Four months and still nothing.

Craigslist, if you are in the US. But be skeptical because many offers can be low paying. I did see, just last month, a CL entry for a specific type of academic writer, paying between $85,000 and $100,000 per year. I didn't have the three top qualifications, but it was tempting...

I've actually heard worse things about Elance.

I mostly use our friend Google combining phrases like "writers/bloggers wanted" "paid" and my areas of expertise.

I bet that's not true. You must have hobbies, skills, interests... Think about it. Make a list. Are there non-profits or charitable organizations near you, that would welcome your skills? Volunteer for them to build up some clips and get some experience. Don't give up.

Oasiskid said:

I've been seeking out freelance writing jobs, using both personal connections and sites like Elance and Guru, but have come away empty-handed so far. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Maybe this is normal. Can anyone help?

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How many stories have you pitched in the last four months? I think pitching story ideas to editors is the best way to go.

Oasiskid said:

I don't have many areas of expertise. I don't have any skills. I only have a good grasp of language.

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Wow. Vague enough? If that's your bait for freelance writing gigs, no wonder you're not getting any nibbles.

Back in the day when I was an editor if I needed a 500-word story about NASCAR, I wouldn't go looking to my freelancer whose specialty was NASDAQ and the NAACP. If you don't have any areas of expertise, either you've lived an extremely sheltered life or you're not marketing your talents correctly.

If you don't have anything to offer but an excellent grasp of language, you're not a writer, though you could have a future as a copy editor rewriting the copy of writers, though somehow I don't think that's what you're going for.

Remember, too, that "experience" doesn't necessarily mean "employment experience." What hobbies do you have? There have to be some subjects you're more knowledgeable about than the average writer - use those areas of expertise to your advantage.

If all else fails, try doing a pro bono project for a local non-profit or small business you like. Then you can at least say, "I don't have experience in X industry, but I do have experience writing brochures/direct mail postcards/case studies/etc."

I attended a grand total of one semester of college. My work history consists of farm work, a brief stint at a factory, and waitressing. And yet, I have a reasonably successful freelance copywriting business, creating marketing materials and blogs for a range of industries I knew ZERO about before starting to write for them.

If you want to be a freelancer, you have to push past that self-doubt stage. You have to learn to think about your experiences in terms of how they're assets, not shortcomings. Otherwise you'll continue talking yourself right out of this business.

I think this is teh worst way for a freelancer to work. Even if you land a job, you'll probably be paid peanuts, and cost yourself, and other writers, money.

There are thousands of magazines out there that need freelance writers. This is the best way to build experience, and to be paid what the job is worth.

Oasiskid said:

There's a local newspaper I'm looking into. They already somewhat know me and my family. I figure it's a good place to start.

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Many years ago, I started writing a column for a free local newspaper. They didn't pay, but having clips enabled me to write for magazines that did. If you're starting out, volunteer opportunities can be a good way to go.

Oasiskid said:

I don't have many areas of expertise. I don't have any skills. I only have a good grasp of language.

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Found your problem.

If you don't have skills or an area of expertise, develop some. Or write pornographic self-serving fan fiction, that doesn't seem to need any skill.

Jeff

Oasiskid said:

I've been seeking out freelance writing jobs, using both personal connections and sites like Elance and Guru, but have come away empty-handed so far. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Maybe this is normal. Can anyone help?

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Based on my personal experience, I can give you an advice.
Always write a message personally to a client(It can be e-mail or private message). That way it's 50% higher chance of reply.
Do not just sign for a job with dozens of other applicants.

Oasiskid said:

I've spent time working for social change on behalf of disabled people such as myself and others. I was also a volunteer medic for over a year. I never graduated college but do have a Library Science (or LIST) certificate, which these days is pretty useless. I have no STEM skills and am not artistic unless fiction writing counts as 'art'.

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While you may feel like you don't have anything to offer, you just listed two subjects that are quite popular: social change and medicine (medic). That's experience many writers don't have. You do, so build on it.

Oasiskid said:

There's a local paper interested in me. I'm in the process of writing two tryout stories for them. I'm really hoping this could lead somewhere!

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Congrats, and good luck!

You get work by standing out and showing what value you provide. Find those things you can write with insight and authority and go for jobs in that area. Write sample pieces to pitch if you can't sell on query. Generic "I can write in English" jobs pay peanuts because people from impoverished nations will take the kind of pay that won't even keep the lights on in developed countries. You can't compete with that, you have to add value. A good place to start is local.

Are you trying to ghostwrite or get credits for your articles?

I make a living ghostwriting and have been completely self-employed for three years now. It's pretty easy to make money doing that, if you're just trying to make money. If you're trying to write under your own name, I don't have a lot of advice for that.

Sadly, it's the norm. When there are thousands of freelance writers out there, you're just a fish in a giant ocean. You need to stand out. Suggestion: offer your services for free, just until you build a decent-sized feedback rating. People will hire someone with lots of good feedback over freelancers with little to none.

Oasiskid said:

I've been seeking out freelance writing jobs, using both personal connections and sites like Elance and Guru, but have come away empty-handed so far. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. Maybe this is normal. Can anyone help?

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Oasiskid said:

I wouldn't mind ghostwriting but I can't make a career off of it. This would be in addition to my current job.

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I started (and still work) on Textbroker. You have to be a level-5 to make decent money, and it takes time to get regular clients, but it's a good way to get some experience with ghostwriting, and if you find your niche and can work fast, you can make a decent amount per hour. There are also terrible clients on there who post extremely complicated assignments that amount to pennies per hour, so it takes some time to figure out what works and what doesn't.

I also freelance for a LA web design company which is awesome. The work is regular, generally stress-free, and they are really nice people. I found them on here: http://jobs.problogger.net/

Very good luck on your try-out stories for the paper! Please keep us posted. I'm crossing my fingers for you.