Have you ever thought of working from home? Many Americans have that same dream. It isn't as hard as it may seem. I spent a ton of time looking for legitimate work from home jobs before I found  the perfect work from home solution for me.

If you have some simple writing skills, it's easy to work from home as a freelance article writer. I'm not going to lie and tell you that you can lay around and do absolutely nothing - although certain areas of article writing do allow for that at times.

Anyhow, here's the deal. To become an article writer, you need to brush up on basic writing skills. If you've got that down, you've got a head start. The next thing you'll need to do is learn at least some basic SEO (the rest you can learn along the way through research and experience). For some basic tips anyone writing content for the web should know, read Tips on Writing for AC and the Web Part 1: SEO Tips.

The next thing you should learn is that writing for the web is not going to be the same as a school assignment and it's not going to be the same as writing for a newpaper, magazine, or other print publication. There are some smilarities, but there are notable differences that can affect your earnings and success. For more on that, read Tips on Writing for AC and the Web Part 2.

Those two reading selections rae geared toward a particular content site. However, many of the suggestions will ring true for other online writing venues as well.

Now that I've given you a little headstart on what you should know, here's a few great websites that will actually pay you to write articles for them:

Associated Content: TinyURL.com/JoinAC (my personal favorite)
Constant Content: TinyURL.com/JoinCC
Examiner: Examiner.com/refer (Please use Examiner #6183 as your referrer)

If you find you are having success selling your articles at these sites, you may also want to set up your own website with information on your skills, what type of services you offer, writing samples, and a way for clients to contact you with proposals.

Good luck! There are many sites like those above. Just do a google search for them.  Anyone with questions about online writing can feel free to contact us for advice. Your question and answer may be featured in an upcoming blog post or article (names an other personal info remains anonymous unless otherwise specified).

No matter what topic you are writing about, you should be able to come up with something in life that helps you relate to the situation. This could be something you experienced yourself, something you witnessed, or something someone else told you about.

For instance, say you are asked to write about a camera. Maybe you haven't used that particular camera and you need to base it off the thoughts and experiences of others. Don't just get the cold, hard facts. Insert situations and experiences as well.

At times, content may not call for first-person writing. However, that doesn't mean you can't indirectly refer to the action. In first person you might write "I laughed hysterically as Susie struggled just figuring out where the flash button was located." Indirectly, you might instead write "Some may struggle amongst the giggles of friends while feverishly looking for the flash button."

Why use personal experiences. Why not just tell readers the facts?

It's simple.

Readers want the facts, but at the same time, they are tired of hearing the same things over and over and over again. I know that rings true for myself. In fact, some fellow writers and I recently had a discussion about this very topic. When you just state the facts, you not only start sounding like every other article out there, but readers may not even move past the first few sentences.

Personal experience keeps the readers interested and it also puts a new perspective on the topic. How many articles out there can you read on "How to Groom Your Dog?" I mean, really, you wash, clip, and dry. But, an article with the title and subject matter of "Groom Your Poodle to Look Like Beyonce" would be a unique perspective. Not that I know how to do this. Obviously, that was an "out-there" suggestion, but you get the point.

Be unique and use personal experience.
Otherwise, your article is just another minnow at the bottom of the ocean.