The Sad Reality of Online Writing

It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and a willingness to adapt to the ever-changing landscape to succeed.

Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash

Competition is high for online writers, regardless they are writing on Medium or Substack. With hundreds of thousands of writers producing content daily, it is difficult to stand out and attract a significant readership. As a result, many writers may struggle and find it impossible to sustain a full-time online writing dream. I, for one, can never go solo. It would be suicidal to quit my day job.

Writing online can be a sad story of meagre income with constant stress cum hard work. Many writers who have chosen writing as a full-time job found themselves churning out content non-stop. However, the reality is that there are more writers writing for income than there are readers willing to pay to read the content.

Writers on platforms like Medium and Substack have become increasingly crowded, and the competition for readers' attention is high. The challenge of standing out in a sea of exceptional writers has become more significant, and the need for constant innovation and fresh ideas is essential. It is not enough to just write well; you must write better than your peers, produce more, and produce content that is valuable (and even free) to readers.

Moreover, writing regularly can be daunting, and losing focus and direction is a common problem. The fear of becoming irrelevant or not attracting enough readers can be overwhelming. There is a constant need to come up with fresh ideas and interesting and informative topics.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg; there are also online trolls and negative commenters that would seriously threaten your mental health. People who are jealous of your success or those who don’t want to accept their own failure can turn it around to provoke others like yourself for attention or a sense of acknowledgement of their importance. Online writers have to battle such characters from time to time, and it can be depressing when you are the target of such behaviour.

Unfortunately, the struggle of a writer doesn’t stop there. The pressure to make a decent income from writing online only adds to the anxiety. Writing to earn on platforms like Medium or Substack is a difficult task. The reward is low, and the competition is high. There is not enough honey to go around, and the payout is often too little for the effort put into the work.

I regard myself as a part-time leisure writer. As a leisure writer, I tell people I don’t write for money. I am only here to express my words for leisure and sort of to practice my writing. But the hard truth is, it isn’t because I don’t want to be a professional writer, but the reality that I am not ready to subject myself to such income volatility as a professional writer. Without a stable income, livelihood is at stake, and a hungry man cannot write on an empty stomach. Even if he can struggle to write one, he can’t keep burning on an empty flume. The man has got to eat and live decently.

The story that held me back from becoming full-time

John had always loved writing, and he dreamt of one day becoming a full-time writer. He worked a regular 9-5 job, but in his free time, he wrote articles, stories, and poems that he published online. He enjoyed the process of creating something new, and his passion for writing was contagious.

One day, John's articles started getting more views and shares than usual, and soon, his work got viral. John saw that as a recognition of his work and jumped at the chance to become a full-time writer. So he quit his job and devoted all his time to writing online. He spent hours every day researching, writing, and editing his work, hoping his efforts would pay off.

At first, things went well for John. His articles were receiving a lot of attention, and he started earning a decent income from his writing. However, as time passed, the platform competition increased, and the algorithm changed. John was left struggling to keep up. His articles no longer got enough views to sustain his income, and he was constantly late on bill payments. His dream of being a full-time writer gets swiped away in an instant. He tried his best to keep up with the changes but was fighting a losing battle. The payoff just wasn’t enough to sustain his new lifestyle.

John's family began to feel the strain of his reduced income. They had to cut back on expenses and could no longer afford to live the comfortable life they once had. John became increasingly stressed and depressed, knowing he had let his family down. Eventually, John had to go back to work.

John’s dream of becoming a full-time writer had turned into a nightmare. He had given up a stable job for a writing career that was not enough to sustain his family.

Takeaways

Many full-time writers work tirelessly for months or even years, and yet they struggle to make ends meet. The competition for readership is high, and the payout is limited. Writers must remain passionate about their craft, but they must also be realistic about their success. It is possible to make a decent living from writing online, but it requires a lot of hard work, dedication, and a willingness to adapt to the industry's ever-changing landscape.

Don’t quit your day job because your articles went viral. Work your job so you can continue to have the resource to pursue your passion.

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