I’ll usually write posts that are at least loosely based on real life experiences. I think that this really helps keep things on the level. But like the example above, writing about my personal experiences with refillable ink cartridges only goes so far. It’s not like I have any personal experience with those things. So sometimes I lean on other peoples work for some help.

I’m not advocating plagiarism though. All of your work as a writer must be 100% original. But that does not mean you can’t glean ideas from other people’s work. YouTube is a fantastic resource. Sometimes when I am in a fix I’ll go to YouTube and search for videos about the subject I am writing about. Then I write about the video. And YouTube isn’t the only resource either. As long as you change things up (like taking the opposite viewpoint of someone else’s post) it is fair game.

But is it just books? Of course not! In fact, most people who are making money by writing are not writing books anyway. It’s much more common to write articles than books. Plus, anytime you are getting published you have to go through an editor first. And what is it that these editors really are? They are writers making money by doing what they love to do: write!

So if you have a certain affinity for writing, maybe you can turn what you like doing into something that makes you money. While a formal education is typically required, it is not something that should hold you back. If you can prove yourself as a reliable and skilled writer you can always get your shoe in the door. Just Google it for yourself and you will see that there are many opportunities to make money by writing.