My boyfriend showed me the online freelance market eLance.com, and I figured it couldn’t possibly hurt to sign up and post a profile. I spent a few days bidding on various projects, and now 5 days after signing up, I’ve been awarded my first job! I’m getting paid $80 to write eight brief articles… not bad for my first professional writing job! 3 months ago

Even though I’m studying for a career in science and robotics, my passion is writing, and it would be so incredibly validating to be paid for words that I put together.

I will consider this goal to be complete when I get paid any amount of money for any writing – whether that be a few bucks from a magazine or a book advance. 10 months ago

I’ve now been involved in 3 projects where I’ve been paid – a seed commission from the BBC as part of Writersroom10; the Future Cemetery project at Arnos Vale (reminds me, must invoice them for it!) and my current job, dramaturg/writer for a Princes Trust project at Bristol Old Vic (again, the invoicing.) Each one has happened fairly easily – by which I mean it’s a gradual progression along the path, things falling into place, rather than me having to go out and fight/struggle for it. Kind of the whole Do what you love and the money will come. Nice. 10 months ago

A writer friend just hired me to do a final edit on her novel. I felt a little guilty not just doing it as a friend (but I’ve read it twice already as a friend over the past 6 years) and she feels a little guilty about taking my time.

So this actually works for both of us and gives me something constructive to do during the holiday break.

. 17 months ago

Just got a little writing gig doing some articles and photos for a website called Constant Chatter:”www.constantchatter.com”

Arguably, it could be said that I am paid to write in my day job, since I read scripts, do research and write reports, but it’s not like creative writing. 17 months ago

I’ve had a few cheques come in. I figure I should have been more specific when setting this goal. I’ve had a few payments that are in the region of “expenses”, plus a £1000 seed commission from the BBC for which I have to write a play by December. But I think I mean I want to receive a payment for a play because it’s going to be produced, rather than a seed commission. So I could tick this goal off, but I’m not going to just yet. 1 year ago