by Brian Keith Compton

Created on: May 13, 2008   Last Updated: August 12, 2009

It's like having a song in your heart that you long to sing. You could sing it in the shower, but no one will be able hear. Unless you live with someone and then they just tease that you're off key. You need to get out of the shower and find more critics. Writers need an audience to get the fullest appreciation of these songs caged in their souls.

Writing on the internet is like getting out of the shower and into other people's living rooms. You have these burgeoning ideas that you want to share with the rest of the world and you can find an audience that might listen. Given this opportunity, an online writer can thrive on the response others might have. But mostly, the process is about releasing those words from of your head into cyberspace like trills from your throat in the shower.

You have the personal appreciation of knowing that you can constructively form thoughts and opinions. You can elbow your way into a community somewhere like Helium and someone might listen and share similar views. Perhaps, you'll find a sounding board to inspire further writing ventures. But there is a catch - the lure of money.

Writing on the internet for pay might muddy the process. Having some scratch can be a good thing, but not if it stymies your muse. You have article prompts or subjects that could draw a paycheck, but finding the right one can ruin the writer's harmony. It's difficult to be honest to your own muse when you have to bend and shape these ideas and words to fit in some space where there is the hope someone might pay for what you opine.

Writing sites that offer payment incentives are great opportunities, but consider the amount of time that goes into what you write and you might as well be working a minimum wage job. If you write, money should not be the first consideration. It's something you do in your spare time to unwind. Unless, you are really good at it and people are coming to you. Then, you should be able to earn enough to make it worth your while. If you have the good sense to pick the right paying gig.

Writing for pay can be a good thing, but keeping your spirit harnessed to write from your soul can give back so much more than any money could ever give. You have to be able to let the thoughts and opinions unwind and take form. What better way than doing that on the internet and finding your voice. Then, should you find a paying gig that fits with your writing mood, all the more power to you.

There are websites like Helium or Writing.Com that offer writers opportunities to share with others. The networking capabilities are great and the friendships that are forged can fuel the fire of an internet writer. And if you have a laptop and the desire, you can write in the shower, too! However, I suggest you draw a bath instead.

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