Here are the 10 biggest lessons I learned from them

Let me first start by saying that I’m not a writer.

I never aimed to make money writing. I don’t enjoy things most writers do, like writing books and figuring out the best possible words to use in a sentence. I don’t like editing or even outlining what I’m going to write.

Yet, I’ve made a good amount of money writing online. All that while juggling two startups full-time.

I’m saying that for one of two reasons:

If you want to be a writer, well, you should be able to do better than I’m doing; or,
If you’re not a writer but like the idea of having a side income, it’s entirely possible.

At the bottom of this article, I’ll link to some stories that made me over $1,000. You can use it to inspire you. Note, however, that I’ve never found a pattern that guarantees success for articles.

The following 10 lessons will surely help, though.

Lesson #1: It Doesn’t Happen Overnight

I wrote over 300 articles before I started making real money online. The most I had made in a month after 10 months of writing was $263.96.

For most writers I know, they wrote consistently for at least a year before making serious money. I’m talking sinking hundreds of hours of “free” work before seeing any payoff. Most people give up way before that.

Lesson #2: You Don’t Have to Be a Writer

As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a writer. English isn’t even my first language. I started writing daily back in January 2018 only to get better at written English. A lot of the top writers I know also aren’t native English speakers. In addition, most of them come from a completely different background.

So, don’t let the fact that you’re “technically” not a writer stop you from succeeding.

Lesson #3: Consistency Isn’t Overrated

Everyone tells you to write at least once a week to succeed. This is not an exaggeration. I’d say three times a week is better. You’re competing with writers who put out content daily, so there’s no way you’ll get noticed if you’re not actively writing. A lot of my early success came from writing once a day.

Lesson #4: Writing From Experience Always Works Best

All of my best articles have always been about things I’ve experienced. People want authenticity when reading online and nothing beats a story you’ve lived.

If you haven’t experienced much yet, go out there and do stuff. Get out of your comfort zone and write about it.

Lesson #5: You Don’t Need a Writing Plan

When people approach me about writing on Medium or their blog, they have a ton of content laid out and wait for it to be ready. Well, I never know what I’m going to write about until I start writing. I’ve never had writer’s block because I don’t overthink it. Stop trying to convince yourself you need a plan first.

Lesson #6: Don’t Take It Too Seriously

There are many writers and groups out there telling you the secrets to making money. They tell you about formatting, using tools and hacks, etc. They tell you about “curation,” Medium publications, and more. They obsess over stats and are disappointed when things don’t go their way.

I stopped caring about all that about four months ago and my revenues have at least remained steady. I don’t look at my stats anymore. I don’t know if my articles are curated or not. I don’t know which of my articles performed well and which ones tanked. And I love it!

When things go great, you expect everything to go great, but it sometimes doesn’t. Then you’re disappointed in yourself and in Medium. When you let go, you’re always happy with the work you produce.

Lesson #7: You Need to Enjoy It and Have Fun

If you don’t already like writing, chances are you’re not going to start to like it. I don’t write for money. I write because I like it. If you don’t like it, you won’t be able to do it consistently and will take it too seriously — two pitfalls mentioned above.

So, try it for a month, and if you don’t enjoy it, don’t force it. Readers will notice.

Lesson #8: You’ll Know Your Niche Only After Writing Some Articles

When I started writing, I had no idea what my niche would be. I wrote on diverse topics and saw what stuck. At one point, I had become a top writer in 23 categories. From there, I chose the top five to six topics I preferred writing about. Don’t overthink your niche until you write a few articles.

Lesson #9: Surrounding Yourself With Writers Who Inspire You Is Essential

In my journey on Medium, I always made it a point to connect with other writers. The more they inspired me, the harder I worked to connect with them. I’m now part of groups that help each other on a daily basis, and everyone is better for it.

Here are some friends I hung out with recently in Barcelona:

From left to right: Maarten van Doorn, Matt Sandrini, Brian Pennie, Michael Thompson, myself, and Niklas Göke. Photo by Brian Pennie.

Lesson #10: F Money

In an article that talks about money, I bet you didn’t expect a lesson about not caring about it. The more you obsess over making money online, the less you’ll make. You’ll focus on the wrong aspects of the craft and will produce lower-quality content.

Remember, writing isn’t about you. It’s about your reader. They don’t care how much money you make, only you do!

Summary

The 10 biggest lessons learned:

Lesson #1: It doesn’t happen overnight
Lesson #2: You don’t have to be a great writer
Lesson #3: Consistency isn’t overrated
Lesson #4: Writing from experience always works best
Lesson #5: You don’t need a writing plan
Lesson #6: Don’t take it too seriously
Lesson #7: You need to enjoy it and have fun
Lesson #8: You’ll know your niche only after writing some articles
Lesson #9: Surrounding yourself with writers who inspire you is essential
Lesson #10: F money

Now it’s your turn. Apply the above lessons, experiment with your own, and keep writing!

You can do this!

Thanks for reading!

Appendix A: 10 articles That Made Me Over $1,000

*List in no specific order