Writing becomes harder with time and experience

As a beginner writer, there are certain expectations going in. But it is only after becoming seasoned that you understand what it takes to become a true writer. Often times the illusion that money rolls in shortly after publishing a well-written article holds precedence. That is just an illusion.

Money is earned over time with consistently good writing. In essence, it takes both quality and quantity to earn the kind of living many successful writers talk about. Don't be fooled with some claims that only 1 is needed.

Another unpopular aspect of writing is "The grind gets harder as you go deeper". Writing becomes harder as you venture deeper into it. It doesn't matter the topics under which you write competition is stiffer with experience. But the rewards are much sweeter.

The deeper you go the harder it gets

You may believe quite the opposite in writing. "Practice makes perfect" and it does when speaking about structure and format. Content, the main reason for writing, becomes the major source of many writers' hardship. A phenomenon called writer's block is how it is explained.

It's easy to see why and how writer's block sets in on even the most experienced or writers. If you have been writing daily for months and years, finding fresh content can definitely become problematic. Simply, most topics have been written about 2x over.

If you are going to write about the same topics, the problem now added, is to present these same ideas differently from other writers. Writers with the ability to repurpose almost worn-out topics are among the more skilled writers. Now the best is measured on the quality of the articles under the same topic.

If you are to create your own content then you have opened a new avenue for more content. Then more articles can flood the network, now quantity is added to the mix of things.

So you can see there is no way writing is just unidimensional. It takes both quantity and quality to become a successful writer.

Getting Published by big names

If you do not own your own blog, another hassle to add to the growing list of hardships is getting published. Naturally, to get to the biggest pools for your niche is to connect with and get published by the biggest publishers.

One very common platform with this orientation is Medium. Medium has its pre-subscribed pool of readers who gravitate to the niches that interest them. But the only way to tap into this major potential of readers is to gain recognition. And the best way to gain such recognition is to be published by the best names.

Now competition begins. Because the big names will not publish articles that are immature or poor in substance and character. They indirectly put writers against each other and the best man wins, forcing even the skilled and mature to up his game.

This isn't such as bad thing. Beginners have the opportunity to measure their writing with the best writers. And the very skilled ones are kept sharp by the fear of being knocked from the top spot.

Most writers suggest starting off publishing with small publishing services first. DO not allow this advice to prevent submissions to the biggest publishers you can find. While the odds maybe be in your favor, acceptance of at least 1 article is not impossible.

Sometimes getting curated is just overrated. Social media has shown its potential at getting traffic to my articles, on Medium, and on Vocal.

Keeping the audience interested

This takes the cake! Humans are unpredictable and it's a guessing game which way they will turn. The factors that influence this change are vast and it is impossible to predict which way to write. Because even your most loyal followers want to see change and growth in your works.

This may very well be the hardest part of writing with time and experience. Mature writers are quite stubborn in their ways of writing. When you have established a well-developed niche, a certain amount of comfort sets in and it's hard to venture outside of that zone.

This is the eventual fall of mature writers. New readers do not stay for long and some of the long-standing followers leave in search of new and refreshing content. This is no one else but the writer's fault.

Humans are a dynamic set of creatures. It is more important to seek out new interests and excitement is the simplest drug for most. It doesn't take much to keep followers interested. In fact 1 of the smartest ways is to use the skill of reviving worn-out topics.

Exactly then, new light is shed on already published stories, which brings new and younger followers. But keeping the core principles satisfies the veteran followers.

Writing for my own blog

Writing for a self-owned blog brings the same measure of hardship as time goes on. Developing articles to capture the attention and of new readers is far more difficult especially when all the articles are of the same format.

Most self-publishers resort to affiliate marketing and advertisement to bring in more traffic and earn money quicker. Eventually, more than 50% of the blog is filled with affiliate links. The initial intention to only provide quality articles with relevant information is now a thing of the past.

A start-up as such requires both writing and business skills to keep the business on track. The more time and money invested in it makes it even harder to walk away from. Many are eventually forced into other avenues. Writing can be rewarding, but with time there are more hurdles to cross.

Who shall I publish with?

There are many publishing platforms, each with pros and cons, to intrigue writers enough to pull their attention and skill. Coupled with the need to make extra cash there are 2 with great potential. Vocal media and Medium.

Medium is the platform for beginners and for the skilled. With an embedded pool of readers in a vast majority of topics, writers have the potential to build an audience easily. Readers and other writers the same of leave comments and feedback, along with claps are incentives for a job well done. After fulfilling the criteria for the Payed Partnership Program, even beginners can earn a few dollars every month.

Unfortunately, there are a few hurdles to cross before the good live rolls in. Competition is stiff in the larger publications. All for the reasons listed above. Self-publishing is always an option, but unless follower size is large most articles do not gain the popularity expected. The more famous writers earn the most money, solely because they get more read time.

On Vocal the roles are turned just a bit. My time here has sure thought me more about how to compete in the world of experienced writers. There is no established pool of writers, therefore most of the reads are from external sources. Hence a strong audience on social media sites, Quora, and Flipboard, all of which I use, is your lifeline.

Vocal holds their famous challenges, which attempt to level the playing field between the skilled and the amateur. Again the best article wins. The earns made here from reads only are lower, however, monetary incentives keep even the skilled interested.

I have been with vocal for just a few days shy of 1 month now. My personal This is how I have grown on Vocal.

On both platforms, no matter what the number of hurdles, the number of articles published, and time and brain cells invested keep writers going. Writing can get harder with time and experience but the deeper into it go the sweeter it gets.

Making money becomes sweeter

The grind may get harder as you go deeper but the rewards are much sweeter. It's no lie that well-seasoned writers make more money. It doesn't matter the popularity of the niche for which you write, once there is quality and quantity money is made.

It is no lie that many of us enter the world of freelance writing to earn more money on the side. Most persons want to quit the boring 9-5 job and do what they love. What they love may take time to build, during which time it is unlikely to make a living from it.

Hence the result is to get a side hustle to supplement while the writer builds popularity and recognition in the respective topics. It takes lots of work and commitment to get to the level you want. But the reward is sweet. Because more recognition gained means more money made. And that is the end goal.

Writing becomes harder with time and experience

There is hardship even as a skilled writer on self-owned blogs and on publishing platforms. There is an illusion that all the difficulties with disappear after 6-12 months into writing. That isn't always the case, nor are the difficulties similar to the ones faced as a newbie.

The major hurdle is diversifying content in a way that gains new followers but also retains the old ones. But other challenges, like getting published by major publishers, delivering on quality and quantity, maintaining a self-owned blog, or building followers on publishing platforms are all problems faced even by a skilled writer.

Despite these obstacles, writers continue full speed ahead clearing each hurdle to get the reward. What is this reward? To make a living on the most liberating hobby in the world "Writing".

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