Earn by writing

Helium is a popular site for writers. You write articles on topics they suggest, and then vote on other people's articles. The community element makes it very addictive, and you earn money from your articles. There's even a Marketplace, where you can compete to write articles for other publishers - and earn more money!

The only thing to remember with Helium is that you need to be a regular contributor to keep your earnings high - if you stop participating in the site then they stop paying. Payment is via PayPal, on request once you reach $25 credit.

Triond is a writing site with a difference because the articles you write are published elsewhere - Triond has a raft of website dedicated to articles on different topics, and will publish your article on the most suitable site. If you have a website of your own then you can point your readers to your Triond profile, which has the links to all of your Triond articles.

Payment is monthy, via PayPal. There's so much to say about Triond that it has its own lens - check out I Love Triond.

If you're into green living and permaculture then consider writing for Permaculture Magazine.

Permaculture Magazine relies for the most part on a mix of articles from it's readers and from established authors on permaculture and related subjects. Payment for articles is by barter for display advertisements, subscriptions or books, rather than cash - but a byline in the magazine will help you build up your portfolio.

If you would like to contribute an article for possible inclusion in a future issue of Permaculture Magazine, please refer to the editorial guidelines. And don't forget to check out the free online sample copy of Permaculture Magazine, so you can see the kind of articles they publish.

For many writers the goal is to make money from your own website, although this can take some time. It's easy enough to set up a website and sign up for a Google Adsense account, but unless you have a high-traffic website you won't make much money - and developing a high-traffic website is all about having great content, keeping it regularly updated and promoting your site via social networks. You may also be able to sell adverts directly on the site.

You may also be able to make some money by using affiliate marketing. You write blog posts and articles about particular companies, and they pay you for any customers you recommend. One that I particularly like, because of the ethical nature of the business and its product, is the Green Shopping affiliate scheme, which is based in the UK. You earn 5% commission on any sales you send their way, safe in the knowledge that all of their products are environmentally friendly and aimed at promoting sustainable lifestyles.

There are plenty more affiliate schemes, so look for one that works for your blogging niche and that you're happy promoting.

If you've got a green thumb then you can earn some money by sharing your gardening articles on GreenThumbArticles.com.

There are two ways to earn cash. There's a monthly writing contest which pays out $25.00 to the author who writes the most approved original (previously unpublished online) articles each month. There are two more prizes - each $15 - for the two runners-up. This money is paid via PayPal.

The second way to earn cash is that GreenThumbArticles.com offers a 50/50 revenue share for their Google Adsense ads on the site. So as long as you have an Adsense account, and add the details to your profile on the site, you'll be earning every time someone reads one of your articles on the site and then clicks on one of the ads!

All of your submitted articles appear on your profile - check out mine!

LookingForClues (LFC) is a website with articles and essays that are free bite-sizes nuggets of insight and entertainment.

LFC accepts submissions from freelance writers (see their writers guidelines), and they pay $10-$30 via PayPal for each article they publish.

Submitting an article to LFC is not an instant process. Your article will be read by the editors, and they will make suggestions for changes. Only once both parties are happy will the article be published.