I’ve never thought about earning a living from writing online.
I’ve always wondered about people who do. With the amount of time that people spend on the internet, I can believe that it’s entirely plausible to attract readers to your website. There’s an audience for everyone right?
Technology has made everything easier as well. With the various avenues of self-promotion and platforms that generate income for you, the idea of living off an income from online writing may be more attainable than we think.
Consistency is key. I’ve tried writing online consistently and failed every time. Except for a year in between, I’ve consistently had a full time job, where I work long hours. I know these are excuses and you can always make time if you want to. But, I suppose I never did because the monetary rewards of writing just didn’t make sense for me.
Writing takes a lot of focus and hard work. It’s not just about spewing out ideas on a page. Sure we can write about our experiences more easily but, if you’re actually looking to write something technical it takes a great deal of effort.
I moved away from my website and instead have started to write a weekly newsletter about the financial markets and stocks. That’s where my training and experience lie. But, even with the training and experience, I need to do a ton of research during the week. I need to make sure that the writing is simple and coherent. I need to make sure that the post isn’t so long that people stop reading them. Most importantly, I need to fact-check everything.
The newsletter is still free and I plan to keep it that way for a while. The purpose of my newsletter is to help people learn and I don’t want to force people to pay for this.
But, what I’ve figured out is… writing truly makes me happy. It’s the one “work-related” thing that I look forward to doing. I’ve been mulling over this idea for years. Writing something that creates value, not just fun stories that people like to read. And now, it’s easier than ever to reach a large audience.
Clearly, I have some decisions to make.
Looking through a frosty window... 