How to write online the easy way (specially when you're just starting out)

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to writing online. If you are new to this game, there are guidelines you can follow to make it easy for you to start. A few are written below. But remember, use only those which apply to your situation and experience.

Why?

Because no one knows you better than your Self.

If someone's suggestion, tip or advice does not fit your situation or experience, you need not force it.

Online writing need not be hard - unless you make it so.

Though you need to possess the minimum requirements so you can pursue online writing as a career or income-generating option, no hurdle is big enough to make you stop as long as you know this is what you want to do.

Fortunately, the technical stuff - grammar, punctuation, comprehensibility, fluency - could all be easily learned by anyone. That's the easy part.

But the following requires some internal work.  Once you take the below suggestions and apply these to your online writing efforts, the rest will be easy and breezy.

Surprise! These tips could be used on your offline life as well.

1  Don't take yourself too seriously

No one's going to think you're a loser if you confuse your "it's" with "its." Online writers should know this distinction though, but don't beat yourself up if you have done this in the past.

Remember, don't ever once consider calling yourself a loser. If you do, what would stop others from doing the same?

And if someone thinks your a loser, who cares?!

No one's perfect.

The least  and best everyone of us is doing is working on the level where we currently are.

The important thing is that you're learning from your mistakes, owning up to it and doing what is necessary to correct these. And then, better yourself.  It helps if you accept your flaws and your best Self all at the same time.



2  Write with the intent to convey, not impress

Janine Driver, President of the Body Language Institute and an expert in detecting lies, says that "Truthful people convey, liars convince."

All you need to do is write with the intent to tell, to share as if you're describing something to a friend.

Tell it as how you would tell it. Not like how someone else would tell it but how you would tell it.

You could only do this if you are comfortable with yourself.

How can you be comfortable with yourself?

It's a process. A good start would be to see things from your perspective. Describe things as how you would see it - minus the cliches and opinions of others. Just see it from your own eyes. And write them down. Now see something from someone else's eyes and check out how they would see it. This helps balance your perspective.

Doing so helps you to NOT underestimate your readers. It also helps you avoid overselling  something to them.

Readers are smart enough to smell bullshit from a mile away.

Do not fool your readers to think you're better than them or think they're better than you. Though both could be true.

It really isn't about them or you.

It's about the content and information you're presenting. This is what you're trying to get through to them. Focus on that and less on yourself and you will see your anxieties dissolve on their own.


3   Start now

It doesn't matter whether you start big or small. The important thing is that you start.

You can write to hone your skills eventually learning as you go along. You could also write a few samples on your own before you feel confident to take on jobs or offer your services.

What I did was to do low-paying writing jobs first and then used the articles I made from these as samples to get higher paying writing jobs.

Initially I was getting paid low rates. But I needed the experience and the knowledge. I also didnt know about SEO then and could not understand how keywords worked. I just did the job I was told. Now that I know better, I am also paid better.



4  Build it and they will come

This is also a cliche' but its power still works.

Once you get the ball rolling, situations / circumstances / events that support your goals will come on its own accord.

You have to be patient though.

Thus it is important to like what you're doing; that what you're doing is something you want to do as this takes away the idea of "struggling," -  though the feeling might still be there. Your focus is on the process. You are enjoying the moment as it is.

Only then will you see your efforts - whether the outcome is favorable or not - as worth it.




As an online writer, you have to take all these into consideration yet at the same time have the self-assurance to write what you know and what you think your target audience wants / needs to know too. Essentially, you have to see your content from your eyes as well as theirs. Only then can you have the confidence to put your stuff out there.

Basic questions you need to ask yourself before you start to write online

So you think you can write online.

What made you think you can write online? 

Are you prepared to write online?

These are a few of the questions you need to ask now that you have made the decision - or probably mulling over the possibility - to write online.

First, is this what you really want to do?

Do you want to write online because you heard it’s lucrative to do so? 

Or maybe you’re thinking of earning a few bucks. 

Or maybe you have a lot of free time on your hands.

Whatever your reason is, know that online writing requires the following:

patience,

tons of research,

basic knowledge on grammar,

an ability to organize words enough to make a sensible sentence / paragraph / set of paragraphs,

awareness of your target reader’s perspective,

and the openness to learn from and make mistakes.

If you think or feel you do not meet all or some or most of the above criteria, relax. You can learn all of these along the way  ONLY if you’re willing to stick to it long enough to actually learn them.

So the next question you need to ask yourself now is,

“Is there something else I can do to earn money besides online writing?”

If your answer is yes. It is best that you go ahead and do that. Online writing, similar to other forms of writing, is demanding - time-wise.

You don't choose online writing, online writing chooses you. More appropriately, online writing needs to suit you - your lifestyle, your personality, your needs and your wants

Unless you have been doing it long enough to know how to balance your time, expect long hours of practicing and honing your skill by actually doing some writing.

If you could not think of doing anything else; if you really love to write and want to be good at it, then online writing is for you. If you are willing to do anything and everything to make yourself better, nothing anyone says - including me - could discourage you. If you are not easily discouraged, then you are ready to start.

What are your expectations?

What did you hear about writing online that made you decide to try it out?

Did you hear it will be easy?

Did you hear it will be a walk in the park?

Did you hear that money grows on trees?

Whatever your expectations are, it is best to leave them be and experience online writing yourself. Doing so keeps you from feeling frustrated. Plus, it helps you be open to all the good things writing online brings (and the bad things too but you will eventually learn to avoid these most of the time).

Know that online writing pays – at times a lot and at times none at all.

You could earn $25 for a 250-300 word article or $5 for a 500-word article.

Nothing is set in stone. As long as you’re willing to do the work, your earning potential is limitless.

What are you prepared to do?

Are you prepared to spend your time and energy to write online?

Are you prepared to sit for more than 4 hours on end to churn out online content (articles, blog posts, reviews, etc.)?

Are you prepared to sit all by your lonesome most days in front of the computer?

If you answer yes to all of these, continue reading. If your answer is no, stop right here.

Online writing requires persistence. 

Persistence becomes effortless if you like what you’re doing or at least want to be good at it for its own sake. Remember that your time is precious and so is your energy. Necessity therefore requires that you spend your time and energy in activities you want to do.  There will be frustrations along the road, this is normal in any endeavor both online or offline. But if you are intent to grow – financially and personally – through online writing, then you’re ready to start.