If writers want to make a living at freelance writing, they need to find markets for their work. One of the best things about technology is that it has made it easier than ever for writers to find buyers for their work, and online places where they can even be paid to show off their writing skills and abilities.

Many of these markets are online, which means an 18 year old high school senior, a college student looking for extra money on the side, or disabled individuals who need to find a way to get by all have the ability to make a living with an Internet connection.

The following are five places where writers can write for income and get exposure. One of the bonuses of these five sites: all of them are free for the writer.

#1 Squidoo. Squidoo allows users to design one page websites on whatever interests them and get paid on a tiered system. Affiliate sales are also an option, as you can sell related products and get a cut. Squidoo doesn't pay a lot, although some of the top earners do make over a thousand a month here.

This is a good way, though, to learn about Internet Marketing, something all online writers should learn to improve their value and if you want the really big bucks, you need to understand this kind of stuff.

#2 eHow. I've only recently joined here, but I like the potential and other writers I trust have made good income here, especially passive income. eHow is designed to write a tips based article that tells how to do something step by step. The format makes it easy to write a well organized and good article in a relatively short time.

Pay is a combination of page views, score, and "usefulness." The writers get paid monthly, so an article that you write today can still be making you money over a year from now. This is a great place for new writers to get started, with a very friendly community.

#3 oDesk. This website is similar to Guru and Elance, but is free. There are many jobs on here you can bid on, and some of them pay all right. One downside is that the pay does tend to be lower, and the variety of decent paying jobs here isn't nearly as high as on Guru or Elance, but it is free to sign up and skim through listings.

#4 Triond. Triond and Helium aren't as good as the other sites on this list, but some writers have done well here. Triond puts ads on your article, and you get a share of the revenue whenever someone clicks on an ad. Some writers have done very well here, while others have had a harder time of it. It's not a bad place to "recycle" articles that you have sold and re-sold at other places before.

#5 Helium. Helium's best value comes from the Marketplace and contest section if you can make much progress in either. Some writers love this site, others hate it. The pay can be very low, and the payment situation is unclear. While some writers have done well, and you'll hear a lot of people market this site, my general thought is that it doesn't pay nearly enough and if you're good enough to make serious money here, then you should be making a full time living writing for someone else.

I hope this list helps you get started in the rewarding work at home career of freelance writing.