4 Struggles Online Writers Have with Online Writing No Online Writers Write About

The Truth. In circles.

I’ll fess’ up.

I struggle.

Big time.

It is… not as simple as it seems when it comes to writing online.

Many aspiring online writers struggle with the craft. Same for me. It can be a God-forbid-freaking-tough walnut… only leopard seals can crack using clam-opening rocks.

Like writing clickable headlines. Like writing to keep attention throughout.

That said, we struggle with outside-the-craft, too.

Okay, okay, you sinister being.

I mean I struggle with outside-the-craft, too.

The World from the Inside

Many of us struggle with the craft. These include,

• Ideation,
• Writing without distraction,
• Writing fast without forgetting what the article is [actually] about,
• Writing and rewriting attractive headlines,
• Using a killer hook for the introduction,
• Throw a knock-out punch at the end,
• Sprinkle in captivating storylines.

We would, as I imagine, throw big money to the Big-Time online writers to show us how to solve these in-the-craft problems.

And why not? These problems are not easy, man. Even a select subset of them can be a motivational killer.

Let’s say you decide to part with some cash to upskill your writing.

You go all in and bet big on yourself.

Months passed.

You are ready to kill it online.

You have evolved to type 200 words per second, generate 30 ideas in a minute, and mastered the dark art of seducing your kitten to click on your headlines without putting on a tuna fish suit.

Question.

Are your worries as an online writer… over?

The Practicality of Writing Is Not in the Writing

Surprising? No. You know what I am referring to.

We rarely write because we want to. Replace the word write with work, and you get my point. Let me do it for you.

• We rarely write because we want to.
• We rarely work because we want to.

One word makes a heck of a difference.

The reason we struggle with writing has nothing to do with writing per se. I mean, yes, maybe a bit, but it is not what keeps us up at night.

It is about,

• Writing on topics we genuinely subscribe to,
• Finding an audience with shared values,
• Believing in the worth of our words,
• Preparing for the future we envision.

Here’s what I mean.

I Spent My 1st Year in the Deepest Darkest Depths of the Unspoken Writing Limbo

Are you writing articles on topics you are genuinely interested in?

Or… are you writing articles on topics you know are hot?

This was my mistake during my first year of writing online. In fact, I will say it is the biggest mistake I made.

I saw self-improvement as the genre because it was popular (and still is).

So, I attacked it. I pump out article after article on productivity, efficiency, how to eat better, shit 7 times a day, write 30 articles in a week, and all other crap.

Yes. Crap.

Why crap?

Because I don’t believe in the genre. I am never a fan of self-improvement. I jumped in for the readership and monetization potential.

I pitched my work to multiple publications. They rejected me. I got annoyed. I got motivated. I wrote more and submitted more. And when my work is published, I get… near-zero views.

Then, I blamed the readers, publications, and viewers who swiped left before I could say hello.

Now? I blame me. Yes, me.

It was a rat race I voluntarily jumped into.

Man. I am so stupid.

Eventually, I came to my senses.

The near-zero results were telling.

I got nowhere.

So, I hop off the self-improvement bus.

Note: I am not discouraging you from writing self-improvement content. Go for it, man.

Tip: Don’t make the same mistake as I did. Find a profitable niche you resonate with.

Next Tip: Pivot, change, evolve. Don’t give up.

Shared Values = Superglue

You don’t want attention. You want readers.

Readers are harder to come by. It is the truth. Everyone tells you they are reading. But what they do is simply scrolling and swiping.

Do you want them to stay with you throughout the article?

If yes — Forge a deep connection. How?

That answer, to me, is shared values.

This is the reason people bond. Think about all the FIRE advocates, Financial Independence choir mice, and Financial Freedom warriors around you.

These movements did not catch on by chance. Deep resonance is in play. Everyone wants to break free of the cubicle jail, slap their bosses, sip martinis by the beach, and not worry about money.

They come together and feed on each other’s energy and keep everyone else going.

Once again, how do we do that?

Shared values.

Believing in the Worth of Our Words

This one is easy.

Every online writer thinks their words can be exchanged for a million bucks. You think so. I think so.

Yeah, we believe we are providing incredible value to the marketplace.

That is a delusional value trap. Right there.

No. The worth of our words is not determined by us. It is determined by the online marketplace. I hate to say this, but this marketplace is brutal.

There are many competitors. And relatively fewer readers.

Do you want to yank their attention from Writer X’s article to yours?

Find a way.

(The previous section can help…)

Don’t write what you think others want to read. Write what your stats tell you others will read. The number(s) on your stats page is the closest proxy to the marketplace you are in.

Focus on it. Zoom in. Mine for gold. Your net worth, measured in words, is right under your nose.

Preparing for the Future We Envision

This is the funny thing.

I don’t see myself retiring as a freelancer selling writing or ghostwriting services. Not yet.

But for now, I am writing because I dream about writing Letter to Shareholders one day. Yes, no kidding. That is my ambition.

I want to be prepared for the day when,

• Investors anxiously wait for the release of my Letter,
• Journalists wait in line to interview me on why I wrote what I wrote,
• Colleagues around the world can read and understand where the business is heading.

Really. That’s it.

I will keep myself going until I get there.

You write for a reason, too. Never ever lose sight of it. It is your psychological anchor when writing income plummets.

Tip: Take every penny and dollar you earn as a reward for the long game.

Next Tip: Get better. Think about the various groups of people you will engage in the future. Are they online readers? Institutional Investors? Retail investors? Journalists? Imagine that you are writing to them. Keep going. One day, your wild imagination will become a reality.

The Close

There are 2 types of online writing struggles.

• With the craft struggles.
• Outside-the-craft struggles.

Money can help you resolve with the craft struggles. I mean it. There are many writing gurus and online courses that can solve writing better problems, assuming you put in the hours.

No one, absolutely no one, can help you resolve outside-the-craft struggles.

They relate to our ambitions, life goals, and where we want to be years from now. It is not easy to unlock this treasure chest.

But it is a worthwhile struggle.

Because once you do…

… Your writing and thinking will be elevated to the next level.

And.

You can finally get rid of the 4 things online writers struggle with online writing no online writers write about.

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