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No matter what people may tell you, you can absolutely make a living as a writer. But in order to be successful, you must have three things:

1. a moderate amount of talent
2. dedication
3. flexibility

Like with any other field, the most successful writers aren't necessarily the most talented. Sure, they all know what a verb is and how to use punctuation, but as long as you have at least some talent, you can push yourself ahead with hard work. If you're not a hard worker, writing for a living isn't for you.

You'll spend hours researching possible markets. With the popularity of the Internet, this task has become much easier, but it will still take up a lot of time. Unless you're very good, it will usually take you more than one submission to sell your writing. That means you have to find multiple magazines or websites to send each piece of writing to.

There are many resources to make this task easier. The Writer's Market books are some of the best. You can also find websites that list magazines and publishers by categories.

You may love writing fiction, but in order to make a living, you'll have to expand your portfolio (unless you happen to be the next Dean Koontz or John Grisham). Whatever your favorite type of writing is, you will need to learn other types of writing as well - maybe magazine articles, or short columns, or even greeting cards. The more you write, the more you can sell, and the more checks you can have rolling in for a somewhat steady source of income.

The big money makers are obviously feature magazine articles, but most of us won't be able to land enough of those in a row to base your cashflow around them. More than likely, no matter what you write, you will need to supplement. If you can write news stories or topical articles, keep an eye out for smaller markets. Plenty Magazine pays about $1 a word for environmentally-friendly articles, and $150 for online content (with a 25% kill fee).

Regional magazines are almost always looking for freelance writers. Find local magazines that you can write for by checking out the racks at your grocery store or newsstand. New Mexico Magazine pays "roughly 35-40 cents per word," and Vermont Life Magazine pays $350-900 per article.

If you can write fiction (or learn to write fiction), there are several magazines that will pay handsomely for your stories. Glimmer Train pays $700 per story (and even more for contest winners). And don't limit your market search to just literary magazines - U.S. Catholic Magazine pays a minimum of $300 for fiction.

While it may sound cheesy, writing greeting cards can provide you with some additional side income. Blue Mountain Arts pays $300 for poems used on greeting cards, and $50 for the rights to publish a poem in a book.

Writing for children can also be a high-paying field. Humpty Dumpty's Magazine pays up to 35 cents per word for fiction, and $25 to $50 for poetry.

Speaking of poetry, get the idea of non-paying poetry journals out of your head. There are some big-name magazines that pay a lot of money for poems. The Threepenny Review pays $200 per poem and a year's subscription. Boulevard pays anywhere from $25 to $500 for poems it uses. And Poetry pays $10 per line for poems, with a minimum payout of $300 (plus 2 copies of the issue).

Specialty magazines can provide another potential market, if you can find a magazine that fits your particular interests or knowledge. Classic Toy Trains pays $75 per page, and Fencers Quarterly pays $15 to $60 per article.

If you're going to make it as a writer, you'll want your writing to appear in as many different places as possible, to maximize the money coming in. Consider passive income websites like Helium, Epinions, or eHow. These sites typically pay writers a few bucks per article that they post, and then pay them "royalties" over time, as each article is viewed by more and more people. The more articles you write (which can usually be as short as 400 or 500 words each) and the better they are ranked, the more money you can make. Once you've got a strong base of articles, you should be able to generate a decent stream of passive income. And with these kinds of article sites, the more you promote your article, the more people will view it.

Also consider joining a "marketplace" site such as Guru.com, where potential employers hire writers for specific projects, which can be anything from a company newsletter to song lyrics to a series of articles. You can sign up for email alerts any time a job listing is posted that you qualify for or may be interested in.

Many smaller magazines will buy reprints. Dig out that article you wrote for a major magazine two years ago, and try to re-sell it to a local paper or small-circulation journal for $10 or $20 or maybe even $50 (assuming you didn't sell exclusive rights to it). Always be sure to tell the editor where it was published before and how long it's been.

Foreign or international magazines can pay well too, but be prepared to accept payment by PayPal or other electronic means, as many publishers don't send checks overseas.

Successful writers are like the guy at the circus who spins all those plates at the same time. Keep sending out stories and articles, and when they get rejected, send them somewhere else. Don't let them stagnate in a drawer.

You will need to be able to balance your time well. Set aside blocks of time for writing, revising, and submitting, and try to stick to whatever plan works best for you.

With enough perseverance, you can certainly make a living as a writer. Just don't give up.

Learn more about this author, Greg Schwartz.
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