by David Aaron White

Created on: November 14, 2009   Last Updated: March 01, 2010

Being a writer is pretty frustrating. We spend hours each day typing, printing, self-editing, and marketing our work; yet this doesn't even guarantee us payment. Sure, on Helium, we can write to article titles and be paid small amounts ($0.5-$3.50) without formally selling our articles, but if you've written three articles that are 400+ words in length, is it worth the measly $10.50? I believe it is, but it is definitely frustrating to do all that work and hear about my friends who earn $10 an hour watching little kids (it makes me a tad jealous). Still, just because it's frustrating doesn't mean it's impossible, and there are measures you can take to deal with this frustration:

Try to have fun while writing. To me, writing can occasionally be fun, but for the most part, I do it because I want to earn money and I just happen to not be terrible at it (critics, hold your counter-arguments). Still, think of writing as a game: challenge yourself to see how many words you can write in a minute, an hour, or even a day. Challenge yourself to finish a certain number of articles in a day as well, and post your record on your wall; heck, invite your friends in on the competition if they're writers too. The point is, if you have to write to make money, then you should organize a way to make it somewhat entertaining.

Keep everything in perspective. Remember, though you could be earning no money at all for your work, you are gaining experience. Yes, it's not the greatest silver lining when you're trying to make a living, but if you have experience, then you're more likely to land a job or become published in the future. It's not the end of the world if you get a rejection letter or a harsh series of edits from an editor. I assure you that no writer has ever been perfect right off the bat. Getting rejected is frustrating, but remember that you have several opportunities to be published.

Take some time off if your work has become too frustrating. For example, whenever I start to think, why write this, I could make more money on the street, I know that this line of thought will take me to a dark place, so I stop what I'm doing and work out, watch television, read a book, or call up one of my friends. If you're getting too frustrated, a break is useful because it allows you to enjoy yourself and come back to your workstation refreshed and ready to get something done. Hopefully your mind will be relatively devoid of negative thoughts by the time you come back to your work.

You can try asking for help if writing is becoming a chore and you can't seem to make any progress. I prefer to work alone while I write, but that's not to say that a partner can't help you. A second opinion on your work can give you a fresh perspective to your material and make you aware to how your material will be received by your readers. Someone's opinion may help you get published and could even give you new ideas to write about, but eventually you'll need to learn how to work on your own. Writing can be very lonely, and it's something that even I deal with every day.

When all else fails, just ask yourself: Is this something I really want to be doing? I've asked myself that several times, and the bottom line is that I need to do it. Sure, I enjoy it sometimes, but I need to be a writer. If you have other job options and have become fed up with writing, you might want to consider taking a long-term hiatus and finding another passion. Who knows: you might return to it and fall in love with it!

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