How can I become a paid writer? read the details.?

Question

I am a freshman in college, I have no job, and I have no financial help. I am living off money i saved waiting tables, and it is running out quickly.
Can i sell essays or short stories to web sites or publishers? What is the best way for me to start getting money for the things i write? How much money does one earn that does this for income? Any information will help. Thanks.

Answer 1

I bookmarked this site recently and it looks good --

http://www.helium.com/

A friend of mine wrote some short articles for local dog magazines (newsletter size, not glossy magazines) and was paid $50 each for basically one page articles.

But my best advice is to go to Barnes & Noble or Borders Bookstore and look in their research section for a book called Writers Market 2008 to get the best source for what people want, how they want it submitted, and what rate of pay they do. The local libraries will have back issues, the book comes out every year, but the current one will be the most updated one.

Doing a steady supply of short articles can get some regular cash coming in.

Answer 2

I'm sure you can contact various magazines and find out the particulars of freelance writing. I was watching the boobtoob the other day and some guy was writing for people on the street; e.g., poems, short stories, etc. They would pay him what they thought his work was worth. The guy already had a master's in English, so he would likely have more time to devote to something like that. Good luck.