I recently came across a pamphlet I received from Writer's Digest a long time ago. It lists "101 Ways to Make Money Writing." Many of them I already mentioned in a previous blog, using a book from my career prep class. For those of you who like freelancing, some of these ideas are pretty cool. Here are some of them:

Ghostwriting - writing for political candidates or business executives is what the pamphlet suggests. It also states that this is "no game for amateurs." If you're serious about your writing and don't mind giving up a byline, then this could be just the ticket.

Greeting Card writing - This is a fun way to make money, but you have to know the market. What are the greeting card companies putting out there, and what's selling?

Writing contests - This is a tough way to go. There's more to it than just writing something and submitting it. You must read the rules carefully, especially the word count. As long as you make sure you've followed all of the contest rules, your chances of winning are as good as anyone else's. Plus, it's fun. I have yet to win one, but I don't care. I like writing fiction and the more I do it and the more I read what kind writing gets the winning nod, the closer I get to at least a show if not a win or place.

Trivia - Reader's Digest pays for funny true stories and also for quotations that are clever, witty or insightful. They don't pay a lot, but what matters is you have one more clip to add to your portfolio. My journalism teacher believes in diversity when it comes to portfolios.

Those are just a few of the lesser known writing opportunities that are out there. This pamphlet also suggests writing complaint letters, cover letters and thank you letters for others. This is a pretty old pamphlet, but I know for a fact that a lot of these writing opportunities still exist today. I've seen the ads. There are still people out there who are willing to pay someone to write an awesome resume. And churches usually have bulletins and newsletters. A lot of them have Web sites that need to be maintained and updated with content. You might not get paid, but you will get writing experience, and community service experience. It can't hurt to try.