Writing 4 Fun: The Help You Need To Make Money Out Of It
Isn’t writing 4 fun, well, fun? People pursue this passion not because they want to get rich out of it, but because they enjoy pouring their hearts and minds out on paper (or on a digital platform of sorts, given that these are modern times). At some point, though, we all start wondering. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could spend our lives writing and earn a living from it?
Everyone talks about how important it is to do what you love. As you can see here, enjoying your career is far more important than having a flashy title or earning loads and loads of money. Yet, there are a lot of writers out there who don’t know how to monetize their knowledge and instead go into different careers that can support their writing hobbies.
If we are to stick to the premise that doing what you love and making a living out of it is the goal of most human beings, then here is what you should know. People who love writing do have such an opportunity. They simply need to learn how to use it. YOU simply need to learn how to use it.
Get Off Your High Horse First, You’re Writing 4 Fun
Here is a harsh truth for you. You are not special. This might sound disheartening in the beginning. You’ll soon learn, though, that there is something quite liberating about it. For one thing, the impostor syndrome will disappear once you realize that you don’t have to be the best.
Writers, myself included, are used to thinking that they are special. They believe that their talent is bound to be discovered at one point or another without them having to even lift a finger. If you don’t grow above this type of vanity, then you are unlikely to start getting money for your content. There are a lot of writers out there and the industry has become extremely competitive. So, instead of waiting for things to happen, you need to make things happen. There is nothing wrong in believing in yourself and in your skills. Yet, you’ll have to get off your high horse if you want to earn a living while writing 4 fun.
What Writing 4 Fun Means
When it comes to the actual term “writing 4 fun”, we need to make one thing clear. This means different things to different people. Some enjoy writing articles and blog posts, while others are keen on, say, children’s books. When I was first starting out, I wrote practically everything and anything. I kid you not, there were even some horoscope predictions involved.
As time passed by, I realized I had to pick something I really enjoyed. So, I started frantically jumping from one thing to another, trying my luck out in various niches and categories. At one point, I figured out that there were a couple writing jobs that I would always enjoy doing – copywriting and web content writing. That’s what’s fun for me, but that might not be fun for you.
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Figure Out What It Means For You
You need to figure out exactly what you like writing and then start building your career from there. Even picking a specific niche could be helpful. That will help you start doing what you love, and establish you as an expert in a particular field. People value expertise and they are definitely ready to pay for it.
If you are still not sure what it is that you enjoy writing the most, don’t fret over it. This is a process and figuring out what you want might take a while. In the meantime, keep on trying out different things until you find the ones that really speak to you. Any experience will come in handy, so if you have to stick to writing horoscope predictions for the time being, or if you are a few years in and you’re still jumping from one thing to another, don’t worry. You’ll make your choice naturally at one point. Until that happens, you can take pride in the fact that you are improving your writing skills.
What Can Help You Make Money Out Of Writing 4 Fun
Making money out of writing 4 fun is not as easy as everyone might be telling you. The Internet is flooded with stories involving people who have made lots of money in no time by pursuing this career. I’m not arguing their stories and I am not saying that something like that cannot happen to you. I am simply saying that this is not something you should count on, especially if you are just now starting out and trying to find yourself in this hectic world.
Instead of waiting for a miracle, you need to work for it. You need to be ready to search for jobs, clients, platforms that can connect you to clients and, most importantly, you need to be patient. If you’re thinking of becoming famous in a day, then I hate to burst your bubble, but that’s not how things work in this world. Even though life will be easier when you start making a living out of something you love doing, you cannot expect any kind of success to come your way if you don’t work hard for it.
Join Freelance Platforms
As I have already hinted at, you need to search for writing jobs. And, you need to do that every single day. There are platforms, such as UpWork, that can get you started out. The main goal, however, is for you get clients outside all of those platforms. Yet, if you don’t start somewhere, you won’t be able to even find clients, which is why you shouldn’t shy away from UpWork and other platforms if you are a beginner. These can really kick-start your career.
Make Use Of LinkedIn
When trying to earn while writing, getting your name out there is of utmost importance. No, this does not mean that you should become Steven King famous, as that would be quite a big bite. What I am trying to say is that you should be present online across various different platforms. That way, clients can find you when they are looking for the type of content you can provide. If clients cannot find you, then they certainly won’t hire you.
LinkedIn is a network that will help you in your endeavor to get yourself noticed. Once again, you cannot expect people to start bombarding you with messages the moment you open your account. As everything else, this takes work as well. I view LinkedIn profiles as life-long works in progress that need to be improved on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter how many followers you’ll have when you first start out, because you’ll constantly work on making your profile better.
3. Run Your Own Blog (After All, You’re Writing 4 Fun)
For some reason, people have started giving bad rep to blogs. I get where they are coming from. Back in the day, when there were only a few bloggers per niche, making your blog stand out from the crowd was easy. That brought about a lot of earning opportunities. Things are a bit different today, as the Internet has become overcrowded with blogs.
That, however, does not mean that you won’t be able to make good use out of your own online space. You can use it to write the things you like writing, which will further lead to getting your name out there and to potential clients noticing you. In short, your blog can serve as your portfolio. And, of course, if you put a lot of effort into it, who knows what might happen in the future and who knows how well your blog will do with those Google algorithms. If it does well, you should brace yourself for a lot of earning opportunities.
4. Be Patient & Don’t Give Up Easily
If you are expecting to earn a living the moment you start writing 4 fun, there is a chance that you’ll get disappointed. Disappointment is bound to kick in soon after realizing that you aren’t doing as well as you thought you would. This could even take the fun out of your own writing process, and you’ll need to bring it back – because your goal is to have fun while writing and earn from such a process.
The worst thing you can do when you hit a few bumps in the road, and when things start going not the way you have planned them, is give up. I know that all of this can be difficult and I’ve been tempted to give up quite a few times myself. Yet, I’ve decided to stick with it instead, and it really did pay off. So, be patient and don’t give up after your first rejection or after you’ve gone months without any writing gigs. Look at it this way. If you keep on trying – you might succeed. If you give up – you’ll definitely fail.