" I want to l'owo, I want to l'ola...
"... Money ehhh, Biko y'em ego...

We all want to make money. That's a fact.

But we also don't want to have to sacrifice all our time and work like jacky to make it.

That's why the internet is such an amazing tool. You can literally do work in your spare time, get paid and go back to watching the new episode of the "Empire" TV show. It gives you flexibility while at the same time, still gets you paid. And you also have a wide array of prospective customers (if you can track them down, that is... more on that later); it is called the World Wide Web for a reason.

So this beautifully crafted dream probably seems like something out of a Nollywood Hollywood movie.

Well... it is.

And it isn't.

The internet comes with many different options for making money online and trying to figure out which method to use can be a pain in the a##. For the purposes of this article though, we will focus on making money by writing online.

Now, where was I?

Ah yes, the beautifully crafted dream.

It's easy to just imagine writing an article that just instantly blows up, you start to get more writing work than you can handle and at good rates too. Then you make a billion $$$ and go retire on some island in the Carribeans where all you do is sit on the beach and count your money.

And that may... a big MAY happen, but it's highly unlikely. Actually, I don't think I've heard of one single writer online who had that happen to him/her (Please, if you have, let me know in your comments).

Yeah, Bad news: That Hollywood dream is most likely NOT going to happen. Sorry!

So yeah, get that out of your head. Done that? Good.

Now, let's get to the crux of this.

First of all, while the Hollywood "write-one-article-and-become-a-billionaire" program is impossible, it is possible to make money writing online.

Yes, it actually is, so if you're reading this, you're in the right place. Keep reading because we will get to the nuts and bolts of how to do this later on in this article.

But first, a few misconceptions about earning a living by writing online:

1. You need to be a professional writer.

This is a big one probably because of all the job openings up here that have listed requirements such as:

- Masters in Mass. Comm.
- 2 yrs experience in Journalism
-etc

It's easy to think just because you didn't get a degree in English or Literature, you cannot earn a living writing online. It's easy to think that, but that doesn't make it true.

If it were, I won't have earned any money writing online. And I'll probably not be writing this article right now.

I'm not a professional writer. I did not graduate with a First Class in English Language, Literature, Journalism or anything at all related to writing. As a matter of fact, I graduated with a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Yes, I really am a Doctor at my day job. But yet, I'm currently making money writing online. Granted, I have always had an aptitude for English, essay writing, memorizing Bible and rap verses, writing song lyrics, etc but I did not take any special course or education to learn how to write.

So how can you begin writing online? Despite not being a pro?

Easy. By writing.

The very definition of a writer is someone who writes articles, books, essays etc. You can be a writer despite not having a fancy degree in Mass Comm or Journalism; all you have to do is start writing.

There are a few more things you'll have to do to actually be a writer (which I will talk about later) but a big part of becoming a writer is actually writing so that's always a good place to start. For now.

So don't let the fact that you don't have some pointless degree in a writing-related field stop you.

2. You need to know BIG grammar or have extensive vocabulary to earn money writing online.

This one is just total BS.

If you're writing for a big newspaper publishing company, or a speech for Honourable Patrick Obahiagbon (Check this videos if you don't know who that is-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiQIyTBwDWc or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWDNhxuUDgc), then sure you might need extensive vocabulary.

But if you want to make money writing online, extensive vocabulary is not necessary. As a matter of fact, keeping things as simple as possible should be how you write online considering that recent studies (http://www.medicaldaily.com/human-attention-span-shortens-8-seconds-due-digital-technology-3-ways-stay-focused-333474) have shown that the human attention span has decreased.

If you're busy talking "big grammar", you're more likely to lose in the end (just like Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon (no offence) lost in the end when his constituency voted him out)

So, No. Not knowing "Big grammar" can not stop you from making money online writing.

For now, those are the two big misconceptions I can remember (if you know any more, feel free to leave it in the comments section).

* I have already mentioned the one about the one article wonder billionaire dream so let's move on.

Now that we have that out of the way, let's talk about the process of making money writing online.

Before we begin, a piece of advice- Making money online writing is not easy. As a matter of fact, I won't sugarcoat it for you- just like anything worth doing in life, it's hard as Bleep and you really need to be tough and accept that. Once you do, it becomes easy.

Step 1: Figure out what kind of writing you want to do.

There are various forms of writing jobs online. There's blogging, article writing, copywriting, creative writing, ebook writing and a lot of other niches too numerous to mention. Okay. Not really, but my point is there are many different forms.

Now, when you're first starting off, it's easy to get confused trying to pick which form of writing to do.

Some writers try to be a jack of all trades, and in the beginning I highly recommend you do the same for 3 reasons:

1. You need to write and you need the experience.

This goes back to what I said about a writer "being someone who writes". As someone new to writing online, you need to write... A LOT!

2. You need to create a portfolio.

You don't need a Journalism degree to earn money writing online but you do need to be able to show prospective clients that you can actually write. Writing different kinds of articles, blog posts and in different forms of writing helps you build a body of work that you can then use as samples when applying to future jobs (as long as you have permission to do so... or sometimes if you don't, but don't quote me...lol).

You stand a better chance of getting a job when you have a sample that's close to what the client is looking for.

3. By taking on writing jobs you end up hating, you can figure out quickly what type of online writer you want to be.

I once had a writing job where I basically had to put certain, different (or not so different) keywords into about 60 different 300 word articles about different software. Mehnnn, I almost shot myself. It was mind numbing and the pay was so small that if I dropped it into my account, my account would still be empty.

That was the last time I wrote an article on software.

Anyway, when you figure out what you don't want to write, then whatever's left is what type of writing you want to do.

At this point, you can then focus on that area.


Step 2: How To Find Writing Jobs Online.

There's a lot of advice on how to find writing jobs online, but I'm going to tell you what has worked (and hasn't worked) for me so far.

1. Freelance Job Sites

I was a big fan of Upwork (until they suspended my account because I hadn't landed a gig in quite some time). It's the best one for me so far. Freelancer.com didn't really epp me. You can find the rest by doing a Google search for "Freelance job sites".

So here's the deal with Upwork.

Upwork is a really great site. It offers you a wide selection of jobs from all over the world. And you don't have to pay them a dime to join or get better job offers (like a lot of other freelance job sites). They however give you about 60 credits or so ( I think). You need to use 2 credits to apply for one job so that gives you about 30 jobs to apply for in a month.

The issue with Upwork are:

(i). You may have to apply for multiple jobs at once just to land one.

When you're new, it's tough to find well paying jobs. I had to apply for about 27 jobs before I landed my first one. But no matter, put on your big boy/girl pants and get to applying.

(ii). On Upwork, most clients are looking to spend less so you'll end up competing with Indians and people from the Middle East making low bids on jobs.

In the beginning, it can be a huge pain in the ass. I wasn't able to completely get out of the "low pay" gap, because well, I wasn't completely focused on Upwork. And I had a lot on my plate, at the time so it was more like a "by-the-way" thing.

But there are freelance writers who charge $150/ hr and maybe more for their work. Google "Danny Marguiles" and you'll see what I'm talking about.

If they can, you can. You just have to want it badly enough and do whatever it takes.

(iii). Some clients on Upwork are straight up fraudulent.

Word.

Some clients just become unresponsive after you have handed the work in. That's just...

I mean, you pour your blood, sweat and tears into the work and then they refuse to pay or respond when you ask for your money. Luckily, Upwork has an escrow system where they pay for the work beforehand and Upwork holds on to it and pays you when you have done the work.

So when you meet a client who wants to chat on Skype instead of staying within Upwork, your spider senses should begin to tingle.

Now, I'm not saying all clients who want to chat on Skype are frauds. I met a client this way, and they ended up paying me the highest amount I had received up to that point- $111 for work I took about 2-3 hrs on alternate days over a 5-day period to do. But in my experience, most of them are, so you discover them pretty quickly by telling them you want to be paid after each article, if the work is supposed to only take a day or daily if the work is supposed to take more than a day. You could also demand half of the payment upfront, just to scare them away.

When you meet one of these clients, just move on. They're not worth your time.


Okay, now how does Upwork Pay?

Upwork pays through Paypal (like most other freelance job sites) but they also pay through Payoneer and I heard they recently just added in a wiretransfer feature. So either get a Payoneer card or a domiciliary account so you can cash your earnings neat.


2. Freelance Job Boards

There are a lot of Freelance job boards where jobs are posted almost daily and some of these are writing jobs.

One example is the Problogger job board (www.problogger.com/jobs/)

The way they work is the client typically posts a writing job and leaves an email address that you can send your application to. I didn't have much success with this one because I sorta did it on and off. The beauty of the job boards is that there is no limit on how many jobs you can apply for. So basically, as long as you have data and an email, you can keep applying!

The main issue is that some of these jobs require you to have certain requirements; don't let that stop you though. If you can create a sample close to what your client is looking for, you stand a better chance of getting the job over writers who might meet the criteria.

Besides, there's no way you can apply for 100 writing jobs a day, consistently for a year and not land a lot of writing jobs.


3. Nairaland

I recently just discovered this (and I'm planning on exploiting this more in the present and the near future....shhh, don't tell anybody)

I know Nairaland instructs you not to post ads (or maybe I didn't fully understand their policy) but I joined not too long ago and I saw people posting everywhere about how they do web design, write or whatever. So I did it (Sorry, Nairaland) and it worked for me.

No, I'm not a Nairaland Billionaire Writer or anything even close to that... yet but I have made some decent cash from work that if I had all the free time in the world, would have taken me 2-3 hrs to complete.

So, if you're reading this, this site right here is filled with opportunities, you just have to be able to stand out and build a reputation for quality writing... or at least that's what I think so far.

4. Social Media

I haven't been able to successfully get writing jobs on social media although I have heard (and read) that many online writers are using Twitter to find writing jobs.

I think there are also groups of Web Geeks and Web Designers on Facebook where people place ads and you can contact them and get to working for them from there.


For now those are the methods of finding writing jobs online. Now, a few bonus tips:

* Get A Blog, or better yet, A Writer's Site
This might not be an absolute MUST, but it is a definite SHOULD for anyone who is interested in making money online writing for many reasons:

One, as long as you post content on a regular basis (and you should), you will get better at writing and using blogging platforms. When it comes to blogging platforms, I suggest Wordpress (because it's free and amazing) which I used when I had my first blog (www.ginjahblog.) and that I currently use on my site (www.fayarspark.com- which I'm still working on). If you don't have much cash, use their free hosting which comes with the . URL, but if you do, get web hosting from Whogohost (I think their cheapest plan is about 9k and that should do).

I want to experiment with Blogger with my new blog- The 500 Naira Writer and well, just see how that goes.

But yeah, you should definitely have a blog because of the experience.

Two, if you are actually a great writer, and you promote your content well, you will amass a huge following and traffic to your site. When you have that, you can then turn your blog into a cash cow by using PPC ads, affiliate marketing, or by writing an ebook about a topic your audience is interested in and then sell it to your subscribers.

Now I'm thinking I should have just put that last part as one of the steps

Three, having a blog can help position you as an expert. Look up Bamidele Onibalusi of www.writersincharge.com, follow him and read about how he started basically living from money earned writing online. If he can do it, you can do it. Or at least that's what I thought when I read through his articles. I mean, there really wasn't anything special in his writing and I was like "I can write better than this" but he's counting the big money and I'm not so obviously, there's something he knows that I'm still figuring out, which is why I follow him.


* You don't have to have extensive vocabulary, or speak "BIG grammar", but you need to watch out for spelling and grammar errors.

Yes, to use extensive vocabulary is not by force. But there is absolutely no acceptable excuse for spelling and grammar (or grammatical) errors.

Now, a few errors here and there won't ruin you, but if your writing is filled to the brim and pouring out with errors, your clients would be stark raving mad and your pocket will run dry.

So do whatever it takes to improve your grammar. No excuses, just do it.


* Treat your business like a business.

If you want to make real money writing online, then you need to begin to look at yourself differently.

You are your own CEO, employee, product creator, sales and marketing guy. Act like it.

- Ensure you deliver quality work on time.
- Ensure you stand out and brand yourself.
- Ensure you market yourself appropriately.

In other words, don't do sloppy work and don't be an asshole.

I'm going to have to stop here, been typing all morning and my body is begging for some food.

If there's anything you feel I may have missed, feel free to add it in the comments section. Thank you.

Happy Hustling!