I make between $400 and $600 a month writing on the Internet.

I spend between 8 and 10 hours a month writing-on-the-Internet-for-money.

Writing is my side hustle. I used to want to make it my main thing, but I hate sitting in front of a computer.

I would rather be outside digging ditches, erecting structures, fixing things, getting sweaty, and working with my body than sitting in front of a computer. My main job pays just as much, and it's more fun. I work for myself doing something almost anyone could do, but I do well because I collect 100% of the value I create for my customers.

The same job would pay just $12-$15/hr if I had to do it as a W2 employee. I do it for myself, so I collect a lot more, like tens times as much. In order for an employer to afford to pay you, you have to create ten times as much value as they actually pay you for. That's absolutely fucking insane, and I have no idea why so many people put up with it.

That's a tale for another day though. This one is about monetizing your writing skills, even if you barely have any writing skills.

I certainly don't mind the extra money that comes from sitting in front of a computer for 2 hours a week.

How and why I got into writing on the Internet...

I took an English degree from a state school here in the US. There wasn't much I could "do" with this degree.

After graduating, I took a really bad job working in management for one of the world's biggest, most diabolical corporations.

I thought I could write my way out of this mistake, so I started working on getting paid to write on the Internet. There are a few ways to pull this off, and I have some experience with just about all of them.

Writing on Steemit: Comes with its own set of unique problems. Also Steemit didn't exist when I got started. It's a new thing. If you're into it (I think it's neat!), stick with it. S'it could have legs. I've made a couple hundred bucks off of it already, and I arrived late.

Writing novels: Financial security makes this a lot easier. It takes a ton of mental energy and space and free time to put together a serviceable novel. Then there's the question of selling it. Who's going to buy it? How are you going to offer it to them? This isn't Field of Dreams. If you build it (or write it), there are no guarantees anyone will come (unless you write erotica... good erotica... and then sell it to someone who reads it and gets off to it).

Nobody, and I mean nobody, makes a living off of poetry or short stories. Hardly anyone makes a living writing novels. We'll talk about why this is here in a second. To make a long story, society enjoys torturing artists, and artists are masochistic little shits who don't know any better and can't help themselves.

Writing book reviews, music reviews, editorial, news, or otherwise functioning as a journalist: If you can generate enough traffic, someone might pay you to advertise on your site. You may be able to turn a buck using adsense or another ad network. It takes a lot of work, more luck, and, if you have it, mountainous piles of steaming hot cash. Have fun competing with all of those venture-funded sites trying to do the same thing you are.

All of the above are quite far removed from how I make my money writing online

The intent behind working in the above writing fields is "to entertain." I read poetry, short stories, and novels when I want to be entertained. There are other reasons, too. But the bottom line is entertainment. It's the same story with the work of journalists, with a side of information. Writing to inform and entertain has never been my strong suit.

I've never made much money doing it.

The market for that sort of thing seems saturated by people who are much, much smarter about it (richer, too) and more committed to it than I'll ever be. Your client is some subset of "the public," and the public is a fickle, ornery beast.

So... what do I write?

I used to write anything and everything for anyone who needed it.

That was a mistake.

They say write what you know. At first, I wrote about everything I thought I knew, and, in the process, ended up learning that I didn't know half as much as I thought I knew. How about that, eh? I started off on the wrong foot and ended up moving towards the right one. It took some time, and nothing about it was pleasant.

I tried writing for a defense contractor once, but I got so bummed out thinking about the savage implications of the military-industrial-complex that I couldn't finish the job. I tried writing about marketing, but all of the mind-control and clown fuckery in that industry turned me off. I turned the work I was doing as a freelancer into a job at a marketing agency. I didn't last very long there either.

All of the writing work I do now is attached to a marketing department, somehow, someway, whether in house or through an agency. Sometimes they need to persuade; sometimes they need to inform. The problem I solve is a simple one. They need written work. I provide written work. I do not attempt to take responsibility for results. That's for the strategists and HMFICs to worry about. I just deliver written work.

I avoid industries I don't like or find offensive for some reason. I focus on subjects I actually know something about. I write primarily to inform and/or persuade, not to entertain. I write how-to articles in the automotive space for major retailers and brands. I know cars, trucks, motorcycles, welders, generators, compressors, and tools like the back of my hand. So that's what I write about (and what I make the big bucks fixing out there in the weather day in, day out).

Solve problems, make money

My main gig revolves around solving problems. Someone has a machine that doesn't work. They need it fixed to go on with their lives. They call and pay dearly to have me solve that problem. I try to make my writing work as much like that as possible. It has to solve a problem. Otherwise people won't pay for it. In terms of worthwhile problems to solve, curing boredom falls pretty low on the list. That's why I write to persuade and/or inform rather than to entertain.

If your customers need to know how to replace their ball joints, I can help with that. If they need to know how to use a leak down tester, I can work with that. If they're stoned out of their minds and want something funny to pass the time, you need to call someone else. I'm just not that guy. Call your local comedy club and ask for the best they have. Don't call me. I'm not that funny.

Where do I find clients?

At this point they come to me. If someone needs automotive content, there's a decent chance they'll find me. Some of them are past clients. Some are references. Some of them find me somehow and send me inquiries. I only respond to people I think I can help. I have a vetting process. Anyone who seems too demanding or particular gets axed immediately. This isn't something I work hard to advertise.

I started out finding jobs on Odesk (now Upwork). Again, I wrote anything and everything until I settled into something of a groove focusing on automotive and other mechanical content.

In essence, I'm just another content writer. I focus on what I know though, which is automotive content.

How much do I charge?

I'm not into doing any and every job as cheaply as possible. I charge between $50 and $100 for 500-1000 word how-to articles that take less than an hour to write.

Writing tips

Use complete sentences. Subject + predicate. Starts with a capital letter, ends with a punctuation mark of some sort.
Don't use vague pronouns. That "it" refers to something, and you might as well refer to "it" as specifically as possible.
When in doubt, move the last sentence to the beginning and then edit or start over from there.

Last words

Don't get caught up in other peoples' bullshit. If it sounds like bullshit, it's probably because it's bullshit. Potential is just that: potential. The only person's potential that you have the power to do something about is yours. Don't get wrapped up in anyone else's.

Don't work with people who are "new" at the Internet. Work with people who know exactly what they need and trust you to deliver it to them. I'm 30-something-years-old; I've paid my dues. Anyone who tells you you have to pay your dues before you get to the cool (lucrative) shit probably thinks they're cooler than you are, and, if you think that's going to change over time, you're dreaming. Do yourself a favor and dream a better dream. Someone like that will always think they're cooler than you. Fuck them, don't write for them.

Writing is probably the most difficult thing you can do with your time. Getting good at it takes tons of time and practice, even if you start off with some talent to begin with. Even when you are good at writing, you'll still think you suck at writing. That's the nature of the beast. Other people will tell you that you suck at it, too.

The trick is to not let the bastards (that includes you) get you down, to keep trying until you figure out what works best for you. The world's a goddamn mess. Good luck writing and making a living out there, folks.

berksaustins