Whether you have five minutes or five hours to spare, the passion to write can bring in extra income, whether you're a stay-at-home mum or a work-from-home parent.

"You don't have to be born a literary genius, or have a degree in English," says Mangla Sachdev, publisher of Writing4Money. "To become a successful writer, you just have to be able to jot down your thoughts and enjoy doing so. The rest of it can be learned."

Richard Chennells, 36, a parent of two toddlers, and a successful full-time freelance writer for several magazines, says the work has always appealed to him because it can be done in his own time. "Time became such a precious commodity in my life--I was always running to and from work and social obligations," he says. "I thought that if I just had a notebook, I could be watching the kids play and still earn an income, so my wife didn't have to work so hard."

Even setting aside just one hour per day to pursue a freelance writing career part-time can be highly profitable. Think about it: Writing one article or short story per week with an average sale of £100 can equal £5200 of extra income at the end of the year!

If you think you can't be a freelance writer in this economic climate, think again. A tough economy can actually benefit freelancers. As publishers are downsizing staff, the demand for good freelancers is at it's highest. Even businesses seek to save money by outsourcing work.

Writing a best-seller novel might not appeal to you or even interest you, but writing about parenting topics, humour, short stories, poetry or even copywriting can still earn you a substantial amount of money when you want it.

Here are some tips about making it in the freelance writing arena

Write about your passion. When you have a hobby you tend to know much more about that topic than most people, and writing about it becomes fun and exciting especially knowing that you can profit from your passion.

Read the magazine or newspaper you're trying to write for before writing a word. Most people have this great idea for an article and spend hours writing it all and perfecting it and then send it to a magazine they think would love it. But that just ends up being rejected.

Each publication has a distinctive style and only by reading them from a writer's perspective will you know that an article about the benefits of home schooling wouldn't be accepted by Cosmopolitan or even by Baby & You, because the latter magazine covers only newborns to the first year.

What do people comment on that you do better than anyone else or better than most people? Certain things like being able to throw a great children's party or if you've found a way to control the temper of a child at supermarket queues might not be given a second thought, but most parents will want to know how you do it. So, if you've found a way to make your life easier or have had a few comments on how well you do … (fill in the blank), that is something that would make a great article.

With the Internet, there is now a much bigger market for anything that you write. Have you ever wondered how magazines come up with an average of 20 articles each and every month? There are thousands of magazines in the UK alone and millions of online magazines all hungry for new articles, short stories, poetry and anything else that you want to write about. So whether it's greeting cards, screenplays, newspaper journalism, writing for TV, writing for children, poetry, short stories, articles, jokes or tips, there's someone willing to pay you for anything that interests you.

Focus on a niche. If your interests are cats, there are many publications as well as angles you can take that will increase the chances of publication and increase the amount you earn from each of your ideas. If you write about cats, don't just focus on cat or pet magazines. It might be tougher to get into unless you're an expert. But don't let that stop you. Also, you can't possibly write everything there is to know about a topic. You have to find an angle. As an example, how about a parent's magazine and an article like "How the Family Cat Can Help Teach Your Child About Responsibility." Get the idea?

Whether you're looking for a few extra hundreds a month or a week, freelance writing can help you.

And the child of a writer learns more than just reading and writing; that child is learning the importance of passionate work, too. My nephew already has his own keyboard, which he bangs at the computer table while I'm typing at my own. I can't wait to read his first short story.

For free information send an e-mail with your name and address to writing4money@e-mile.co.uk.

Mangla Sachdev

Writing4Money shows you the ropes in getting started, magazines and publishers looking for new writers and plenty of writing competitions to enter.