Online writing vs. print market writing

The printed page.

Aaaah, how I love it.

I wrote books as a child, penned poems as a teenager, and went to work at the local newspaper office as a young adult.

I left the newspaper office four and a half years ago, came home, fired up the Internet, and realized people were writing for websites and getting paid for it.

That wasn't something I was familiar with, but I investigated, emailed a few resumes, and waited. Nothing happened. I didn't pursue it because I was focusing on what I was familiar with, print writing. That was taking off for me.

From time to time I revisit the notion of getting paid to write online, and sometimes I even check the job openings. I have done that a lot the past few months, more so than I ever have before. I finally figured out where to look, I think.

Over the past few months I've probably applied to an average of a job a week online. I've gotten some bites, too, but nothing has worked out. I was accepted to write reviews of books (mainly instructional in nature), but it required a membership and purchase at a popular online bookseller. I didn't pursue the job. I was accepted to write a feature at a site that publishes pieces on interesting and unusual places, with the promise that I could write more if they liked it. I submitted something and my poor piece has been in review for two months now. I was accepted to write for a new national print and online publication, one that I really believed in. Two story ideas and two column ideas were quickly shot down. I decided not to pursue that either.

Not discouraged (much) I continue to peruse the online writing jobs available, but it is obvious what my focus should be: print writing.

Currently I have five clients; all but one contacted me with work proposals. Print work comes easier (for me anyway) and it pays so much better than what I've seen for some online work. Plus, newspapers smell so much better than the Internet.