Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. ~ Stephen King
I’ve had a few people question why I chose writing. Why not create audiovisual content like others are doing and start earning money? I mean writing doesn’t pay much, does it? It should be easier to convince and convene people to learn content creation that will earn them good money.
Before I unpack my points let’s get two things straight. Firstly, it is erroneous to think that writers don’t make money. And secondly, writing is the root of all content.
Now I am not a fan of those ads/articles that ‘reveal’ how you can make millions from writing etcetera simply because I know a majority of them are false. The aim is usually to sell something to you or worse still, sell you as a product by collecting your data.
But don’t get me wrong people earn good money by writing. For instance, David Perell. But he will be the first to tell you the plain truth. You don’t become JK Rowling or Stephen King in a year or even 10. These bestselling authors were once like us, struggling to fill those blank pages and at times to pay the bills. The abraxas is that writing is a process. You just have to keep doing it by following the right path ie learning and implementing the strategies of those who succeeded before you. Then the millions MAY roll in. But even if you don’t earn big money you will still get the most important thing, fulfillment!
There are innumerable reasons why writing is important and most people want to write for bragging rights. Of course, I want to belong to that elite societal class but I chose writing because of 3 things;
1. I love reading good stories.
2. It is a craft that gets you reading, thinking, and of course, writing MORE! (all components of learning).
3. Ultimately every creation started with an idea that must be written and acted on. So if thinking is the father of creativity ie the means of conception then writing is the mother that births it ie the delivery path.
Writing is the mother of all media creations. There is practically nothing you can build or create without writing. Books, songs, movies etcetera. This is trite knowledge.
Before now I used to scoff at Instagram slay queens who are all about skimpy wear and dancing as content. But I realised that many still write to describe their intention. Be it modelling, marketing or whatever, they write at least a line or two. So writing is critical. It is the crucible. If thinking is the father of ALL media conception then writing is the mother through which it is delivered.
I hope I’m beginning to make sense. You can see that as a writer you already have the foundation to grow many branches. Your work can be converted into books, songs and movies.
As writers, we join communities and interact because we want to keep improving our craft. Yet as as members of a larger society we equally want to acquire knowledge and skills in other areas that will improve our productivity. Learning from those who are doing it and willing to share free knowledge is a huge plus.
Now even if we don’t set out to make money by writing we still want to earn some income from it. Money is the lifeblood of any society. It’s the sad truth but many make the mistake of prioritising the pursuit of money over value creation and end up disappointed or worse still, fall into greedy traps. But if you acquire essential skills, and create value/solutions the money will definitely pursue you.
From writing to e-learning to languages and even foreign education and scholarships. I write about all these all the time because I want to learn and enhance my productivity with people who have the same goal.
Through learning and networking, we can add better value to society and ultimately earn more. Now you can stack up these complementary skills and take a holistic approach to whatever you wish to create. Or you can niche down to the area that tickles your fancy the most. Either way, the ever-burgeoning creator economy is yours for the taking. You can brand and monetize your product and service after gaining the requisite experience.
In the nearest future, this community would have metamorphosed into an institute for knowledge acquisition that will be either free or at the most affordable for anyone who desires to be intellectually productive. And the great thing is that by being part of our community you would have a diverse network of digital creatives as your support system.
CAVEAT!!! There are no quick hacks. It’s a gradual process of trial and error. Learning and unlearning. Iteration and evolution. But believe me, it will be fulfilling and well worth it.
In the meantime, we keep pushing with our current project of writing a book in a year. Reach out via our contact form if you want to join us or collaborate.
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Thanks for reading.
