“I love writing…”, “Writing is my passion…”, “I’m a professional writer…”
Have you ever come across these phrases? You probably might have. Let me tell you something, which is hyped crap, junk, bullshit or whatever.
Very few online writers actually live up to what they say. Their love and passion for writing is clearly visible in the way they write and their approach too is quite professional. The rest are mostly failures and don’t really know what passion, love and professionalism mean.
In fact passion and professional are the two words that are so overthrown that they have lost their meanings pretty much.
So, are you a writer? Haven’t lived up to your expectations? Are these the reasons why most online writers fail?
1. Grammatical Errors – #1 Reason Online Writers Fail
For instance, consider this audacious statement – “I likes Bananas”
You probably know what I mean. Firstly, your grammar is faulty and secondly you’re not really good at playing with words.
The above statement can be perceived in a 100 different ways. So my advice would be to stop calling yourself a professional in the first place.
I’d also suggest you to work on your grammar, which is a minimum requirement. For this, reading good books is what I suggest. Online writing is different from offline writing, so you should read top-notch blogs like Copyblogger, Problogger etc. You should also consider on proofreading your work before publishing.
2. Using Inappropriate Puns too Makes Online Writers Fail
Here’s another example – “Roger” is not the same as “Roger that”
It’s the same again, when you’re not familiar with puns (playing with words), avoid them. Just look up the meanings of what they mean and you’ll be totally surprised.
Unsure about puns, don’t use em’! To use puns better, I’d suggest knowing it’s complete meaning and checking the meaning of its close similarities as well. Once you know how to use puns, you’ll attract a lot more offers because being playful with words matters a lot in online writing, readers love it!
3. Asking too Many Questions is a turn-off
“What? Why? When? Where? Who?”
Frankly that is too much for anybody’s liking. Asking questions is good, it arouses interest but if you’re asking too many, it’s a turn off.
Why? Firstly, it breaks the natural flow of your post. When you’re conveying something through your post, T and failing to answer them can be a big blow to your authority.
4. Wikipedia-Style – Most Popular Reason Online Writers Fail
You’re writing is boring, bland, lifeless and unappealing because you write Wikipedia-style.
I’ll give it you straight; Wikipedia is an Encyclopedia; so an encyclopedia irrespective of being online or offline is for reference or educational purposes.
Online writing (sometimes educational) is fast, cutting-edge and straight to the point.
5. Making the Same Mistakes Over and Over Again
For you, 1+1 is always gonna be 3 i.e. making the same mistakes without varying your approach.
Yep, you’re always making the same mistakes. You don’t vary your approach and when that is the case, expecting astronomical results will only be a distant dream.
Know what mistakes you’re doing (admitting them is a really tough job), how you can improve on them, what methods and approaches have failed consistently and what clicked.
Remember this, everyone makes mistakes, learning from them is important because you’ll know where you’re strong at plus you’ll also have the experience to guide others as well.
Online writing is not at all easy.
I’ve done my own share of mistakes and cheap errors. The thing is I learnt from my mistakes, picked up tidbits of valuable information along the journey and read quite a lot of blogs to better my writing skills.
I won’t call myself an expert or professional but I’ve gone through enough experiences to guide you with your writing.
Your Turn?
Are you a failure with your writing? Been through a rough patch? Do any of the above reasons apply to your writing?
There’s a lot to share with me, let me hear your thoughts.
That’s a really interesting article, Aditya.
Every writer should have his own style of writing and always make sure that it reads interesting. I really loved the way you named it “Wikipedia-style”. True that! Wikipedia just gives information and unless we have the intention of getting the information, it is not so interesting to read.
Yaa I COmpletely Agree With This,i Also Hired A Writer SOme Days ago but His Grammar mistakes made me Sick..so I kicked Him Off…
Hey.
You have shared such a real reasons about failure of a online writer.All your reasons are worth to read and it is quite effective that will help to all writerss, especially to new writers.
I am very thankful to you that you have shared such a informative content. I’ll suggest to all my friends to visit your blog again and again.
Thanks again dude and keep it up !!!
Thank you so much for your positive feedback. I hope you put these points to proper effect and have a great online writing career.
Entirely a different view on the topic. On the past ‘ve read many views on why online writers fail. this one has got some valid points that every one must understand 🙂 awesome post buddy 🙂
I’m glad some of the unique points mentioned above were a good help to you. Thanks for the appreciation.
Over all the other mistakes, I feel a lot of spelling errors in a blog post can easily turn off the reader and force him or her to leave the post mid-way. It beconmes difficult to clearly read and understand content that has maximum spelling errors. After a certain period, a reader fails to keep up with the patience and never returns to the blog again.
Yep I agree with that as well. A minimum requirement is that one must be good at basics. Thanks for your comment.
The tips above are nice, but it would of helped if there was some information by each point explaining it a bit more in detail.
Excellent post. Time is a very important part to blogging, and I’ve found that many want success right away. It takes time. When I first started I thought I could get big fast, but soon realized time is a big factor. I am no where near big even now after a year of blogging, but I’ve noticed more opportunities come my way.
This is really very informative and excellent post that I am looking for. Thanks for share this important post.
It takes more than just writing skills to be successful in the online freelance writing industry. This is the very reason why a lot of writers today still fail to find freelance writing a lucrative job despite its increasing demand in the market.
This list is fantastic! I think the safest way to approach writing anything is to proofread, and regarding puns…if you don’t know what it means, even if you’re not 100% certain, either look it up or don’t use it in your writing!!
Yep puns can ruin your reputation and plot. It’s best not to use them unless you know what you mean.
nice tips for improving writing skills
thanks and keep it up
Everytime i look for article writers who claim themselves Freelance journalists, all i get is bunch load of typos, very difficult to find good writers on the internet
I have been reading many blogs for quite a while and feel very sad when I see basic grammatical errors in some high profile blogs. This is one of the area where most of the webmasters need to work upon.
Very useful post, should be read by every blogger.
Thanks man…very nice analysis.
Yes Online Writers Fail and Online Writers Fails are the other approach for me. It a nice share and your examples are too good. These type of articles are real experiences that are rarely shared over the internet.
I’m glad my article could help you. Appreciate it.
Aditya
Hi! Aditya. Nice article. I think online writers fail because they do mistakes and try again. Rather they should first get to know what is their mistake and then should try again… 🙂