Web Writing Tips: Never Give Up on Your Dream

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

Image (c) tranchristopher5 via Flickr, used under Creative Commons.

Family, friends, and complete strangers telling you it isn't possible to make it in web writing? Is your faith in yourself beginning to fade away? Are you working too hard with what seems like no results? I've been there. I truly believe in the saying "Anything in life worth having is worth working for" (Andrew Carnegie). Even at your darkest hours, never give up on your dream. You may have to do other things while working toward your dream. But don't ever give up on it. I'm living proof that it's possible to make things happen if you have the drive and determination.

Take insults as inspiration to keep going. People you know may not support you. Complete strangers may insult you. Instead of letting what they say get to you, use it to boost yourself to the next level. You know what you can do. You know what your goals and dreams are. Make it happen and don't let anyone discourage you. When I first decided to make web writing my career, people thought I was crazy. "You can't make money doing that." "You're not good enough." Those people can keep laughing if they want to. I'll probably pass them by on my way to the bank.

Hold on to your inner reasons for writing. Remember the feeling you had when you first got into writing? Hold on to that passion and excitement and remember why you got started in the first place. Writing has always been a part of me. Deep inside, I always knew I'd do something with it. Although, I never actively pursued it until trying other things that just didn't work for me. For me, I write for many reasons. Some of the most prevalent include the fact that writing is a part of me, as well as the fact that it's a great way to support my family. It allows me to stay at home with my kids. But even if one day, the writing becomes more involved and I cannot stay at home anymore, it still enriches our lives daily. Writing helps people grow, both through hearing their own thoughts, as well as what they learn in the process.

Know and believe what you can do. "Don't you want to write books? Books make more money." Writing books is great (I've done that too and will likely do so in the future). But it's not the only way to make money and books are not necessarily where all the money is anymore. For me, the passion lies in providing content that can be enjoyed by a global audience. I want people to b able to access my content anytime, day or night. Knowing that someone may get their questions answered or an issue resolved because of something I wrote is an awesome feeling. Know and believe in your specific area of expertise..

Don't let hard work scare you away. Never give up on your dream, no matter how challenging things may seem. It's a scary world out there. But facing those challenges can take you to a place you've never even dreamed of before. When I first started writing for the web, I had no clue what I was doing or where it would take me. I have done so many things I never even thought of before. Was it easy? Not always. In fact, there have been times where it's been downright difficult and trying. But I didn't give up. Now I am going places and doing things I never knew or thought were possible. I now have my own network of sites, I provide content to the largest name in content, and have some other amazing things in the works. If I had given up back when the naysayers were hounding me and my faith was faltering, I'd never be where I am today.

Keep a mental image of why you work for yourself. Hate that past job? Love the freedom of being at home with your kids? Whatever your main reasons for becoming a web writer for in the beginning can be your inspiration to never give up on that dream. Do you really want to go back to having cranky bosses or kids who miss their mommy or daddy? Always picture what it was like before to keep you in check and keep yourself moving forward in your dream. Never, ever give up on your writing dreams. Anything is possible, regardless of whether someone else has done it before or not.