Content Farms Sapped my Desire to Write
By Morgan
@OneOfMany (12150)
United States
April 26, 2016 6:07pm CST
11 years ago I was fueled by the burning desire to write at all times. Perhaps it was because I was running from my duties and seeking escape, but it could be I was just that eager to share my mind with the world.
Back then I wanted to show people my inner worlds with my writing. It was all about the passion and making it happen. Now it's different. Objective writing improved my thought processes and knowledge, but it killed my drive to write too. I used to have more friends that I could share the darker parts of my soul with, and it was fun to explore the demons of the day. Now it's faded immensely.
After I consumed my inner evil two years ago I lack the strong passion to write like I once had. I could say it's because I'm tired from working without break and on days off I try to rest, but that would just be weaseling out of it. I think it's more because of the chance to write more often, but not with the outlets I want.
Content farms like Helium, Bubblews and now this site offer me funds that are faster and more instant when it comes to gratification, but the scope is wrong. The objective I want to reach can't be reached here. The amount of money I want to earn isn't possible either. I've become just another cog in someone else's machine. Exactly what I wanted to avoid by writing.
As fun as it is here, I think the time when I come here less often is approaching, because it's difficult to write my own stories when I can read and write here. Of course, that's just what I feel. I probably won't be going anywhere. At least I won't have to if I can do both story write and offer comments here.
However, I often feel like I don't belong here. Do you ever feel that you are an outsider in another's home here at Mylot?
9 people like this
9 responses
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
27 Apr 16
No, I don't feel like that at all here. Rather, I feel that I'm among kindred spirits here. And I do write in other places where I am forced to write what other people need, so I can make a little more money. And I also do my own writing that I will trying to get published at some point. But I love the people here so much and the fact that I can keep in touch with everyone, make good friends and still make some money adds to the joy of life :)
3 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
I tend to feel like an outsider in my own family though, standing around my cousins and aunts and uncles. Even though there's no doubt in their minds of my place with them, I doubt it without even meaning to.
A part of me always feels alone.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@OneOfMany I did always feel that way around my family. But that's a whole other story. The older I've gotten, the easier it's become to find people with whom I can share a great deal. :)
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@CRK109 The problem is that my thoughts are either amoral or revolutionary. That's a strike against the general population and the way of politics! But my intentions are good for an end product that works. Wanting to change a system for the better through peaceful means is worthy in my mind!
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 May 16
I have been coming and going here for for years. Sometimes I get very busy writing on other sites and neglect this one. But I do have friends here I want to stay in touch with -- most of whom I met on those other sites. Most of my virtual-world only friends have finally arrived here, so I don't feel like an outsider. many of my friends who have joined myLot recently still do feel like they don't belong yet. It's relationships that make us feel more at home. i usually work on my other times during my most productive time of day and come catch up here when I'm not good for serious work anymore.
3 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
2 May 16
I have been balancing both lately, a little better than before. I have been trying to find friends to chat about my projects as well. It's good to have encouragement.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (49463)
• Mojave, California
2 May 16
I feel like and outsider in pretty much all aspects of my life. So being one on Mylot would be nothing new. I can relate with what you are saying. Think what you are looking for has to be done on your own personal blog or website. The problem is they take years to make any kind of income and most barely see any money at all unless they start making it commercial.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (49463)
• Mojave, California
2 May 16
@OneOfMany There you go. You will have to let us know how that turns out.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
2 May 16
@crossbones27 Yes, I plan to. I was looking at stock images this morning and I might have to invest some cash to make my covers. That's fine though, I can imagine worse things to invest in. Free stock image sites were lacking the pictures I need.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
2 May 16
Yes, I've approached the blog/website aspect in the past and I never got into it. For the last year I have been getting back into story writing and I'm getting closer to publishing ebooks. Just since writing this discussion I have set up my kindle platform in Amazon, researched on how to format an ebook, started getting together images for potential covers and have been writing/modifying stories.
After browsing Amazon the other day I found out that the type of stories I write are allowed there, so I'm going to try that route. After all, more than anything else, it's fun. And rather than focusing years on one big book, I figure many smaller short stories and novelettes are better for moving from one idea to the next.
1 person likes this
@slund2041 (3314)
• United States
4 May 16
I am sorry you feel you do not belong here. I love to read your post and hope you decide to continue to hang out with us. It is true we do not make a lot of money here, but this is a fun site that I have fell in love with.
2 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
4 May 16
I don't belong anywhere, yet. I will stick around. Slow money is okay money!
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
6 May 16
Absolutely. We can both share and agree on our feelings towards writing in general on this one point. I think what you described here, the answer might lie in having your own site or put writing into something else like an ebook, hard covered book or a publication of some sort.
1 person likes this
@Bluedoll (16773)
• Canada
6 May 16
@OneOfMany
I think writers have to find the format whether length, subject matter of style of writing that they want to pursue and just go with it.
When I told someone that I wanted spend time writing they instantly started giving me books to read that they thought were good reading material. Not that they weren't. I just felt their idea of writing and my idea were completely different.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
6 May 16
@Bluedoll Some of the topics I'm writing will never be widely accepted, but at this point I just want to get them out there at all. With self-publishing there are all kinds of things out, but if even one of my stories gets read it will be motivation to move forward and do better.
We all have our own identity, and some people don't understand that. When it comes to the length thing, I did look it up just to see what prices people are setting.
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
6 May 16
Currently I'm pursuing ebooks, but it will take time to actually get one written and edited before I can get it out. Unless of course, I manage to figure out how to do a short story. I've discovered that they take stories 5,000 words long. But I wouldn't feel comfortable releasing one under 10,000. There's just not a lot of content in 5,000 words.
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
27 Apr 16
not tons, I dont have the desires to seriously write right now, but when I do, I am on here less during that time
2 people like this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
I tend to have writing desires when I'm in bed. I have thought about staying in bed with a laptop and just writing, but I have never tried to be that lazy!
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
28 Apr 16
@OneOfMany everyone deserves some time off
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@Jessicalynnt Yes, it's not about having time off though. Although the story I thought of in bed this morning I did write all the way tonight. It was a short-short story. Not really for sale. Unfortunately.
@antonbunot (11093)
• Calgary, Alberta
27 Apr 16
No, I don't feel like an outsider here in myLot coz most of my fellow bubblers are here, too. Here much fun but not much funds though!
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
27 Apr 16
Not enough funds for even affording a treat from time to time! I'm only feeling like an outsider because people here are generally charged differently on the spiritual side of things. Too much love in certain religions makes me feel strange. :D
@LindaCPearson (2240)
• United States
6 May 16
I like myLot for the same reasons I liked Bubblews in the beginning. Fun, interacting with others, a little monetary reward for my efforts. I loved Helium in the early days. In fact, it was my first attempt at online writing. I liked the competition, the effort to write well. I loved that I acually won one of the poetry contests. Those days are gone. Right now I'm content with the fun and casualness of myLot.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
6 May 16
I never won any of the poetry contests though I tried to! Oh well, at least they would earn 15 cents over their life time! This week I have been writing stories and learning what I'll need to do to create covers for ebooks. I have a feeling it will take some time before that happens, but if the ball starts rolling I could make more than I do from any of the content sites. I'll still hang around here, but most of my effort will be in story-telling.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
6 May 16
@LindaCPearson Well I gained some back after I wrote this post. It was helpful to get it off my mind. When I was 22 I wanted to publish something no later than 24. Although I did have a story bought through Helium's Marketplace and was published in a gardening magazine in 2009, I was 27 at that point and it wasn't really something I published for myself. Now I'm a few days away from 34 and still haven't! I think it's past time that I commit myself to achieving what I set out to do 12 years ago!
Truthfully though, I have learned a lot about my writing style and editing practices and other skills that help out, so it's not like the time was entirely wasted, it's just that my story telling abilities were a lot stronger ten years ago, so I feel any more delay might make the dream impossible.
@LindaCPearson (2240)
• United States
6 May 16
@OneOfMany You have much more ambition than I do right now! I was sapped and very discouraged over Helium's decline and final shutting down. I was enraged at Bubblews' greed and dishonesty. I do like "real" writing but have lost the motivation for now. I have a modest antiques business that keeps me busy and I love myLot just for keeping me dabbling in writing when I'm in the mood and providing a litle fun.
1 person likes this
@Frischy (119)
•
2 May 16
I feel like an outsider today, but maybe that is because it is my first day here. It seems like there need to be a lot more participants before anyone could make much money. There has to be a certain amount of activity, that I am not seeing, at least not today.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
2 May 16
Kathryn, just make good friends and check out the discussions of other newbies who are feeling as lost as you are right now. Also check discussions with no responses yet. The explore menu at the top will help you find them. When you keep seeing the same names pop up in discussions, check their profiles to see if you might like to send them friend requests. As you participate in more discussions, you will get to know people and they will get to know you and start sending you friend requests. Pretty soon you will not feel so lonely.
