5 Reasons To Keep On Writing

by Othercat

Your writing isn't making you money, isn't getting traffic and isn't winning any awards. Who cares? That doesn't mean you should give up! Here's 5 reasons why!

1. SOMEBODY cares about what you have to say

Whether your article gets 6 visits or 600, it's still getting visits. And who's to say that those 6 visits aren't important? One of my lowest ranking, least visited articles is the one article that's brought me the most success in the offline world.

I wrote about a little known medical illness that only gets like 6 searches a month. Because this subject was important to me, I made it one heck of an article. I'd even go so far as to say it's one of the best on it's subject. But being the best doesn't make up for the fact that there are only 6 searches a month.

Unless one of those 6 searches happens to be from a professor who's writing a book on that same subject and is looking for someone to co-author his book. Then, those 6 little searches matter. And since I wrote one of the best articles on that subject, who do you think he asked to help him with his book? That's right. Me. Come March 2012, I'll be a published author.

Now lets fast forward a few months. A well known television journalist is starting his own talk show and wants to do a show on the subject of my article. So he becomes one of those 6 searchers and lands on my article. A week later, his assistant is making plans to fly me to New York to tape the show. 

Yes, a few days later, the show got postponed indefinitely, but that didn't damper my mood. I still get to walk around knowing that Anderson Cooper thought my article was the best on the subject.

So don't focus on the 600 visits you aren't getting. Instead focus on how important those 6 visitors could be.

2. Whoever said writing was an instant money maker, lied

Whoever told you writing would bring you fast money, probably read all those books you see on the right.

Do you know how much I made during my first year of writing? One dollar. That's it. One smackeroo. And do you know how much I made in my second year of writing? $126.

Now granted, I was a very slow learner. I was new to the internet and had never heard of keywords, html, seo or affiliate marketing. These were all foreign languages to me. That's why during my third year, I learned everything I could. I soaked up information and wrote article after article. And do you know how much I made in this, my third year of writing?

Well, I no longer disclose my payouts, but I'll give you a hint. It's in the four figures.

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Writing online is a slow process. Even after you figure out that complex formula for how to attract Google and real people, you still have to write your article. Once you write an article, you have to wait for it to be indexed and you have to wait while it slowly builds traffic. You have to wait for it to rise in the ranks on the site you write for and you have to wait the "grace period" to get paid for anything you sell on that article. Basically, you just have to wait.

In my experience, the more articles you write, the more you get paid (unless you haven't figured out that complex formula). So while you're doing all that waiting I mentioned earlier, write more articles. Yes, it's going to take time, but after a while, the money will start coming in steadily. Your articles will even work while you aren't. 

So it takes a lot of work when you first start out, sometimes it may even seem like too much work. But with time, that work will pay off.

Show of hands!

Who started making money the instant you started writing online?
  Display results
Yes, there are a few people who started making money from their writing right away, but those people are few and far between. Just because some old couple in Podunk Alabama won the lottery, doesn't mean the next ticket you buy is going to be a winner.

3. Write because you like to write

If you're writing online and trying to make a living from it, I'm just going to assume you like to write. I mean, who would actively choose to work for themselves doing something they hated? So now we know you enjoy writing.

So do it. Forget about Google. Forget about your potential viewers. Forget about making money from it. Just write for yourself. Pick a subject you love to write about and start typing. Write about your dog. Write about your favorite meal. Write about that trip to Alaska where you caught that 32 inch (ahem! 22 inch) fish. Write about how great your life would be if you had x-ray vision. Just write about whatever makes you happy. When you write about something you love, that love is clearly reflected to your viewers.

I wrote an article about how my husband doesn't meet any of the qualities I always thought my future husband would possess. I wrote it in a way that makes fun of his antics and mishaps and exaggerates our differences. I smile every time I read it because I love that article! And so do my viewers. They can see my love for my husband in every single word I wrote and you know why? Because I wrote it for me. I didn't use any keywords. I've never back linked it. I've rarely ever advertised it. But Google sees what it's about and send traffic my way. That lens has made me money every month since I wrote it.

So go write something just for you. I bet you'll be surprised with the results!

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4. Write because your opinion is worth sharing

We all have opinions. We all have our own views and our own ways of thinking. Why not tell your side? It doesn't have to be about some huge controversial subject like abortion rights or who the next president should be. You can express your opinion about anything.

I wrote an entire article about why I think cats shouldn't be potty trained. I wrote another one about why I strongly believe you should never swallow your gum. And let's not forget my favorite. I wrote an article expressing my opinion that my neighbor's yard should be as trashy as he wants it! This article rarely gets visits, but each visit it gets serves a purpose. This article allows the local residents of my county to come somewhere and voice their own opinions on the subject. And when someone voices an opinion different from mine, I get to laugh at them. Because while they were able to write one tiny little paragraph, I was the one who wrote the whole article, so guess who's opinion is actually seen? Guess who's opinion actually matters? Mine. Muahahaha!

So follow my lead. Write an article about why you think Ketchup should be green. Write about your very strong opposition to the "no riding horses while drunk" law. Write why you think Batman would kick Spidermans butt. Get your opinions out there! 

Spiderman vs. Batman

Spiderman is soooo going down!
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Batman
dustytoes on 01/01/2012

Bats eat spiders, nuff said!

Janet Ford on 12/31/2011

Batman! Even though Spiderman is hotter than Batman, IMHO, John is right. Batman has the most toys and more people in his network. Like with writing, those with the bigger network often win!

Spiderman
katiem2 on 01/02/2012

I love spiderman. Spiders are our friends and should be more appreciated. Hea, maybe I'll write about that. Love your article. Katie

ethelsmith on 01/01/2012

Neither but as a click was required I thought I'd let the spiderman side get one post

5. Keep writing because you could be the exception

On the other website I write for, we're always getting told what works. We're always getting told what Google wants. We're always getting told what our viewers are looking for. The staff are the ones telling us all this, so most of the writers just follow along. But what if they're wrong?

I've been hearing since day one that "niche is better". Always go niche. Narrow your niche down as far as possible. Write about just one specific product. Well, it's a good thing I didn't listen because I wrote an article about 15 different types of chess (and included 5 different products for each of those types). I went as broad as I could possible go. Any broader and I would've had to name the article "Games". And guess what? This totally un-niche article is consistently among my top 5 and gets sales almost every day. 

I'm not going to lie. My article was probably just dumb luck. But that's the good thing about luck. Anybody can get it. So go out and defy the norm. Write articles the way you want to write them. Make your stamp on the web. Maybe you'll get lucky! Maybe you'll be the exception!

Oh! And one last thing! Niche is better.

More Writing Tips

This article offers advice for writers who are writing for money and looking for ways to increase sales. You'll be surprised what a little creative writing can do!
The next time you need a picture for an article, don't waste your money paying for one. Instead, check out one of these websites for free professional pictures.
Here's some HTML codes you can use to make your products look attractive on your articles. All of the HTML codes are explained in detail and each is available to copy and paste.
Updated: 01/21/2012, Othercat
 
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Comments

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AdrienneJenkins on 03/08/2012

Great encouragement. Keep writing about writing.

SharileeShares on 02/23/2012

This is wonderful! I love how you say to write first what you are interested in. That is a great perspective and it's neat to hear how it has actually paid off for you. I enjoy your writing style and want to read more!

john111 on 02/10/2012

Lovely article! You are oh so right! I haven't written that much, but have spent time over the past 2 years trying to understand SEO and back linking, etc. Yes, I have tried to use my knowledge to find keywords, find forums or articles I could back link to, but in the end, as you say, some of my best articles (and sometimes best paying) have been those created without a single thought about SEO or any of the other stuff we keep reading about.
Your advice to be free and JUST WRITE is good. It's wholesome, honest, and probably going to be most fruitful for those writers who don't immediately get in sinc with SEO. Try writing about what comes into your head naturally, without searching the net for a topic, looking at keywords to mold an article, etc. Hey, if it doesn't work, you can always go back to trying to figure out the quants. I vote this article up.

loopy-lou33 on 01/27/2012

So bloomin' true.

ManoloMongeloes on 01/12/2012

Thanks for the advice! I'll keep writing :)

MMcGrath on 01/11/2012

I love this advice. I've been getting so freaked out lately worrying about finding the right keywords that its taking the fun out of writing. I love to write. I'd love to make money at it but you're right, you've got to love what you write and enjoy writing it. Screw google keyword tool.

humma on 01/10/2012

I really enjoyed the flow in your writing. I am new here in Wizzley and I am getting more impressed. I am actually reading the articles and enjoying them.

jblack on 01/06/2012

Some real pearls of wisdom here! When I first started writing and publishing web content I was just motivated by the opportunity to share my ideas, thoughts, and opinions. Back then it was rather easy to make decent money doing it. Soon the income aspect began to crowd out the reasons I originally started. Now that Google decides what people can read with their fancy new algorithms, it is far more difficult to make money writing web content even for really talented writers. It is always good to think about the real reasons you started writing when low revenues start to get you down. Nice article!

katiem2 on 01/02/2012

Great inspiration, I like the way you think. I write about a topic near and dear to my heart. It's a passion of mine and one I love to write about so I do, I do it to encourage others. Love this article, Thanks Katie

PeggyHazelwood on 01/02/2012

Congratulations on your great success! Knowing you've done a good job is also a great perk, I think.


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