by Alycia W. Morales      @AlyciaMorales

As Christian writers, our main goal is to share God’s love with those who read our words. Of course, it’s nice to get paid to share those words, and writing is as much a job as teaching, building, or counseling. Contracts can be elusive, and writing a full manuscript takes time, edits, and more time. So, how can we make money while we’re working on our manuscripts and hoping someone loves our writing enough to publish it?

Write Articles for Print and Web – The Christian Writers Market Guide is a great place to find out who in the publishing industry is looking for articles and more.

Write for Chicken Soup for the Soul – This is a popular option for authors. I know several people who have attended BRMCWC have had stories included in these books. For their recent list of topics and deadlines, click here.

Become a Copywriter – Copywriters write copy for advertising, helping companies interface with their consumers/clients. Edie has a great post about working as a copywriter (click here).

Become a Ghostwriter/Collaborative Writer – Ghostwriters write a book for someone else. Collaborative writers do the same, but they get a mention on the cover of the book. Bethany wrote a post about working as a collaborative writer (click here).

Blog and Monetize – I don’t recommend monetizing a blog if you are new to blogging. But if you’ve established a bit of an audience and would like to consider monetizing, check out Ruth Soukup’s How to Blog for Profit: Without Selling Your Soul.

Become a Freelance Editor – If you have a solid understanding of grammar and the craft of writing, you can earn a fairly good income as a freelance editor. I will be teaching a workshop on this at BRMCWC 2017. Feel free to join me to learn more!

Create an Online Course – Are you an expert at something? Do you love to share what you know with others? Can you do so via an online platform? Creating an online course may be an option for you. Of course, you’ll need to be tech savvy to work this option. It will also require an investment in time and money.

Tutor – Are you really great at grammar? Do you love helping kids learn about Language Arts? Tutoring may be a great way to set your own work hours and make some extra income.

Keep Your Day Job – If you can’t survive on a writing income – or you’re just getting started in the writing world – you may want to hang in there and find time to write early in the morning or before you go to bed at night. There’s no need to be the starving writer/artist. It’s better to work during the day and write during your free time until you start making money off those book contracts or your self-publishing business.

How else have you made money while working on your manuscript? We’d love to hear your ideas! [reminder]

Alycia W. Morales is an award-winning freelance editor and author. Her clients have won the Selah Award, BRMCWC Director’s Choice Award, and many others. Her writing has been published in Thriving Family magazine, Splickety Love, and several compilation books. She is a member of ACFW, the president of Cross n’ Pens critique group, and a BRMCWC Conference Assistant.

When she isn’t busy writing, editing, and reading, Alycia enjoys spending time with her husband and four children taking hikes in Upstate SC and NC, creating various crafts, coloring in adult coloring books, and watching TV.

Alycia blogs at The Write Editing and Life. Inspired. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.