Writing is Hard For Two Reasons

Investing in the writing piece and the unknown results.

Unknown Results of Writing Piece

If, for instance, I knew every article would reach 10k views and 7k reads, my approach would probably be different — I can hear some say, just visualize and believe, act as though it already happened, yet it hasn’t and that ends up being a powerful truth even with an optimistic attitude.

Having confidence in the performance of an article is different than having confidence in the content within the writing piece. The writer could very well feel the piece was worthy and done well, even if it doesn’t do well according to their set performance standards when published.

Let’s say this, writers on all levels are generally dealing with the unknown when publishing a writing piece.

For those who are not assured a decent result because of status, position, and level in the industry (those who haven’t “paid their dues” maybe), the unknown can become a detriment to writing for any monetary gain or accolades.

If I make $20 a month from 20 pieces of writing, then I know each piece will earn me an average of $1 when crafting it. For this level, writing is more of a hobby, yet the effort to make money is there nonetheless. How will this affect the writer’s efforts overall?

My best-performing articles have made me around $200–$300, mostly on NewsBreak, but adding all my sources.

If I made $200 per piece, that would be $4k/month. Now we are making a living, making around $50k/year is decent.

Making $25 per piece would be $500/month, plus any residual income from past pieces; a good initial goal for most of us.

The more assurance we have of our ability to average a certain amount each month, the more our mindset adapts to the work needed to craft a quality writing piece.

If most of the articles bite the dust right after publishing and sharing, then it is hard to keep the hope alive in the devoted writer, yet the light still burns inside even with the winds of rejection blowing.

Even us lower-budget success stories have had some big hits along the way. Did we capture the momentum, market ourselves effectively, and produce enough content? No, not really, but I’m still trying.

One fine day, the grinding wheel of momentum will catch gears and grind its way to consistent results, if I believe and do the work needed.

Investing in the Writing Piece

Everything we write with our byline is something we have to be willing to defend and discuss. Notwithstanding the changing nature of learning and growing, even shifting cultures and societal norms, writers have to stand by their writing “voice.”

This is the other hard part of writing, investing in each piece, as part of your legacy of writing work. This is important to the writers who take their craft seriously; to make money and know the craft and as a way to express their message to an audience.

Consider how many writers have a body of work online and offline, but are no longer with us. Their work lives on after death; their investment is still influencing the living.

For instance, ideas for articles are constantly swimming in my mind, yet when I have the blank screen in front of me, it takes a while to think of one worth investing in. Many just sounded good in my head.

When the words hit the screen, ideas become published writing pieces worth investing in. Other ideas will have to wait until they make a better case for manifestation.

Summary

If we can have the right mindset and balance our expectations without repressing our potential, we can find motivation with any level of results. The standard, ideally, will move steadily upwards until the ultimate result is reached.

Other than coming to terms with the unknown results of writing pieces, writers need to be at peace with what they are investing in and how their writing pieces reflect their character and legacy.

Writing to God or the self in a journal is different than writing to an online or offline audience on various platforms. Most journal and diary entries aren’t supposed to reach an investment level.

How committed are we to investing in the writing piece and how do the unknown results affect the writer’s confidence and ability to write quality pieces?

Maybe considering this will bring insight into some of the possible underlying motivations or roadblocks to producing quality writing pieces consistently.

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