Writing for Fun - and Income?

I've always loved writing and been fascinated by language. And that love has been rather good to me - I've picked up prestigious awards with handsome prizes attached for essays and such.

Sometimes I've thought about writing professionally, but mostly I just use writing as another tool of the various trades I've been in - whether that is writing research papers in academia, consulting proposals and business reports, or advocacy for a cause I believe in.

And in the past I've blogged elsewhere for fun, written very short stories to share with friends, and think pieces on subjects that were on my mind.

Lately though I've been exploring the possibility of writing for income.

I've been researching online, and there is a lot of material out there about making money from online writing - but most of it pretty worthless.

There are also lots of "get paid to write" sites  out there. Or more accurately, sites where you get paid peanuts to write gibberish.

However I have found a couple of sites that I can recommend.

I've signed up for Constant Content, a virtual marketplace that connects  authors and people looking for writing. This is my first week with them, and so far it's looking promising. There seems to be a reasonable volume of sales, with material going at decent prices. What's best about it is that they have an editorial process that ensures only good quality writing appears on the site, and there is a nice community of authors.

Did I mention that freelancing of any kind, and especially writing, can be a solitary and lonely business? So being part of a lively community is a pretty important part of making that an appealing choice for me.

I also recommend Writing for Your Wealth. This is a fantastic site written by a woman who has done very nicely out of writing informational websites, and is full of her wit and practical wisdom. Even if you don't learn anything - unlikely! - she's a heck of a lot of fun to read.

Best of all, unlike many writers of money-making guides, the woman has integrity. She's not all about gaming Google, or parting site visitors with cash any which way you can. So if you like to do work that you can be proud of, work that is of real value to the human beings that read it, and you want to earn good money in the process, Lindsay's your gal.

Those are my experiences so far. I'll let you know how things pan out.