Writing For Money

I recently began writing on a "How To" Website that allows members to write articles just about anything. I was a little skeptical at first but when I saw my first earnings of .04 cents I was hooked. Does that make me a professional writer now that I have earned money for my writing? My amateur writing status which consisted of writing papers for school and reports for work is a thing of the past. I have now earned almost $30.00 from writing articles about things I know best; my favorite recipes; and about being green (a long-time passion of mine that has finally become vogue).

I am going to be checking out some more freelance writing sites and will most likely be writing about them. I am also testing the waters as far as selling some of my photos.

Playing in the Stock Market

Until the day we can afford to return to investing in stocks, I will practice my skills on a virtual stock market site

http://vse.marketwatch.com/Game/News.aspx

It allows you to join in different groups with different criteria, such as starting amount, stock trade price, minimum and maximum trade values, and a set period of time.

The time period is determined by the individual that set up the group. Each group has a short description of what the trading practices are to be. For instance one group may be for day trading, another for buy and hold, and yet another be for just penny stocks and so on.

I, for one, prefer the ones that allow you to choose the method of investing you feel most comfortable with. This has allowed me to

1. Try out a few investing strategies that I have.
2. Play several different scenarios to determine which works best.
3. Keep knowledgeable about the stock market, while I wait to become actively involved again.
4. See what other people are doing.

It also has shown me that if you start with a million dollars, you can make a heck of a lot of money in the stock market. Who ever said you don't need money to make money must be wearing blinders.