7 Surprising Lessons from a Year of Online Writing
I always thought that the concept of “writing about writing” was a bit odd. It is quite popular on Medium though. There exist dozens of writers who only write about writing and how you can make money with writing.
However, after reaching my milestone of writing consistently for more than a year now (I started writing online on the 5th of October 2023), I decided to dip my toes in this niche. In the past year, I’ve learned a lot, and I want to share it in this piece.
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| Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash |
1.Learning by teaching
I think teaching is the best way to learn.
When you explain something to someone new to the topic, you have to start with the basics. This makes you think about what you might not know well. If you can’t explain something simply, it probably means you don’t understand it fully yet.
Writing articles is very similar to that.
Writing non-fiction articles means explaining a method or summarizing a concept to someone relatively new to the topic. Hence, you need to figure out how to explain it in simple terms.
2. Different lens
This was surprising to me.
After writing about two dozen articles, I noticed that my approach to reading and learning shifted. When I came across something new, I started asking myself, “Who else might find this interesting?” and “How can I turn this into a compelling article?”
This new way of thinking also helps with retaining information. By asking yourself these kinds of questions, you’re more likely to remember the topic better.
3. Cut the fluff
Don’t beat around the bush. In the world of non-fiction, no one wants to read long, fluffy articles without much information.
Clarity is king.
4. Marketing
Writing online is a lot about creativity, but it is also (at least a bit) about marketing. In the end, you want that your articles are being read. Therefore, you need to market them properly: use compelling headlines and share links across social platforms.
Publishing your best article ever won’t bring you readers on its own. You need to bring the article to your readers as well!
5. It shouldn’t be about the money
Making a living solely from writing would be great, but it is just unrealistic.
I’d compare it to the world of music: there are many talented musicians, but only a tiny fraction of them become professionals and only a tiny fraction of them become rock stars.
I write because I enjoy it and because I want to improve (learn new things and improve my writing skills). Having a little income on the side which is coming from my articles is great, but it is just a bonus.
6. Backlogs
When I first started writing, I aimed to stay consistent and publish twice a week. But there are days when I just don’t feel like writing. To stay on track, I keep a backlog of 2-3 finished articles that are ready to be published.
I also have an idea backlog where I store article ideas. This way, whenever I feel like writing, I can easily pick an interesting topic to work on.
7. (Lasting) Motivation
This is quite essential: writing online is not a sprint - it is a marathon. And for a marathon, you need long-term motivation, otherwise, the temptation to quit after the first 5 k is too big.
To me, the following rules ensure lasting motivation:
- Don’t over-commit: Not everyone can publish multiple articles per day. If you over-commit, chances are that your motivation quickly fades. As in other areas in life: keep realistic goals.
- Use backlogs (for articles and ideas) as described in the previous section.
- Avoid perfectionism: Perfectionism can be a motivation-killer. Keep in mind that “done is better than perfect” - this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t proofread or edit your articles. It means that you shouldn’t search 10+ minutes for the perfect word to finish your sentence.