The Origins of RWJ

Writing My Way Here

Named one of “12 Female Poets to Watch” by Nylon Magazine in 2016, I’m Melissa Tripp, a Boston-born writer and entrepreneur best known for my poetry and prose which HelloGiggles described as “life rafts where we can all fit” in 2019. My work explores themes of empowerment through unashamed depths of vulnerability with transcendent poise, and has appeared on ABC7, NFL Network, and other outlets. I spent two years teaching myself the craft of screenwriting learning how to properly format and write scripts, and have since developed several screenplays with no formal training.

I founded Remote Writing Jobs to make high-quality remote work easier to find, to bring visibility to writerpreneurship, and to challenge the misconception that writing isn’t a serious or sustainable profession.

Why I’m Not Just Another Job Aggregator

My work doesn’t stop at connecting writers to external paid opportunities. I’m proud to share that RWJ is also a paying market where writers are fairly compensated for their work. To differentiate myself and earn real trust, I launched an in-house publication that invests in writers directly by commissioning thoughtful work that honors their ideas and labor. Through this vertical, I aim to deepen my platform’s impact, create meaningful opportunities, celebrate the art of writing, and elevate writers so their work can be seen, heard, and valued. Supporting writers is more than a promise. It’s an action.

Navigating the Deepest Loss and the Work That Endures

The passing of my mother has left me deflated. I miss my best friend and North Star. Since then, words have stopped coming. Beyond RWJ, the trajectory of my writing career feels uncertain. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to accurately articulate the weight of this grief. All I know is that “take all the time you need” is just something people say, not something I’ve felt I can actually do.

Remote Writing Jobs began as a way to give back to the writing community, but after the sudden and devastating loss of my mother in 2024, it became a personal lifeline. She was my biggest supporter and always encouraged me to keep this project going. Losing her broke my rhythm in every direction. I deleted the lucrative social media presence I’d built because maintaining it felt too heavy. This directory became not just a service for others, but a way to stay connected to something that still felt like purpose.

For anyone wondering why I charge for access, this is the labor you may not see. I’m a writer, too. A writer still trying to find my way back to the page. And yet every day I show up with thoughtful, deliberate effort, sorting through leads, trusting my instincts, and making judgment calls that take time and clarity. This is real labor. It runs on hours and on a standard I will not lower. That paywall, what some hesitate at or question, isn’t a gate. It’s a boundary. A promise to myself and to the writers I serve that this work holds value. I no longer feel shame in asking for support. I no longer shrink from the fact that RWJ has become my livelihood. There’s nothing else like it. Not this precise. Not this faithful. Not built by a writer still betting on the worth of our craft. I’m doing this as one of you, steadying the ground for others while my own still shakes.

If you’ve supported this work, thank you. You’re giving a fellow writer space to breathe, to grieve, and to keep showing up with integrity. This is more than job curation. It’s the scaffolding that holds me up, too.

Thank you for being part of something that means so much.

Melissa Tripp, Founder of RWJ