Sticky Communication

My slow but sure route to blog writing success

That was supposed to be the title of this post. WordPress let me delete “Hello world,” but it doesn’t want me to replace it. Sigh.

Lots to learn, as you can see from the widgets and other stuff I have to do. In addition to finally moving from my free wordpress site, I’ve almost published my ebook on writing, hired Smojoe to help me make “keyword sandwiches” and started using images. I’m in the game.

That’s Smojoe, also known as Rob Campbell, below, (me in the red), handing winner Gary Schlee a door prize at a recent seminar where I figured out more about my slow-but-sure plan for blogging success.

“Burn the ships”
I’ve read lots of bloggers who seemed to have quick success. But I stubbornly stuck to my bush league blogging until I got more comfortable with this writing style and enough nerve to “burn the ships.” Well, some of them anyways.

In Six Pixels of Separation, Mitch Joel talked about how Hernando Cortez burned the ships so his sailors could not attempt to return home after they arrived in Mexico to conquer the Aztecs.

I have not been brave or foolhardy enough to burn all my ships. But I have reduced the size of the fleet. There isn’t a ship large enough to take me back to the old corporate world. And there aren’t enough provisions left in the remaining fleet to maintain my family’s simple lifestyle, let alone replace the aqua bathroom fixtures.

Like the Cortez crew, for me the only way is forward.

Make money blogging?
So the heat to generate revenue from my blog is now intense. But how do I do it?

From the blog writing requests I see on the internet, I knew I could not begin to feed my two teens with what freelance bloggers are paid.

It’s not just that I’ve been spoiled by the corporate world, but I’ve always felt that rates for freelance writers for most traditional media have been an insult. Why should you pay a plumber so much more than a writer? Beats me.

I also knew I couldn’t make enough money from advertising, unless my page views spike astronomically. Not counting on that.

DIY writing
But I realized that with more people wanting, or being forced, to do their own writing, there should be a big demand for Write like you talk–only better.

In fact, I decided to gear down on email newsletter writing marketing because so many prospects insisted they wanted to do it themselves. Their rejection was my inspiration.

Most of these people, I realized, were experts in their fields and competent writers. They just needed some help, which I will provide in Write like you talk–only better, 3 steps to turn good talkers into great writers.

Despite the claims of those hucksters who promise to make you rich quickly from your blog or ebook, I knew that quality work takes time. Instead of getting rich quickly, I have set my sights on getting more comfortable slowly but surely.

The Mike Holmes of practical writing
Just as Mike Holmes (also a Canadian) shows people how to renovate and what to look for in a contractor, so too will I make my mark by helping all these smart people to write better or at least understand what they need to look for when they’re outsourcing. I want to be the Mike Holmes of practical, versus creative, writing.

Of course, there’s a lot more I need to do.
I’ll be updating and moving many of my posts from the old wordpress site. And I’ll be adding new ones, not only about writing, but also about how my slow but sure journey is progressing Learn more