Want to make money from your writing? It's surprisingly simple, once you make a decision. You're changing your status from an amateur to a pro, so let's see how you can do that.

Tip: I said that you need to make a decision, and that explicitly means a commitment. Can you commit? Great! That's all it takes.

1. Discover Who Makes Money Writing

There are many different kinds of writers. Novelists, screenwriters, commercial writers, online writers, copywriters...

For the next week or two, carry a small notebook with you, and find out who makes money from their writing, and how they do it. Talk to people. In the online world, many writers are surprisingly accessible via their blogs, and via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.

Visit bookstores, online forums, and read blogs. Sooner or later something will resonate with you, and you'll think: "I could do that!"

Many professional writers turned professional when they had this epiphany. They read something and realized that they could write that kind of material, with just a little training and determination.

2. Research Markets and Pay

Once you've found something you feel you could write, it's time to research who buys that kind of material, and how much they pay.

Again, ask professionals via blogs, and networking sites. It's unlikely that someone will tell you exactly how much he makes each year, but most professionals will tell you how much an average writer of ________ (whatever) makes a year, and how much income you should be making in your first year.

Now you know what you're writing, and roughly how much to expect in terms of payment. From now on, it's up to you.

3. Set Goals and Schedule Your Time

Everything takes longer while you're learning. Once you know how something works, it's a matter of practice.

Get into the habit now of setting goals. A goal is simply a destination. Goals can and should be reviewed, updated, and changed if necessary. Review your goals at least once a week.

In addition to yearly, monthly and weekly goals, you need daily goals. When you're writing part-time, schedule a block of time for writing, even if it's only half an hour. You don't need a lot of time. You'll be amazed that once you're writing, your time expands -- and you have more time to write than you thought.