. Maybe you have bills that need paid. Maybe you need to meet a deadline. All are good reasons to keep writing.

But how do you keep yourself on track? Planning ahead is the key. Possibly you even need to write down a schedule of sorts.

It’s easy, actually. Just get a piece of paper and a pen and write down a list of things you want to accomplish. Once finished, look the list over. Perhaps you need to juggle the list around a bit, to prioritize.

You might even want more than one list. You could have a short-term list of items that need finishing in the next week. Then you could have a list of writing projects you want to finish over the next year. You could even get more complicated than that and have a scheduling calendar with real deadlines penciled in and your own self-created deadlines.

Keeping to those deadlines might be something else altogether, but having a plan can help you stay ahead of the game and gives you impetus to get cracking on your projects. If you miss one of your own deadlines by a day or two, don’t beat yourself up over it; get back to work and try to get ahead on the next deadline, or maybe adjust your schedule back a few days. However, if you miss a real deadline, one set by an editor or publisher, you’ve probably got a phone call to make and some explaining to do; still, most smart publishers and editors will have worked in a little fudge factor, so you might be alright (which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take their deadlines seriously, because you should).

Does all this sound too professional to you? Sound like work? That’s because it is. To make it as a professional writer, you need to realize it is work, and it’s not easy.

Benefits of Entering Writing Contests

First off, let’s discuss the obvious and less obvious benefits for entering writing contests. The easy answer is that you can win. What can you win? That answer will vary depending on the contest you’re considering. Some organizations offer publication in an anthology, while others may offer cash prizes as well as publication.

So far, the beneficial reasons for entering your work may seem quite apparent. Not so fast, Hotshot! Did you know that writing contests are another good way to promote yourself? If you’re considering contests at this point, you may have your eye on a future of publishing your writing. Many authors are surprised to find out that it is very hard to get a foothold in the industry. Publishers and agents prefer writers who are proven, with tangible work history. That makes it very hard to break into print. How can you be proven if no one will let you test your mettle? The writing contest may be a great first step to adding notches in your belt.

Another reason to enter a contest is for feedback. Yes, it’s true. Some contests will include personal feedback to all or some of the entries they receive. Professional feedback can be invaluable for a beginning author, and thus should not be scoffed at. If it helps you to improve your writing (or craft, as some may refer to it), it could be worth far more than monetary prizes in the long run.

Pitfalls? How could there be anything bad about submitting to a contest?!

Unbelievable! The obvious answer here is that a vast majority of writing contests require an entry, or “reading fee” for each submission. Some will accept multiple entries, but charge for each one. This can be hard for the beginning writer who never expected to have to pay someone to read their story or poem. Are there contests out there that don’t require fees? Of course!

Some contests aren’t really contests at all. That’s right… everyone’s a winner. That’s great, right? Not really.

Some contests are not looking out for your best interests. Sounds like the rest of the world, right? Everyone’s out for themselves, but how does that apply to a contest? These guys are generally very easy to spot, if you’re not taken in by the prospect of being published over all else. It’s easy to get caught up in the moment though, so if you’ve fallen prey to this swindle buck up and dust yourself off. Just don’t let it happen again. So, what am I talking about? Let me explain. Some contests aren’t really contests at all. That’s right… everyone’s a winner. That’s great, right? Not really. Usually these “contests” are in place to accept all the entries they possibly can. When they have enough for an anthology they just start pooling for the next one. That’s right! Everyone gets published. It’s what you’ve been waiting for; finally someone appreciates your work! What’s more, the anthology is highly publicized and the organization sends out a lot of advertising for people to buy the anthology. That’s a good thing right? Their target market: the people whose entries have been published. These anthologies can cost $40 a pop and really, shouldn’t you buy two or three? This is your big break, after all. Mom will want one, you’ll need one for your writing desk or the mantle, and who wouldn’t want to keep a copy underneath their pillow? When your copies arrive, you may find your story or poem has been hacked to pieces. The work is shoddy at best and it may seem it was edited for length or page format rather than for style. The goal of these operations is to fit as many entries as possible. Well! You’ll never join that contest again, how can they stay in business? Some change their name from time to time, but for the most part… there’s a sucker born every minute.

Another pitfall is, what if you don’t win? An author’s self esteem can be fragile at best. A beginning author may enter a contest feeling sure of herself, when she doesn’t win she’s devastated and throws in the towel. Maybe it’s for months, maybe it’s for years, unfortunately for some it can be the end altogether. That may sound extreme, but it’s true.

That Sounds Horrible! Why Should I Bother? (Tips to Make it Worth the Effort)

Remember those benefits I mentioned at the beginning of the article? There are reasons to enter and the pitfalls are very easily managed in most cases. Allow me to start with the most important one.

So what if you don’t win? Is this a true indication of your worth? Not necessarily. It simply means that maybe there were a few entries that were just a bit better than yours. Maybe it means that you were writing for judges with a slightly different palette than what you offered them. Maybe it means that your writing still needs to improve. Is that such a bad thing? What beginning writers need to understand is that you never truly “make it”. You never stop improving. This is the beginning of your own unique story. Don’t be melodramatic, pick yourself up and dust yourself off, and keep working at it. Not placing first in a contest is not the end of the world. The first time around you may not place at all, maybe by the second or third try you’ll snag an Honorable Mention, then who knows? You’ll find that the experience of writing for these venues may outweigh the benefit of actually winning on your first go. You may even find yourself getting one of your previous entries published before you ever win anything. Does that mean the judges were stupid for not seeing your brilliance? If that’s the thought that keeps you writing, go with it.

Do your research. Don’t just enter any contest you come across, be selective. Use google or your favorite search engine to research what other people have to say about the contest. It’s better to learn from someone else’s mistake than to learn it first hand, especially when it comes to writing. Sometimes writing blogs have contests and publish the winning entries on their blog for all their visitors to see. This could be a great way to increase your exposure with minimum risk. Take a look at the blog, get to know the author by reading their posts and sifting through the archive. If it looks like a good venue, go for it. If you find a mainstream contest that looks good and the reviews are positive, give it a shot.

Like I mentioned before, not all contests charge a fee. For the beginner, I would suggest this, try to avoid paying for someone to “read” your work. If the contest includes feedback with the reading, it may be worth a ten or fifteen dollar entry fee for the professional insight, but that’s for you to decide. I’ve written a post about perspective and critiques on my blog, feel free to check it out.

One of the ways to make money online is to write reviews for products and services. You can find a lot of websites offering this type of money making opportunities for you. If you are dedicated and write well, you could make huge income from internet by writing reviews. Writing reviews is quite simple because all you need to write is your own opinions about the products you use.

I have done some researches and below will be a list of write reviews to make money websites to help you make money from your reviews.

1. SharedReviews:

   SharedReviews pays you for your reviews. SharedReviews is a social network site that allows you to connect with other consumers to share experience and reviews of the products you use. It is a great site to write reviews and read the opinions of other consumers before you buy certain products. The best part is that you can write reviews on the products you use and make money from your reviews.

2. ReviewStream:

   ReviewStream allows users to write about anything they like. You can write on any topic you like such as reviews of digital cameras, reviews of cars, reviews of cell phones, reviews of movies, reviews of food, reviews of music and so on. It is a great site to write reviews and make money.

3. Review Centre

   Review Centre is another site with all the consumers’ reviews. You can read reviews and write reviews to make money. Review Centre gives you the best and unbiased reviews ever.

4. Shvoong

   This is another site to get paid to write but you can only write abstracts or summaries about published books and academic articles. If you like to read books and you read a lot of academic articles, you might want to write a summary for it. You can then submit to Shvoong and make some extra money from the summary you write.

5. Epinions

   Epinions allows users to write reviews and make money. In Epinions, you get 10 dollars for 10 reviews you write. It is a good place to make money; you need to make sure your reviews are following their rules.

6. DooYoo

   DooYoo is a great place to find to find the stuff you want and it is a great site to shop online. Members of DooYoo write reviews about products and get paid for their reviews. You can easily find reviews and advice in DooYoo before you buy something. You can write reviews about products you use and make some money from it using DooYoo.

7. Consumer Reviews

   Consumer Reviews is powered by Shopping.com. Writing reviews for this site is a bit confusing. Anyway, you could try to use the site to make some money from your reviews.

There are more websites offering you to write reviews and make money. You can make a lot of money from your reviews easily if you do it correctly.

Find out more about:

• 5 More Ways to Make Money Online
• Making Money from Social Network Sites

On the Internet, there are a variety of writing opportunities that can earn writers an income. Some writing opportunities pay a royalty, share advertising royalties, pay a flat rate or can be negotiated depending on who the author is and what works have they had published and where. Other writing opportunities are non-paying, but these opportunities shouldn’t be overlooked, just because they are non-paying.

Non-paying writing opportunities are a great way to establish a professional writing portfolio to show to potential publishers that require their authors to be established. Most non-paying writing opportunities for reputable magazine, newspaper, or Internet publishers must follow a strict set of publishing guidelines that the editors set forth. This vetting and/or screening process separates the best authors from the rest and rewards the best writers with valuable exposure and an added bonus an excellent publishing credit to fill out any professional publishing portfolio.

The following writing opportunities are offered as paying opportunities that may require a vetting or screening review before being accepted or rejected for possible publishing. It is highly recommended to first read the editorial or writing guidelines before submitting any articles or stories to the publishers.

1. WireTap

   Writers should understand that WireTap Magazine is focused on issues that affect youth ages 16-26 years old. Articles should be well written with research-supported facts about real world youth trends, news and concerns. Articles that are published pay $50-250 per story depending on the amount of reporting and analysis.

2. Smorty

   Smorty is a bridge between bloggers and advertisers. Smorty offers serious bloggers an opportunity to earn an income from the blogs that they currently manage by broking advertising sales according to the popularity of the current blog. In layman’s terms; the more popular your blog is online, then the more money you can earn from the advertising sales.

3. CellPhoneForums.net

   This is a sweet writing opportunity for writers who can write and deliver a well written, easy to understand review on their favorite cell phone. CellPhoneForum.net is seeking good reviews that consist of explaining all aspects of a particular phone model. Writers will be paid $10 per review if approved.

4. CMS Jumpstart Magazine)

   This is not a writing opportunity that every writer will be eligible to write for, because in order to write a series of tutorials suitable for CMS Jumpstart Magazine, the writer must have in-depth knowledge of setting up and operating a Joomla site. If you are a writer that processes this knowledge, then CMS Jumpstart Magazine pays $5-20 per article depending on the length and subject matter.

5. YouK

   YouK is a refreshing breakaway from the traditionally common sponsor driven content websites that allow the sponsors to shape and suggest reader content. YouK is a site that is on a mission to change this common practice and focus the appeal on the reader with a focused, helpful and stable resource. Writers whom desire to run their own site, on a topic of their choice can earn an income from every article that they write. This is a revenue sharing publishing opportunity.

6. Blue Mountain Arts

   This is a unique opportunity to write greeting cards and get paid for expressing a memorable emotion. Blue Mountain Arts is not looking for all genres or writing styles, so it is very important to carefully read through the writer’s guidelines. Blue Mountain Arts pays $300 per poem for the worldwide, exclusive rights to publish it on a greeting card and other products, and $50 per poem for one-time use in a book.

7. GZYN

   GZYN is a website that is looking for original, quality web content in the form of a well written article, that can be published in exchange for a share of the Google Adsense advertising program. To learn more about this opportunity visit GZYN to learn if you have any relevant article ideas that you may be able to publish on this site.

8. RealityTvFan.net

   RealityTvFan.net is offering an ideal writing opportunity for bloggers that are fans of television reality shows. Writers who enjoy expressing their feelings and emotions about their favorite reality television programming can earn a share of the Google Adsense revenue earned from your articles published by the Orble network. Watching television and writing about the experience is the perfect job for any writer that values their time to play.

9. Animation Arena

   Currently, Animation Arena is looking for a couple of writers to write video game, comic book or movie reviews that pay $20.00 (USD) per review accepted and published. There is a maximum of 10 reviews per month.

10. INeedCoffee

    INeedCoffee is currently seeking writers that are interested in writing quality web content for their website. This opportunity pays writers by sharing an even share of Google Adsense advertising revenue that is generated through the writer’s published article. This is an opportunity that will require the writer to self promote their published work them self, so to increase the overall amount of views their article(s) receive in a 30 day time period.

This is not a top ten list and each of the writing opportunities offered within this article may not be right for every writer. It is the responsibly of the interested writer to read the rules, guidelines and policies of the companies in which the writer chooses to write for in the future. This article only provides a brief summary of the benefits and/or payout opportunities of each company. It is your responsibility to continue on with any further inquiry regarding the benefits, rules, writing guidelines and payout benefits for each company.

Use this article to find a writing opportunity that is right for you, and then write like the winner that you know that you are.

Thisisby.us

This paid writing opportunity offers its content writers a 50%royalty payout that is based off of the advertising revenue that the website is able to generate from your articles. Writers can earn more money if their “Goodness” is high. The “Goodness” model is based on the number of views that your article receives in the last 24 hours. In addition, Thisisby.us pays a 10% royalty (based on Advertising Revenue) to commenters who leave a comment on the articles that they have read, but all commenters must be current members of Thisisby.us to receive the royalty payout. The more users vote for your comments, then the more you’ll get paid. So, it pays to become both a writer and/or commenter at Thisisby.us.

HubPages

HubPages is a place where writers can write about just about anything that is interesting to them and earn 60% of the ad revenue that is generated from their writings. Writer must register for a free affiliate account through Google Adsense, eBay and/or Amazon, so to enable them to start earning an income. When you have time pay a visit to HubPages and take the quick HubPages Tour, so to learn how exactly the program works.

Wise Bread

Wise Bread is a website that focuses on personal finance and frugal living and its writers writes blogs that offers useful information related to these topics. Wise Bread offers a few ways for writers to earn an income that includes: Google Adsense, site-wide ads, Feedburner, and reprint licenses. Writers will receive 100% of the ad revenue that is generated through their personal Google Adsense account, and then Wise Bread will split advertising revenue with its writers that are generated from site-wide ads (based on traffic, so the more traffic your articles generates, the more you make) and will split earnings made from Feedburner (or any other form of syndication).

Print n Post

At PrintNPost writers maintain their own blog and/or writes articles that are then published on the PrintNPost website. Writers earn an income from their Google Adsense advertising, but a Google Adsense Account is necessary to make money using this site. The more articles or blogs that you write, then the more money you can potentially make. PrintNPost writers benefit as a community, because they all share in the overall traffic that the site receives, because visitors are visiting the site to read maybe what other PrintNPost authors have written and they may stick around and also read some of your articles and/or blog during their visit.

Review Party

Not every writer wants to write full-length articles or blogs to make an income. Some writers enjoy writing opinions about the books the recently read, the music that they listen to, and/or the DVD movies and television shows that they watch. ReviewParty offers an opportunity for writers to write thoughtful reviews about the books, music, DVD movies and television shows that you currently enjoy, so earning money indefinitely through your own Amazon Affiliate links. Writers must have an Amazon Affiliate Account to earn an income with ReviewParty.

Squidoo

Squidoo allow writers to write about just about anything that you love sharing and writing about within reason. Squidoo members write and maintain their own Squidoo Lens (where their writing appears) and can earn money in the process. From my personal experiences writing for Squidoo the earnings caution at the lower end of the payscale than some of the other writing opportunities on the Internet.

Blog Posts for Sale

Blog Posts For Sale has created an opportunity for bloggers to get paid by selling advertising links that are placed within the blog posts that the writers’ blog about. The bloggers set their own prices and Blog Posts For Sale has set a minimum price of $20.00 per permanent advertising link. Blog Posts For Sale will receive $7.00 BPFS fee, so the writer would earn an actual $13.00 per link (if the link was sold for $20.00) and more if the advertising link is sold for more than $20.00. Blog Posts For Sale reserves the right to accept and deny blog posts and subjects that are not allowed are: Sex, poker and gambling. Anything illegal.

Helium

Helium is a site where writers share their experience-based knowledge, wisdom and creativity through their articles and/or blogs. Helium writers can write for publishers who are willing to pay popular writers from $20 to $200 for each selected article that the partnered publisher chooses. Helium writers can choose to participate in fun and interesting writing contests that are held by Helium and potentially win some additional money and win a greater audience of readers.

Associated Content

Writers writing for Associated Content can earn performance payments based on per 1000 views (currently $1.50 per 1000 views) that their articles receive. Sometimes Associate Content may offer an upfront payment for your text or video content that range from $3.00 to $20.00. Writers can write about just about any topic that they want to write about, but be sure to carefully read Associated Content’s writers rules and guidelines before submitting any article or blog.

Triond

Leaving the best writing opportunity (IMO) for last. Triond is a legitimate writing opportunity that pays its writers to write creative, interesting and entertaining articles, stories, poetry and much, much more. Triond pays writers 50% of the advertising revenue generated from the articles that each writer publishes with Triond. Triond takes care of the advertising sales and website marketing promotions, so that the writers do not need to worry about registering for advertising affiliation accounts (Google Adsense, Amazon, etc.). Triond writers are free to focus the majority of their energies on writing more articles. Triond provides promotional marketing tools for writers that wish to self-promote their articles in order to drive even more traffic (readers) to their articles and earn potentially greater profits for their content. Writers are paid once a month and on the 15th day of each month and for the earnings generated the previous month.

1. Develop a strong idea or premise. Know your subject, whether it’s an area you study and work in, or current events. Do research to see whether articles with the same theme have already been published. Make your article original as possible in view point and presentation.
2. Write a query letter. Present your article in a desirable way to the editor. Call to find out which editor to send your query letter to if you don’t find it in the magazine publication. Ask for a copy of any submission requirements. Don’t overwrite. Editors receive thousands of query letters. Explain your idea for the article, your background and qualifications. Be straight forward, concise, well-written, and appropriate for the magazine.
3. Target the right publication. Study your subject and match it with the right magazine. Consult” Writers Market” (in libraries and supermarkets) to find publications potentially interested in your idea. Get a recent copy and read it carefully. Consider the length and complexity of articles in the magazine. Approach only magazines your article fits. Don’t waste time and money on an unlikely market.
4. Call to follow up. Allow about three weeks for the editor to receive and read your query letter. The editor may call you during that time or send a response. If you have not received a response, call the editor to make sure your letter was received.
5. If your article idea has been accepted, find out the articles due date, the desired length of the article, the pay, and the research materials available to you. Contact the National Writers Union for their guidelines on contracts for journalists.
6. If you are rejected, don’t be discouraged. Try another publication immediately. This may cause you to modify your idea slightly to suit a different editorial style.
7. If you get no response after six weeks it may be time to try another publication. Simultaneous submissions are allowed in this instance. Never, however, agree to write the same article for more than one magazine.
8. However, you may want to send a manuscript you have already written. Instead of a query letter, send the article with an introductory letter explaining what it is about and why the magazine should publish it. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope.

• Bridal Guide

  Bridal Guide Magazine is published bi-monthly by RFP LLC. As the name suggests, the magazine is all about bridal and wedding issues-wedding planning, bridal shower, fashion, traditional and etiquette.

  Send Query to: Valerie Berrios, Associate Editor/Bridal Guide Magazine,vberrios@bridalguide.com

• Brides
  

  Published by Conde Nast, Brides is a bi-monthly magazine on all things wedding, marriage and engagement.

  Send Query to: Theresa DiMasi, 4 Times Square, 6th Floor, New York NY 10036

• Good Housekeeping
  

  A monthly magazine for modern women who want the tools to have the best life. Articles published are mainly on food, health, child care and beauty.

  Send Query/Submission to: Good Housekeeping, Article Submissions, 300 W 57th Street, 28th floor,New York, NY 10019

• Self
  

  Monthly magazine on self-confidence, health and lifestyle. Self does not accept unsolicited manuscript so send a query first.

  Send Query to: Lucy Danziger, Editor-in-Chief, 4 Times Square, 6th Floor, New York NY 10036

• MS Magazine
  

  A feminist magazine which focuses on women’s issues and news. MS does not accept unsolicited manuscript so send a query first.

  Send Query to: Queries/Ms. Magazine,433 South Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212