Thoughts About Blogging For Money
August 11th 2007 22:08
Every time I read those articles that say you shouldn't quit your day job to blog, it makes me think. I've been reading about writing a lot lately.
So here goes. My thoughts:
Personally, this issue makes me wonder about my own future plans. I don't plan on ever having a more than part-time day job. I plan on turning 18, getting my adsense account, writing, blogging, submitting things to magazines, that sort of thing. I don't plan on going the full-time route.
The most important thing to me right now is getting through high school-with honors. I want the honor roll, because if I get honor roll every year, I get some big giant scholarship. And I really, really want to go to university.
I also want to move out on my eighteenth birthday.
How is this all compatible with my dreams of never working for anyone but myself? Truth is, it really shouldn't be. I should be a normal teenager, too caught up in day-to-day life and all its joys to bother with jobs and money and such. But when your family is always struggling to avoid the poverty line, guess what? You think about money. A lot.
I think one of the most important things to remember about writing for a living, and quitting your day job, is that writing takes time. You need to finish short stories and novels and articles, whatever, before you can get published. You need to get published before you can make money.
It takes time. The truth about blogging for money is that most bloggers who make a living off it started ages before they actually managed it. Blogging for money isn't an instant fortune. There is no such thing as an instant fortune except for winning the lottery. It just doesn't happen.
I wish it did.
Maybe it's the realities of money-earning that have got me here, blogging already. Maybe the reason I've started now-not even fourteen yet, but almost there-is because I know that by the time I'm 18 and I've got the adsense and the means to use it, I'll have a lot more people reading my writing. By then, I should be able to make a decent amount of money from it.
The count down is 2 weeks and 4 years... and then watch out, world!
So here goes. My thoughts:
Personally, this issue makes me wonder about my own future plans. I don't plan on ever having a more than part-time day job. I plan on turning 18, getting my adsense account, writing, blogging, submitting things to magazines, that sort of thing. I don't plan on going the full-time route.
The most important thing to me right now is getting through high school-with honors. I want the honor roll, because if I get honor roll every year, I get some big giant scholarship. And I really, really want to go to university.
I also want to move out on my eighteenth birthday.
How is this all compatible with my dreams of never working for anyone but myself? Truth is, it really shouldn't be. I should be a normal teenager, too caught up in day-to-day life and all its joys to bother with jobs and money and such. But when your family is always struggling to avoid the poverty line, guess what? You think about money. A lot.
I think one of the most important things to remember about writing for a living, and quitting your day job, is that writing takes time. You need to finish short stories and novels and articles, whatever, before you can get published. You need to get published before you can make money.
It takes time. The truth about blogging for money is that most bloggers who make a living off it started ages before they actually managed it. Blogging for money isn't an instant fortune. There is no such thing as an instant fortune except for winning the lottery. It just doesn't happen.
I wish it did.
Maybe it's the realities of money-earning that have got me here, blogging already. Maybe the reason I've started now-not even fourteen yet, but almost there-is because I know that by the time I'm 18 and I've got the adsense and the means to use it, I'll have a lot more people reading my writing. By then, I should be able to make a decent amount of money from it.
The count down is 2 weeks and 4 years... and then watch out, world!
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Comment by David
Blogging's a hobby horse for real writers. You can flog a dead horse as much as you like. It will never get you across the financial winning post.
If people were interested in my suggestions? I'd say focus on the non-hobby horse.
Comment by katyzzz
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You're obviously a girl with a lot of skills. Sorry about that poverty line. Your ideas will change as you make your way through life and University.
For now, you're doing fine.
The world is YOUR Oyster but you'll find you need to be flexible to survive, I'd try to slot in some work experience time, even if, at this stage you're not interested in a full time job, now, or in the future.
Life is GREAT, embrace it.
katyzzz
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
You are so focussed. I agreed with much of what you said, as well as reminding myself of a few things. Writing is not an instant object, it takes time, discipline, energy, zeal and much more.
True:
It takes time. The truth about blogging for money is that most bloggers who make a living off it started ages before they actually managed it. Blogging for money isn't an instant fortune.
Tracy
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
It's a bit stupid, really, because with that and a part time job, the word 'life' becomes virtually nonexistant.
Besides, where the heck did I ever say blogging was going to be my only source of money?
What I meant is that it will supplement the income. The income, the rest of it, will be from writing for various e-zines and such.
To me, blogging is just the way of publishing that is a paying thing in the long run, whereas publication for a paying magazine is instant gratification pay.
Besides, I'm... I completely forgot what I was going to say. Nevermind.
~Dianna
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
It's called 'part time' from the time I'm 15 until my eighteenth birthday. To save up and such.
~Dianna
Tracy...
Thanks for the encouragement!
I think that a person whose family struggles for money really needs to be focused from an early age. We can't depend on our parents forever, and even we have to, sometimes they're not able to properly provide for us.
I think that it's something that you get when you don't have the priviledge-when you do, you tend to think a lot less about money.
~Dianna
Comment by Louie
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You can't succeeed in any field unless you truly enjoy what you do. Whether it be blogging or whatever; if you look around at the people who have success in this life it is people who truly enjoy what they do. The reason for this is that it requires a heck of a lot of passion, persistence and determination to succeed. To go that extra mile that is success, you need to love whatever it is you do!!!!!
good luck
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Writing is my *life*.
No joke, if I wasn't writing, by this point I wouldn't have any life. At all. There have been times where it was all that kept me going.
I love writing. I have 2 binders solely for writing. I have two blogs here, this one and fictionalworlds.net, and I've written nearly two hundred and fifty poems, as well as four novels and a strange hybrid I finished today.
I don't think there's any doubt over weather I love my craft or not.
~Dianna
Comment by Benjamin
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Support ya.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
(Did I mention it is waaaaayyyyy too early in the morning?)
Trust me... I know the evils of hard work.
Although today, apparently, hard work is hiding from me and laughing. -.- I haven't been able to do much of anything.
Does reading about writing count for anything? Research? You know, that sort of thing...
'Cause if not, I'm doomed.
~Dianna
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Four unfinished novels mean anything to you? Sometimes I get this urge to work on one of them, but I've been writing two of them for over a year now... and they aren't going much of anywhere at this point.
Le sigh.
Thanks for all your support, though.
And, as an aside.... OH MY GOD, I'M ON THE TOP TWENTY!!!!!!!
*Cough* I'm done now...
~Dianna
Comment by Kitty Cat
I really wish it was easy to make a living writing, I guess it's something many of us are going to have to work on.
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
I wish it was easier, too. But I am now OFFICIALLY determined to get some good work done. I'm convinced that I'll be able to submit, probably in a couple of months. I've decided against going for an agent, as I'm eyeing a couple small publishers (which is, in my mind, easier and more direct; I'm a do-it-yourself kinda person)
Man, that comment was unexpected. I went 'wtf, isn't that a centuries old post?'