During high school and college, I made a bit o’ cash writing short stories and articles for Christian teen magazines. For a time I hoped to make a living as a creative writer, preferably a novelist, so trying to sell short pieces seemed like a good way to build my resume and gain some experience. Once I became a technical writer after college, I all but abandoned creative writing in favor of blogging. AndyBox.com allows me to write about whatever I want, publish it immediately, entertain you (I hope), and receive quick feedback when you comment.

Blogging only has one drawback, if you can even call it that, compared to selling pieces to magazines: it doesn’t pay jack! In fact, it actually costs a little money in hosting fees instead. Many websites generate small amounts of income by hosting online ads at the top, sides, and/or bottom of each page. However, I love you guys, and my site’s semi-clean look, too much to force ads upon you just to make a few pennies. I hate online advertising. AndyBox.com is now, and may it forever be, a cost center rather than a profit center. Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits.

However, I dug around on the old Interwebs and found that many freelance writers are making money by writing or editing online content. How? A fashion site hires a writer for a piece on spring fashions. An academic think-tank orders an ebook about the Japanese economy. A travel site hires an expert to blog weekly about green travel options. A quick search on Bing.com (my current go-to search engine) returns so many hits that I can’t begin to read them all.

I began to wonder: would it be possible, and worthwhile, to get back into the writing business? To put my writing degree to work once again? If so, how? I’m obviously interested in many topics, but which ones could I cover with any kind of authority? Should I set up a separate blog dedicated to a specific topic? These questions bubble in my head like Jenny’s potato soup in a Crock Pot, and they smell good.

Tell me, beloved readers, what types of websites are in your Favorites? Do you follow any actual blogs? What makes you enjoy your favorite sites enough to keep checking them? What keeps you coming back to AB.com?