I have worked as a freelance writer off and on for almost seven years now. In that time, I've worked for a few different websites, some of which no longer exist.
One that has been steady and can always be counted on is Textbroker.com.
Here's the deal. You fill out the application form and send them a writing sample on a topic they choose. Within a few days, you will be emailed your rating, from 1-5 with 5 being the best.
You can then immediately begin choosing assignments, which generally have a 1 day turnaround time but occasionally longer. You submit your article and it either gets accepted or sent back for revision. You will be paid via Paypal on Friday if you request payment by Thursday evening.
Pros:
There is almost always work, I don't think in almost seven years I have ever wanted to write and not been able to find something on their site.
Pay is very reliable, I have never had a late or missed payment.
You don't have to commit to anything, if you need to work alot to pay bills you can, if you take a few months off, no big deal.
I've written many, many articles and most sail through and are accepted quickly with no revisions. I have had a few sent back for changes, but not many, and I've never had an article outright rejected.
Once you have shown your skills for awhile, it's easy to join/be picked for specialized teams that often pay (a bit) better.
Cons:
Pay is low. When I am concentrating and writing about a topic I know well, I can MAYBE make twelve dollars an hour. It's often been less.
Sometimes the available topics to write about are boring...you would not even believe how many product descriptions for power tools you can write in a row without your brain exploding.
There are clients who expect WAY too much for what they are willing to pay...if you want to pay 7.00 then don't expect people to jump at writing an article that requires 10 sources, 15 bullet points, doesn't use the word "is" and somehow manages to work in the article that pink unicorns might be real. (Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but sadly not as much as you might think!) However, you choose your own assignments so you can always just skip over anyone who seems to want too much for too little money.
Overall, I suggest checking Textbroker out if you want a little extra cash. It's pretty easy and can be fun, and offer a good deal of flexibility. I haven't been writing as much because I'm starting to do well with my Plexus business, but I still always think it's good to have extra eggs in the basket!
