When it comes to hobbies, writing is one of the best. It engages your brain, forcing you to think deeply about ideas and how to communicate them. It can also be done virtually anywhere. A pad of paper or note taking app allow you to get your thoughts out while in traffic or standing in line at the grocery store. And, writing feels good. Finishing up an essay or article gives the same endorphin rush as doing your final set in the gym.
Because of this, I wanted to share several personal experiences and lessons from writing online for, almost, the past 10 years.
Writing Is More Prevalent Than You Think
Most people write as much, if not more, than they talk. Texting, social media, email, written reports, and dating sites all revolve around using the written word to communicate. Despite this, a lot of folks put zero effort into improving their communication skills.
The number of English speaking adults who write incoherent messages is truly baffling. Likewise, there are many people who just flat out suck at being engaging or getting to the point. You probably receive dozens of rambling, go-nowhere emails each day. And, if you browse social media or using dating apps, you’re inundated with dull and unoriginal content.
While you don’t need Delicious Tacos level of linguistic mastery, you should be able to convey your ideas in an efficient manner.
Hobby writing helps you mentally prepare and review your message. This is a skill which leads to more responses on Tinder, higher amounts of Facebook likes, and clear delegation of work tasks.
Practicing writing is like practicing public speaking. It allows you to improve a critical skill, but – unlike standing up to give a presentation – there’s way less pressure.
Think of it like a low-stress activity with massive benefits.
Very Few Writers Actually Make Money (But, There’s A Catch)
Let’s suppose that you create an eBook and price it at $50. If you sell 10 copies per week, which is a lot, you’re making $2,000 per month. That’s not bad, but it is a lot of time and effort for what’s essentially the same income as someone working a $12 an hour job. You could go work as a security guard or receptionist and make significantly more.
Writing is rarely the passive income goldmine it’s made out to be.
While it’s fun to look at David Ogilvy’s chateau and say “writing bought that,” the statement” “Franchising bought that” is much more accurate. Most successful writer’s (novelists, marketers, journalists, etc…) make their money through licensing deals and speaking arrangements. J. K. Rowling probably collects more off her Jelly Belly and LEGO deals than she does individual book royalties (the Harry Potter television airing rights alone went for $250 million).
The flip-side?
Writing profits are generally divorced from time input. That was a pretty nerdy sentence, but it basically means you can collect money off things you’ve written a long time ago. Starting a blog or penning some eBooks is an inexpensive way to start earning residual income. Something that’s traditionally reserved for real estate investments and stock portfolios.
The Biggest Benefit: Networking
Writing allows you to meet people outside of your own geographical area. This is nothing new. Thomas Jefferson penned letters to John Adams, and H.P. Lovecraft had a whole writing circle who communicated through the mail. In modern day, however, the Internet makes networking infinitely easier.
This is especially nice for expanding your worldview and connecting with successful people. If you want to get healthy, you can find whole communities of like-minded people to support you. If you want to learn about real estate or investing, there are multimillionaires posting free advice on forums. Business? There are literally thousands of blogs, YouTube channels, and social media groups dedicated to the subject.
Participate in any of these and you’re going to make new friends and learn valuable information.
Having a blog, or Twitter account, is like owning your own PR firm; one where you’re the main client. You control your own narrative and advertising your expertise (or potential) to make connections with others.
Writing Publicly Forces You To Deal With Criticism
(Not Every Reader Is As Nice As Jeff Bezos)
Outside of subway rides and sporting events, there’s very little chance random strangers will heckle you in person. Nobody is walking up to you on the street to call you names, and people aren’t throwing temper-tantrums whenever you say something they don’t like. The Internet, however, is a different story.
Sometimes you’ll get legitimate criticism (always appreciated), but more often you’re faced with hysterical weirdos who rant and rave about seemingly innocuous issues.
Your first “hate reader” (who shows up on every article to comment something negative) is a surreal experience. Stalkers are for hot girls and celebrities. The idea that you (a hobby blogger) will attract the same type of crazy people Bella Hadid, or Tom Cruise, file restraining orders against is crazy.
And yet it happens.
Luckily, stalkers and weirdos are the fringe minority. Most people, like yourself, are perfectly cool and normal individuals. And I sincerely thank you for reading.
Writing Makes You Think Deeply About A Subject And Better Understand Yourself
Writing is the art of refining your thoughts and communicating them with others. Putting your ideas on paper often allows you to better understand the material yourself. This goes for material you publish as well as private notes.
I started Sad No Coiner off the (faulty) assumption that swing trading crypto coins was easy. Writing about investing forced me to constantly learn more about investing. And, through learning about financial statements and corporate reports, ended up teaching more about business and how to run a successful venture.
An hour a week blogging and $500 in a Coinbase account was worth more than most business degrees.
Same goes for any topic. If you want to write about fitness, you’re going to end up researching new workout methods or learning about new diet plans. And this is going to greatly expand your knowledge. Likewise, in order to articulate your ideas, you need to form comprehensive thoughts on a subject. Doing this forces you to think deeply and look at an issue from multiple angles.
Writing out ideas or explaining concepts to others will often teach you just as much, if not more than your audience.
Final Thoughts
in terms of hobbies, there are very few which offer the ROI that writing does. If you collect Funko Pops, for example, you don’t actually grow or develop from your activities. Same goes for most video games or other consumer activities.
Writing, exercise, art, music, and similar creative endeavors all contain valuable lessons which teach you about yourself and the world around you. If you enjoy reading articles, posting to forums, and browsing social media; I highly suggest you take writing up as a free-time hobby. An hour per day or a weekend a month putting thoughts to paper, and you’ll greatly improve your own thinking abilities. Plus, you might even pick up a couple buck and a few new friends along the way.