Writing on the internet used to make me happy - but now it doesn't!
By sheilanewton
@sheilanewton (58)
October 12, 2012 12:45pm CST
I think I must have overdone this thing with joining lots of writing sites and trying hard to keep up with myriad friend messages and posting at least once a week. In fact I busted a gut trying to keep up - until I burned out.
I thought i'd take a little break and then I'd be up and at it again - but it didn't happen - I was still feeling exhausted at the very thought of logging in to Triond, or Wikinut, or RedGage or Experts Column etc. etc. I couldn't face it, so I left it all alone again for weeks and weeks. Then I decided to trim it all down to make life easier and let me get on with my novel and short story anthology - submit an article or to to glossy and literary magazines. I stopped writing for all but 3 online writing sites and it's helping - but not as much as I thought it would.
I haven't got writer's block: far from it. I've just got this lethargy about online writing. It's all getting very tedious - and all those dollars and pound signs in my eyes are making my mind boggle, because there's so little money to make online. If you want to write online, you have to do it for the love of writing 'how to...' articles and 'The 10 best ways to ...' No thanks. Not any more.
Who else out there feels the same as me? Or do you disagree entirely? Tell me your thoughts.
4 people like this
17 responses
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
13 Oct 12
shielanewton
it may be because you are not able to earn much from these sites. that was my experience when i wrote in triond. i could not get traffic and hence more income. instead mylot is better.
1 person likes this
@subhojit10 (7375)
• India
12 Oct 12
Thanks for sharing this discussion. Well i can understand your situation and i think u should take a sabbatical and then decide what u are going to do with your passion for writing. i am sure u will decide the best for your passion and even if u are not willing to write again, then try to convince your heart and soul regarding the same.
What say?
@ravisivan (14079)
• India
13 Oct 12
subhojit
yes. it is the passion for writing that makes us write. i find you are also writing very well. keep it up.
tiredness is because we do not get appreciations or earnings.
@silverfox09 (4708)
• United States
16 Oct 12
I understand sometime I haven't log into my online article writing sites for over a month are so . I am now trying to just focus on my blog and when I feel satisfy with it that it , I will not write anymore .
I was also on triond , I am only on writing sites now to promote my blog .
Its frustrated to write for a person site and not getting anything really , but when you are doing something you love that really does make all the difference . I have my time when I abandon what I am doing and venture out in new activity and then a certain time I go back to it .
When I started mylot I was here making a lot of post per day now it just seems I have other things to work on and I cannot be here as much . We sometimes have to take a break .
You will find something else to keep you active as human we are like that , we cannot do the same thing every single day without getting tired unless we really love it and have nothing else to do .
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
13 Oct 12
Sometimes we get burned out- and need to take a break. I can tell by your post you are a great writer. Maybe you just need a break. Have a great weekend.
@smtrsv (186)
• India
23 Oct 12
A saint said if you see a stranger and you smile, he will be feeling happy. He will be stress free for a moment. Thus you can make some one happy without any expense or any extra effort. At the same time you will also remain cheer. But be careful for the selection of such a stranger.
@Icycruise (2)
• United States
13 Oct 12
I know exactly how you feel. Just like you, I was trying my best to keep up with all the online writing sites that I joined and it was exhausting. my breaks went from weeks, to months, to years until I just gave up all together. When I did decide to go back I found that my love for it had diminished. Cutting it to down to three writing sites was good for me and I found that by keeping it simple it benefited it me in the long run. The only thing that I can say to you is that to keep it simple and sooner or later you will regain that desire that you once had. I wish you the best of luck.
@wongchoiyee (7413)
• Malaysia
13 Oct 12
So this is the experience of people who write article online and exhausted. I also heard from many writers they short of idea when writing an article, my suggest to you is that you must take a break like vacation, if you don't have much just go out and have some fun, watching people at the beach, shopping, maybe this can give you a relax and calm mind until you find the enthusiasm to work on Triond, wikinut and other sites again. The most important is have fun working online.
@sjvenden27 (1840)
• United States
13 Oct 12
I have been on this site now for three years.. and if you see my number isnt really big.. I love to write.. but after a while I get all wrote out.. not writers block but tryed of responding to the same kinds of discussions.. Or point blank.. the last time I took a break... There was nothing here... I mean topics like whats your favorite color? and other things like that... I think you are putting to much stress on yourself so the joy of writing is slowly going south... Take a break or start/respond to discussions that are totally different from what you have been writing about.. Change it up some.. It might work;-)
@bostonphil (4459)
• United States
13 Oct 12
I am relatively new to online writing sites having discovered them just over a year ago by being on mylot. At first, I got involved with too many sites but now I am only actively involved with Helium and Yahoo Voices. I am also on Triond but because of the low pay do not write or publish there any longer. It is a shame that Triond pays so low because I really like the site. I use RedGage just to promote my articles on the other sites.
The advice that I got from writers early on was to commit to just one or two sites and I have chosen Yahoo Voices and Helium as those two sites. I get very little money from these sites but I am new to online writing so for now I am satisfied. I am improving and getting better at it.
I work p.t. in market research so online writing is a creative outlet and a very little luxury money. I only write when I have time to. I do not feel any pressure at all but I am new to it.
@girl_thinking (1959)
• Philippines
13 Oct 12
Happens to me but only for a period of time. After a few days or weeks off, I can't help but going back to writing again. There is something that nudges me to write and somehow, I can't shrug it off. Good day! 
@vidhyaprakash_2 (7116)
• India
13 Oct 12
Hi friend, i agree with you, i am also writing articles with various revenue sharing sites mentioned by you, but it is really hard to make a good income from this kind of sites, day by day we get tired with our writing activities and bored with the regular routine, we deserved for a break and now i am taking a little break. Today i don't write any articles in any site and promoting my old ones
@riyauro (6421)
• India
13 Oct 12
I have written articles also but i have given it a break for some time because i can't handle it too. I better write here as much as i can and the earning are also better than those article writing sites for me. So yeah I can understand you..Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful day ahead.
@vampire0710 (32)
• China
13 Oct 12
Why not try asking yourself this question,i am for what purpose?If i should do it like this?When you get the answer from your heart about this two questions i think you should have acquired the answer you want.I hope you writing for yourself and then you you can get something interests you,that's what you really want.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
13 Oct 12
I don't feel that way about writing on the Internet like you but I have been burned out on my song reviewing other online job right now. It seems I'm never getting anywhere as much as I used to with it. It takes me so long to find new words to describe the tunes and the typing is wearing out my keyboard, the strain on my back kills me and it is just terrible to listen to so many rap tunes half the time on there. Some of the ballads & country music songs are pretty bad for me as well.
@echoforever (5180)
• United States
12 Oct 12
myLot is completely different than an article site. If you use it right you can have a lot of fun here and it won't seem like "writing" but interacton and then perhaps your load will seem lighter too. But I know what you mean because I've felt loaded down like that too. I've cut down to only 2 sites worth of writing but I haven't written anything in a long time because I am addicted here in myLot! I am doing well though because I've found ways to earn without having to write...
Well i hope you can figure this out and lighten your own load so you feel more free to write when you want to rather than you "need" to.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
12 Oct 12
Sheila, Happy to meet you here on MyLot.
I certainly feel that it is easy to get burned out. I think each of the sites do create great pressure to publish on a regular basis; partly by showing you who else has just published an article will to some extent dig at you the writer to also make a contribution; sadly reacting and making a contribution is not always wise and it is certainly possible to over-publish. By over-publishing I include behaviour such as posting for the sake of posting, doing little or no research, taking someone else's article and twisting it to make something new.
The end result of your writing should always please you, if it does not then it is likely you have made a wrong move, in some small way, at some point in time. The net result must be that you adjust what you are doing and assess your priorities.
Trimming down you contributions is wise, but you have to make your submissions count. It sounds to me that getting the novel and short story anthology ready for publication is your priority and you should focus on those sites that may be able to assist in some small way with that goal.
