Is It Silly Not to Monetize Your Blog?
But every other blogger seems to do so!
In September last year, two months after I left my corporate job, I formed a group on Facebook. It’s called Budding Writers’ Corner. The following month, I started Creative Writing for Beginners, a blog on WordPress.
Like Facebook and WordPress, some of my family, friends, and colleagues assumed that I was selling something.
Facebook bombarded me daily with various ideas on promoting my group and boosting the visibility of my posts. These were interspersed with business concepts in growing and selling — whatever I am “selling” — and invitations to business webinars.
I’m not selling any merchandise
WordPress is not as aggressive in assuming that I am selling something on my blog. But it’s there, all right. Every now and then.
- How to monetize your WordPress site;
- how to build functional online stories;
- a how-to on asking followers for tips in an unobtrusive way;
- I haven’t really looked at this how-to guide.
Those who know me, meanwhile, are of the same mind. They were asking:
- Are you going to charge subscriber fees?
- Are you selling your books?
- Will you give master classes in writing (and charge the earth)?
My answer to all of the above is no. I’m not selling any merchandise. My blog is even ads-free. I want my visitors to have an unencumbered reading experience as I, myself, get annoyed with pop-ups.
To be clear: I have nothing against monetizing blog content. It’s a cool, fun way to earn. At some point, if I restructure my site, I may also opt to have ads or ask for tips in a low-key way.
But for the unforeseeable future, I just wanted to give back to the community of budding writers.
Was it madness to share all the things I learned from thirty years of writing and editing, without charge?
Not a big fish in a global pond
To be frank, I’m not some big fish in a global pond. I’m just a fortunate fish in a small pond. But from where I stand, I can confidently say that my decades of experience as a published writer and editor give me a modicum of credibility to convey some guidance to aspiring writers.
Note the key word there, aspiring.
By the way, I did not study journalism or creative writing in college. I became a writer because it is my calling. I learned along the way throughout my professional journey.
What I have learned is the basis of the practical tips that I write about and share in my blog and Facebook group.
Some practicable tips, which are published on Medium first, can also help those who are past the aspiring stage. Those articles are focused on writing prompts and ways to break free from creative downtime, and my suggestions therein are derived from my own experiences.
Discipline and constant work
If I am “selling” anything, it is the idea that writers are made. I wanted to dismantle the hare-brained belief that writers are born.
Even Stephen King believes that writers are made, not born.
“I think that writers are made, not born … Of course there has to be some talent involved, but what separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work and study; a constant process of honing… Discipline and constant work are the whetstones upon which the dull knife of talent is honed…”
So, there’s the wise advice from the very big fish in the global pond. Anyone can be a writer for as long as one is willing to work hard. Start from the basic — read, listen, observe, do practice writing initially.
Not madness nor a stale idea
Giving back to the community may sound as if it’s a stale idea, even a cliché, to some people. Others may deem this deed as phony, or worse, futile.
Not for me, though. I helped in my humble way a few budding writers in the past when I was a magazine and book editor, reach their potentials.
I was fortunate, in a small way, throughout my writing career, and I honestly feel that there’s a community of aspiring writers out there who can use even the very basic guidance that I am able to share.
When I am, again, thought of as mad in sharing what I learned and what I know for free, I will just think of this quote from Ernest Hemingway –
“Some writers are only born to help another writer write one sentence.”
For me, to be able to help another writer write even a sentence is a good enough inspiration.
Thank you for reading.
In case you’re curious about my books in print, my books and by-lines can be found on search engines (Josie Aventurado, J.A. Underhill, Josephine Underhill among other pen names I used.)
If you want to read more of my writings, you may check out the following articles:
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