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.

Setting Writer Goals for the New Year

I love January. Not because its cold and wintry here in Maine. Not because the mad rush of Christmas is past. I love January because it is new and fresh and the expanse of a new year lays before me. I love the feeling that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

As a writer that means setting new goals and striving to reach a new level with my career. If you are writer, and I assume you are if you are reading this post, its time for you to set new goals, too. Although I haven't set specific goals yet, I have created my checklist.

• My goals challenge me, but are reasonably attainable.

• My goals align with my personal and professional needs.

• My goals include check points, evaluation and room to adapt as necessary.

• My goals are written down in clear concise language.

• My goals contain short and long term expectations.

• I review my goals regularly to monitor my progress.

What Qualifies Me to Offer Advice?

You may be wondering who I am and what qualifies me to give you advice about writing online. If you were expecting to hear that I am a super writer who rakes in thousands of dollars in residual income from my writing each month--or that I have millions of page views and thousands of followers battling to be the first to read my writing--you will disappointed.

I'm not any of those things. I'm just a writer who writes for a living and has learned a few things along the way. Sure, I've received an award or two, and I've written a few articles that bring a steady stream of readers throughout the year, but that isn't what makes me qualified to offer you advice.

What qualifies me is that I am just like you. I know the path you travel, I know the questions you have and I know that the "successful ones" aren't always eager to share their real secrets with you. Their philosophy is that they had to work hard to learn the ropes and that you should too--or so they say. In truth, I think they are afraid that by sharing what they know, YOU just might become more successful than they are.

I'm not worried about you succeeding--in fact, I sincerely hope you do. I believe there are more than enough readers for all of us to succeed and enjoy a productive and fulfilling life as a writer.

That is exactly why I'm here--to share what I have learned, so you can concentrate on the important task of writing, instead of navigating the maze of online writing alone.

Looking Forward as a Writer

I know its a bit early to begin the talk of the New Years and setting writing goals. But, as I review my success and failures from the past year, my mind is focused on where I will go and what I will do in the coming year. I hope I have learned from my mistakes and grown as a writer over the course of the past year--but even more, I hope that I will grow and learn infinitely more in the upcoming year.

I've learned that writing isn't about stringing together words or finding those elusive high paying keywords. It isn't about my Google ranking. It isn't even about getting paid to do what I do best. Its more than that.

Writing is about finding the courage to announce to the world "I am here." Its about not worrying if the grammar Nazi locates my missing commas, or if the perennial expert who lurks in the shadows of cyberland would have said it differently or written a better introduction. Writing isn't about them. It's about me and its about you. It's about finding the courage to say, "Yes, this is who I am." and not worrying about who is better or worse at the craft.

With that in mind, I have set my first New Year's Resolution as a writer. I'll be honest. This is new for me. Typically, I follow where ever the wind may blow--seeking opportunities as they arise. But this year is different. I know where I want to go.

This year, I will seek out opportunities to write the things that are important to me. I will let go of the notion that to find success I must provide what others seek. I will embrace the knowledge that what I have to say is important--that is is valuable--and that there are others out there eager to hear what I have to say.

Won't you join me in my journey?