Earning Extra Income

After retiring and moving to Texas, Jo Gray purchased a computer in order to keep up with the children and grandchildren via email. Little did she realize how much she would be using it for other purposes...mainly earning money.

"I had worked as a feature writer at a a daily newspaper," she says. "But the small community in which I now live has only a weekly paper, and it is a family-operated business. The daily newspaper comes from a city 65 miles away. I contacted the editor of the paper, and inquired about doing correspondence work...covering news, features, brief items, etc. This was successful, and I now send everything, including digital photos, via my computer. Not only is the editor happy to have someone local when news breaks, the features have proven very popular with the readers."

When a recent jail break occurred, Jo was available to cover it, thus saving the expense of sending a reporter and photographer from the city.

"I find the extra income is great, and I am able to work at my own pace (most of the time). Newspaper experience is not always necessary when working as a correspondent. I suggest anyone interested in this type of writing to contact the nearest large-city newspaper."