This Is Going to Be My Year

I can feel it

Connect to Audience

In a previous article, I wrote about my struggles to write, but how I want to keep doing it. I’ve been thinking about that a lot, especially how my situation now compares to the past.

Last year, I wrote all through January, planning a blog. I had posts written, topics outlined, and promotions planned. I wrote. It was tough.

Once I discovered Medium, I migrated over to here. I still have to write and outline, and sometimes I even try to share my work on social media, but it’s so much simpler — and easier — to share my work with a lot of people here. Write, find an image, connect to audience. Done.

Also, I get paid.

A few years ago, I tried to make money writing ebooks. It worked, but it was time-consuming. I had to make a cover image, which I wasn’t great at, but if I hired someone, I risked taking a loss if the book didn’t sell. I had to write and edit and format, and then try to promote the books.

Well, books take a long time to write. Other people had the time to do five times as much writing as I could. And I wasn’t much of a businessperson. I’m really bad at getting people to buy stuff. (That’s why I’m a minimalist.)

After a few months where it always seemed like I wasn’t putting enough time in, and that I was slipping behind, I quit. But I learned something.

More successful, business-minded writers taught me that you can’t control how much money you make by writing. What you can control is your output. If you write a lot, and you plan your writing well, you can start making money.