Myths About Writer Success and Residual Income

A few days ago, I had an interesting discussion with a fellow writer. We were discussing the many ways online writers find to build residual income with revenue share from various writing sites or using adsense on personal blogs. It was then that she revealed to me that she "never clicks on ads" on people's blogs. 

Intrigued, I prodded her a bit to find out her reasoning. It turns out that she is suffering from the illusion that other writers were her competition and she has set them up as the enemy. She doesn't click on adsense ads because she is afraid the other writer will becomes successful with their blog and end up giving her too much competition.

It's a logical thought, really, but there are some holes in that type of logic. The first being that she assumes there are not enough readers to go around and that if one writer amasses a great following of readers, there will  be fewer readers for her. Unless both writers share the same writing niche, this simply isn't true. There are millions of readers out there.

So.. Now I Have a Plan

I've been thinking about my writing goals for the new year for the past few days. I told myself they really didn't need to be written until the "work week" began--which of course gave me a couple of extra days to mull things over. 


This morning I came up with a plan--or rather I should say, "my plan came to me". Yes. Just like that it came and I listened, after all I was getting a bit desperate for ideas. Somehow writing down, "I will update my blogs" didn't quite cut it as writing goals. Sure I have some personal goals such as the amount of money I want to make this year from my writing and the schedule I intend to keep, but I'm not quite ready to share those yet.


What I am about to share with you might not knock your socks off, but it rocked my world this morning.


It all started with a Kiss. That's right. A simple little kiss that reminded me that Kiss stands for something. I know, you are ahead of me already, but that's okay --I'm not letting those kinds of things rattle me any more.


You see, I've decided to Keep...It...Simple...Stupid. 

• When I have the choice between an easy task and a difficult task that will reap the same rewards, I will chose the easy task. Not because I am lazy and not because I am afraid of hard work, but because it makes sense. It's practical and it's the best use of my time.
• When I am tired, I will rest because a rested mind accomplishes more in less time.
• When I am frustrated, I will walk away and take a break from writing, if only for a few minutes.
• When work is done, I will write about those things I am passionate about whether they are paying jobs or not.
• When I am under pressure of deadlines, I will relax and remind myself that all things are easier when the mind is still.
• When doubts come, I will remember that the world unfolds just as it is intended to be.
• When the day is done, I will smile and know I have accomplished exactly what I need to accomplish today.

On Selling Advice

Lately, I've noticed that writing blogs are a dime a dozen with anyone who has access to a computer and the Internet declaring themselves online writing experts who are ready and willing to "sell" you their advice. Some, of course, are excellent sources of information and their products may be a great investment.

But I want to caution you today to take the time to research the writer before parting with your cash. There is something inherently wrong when a writer claims to be making thousands of dollars off residual income from adsense--yet they want to charge you for the secrets of their success. If adsense is so successful for them, and they raking in more money that they can handle, why do they need your cash for an ebook or secret lessons?

Things to consider before paying for advice.

• Writer's Reputation
•  Check the links to their work.
•  Do a Google search.
•  Assess their Success
• Make note of how long they have been writing online.
• Look at their number of articles.
• Determine what they are offering
• Do they provide specific details?
• Is the information readily available for free elsewhere?

There are many eager writers out there who want to take advantage of new writers, but who simply don't have the experience to back up their information.