Hello Everyone, As mentioned in the title, I am trying to figure out if I should become a writer. This is what I have in mind: Basically I have my own business that consists of a variety blogs that cover subjects/topics that I personally have no interest in. For the last few years I have hired different freelance writers at different times to write content for any given blog. The very first blog I started was on a subject that I loved, and it's success went through the roof and I started out as the only writer. It was easy for me to write about the subject because as mentioned... I LOVED it. Today I am trying to figure out if I should learn to become a writer so I can write my own content for my own blogs and grow my business. These days I do not have the budget to pay someone to write for my blogs, and thus grow my business. The issue I have is that I've never been a writer, interested in reading, or grammar. However, working online for the last 10 years I can probably type 80wpm and know how and where to do the research needed to write about any subject... but I don't enjoy it. The opinion I need from you all is what you as a writer would suggest I do: a) "learn" to become a writer, if that is even possible. b) write about a subject that I love and am passionate about. c) do something that I haven't mentioned above. I have opened this up to the forum because I know there are writers on every level here, and I appreciate your opinions. Thanks for your time.
This is like someone asking if he should become a father. We can't answer that for you. If it makes you happy, then do it. If not, then don't.
I can't put it any better but as for learning to become a writer, you can improve grammar and spelling with practice. I'd also recommend writing about things you enjoy otherwise it takes the fun out of it.
My thoughts: It sounds like you're primarily interested in whether you'll make money doing this. Blogs and other "internet content" sites, especially those sites created by relatively small groups or individuals, rarely make much money. Yes, some make money, but most make little to nothing. The ones that make some money seem to usually be the ones that are written by people who have a consuming passion for their subject. The fact that your blogs don't have enough budget to hire writers suggest that they're not making a lot of money. If you write about subjects that don't interest you, there's no particular reason to expect that you will make any more money than you're making now, and that money isn't enough to hire a writer, so is it really enough to hire you to do something that you don't love doing? If you do write about a subject for which you have a consuming passion, unfortunately the odds _still_ are that you won't make much money, but, hey, you might have a lot of fun, and I think that the odds of financial success, while still small, are higher. So I would go with option b), but with the clear understanding that you are unlikely to make money. Write for the sheer love of it, or don't write. If you make a few dollars, that's a bonus. That's my view.
we all do crap jobs for a few bob - if you hate it that much, and it doesn't show in your writing, and people are still paying you for your blogs or whatever then why not? Maybe you'll learn to love it, as we do
[MENTION=16328]ChickenFreak[/MENTION]: I really appreciate you taking the time to give me that reply, it definitely gave me some food for thought. This thread for me is wasn't about whether or not I'll be successful or not because the simple fact is that my success online these last 10 years has come from me knowing how to make a site succeed. The issue is one of the largest pieces of my success has always been content. Only once did I personally do the writing for a site that succeeded, and that was because I loved the subject. I now have 14 blogs that I started a few years back with roughly 50-100 articles that I paid other freelance writers to do, and they did a good job at it. Since then I have liquidated most of the business(selling all of my large websites) so as to take an extended vacation until the day I decided to build it back up, today. So, for me this isn't about succeeding or not because I know I can do that... I just need the content. Based upon your response I am leaning towards focusing on a blog that is on a subject that I now love more than I can explain. Again, thanks for this response. [MENTION=52161]erebh[/MENTION]: I like that idea/mentality of eventually learning to love the subject, and that is why I would then be looking for help on how to write about something I have no interest in. All of the data can be researched since there is more documentation online than I could ever read, so it's just a matter of whether or not I should do this subject I find rather boring. At this point my options are basically: a) Start writing on a blog that I've done little work on, and most of the pieces needed for success aren't there... so basically I'd be starting from scratch but it's a topic I love. OR b) Start writing on a blog that has EVERYTHING in place, I just need to write a bunch of articles that are roughly 1,000 words in length, but I have no interest in the subject. This sucks... but thank you all for your opinions. Any other ideas out there?
If you don't enjoy writing, as you've stated, then no, don't go through the effort of it. Writing is an art form, and must be treated as such.
Writing can be an art form. It can also be a commodity. When I did freelance writing there was very little art form to it. Ironically, it paid better than fiction writing
Most art can be taught, so I am trying to figure out if I should learn to write on subjects I don't care about or if should talk about subjects I love.
I say yes! If you recognize good writing, as in the stuff you've chosen to post on your blog, you're only one step away from learning to write the pieces yourself.
How can you even consider writing something you are not passionate about? That answer is a no brainer.
Writing as a commodity is where all the crap comes from. If your priority is the money, it's a job, it isn't a craft. Just keep that in mind.
I have to agree with most of the thoughts here. It really comes down to you. If you can find a subject you are passionate about then write about it and let the writing take you where you need to go.
Thanks! It's a no brainer for a writer, but I don't have the experience to easily come to that conclusion... thus the reason I have asked you all. Thank you all SO MUCH for taking the time to respond.
Well, speaking from the experience of a writer whose passion came first and skill has since been acquired, I don't equate skill with passion.
