Don’t Write Solely For The Financial Benefits

The ultimate goal of writing is to add value to your life and the lives of others. To write is to create — and to create is to love. Therefore the right way to go about the writing journey is to always place the love for the craft above anything else.

Writers certainly can make money from their craft, but writing solely for financial rewards can eventually result in burnout. Writing is all about creating.

Genuine enjoyment and sharing are among the things that nourish creativity. Writers that are interested in the long haul must first ensure that they are doing it out of love.

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The sheer love of writing should always dwarf the desire to make money from it.

Many people write simply because they love it. They get a kick out of writing. They’re not into it just for the pecuniary benefits — and that’s the one thing that keeps them going every day.

I was chatting with a close friend of mine a fortnight ago. This guy for the past four years generated income wholly from blogging and freelancing. But recently he’s been unable to put anything down on the blank page.

And it’s not that he’s experiencing writer’s block, or that his creative well is depleted. It’s far worse than that. He has no enthusiasm anymore. And he couldn’t disentangle himself from feeling like he’s never written a single story in the past.

It helps a lot to be true to yourself and to anchor your writing journey on the right motivation — so that you can remain creative and committed to the craft.

Sometimes I earn money from writing, but I don’t write solely for financial reasons, rather I write when I write because I know it’s something I have to do. I love it. It gives me glee and helps me stretch my imagination. It places me on the path of learning and self-development.

Also, I feel good knowing that someone out there is looking forward to reading my story. And it doesn’t matter how many people read it. What matters is that my story is out there to impact someone’s life positively.

These are the things that fuel the desire to keep filling up those blank pages whenever I want to fill them up. It’s the feeling that keeps me on the path of creating and enriching my life and the lives of others.

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Define the kind of writer you are by understanding your values

We all tend to commit more to what we value.

If you’re a writer that enjoys helping people, then you’re on the right path. And in that case, you should always find tips and ways to help your readers — so that the time they’d spend reading your piece will always be meaningfully spent because of what you hand to them.

Your main writing goal is to always connect with your readers and impact their lives positively.

Writing is effing hard. Thus every writer deserves to make money from the craft. So it’s all right if you’re solely in the game for the money.

However, writing just for financial rewards could lead to writing without the right motivation which could derail your writing journey all of a sudden — and then exhaustion will unexpectedly crop up.

When this happens, you’ll begin to wonder what happened to your creative touch and enthusiasm because you just can’t write anymore. You become intimidated by the blank page.

This could be the case for any individual that allows the desire to make money through writing to overshadow the love they have for the craft because writing just for the desire to make money from writing can only keep you going to a certain extent.

Successful writers can go the distance because they love the craft.

Disengage and do something else when the enthusiasm isn’t there anymore. Forcing yourself to write when the words aren’t free-flowing results in writing badly — and that’d exacerbate the situation.

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.” — Stephen King

Stephen King in the quote above encapsulates the true meaning of being a writer. It’s all about using your talent to be a blessing to others and yourself — and to always find happiness in doing it.