by Danelle Karth

Created on: May 14, 2008

Defining what a writer is isn't as easy as some seem to think. It has something more to do with a love of writing, a need to share the knowledge or passions that they have, a love of crafting words to make articles, poems, stories, novels, or other creative works. For as long as words have been around, for as long as language has existed there have been writers. Some didn't have the skills to actually put their thoughts and words down on paper and instead passed them on in oral traditions. But many, if not most of them were unpaid. There are many motivations for being an unpaid writer in an venue.

Opening the Doors.
Unpaid writers aren't something that is new because of the Internet era. Instead the Internet has just opened doors for unpaid writers to have a voice that others actually read. There are many who have died with great novels, speeches, and even diaries of fantastic works stored in dusty places within their house. These are the writers who had to write, but didn't have a place to have an audience. Now the Internet offers writers a place to write and a place to have others actually read their writing.

The Passion and Love.
Writers tend to have a passion and a love for writing. This doesn't mean just published authors who make money doing what they have a passion or a love for, it is all writers. Writing online can feed that passion and that love. It can allow a writer to stretch his or her wings and take flight. It is this flight that offers a lot of great satisfaction.

The Audience.
It is even a greater satisfaction to know that there are people reading your works and hopefully enjoying them. This is what has thousands of novelists sharing their works with others and one reason lots of article writers publish articles on free sites. This is also the reason many people begin to blog. The audience and the readers are so much a part of adding to the value of the work and adding to the value of the writer.

Free and Freedom.
Publishing online (whether paid or unpaid) is free. It doesn't take a lot of work to get it accepted to a publisher, you don't have to mail it out with a stamp and and self addressed stamped envelop, you don't have to buy the magazine to find if your piece fits, and you can write on anything you want. The Internet has provided a free avenue for publishing and the freedom of saying and writing about whatever you wish.

Hope.
Writing online also increases a writer's hope. They have hope that they will improve in their craft. They have hope that others will read their works and enjoy them. They also have hope that they can develop as a writer and write in the right places to get into a paying market. While there is more to writing then money, there is still a hope that one can make money doing just what they love.

Many writers still have a desire to be paid for their works. However, there are lots of motivations for being an unpaid online writer. You get to do what you love, have people actually read it, enjoy this for less work and for free, have the freedom to write whatever your heart desires, and you just might find the perfect place to actually make money with your writing. This touches at the heart of every writer, the part of them that needs to write, the parts that have the passion and love for it. This brings joy, hope, and happiness.

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