Hi Reader,
It's trite to say that not everyone succeeds in the online writing game. It also dramatically understates the reality, which is that the vast majority of writers struggle to earn an income or find an audience.
So, what sets the successful apart from the rest? What makes one writer's audience grow and flourish while another's withers?
In this newsletter, I'm going to talk about three of the characteristics I've noticed amongst writers who manage to make a living or gather an online audience (or both).
Let's go!
Writing as a discipline
Writing is like kung-fu, litigation, or baking. It's a discipline that takes a lifetime to develop. It can never be perfected. But it can be honed to a razor-sharp edge via constant practice and feedback and change.
I've been writing - professionally, academically, and recreationally - for over two decades. And while I had an innate knack for it as a child (compared to my classmates, anyway) my work and studies didn't let me rest on my laurels.
When I was in school, frequent essay assignments required that I learn to clearly express my ideas on paper. When I was practicing law, my job forced me to refine my argumentative and persuasive skills. When I switched to copy and content writing, my clients demanded that I write more naturally and with less formality. I had to learn to switch between styles and voices, depending on who I was writing for.
The point is that I've spent more than twenty years writing something substantive on most days. And, like many of the people who do this kind of thing for a living, I rely on that experience every day.
Writers who succeed in selling their words on the web or to paying clients don't simply jump into the fray with zero experience and start spinning small masterpieces from day one. Most, if not all, of us have practiced writing in some capacity for years.
Just as importantly, most of us also recognize that this kind of work requires that we continue to write and refine our abilities as we move forward. As with any other discipline, we find ourselves on a quickly moving treadmill where "standing still" is just a recipe for moving backwards.
Crafting a writing strategy
Contrary to what some of the course sellers and coaches would have you believe, there's no roadmap to building an online writing career. It's a total dog's breakfast out here, with freelancing platforms, social media, online and offline publications, and countless other outlets competing for our efforts.
You can try to make a go of it as a blogger on your own website or a platform like Medium. You can hawk your services as a copy or content writer on LinkedIn or on a freelance platform like Upwork. You can try to get a short story published offline or even shoot for a full-length novel at a major publisher.
The options are virtually endless. And that can be a blessing and a curse.
On the upside, you get to tailor your pursuits to your particular talents. Have a flair for sales and marketing? Try selling yourself as a freelance copywriter. Enjoy meaty narratives? Try fiction publications. More interested in current events? Shop some op-eds around.
The downside, though, is that you've got virtually zero guidance on how to actually move forward professionally. I often contrast this situation with the one I found myself in as an aspiring lawyer. Back then, the path was crystal clear. It wasn't easy by any means but it was straightforward:
- Get admitted to university, attend, and get good grades in my undergrad years
- Get admitted to law school, attend, and get good grades (again)
- Apply to articling jobs and secure an offer
- Perform well in my articles and be admitted to the Bar
- Be a lawyer.
Each step was well-defined. The avenue to reach my goal was easy to understand, with the criteria for success and failure clearly marked.
This is definitely not the case for online writing. In this pursuit, you quickly find yourself in a thick jungle of competing priorities, opportunities, and challenges. There are no defined routes to success and no definite signposts of failure.
And that means you'll need to create your own strategy for carving your own path through the endless brambles. Successful online writers maintain a realistic plan for how they're going to navigate this collection of loosely affiliated industries. They've always got their compass out, adjusting their direction as needed, but never losing sight of their ultimate goals.
Consistent effort and perseverance
Finally, successful online writers set themselves apart from the also-rans with consistent, persistent effort. 95% of online writers give up well before they ever had any realistic chance of making any headway anyway. The few who do well in this industry are all members of the group that stuck with it.
That's not to say that keeping your eye on the prize and grinding it out is the sole criteria of success. Plenty of people bang away at this writing thing for ages with very little to show for it. The harsh reality is that not everyone does well and rewards aren't always doled out solely on the basis of - and in proportion to - merit. Such is life.
But consistency and perseverance remain necessary - if not sufficient - preconditions of progress for online writers. If you want to do well, you'll need to work on your craft AND have a workable career plan AND persevere. The perseverance part is as important as every other ingredient. Which is to say that it's absolutely vital.
That's it, that's all
It's true that not everyone who works on their craft for a long period of time, develops a coherent strategy to succeed in the wilderness that is the contemporary Internet, and consistently applies their best efforts will ultimately succeed.
But it's also true that, of the writers who do succeed, almost all of them will have these three characteristics. In my view, they remain our best chance to grow an audience and earn a living in an unforgiving online writing industry.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
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