You’re probably at home reading this. You’re finding ways how to make use of your time to maximize profits as a writer. Businesses are down and job seekers are struggling to find jobs as the indefinite period of our self-quarantine continues to suspend industries in their normal grind.

As writers, we are fortunate that our chosen vocation is flexible enough to allow us to either work in an office or anywhere we want to. Of course, the economic uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic brings has affected the publishing and writing industry as well. The good news is this only happens if you choose it to be so. With the power and sophistication of information technology, brands and services continue to make their presence felt. Browse through the Internet and you’ll see that companies continue to look for top gun writers for their content and writing services.

I am curious as to what other freelancers are doing to make the most out of their quarantined situation, and how they still manage to keep the money going in these trying times. Here are some of the ways that they use to keep earning.

They reach out to their connections.

Many writers claim to be introverted, yet they never disregard the power of networking as an indispensable tool for their careers. Connections help you with referrals and land gigs. When Connection A knows someone from a company looking for a content writer, he can refer and even vouch for you. I've heard of writers who land gigs by reaching out to their connections and inquiring about profitable side hustles.

They pitch the pandemic.

Everyone is attuned to the coronavirus. Some doomsayers are claiming that it’s the contemporary Black Death, but thankfully, we are exhausting all the means to keep it at bay. With that being said, the pandemic has become a source of ideas and generates tons of topic angles that the creative writer can tap into to pitch, sell, and profit from. News and social media are all abuzz about providing information and helpful tidbits about dealing with the virus.  Consider these articles:

The Coronavirus is a Disaster for Feminism (The Atlantic)

The Pandemic is Already Reshaping Tech’s Misinformation Crisis (TechCrunch)

Pandemics and the Shape of Human History (The New Yorker)

How the World Will Look After the Coronavirus Pandemic (Foreign Policy)

When, and How, Does the Coronavirus Pandemic End? (Bloomberg)

YouTube is teeming with videos about the coronavirus ranging from its origins to prevention. Other creatives like graphic artists are creating infographics about it. Depending on your niche, you can angle the pandemic on how it impacts your industry and what you can do about it. Any topic that will provide useful information is welcome.

They find that the media continues to search for COVID-19-related topics.

Mass media as a business will continue to publish whatever issue or concern is sweeping the vast majority. As a caveat, cashing in on topics related to the coronavirus saturates the market and the media can only disseminate so much. Moreover, they have to weed out the quality of articles about the topic. At the height of fake news proliferation, be ready to write your best and, when necessary, back up your article with credible sources and quotes.