You Can’t Be a Successful Writer If You Don’t Like Writing
Let’s be honest here
Why do you write? Is it because you heard people talk about how much they make from writing? Or you heard how you could create a passive income from it? We’ve all seen those types of content. We all know how it makes us enquire about how we can start.
I watched a video from Zulie Rane’s Youtube channel where she interviewed Michael Thompson, and in the entire conversation, the thing that stuck with me the most was: “People who don’t like writing quit in the long run” — I’m not sure it was in those exact words, but it’s a bit close.
I started to look inwards to see if I really liked writing, or I’m just doing it for the money. I asked myself questions about why I chose to start writing in the first place.
I started to think back to before I started writing, I would jump on any money-making idea, and when it stops bringing money or I face a roadblock, I’d move onto the next thing. But since I started writing, I’ve hit loads of roadblocks, and I’m still going — so that may be a sign that I enjoy this thing.
I’m not going to lie; writing is stressful. Forget those earn 6 figures in 6 months stories. If you think you’re going to do that as a new writer, you’re just joking. My advice for anyone starting is just to forget about the money and just write. Yes, you can freelance on the side, but still, there are thousands of instances where you would feel like giving up and moving to the next business model.
Ayodeji Awosika, who’s in Medium’s big-leagues, wrote for free for 2 years without making anything. When he started, there was no Medium Partner Program. He just got here and wrote. That only shows you the reality of things. In his Youtube channel, he spoke about how it takes 4–6years to scale your blog. It may seem like a little, but that’s 1460–2190 days. You have to enjoy what you do to be able to stick to something for that long.
There are some days where I’d write articles, and it wouldn’t do well. Or I would go weeks without getting any writing jobs. Then my thinking bouts would come up again. I would start questioning myself. But amid all the doubts, I know I can’t quit because what else would I do?
I’ve heard many stories about it being difficult at first and how it would get better with time, so I’m sure I won’t be an exception — I just have to stick with it because writing is my thing now.
There are lots of ways to make money online. So if what you seek is a money-making idea, you would keep finding them. But with every idea you find, you would see other ones with bigger promises. Your first instinct would be to jump on the new idea and forget what you’re currently doing before giving it a second thought. So you would keep running around in circles.
There are loads of profitable business models, and for anyone to scale, you have to go through the ring of fire before you start to see significant benefits. So if you keep moving from one thing to another, you would just be going from one struggle to another.
If I could go back to when I just finished high school in 2015, I would have told my 17-year-old self not to worry so much about money and start writing because writing is what suits me the most. I was focused on making money, so I jumped on any business model I saw. One time I bought and sold twitter accounts, another time, I sold clothes online, then did affiliate marketing, then in my first year in University, I sold clothes, shoes to other students., etc. But when I started writing, it just felt right. It was like the feeling of searching for the right song to shower with, then you get to the right one, and it matches the mood; then, you put it on repeat.
When I got my first pay, I knew I was going to write forever. In high school, I was average at other subjects, but somehow, I always did better when writing essays and articles. I’m 21 now (22 in November), and I’m glad I found writing when I did because I feel I had to go through that phase to understand what worked best for me.
I may not have achieved much as a writer, so you might not label me as successful(yet), but to me, I’m successful because I’ve found what I’d do for the rest of my life. So it’s just a matter of time.
Final Note
Nobody knows us better than we know ourselves. We know what feels right to us. We know what we find comfortable doing. So if writing is your thing and you like doing it, nobody would remind you to write, it would come naturally. And that’s a significant indicator of a successful writer. But whatever you choose to do, you have to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons and stick to it.
Thank you for Reading
