Free Writing Contest

The Writer's Chatroom Writing Contest!

NO ENTRY FEE! 1st - 3rd place Winners & Honorable Mention. Prizes to be awarded: $25.00 Cash, Publication in Writer's Chatroom Newsletter and on The Prompt Writer website, C. Hope Clark's book, "Just Hit Send," Christine R. Senter's book, "Written Promptly Everyday." subscription to "Total FundsforWriters," Critique of your story provided by Glenn Walker.

Theme: New Beginnings - 500 WC - Most Genres - Prompts Provided

For more details and guidelines go to: http://www.writerschatroom.com/forum/

Sponsored by: C. Hope Clark of, Funds For Writers, Fame: http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ Christine R. Senter, the Prompt Writer: http://www.thepromptwriter.com/
The Staff at Writerschatroom: http://writerschatroom.com/
Audrey Shaffer - http://audreyshaffer.com
Linda Hutchinson – http://www.lindajhutchinson.com
Renee' Barnes – http://trailerparkgazette.bravehost.com
Glenn Walker, founder of Writerschatroom: http://www.comicwidows.com

PRIZES:
1st place: $25.00 Cash, Publication in Writer's Chatroom Newsletter and on The Prompt Writer website, and 1 copy of C. Hope Clark's book, "Just Hit Send"
2nd place: A subscription to Total FundsforWriters and publication on The Prompt Writer website
3rd place: 1 copy of Christine R. Senter's book, "Written Promptly Everyday"
Honorable Mention: A critique of your story, provided by Glenn Walker, of Writer Circle fame.

All entries will be published in our forum at least for the duration of the contest.

GUIDELINES: NO ENTRY FEE!

Genres --All (with the exception of Poetry and R+ rated Language or Adult Content*)

Word Count --500 or under Theme --New Beginnings (must use one of 10 provided prompts**)

Entry Deadline --March 1st Announcement of Winners --No later than March 15th You must be a forum member to enter. There is no charge to join the forum. http://www.writerschatroom.com/forum/

Send submissions to "renee" through our forum PM system. Put your user-name in the subject-line. Do not include your name or any other identifiable information in the text of the submission. Forum members will vote through our forum PM system.

*We reserve the right to reject any offensive material without explaination.

**Prompts are provided by Christine R. Senter and have been posted at: http://writerschatroom.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=837#837

Visual Prompt #14

Visual Prompt #13

Visual Prompt #12

Legitimate Ways to Earn Online

As we sift through the thousands of websites that offer to earn us an unlimited income, we find that most are scams that only earn their originators any real money. However, for those who enjoy writing, earning online can become a reality.

For those who enjoy writing in the fiction genre, there are several e-zines that pay for your work. Sites such as WritersWrite.com and Duotrope’s Digest offer extensive lists of paying markets. These lists make it easy to search for your specific area of fiction, and keep their lists up-to-date.
*UPDATE* I've had three of my short stories published with a company called Triond.com, and they've got an interesting concept. Instead of paying you one time for your story, article, or poem, they pay you as your piece gains exposure. Each piece is given its own page, with specific ads on it. As others read your work, they can click on the ads and you receive a little of the income. This way, your work can earn you a steady income as long as people continue to read what you've had published. I haven't earned a lot of money from them yet, but I do see potential with this site. I will keep you posted with this one, but so far, it looks like a good idea.

For those who write non-fiction, the market is limited only by the writer’s abilities. If you’re proficient in article writing, check out AssociatedContent.com. This site pays between $3 and $10 per accepted article. Though this site will allow writers to write fictional pieces, there is no pay for this style.

Another great way to earn a little money is by blogging. Blogging is quickly becoming one of the best ways to earn a little extra money, though you probably won’t be quitting your day job very soon. Most blogging sites allow users to place their Google Adsense code into their blogs and earn from keyword-targeted ads. If your blogs have the right keywords within, your chances of earning more money increases.

Some blogging sites offer other ways to earn. Hubpages.com not only allows its users to place Google Adsense ads on their pages, but they can also place ads from Amazon.com and Ebay. A new blogging site on the map, BlogChex.com, places ads on each users page, then splits the profits with the users. This way, users don’t need to put in their own codes.

For those who have been blogging for some time and have several blogs posted and quite a few readers stopping by, there is the option of writing ads for certain companies through the use of such sites as Blogsvertise.com and Money4Blogs.com. These sites run a check on your blog to ensure that it meets their standards. Once your blog is approved, they send you tasks to write about. Basically, they give you a link to check out and you do a review of the site. You simply add a couple of links back to the site, and get paid.

There are, or course, hundreds of pay-per-click sites, paid e-mail sites, and paid survey sites, but most of these don’t pay much. They are evolving, however, and some are beginning to pay quicker than ever before. When dealing with sites such as these, always read the fine print.

Legitimate money-making opportunities are out there, if you know where to look and know that like any job, it takes real work. Keep in mind that with the above methods, you’re probably not going to end up being independently wealthy. You can, however, earn a comfortable living from the privacy of your own home and earn an unlimited wealth of information.

Technorati Claim

Every time I start a new blog, or update one that's been left hanging for awhile, I run over to Technorati and pop in my profile. This way, I can make sure that everything I've got on that site remains mine.

A list of writing ideas

1.) The Superhero in You
You've been chosen to become the latest superhero. Who are you going to be? Be original, and describe your strengths and weaknesses, your abilities, and your costume.

2.) Your Favorite Childhood Game
Describe your favorite game as a child.

3.) The Best Advise
What was the best piece of advise you've ever received.

4.) The Worst Pick-up Line
What is the worst line you've ever heard, or ever used.

5.) Erasing the Past
Describe something from your past that you wish you could delete from your memory.

6.) The First Time
Who was your first boyfriend/girlfriend

7.) Weak in the Knees
What is your biggest weakness

8.) Heroes
Who was your childhood hero? Was it someone from television or the movies, or was it an actual person?
(Check out entries to this prompt at Blogfeast.net.

9.) That Crazy Uncle
Who is or was your most embarrassing relative.

10.) Tuned In
What kind of music did you listen to growing up?

11.) What Were They Thinking?
What was the strangest gift you've ever received?

*NEW*
12.) If you could meet one person from history, who would it be and why.