The Many Benefits of Writing Unsalaried Pieces

Every writer can affirm that the many unsalaried pieces they wrote before writing for the money have an enormous influence on their writing career. They were simply enjoying the process not knowing that writing will someday become their main source of income.

An acquaintance of mine in my former church wrote a lot for our Reverend back then. All he wanted to do was to write unsalaried pieces for the priest and to do it very well.

Unbeknownst to the writer, the more he completes a task for the Reverend, the more he instills the right habit that’s going to help him grow and become a sought-after freelancer. He laid the foundation of a successful freelance career and consolidated his relationship with the craft without having an inkling of what he was doing.

The elated priest seeing the gift in the guy began to tell people about the young man’s writing ability. As someone that’s well connected in town due to his revered profession, his influence and connections quickly turned an unsalaried writer into a reliable freelancer.

You Should Help a Friend Complete a Writing Task Whenever You Can.

It pays to write unsalaried pieces now and then because that’s how you connect to the real purpose of writing which is to write — to use the gift of words and ideas and create unique pieces without expecting some kind of gratifications in return.

A friend once approached me to help him with a writing task. I accepted it wholeheartedly not knowing he was going to get paid for the project. I got the task done and handed it over to him after working on it every evening for three days.

A few days later we ran into each other while we were both heading to the restaurant. And as we stroll along the walkway, he gleefully whispered to me that he received $85 for the unsalaried piece I helped him to complete.

My response was like, “really?” “That’s a lot, buddy.” “Are you serious?” “Yes, I’m serious.” He said with a quick smile.

Before we left the restaurant, he leaned closer to ask whether he should transfer part of the money to my account? I said no. Keep it. I’m happy you got paid, but there’s no need to split your earnings because I didn’t take up the task with the hope of earning from it…

Write Unsalaried Posts On Blogging Platforms.

I learned from my blog that having some interesting topics to write about, and believing that I can write them well is very different from writing the posts, sending them out, and seeing how people would feel about my work.

This was why I wrote for cents and nothing before I started making money writing. The unsalaried route was suitable for me because I needed to know what writing was all about. I couldn’t find answers to questions like, what would my writing voice taste like to the few readers that would come across my articles? And what kind of comment or feedback would I receive?

Out of sheer curiosity and interest, I went ahead to set up a blog while still in college. The blog lasted for one year and a few months before I took it down. But it fulfilled its purpose. I found the answers to my questions and learned so many things I didn’t know about writing online.

It matters not if I earn cents or nothing from my blog back then because I needed to figure so many things out. I had to know what writing feels like from a safe corner before going in for the deep dive…

Most importantly getting people to read my ramblings and receiving a few comments and feedback makes the experience very rewarding.

Go back to the basics if for any reason writing becomes difficult for you. Write only because you want to write. And if you’ve just started or are about to start, and need to gain confidence. Or find your suitable spot in the game, start by writing unsalaried. It’d help to get adequately prepared for the long game. Writing is a very long game.

It’s possible to earn good money writing, but this can only happen when you consistently align your effort with your purpose. And this is difficult to come by particularly when you lack focus and the requisite mental energy to keep going.

Writing Unsalaried Can Help Ameliorate The Effects of Unrealistic Expectations.

We all need the money. Wages have gone way too high in recent years. As a result, people are spending more time freelancing and creating projects to generate income.

But you need to understand that writing unsalaried is a sure way of laying the foundation of a successful writing career. That’s how you limit the impact of unrealistic expectations which has sent many writers to early retirement.

Expecting that you are going to earn a certain amount of money so you can pay the bills, clear some debts and maybe buy something nice can work against your writing if you fail to earn the amount you anticipated.

Disappointment and an inexplicable feeling of disinterest are most times a result of unrealistic expectations. Disinterest does more damage because it can stick around long enough to take the pen away from you.

But when you dedicate time to help people with their writing without expecting anything in return, you train your mind to approach writing without expectations. You sit. You write and finish tasks without being overly concerned about the outcome.

Conclusion

Helping someone to complete a writing task or writing an unsalaried post for a website isn’t a waste of time and effort because you’re spreading the seeds that would germinate and bear pleasant fruits for you in due time.

Also, writing unsalaried allows you to inculcate the right habit that would see you through in your writing career. Habit as we all know is what makes the difference in every writer’s career.

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” — Octavia Butler,

When your writing is grounded on the right habit which you imbibed while writing unsalaried, you see yourself gradually climbing the ladder of success each day — and effectively managing the different challenges you’d encounter far better than a writer that didn’t build his or her writing career on a strong foundation.

Maybe you don’t feel you can write anymore. You’re thinking of quitting. Or Probably you’ve lost your pen as a result of unrealistic expectations.

In any case, it’s about time you return to the basics of the craft which is to write because you want to write. Go ahead and create with no modicum of expectation. Do it unsalaried on different platforms or for the people around you. That’s how you become a creator that simply enjoys being an artist.

This story was previously published on Medium by the same author.