I don't remember much about article except it seemed to be about eating chocolate, taking walks and not doing much writing (it was supposed to be tongue in cheek). I don't think it turned out as successful as I had hoped.

Anyway, my point is this -- while I still eat lots of chocolate and take lots of walks, I've also been forced to wrestle with that particular nightmare many a time. And in those wrestling matches, I've learned a few moves that might help you in your own struggles.

First, I've come to view writer's block as a friend more than an enemy. Okay, maybe friend is too strong. An ally. (Okay, maybe he's a really mean ally, but an ally all same.)

Writer's block isn't about writing. Writer's block isn't telling you you can't write or you'll never write again or you'll never have another idea again. Writer's block is telling you something else is wrong, and you need to deal with that something before you can get down to business of writing.

Now, when I say writer's block, what I'm talking about is inability to write. You have no idea where to start, no idea where project is going, or maybe you have no ideas at all. That's true writer's block, not to be confused with writer's procrastination. Writer's procrastination is when you know what you want to be writing (or should be writing) yet you've somehow lost ability to sit in a chair and type. Oh, but you can still check e-mail. And surf Web. And lots of other tasks that have nothing to do with writing project you should be doing. But try and start that project -- you'll just fall right off that chair.

I've had more than my share of encounters with that particular fellow as well, and I'm planning to share tips on beating writer's procrastination in future issues. (Trust me, you need to beat writer's procrastination. He is enemy and he's evil.)

If some writers are making $60,000 a year, then Elance looks like a great opportunity for writers. Yet, a lot of talk is against Elance. People say that it’s unfair that they charge writers fees, that you won’t get paid what you’re worth, and that bidding process pushes value of services down. Is there truth in that?

To find out and to get an inside look at Elance, I found people earning good money on Elance and asked them a few questions. Here’s what they had to say.

Is there money to be made?

Ryan, Copywriter – “It’s a full-time income.”

I’ve made $40,000 this year through Elance. And I’ve made about same again from Elance clients referring me to others. If you’ve got ability, there is definitely money to be made.

Sally, Children’s Writer – “I’m making $1000 a month.”

I average about $1000 a month through Elance. There is more to be made, but I limit myself to about one project a week so I can concentrate on my novels.

Gerard, Freelance Writer – “I’m working my way up.”

At moment, I’m making about $500 a week. I started out making about that a month. But more I learn which projects are worth taking and how to win them, better I’m getting. My plan is to work my way up to $2000 a week.

Are fees worth it?

Raymond, Copywriter – “There’s a cost to doing business.”

If you’re working for yourself, then you’re a business. And starting any business is going to have some costs. As a writer, I can’t make a cent unless I can find clients. For $30 a month, Elance puts them all in front of me. That’s a worthwhile investment in my business.

Angela, Proofreader – “The cost of finding work.”

When I think of time it would take me to search for good clients, I think Elance is a bargain. To get volume of work I’m getting, I’m sure it would cost me far more than $30 a month. Elance does that job for me and consistently delivers quality clients.

Damien, Copywriter – “It’s a no-brainer.”

Yes, I pay a few fees. But I make around $50,000 a year. And process of completing jobs and getting paid for work is professional and simple. Of course, fees are worth it.

Are fees unfair?

Steve, Freelance Writer – “Higher fees, higher pay”

I was there in beginning when Elance was a free service where you didn’t have to pay to bid. I watched as all kinds of people started bidding and pushed quality way down. I watched bids slide to ridiculously low levels. I wasn’t happy when they decided to charge a subscription fee. But I stuck around and rode it out. Since then, quality of bidders has increased so much that you can bid for a project and get paid what it’s worth. Everyone there is professional and paying to be there, so there are no unprofessionals bidding $5 and ruining it for everyone. I may be paying $30 a month to bid, but amount I get for a project has increased by at least that much. The higher pay more than makes up for fee.

Racquel, Editor – “Quality Clients.”

I understand that what Elance did was a business decision. They knew that money was in attracting quality clients. But they couldn’t do that unless they first fixed quality of writers. The fee sorted out serious professionals from rest. Once they had quality writers, they worked on attracting quality clients. I’ve completed a few projects through free bidding sites and seen difference. So I think fee is actually a good thing.

Sean, Freelance Writer – “A team of people working for me.”

I don’t think of it as a fee to get work. I think of it as paying a whole team of people to bring me work. That’s basically what money provides me with. And I figure that’s a very small price to pay.

Is it a good place to find work?

Evan, Freelance Writer – “They attract right kind of clients.”