Goals for 2017: How Many Writers Aspire to be Authors

As the year of 2017 slowly begins to build momentum, if you’re not careful, you can look around and find yourself facing the fact that even 2017 has come and gone. Whoever it was that said “time waits for no one” couldn’t have gotten it more correct. Whatever your goals are for 2017; now is the time to start trying to reach them. That includes your writing goals and aspirations. This is true, whether you’re a new online writer and haven’t given it much thought, or you’re a longtime freelance writer who has gotten comfortable at your current level. In either case, if you’re one of the many writers who aspire to be an author, why not make this the year you actually accomplish that goal.

Many writers who have made Hubpages their permanent home know all too well how important it is to create “their own brand” to help separate them from the herd. Think about your favorite Hubbers you like to hear from and those hubs that focus on a particular topic. These smart Hubbers have made themselves the “go to” writers on specific subjects. This type of branding can be useful to a writer for whatever future writing endeavors they may have. So if you’re a writer who is just starting out on Hubpages, you might want to take a lesson; start branding early on in your writing career.

There are so many things that I wish I had known when I first started freelance writing online, and this point about branding is one of them. Imagine if I had created a personal blog and/or website when I first started writing over two decades ago, AND if I had consistently kept it up to date. We’re talking about years of credibility as a writer, not to mention the Google page rank and respect for such a longstanding site. As you may or may not know, websites and blogs are like internet real estate. Their value appreciates the longer you have them, particularly if they are active. Even if you just acquire the “land” and slowly learn to develop it, this can benefit you tremendously in the long run. So start putting your name on stuff, and get it out there. Nothing you do has to be perfect at this stage of the game; perfection will come with experience.

There is a reason that branding and everything else in your “writing arsenal” is important, even at the early stages of your writing career. Your arsenal is your writer's bag of tricks, but it should only contain the things that have effectively worked for you. It is also important to keep in mind that everything you do as an online writer has the potential to garner you attention and credibility. This can translate into more traffic, visitors, followers and more. Not just now, while you’re still learning and developing your writing talent, but even later on, when you know exactly what direction you want to go in with that talent. When and if you ever decide to become an author, you'll be glad for every one of these assets you acquired along the way.

For example, I started writing for several websites when I began as a freelance writer, one of which was Hubpages. The things I learned by writing and networking here with other members has stayed with me, and also benefitted me in many ways. This Hubpages writing resource site is included in my own writing arsenal. Whenever I’m blogging or working on a new book, I often pull out some of the same writing concepts and strategies that I used when writing for Hubpages. I'm happy to find that they still work.

As writers, we have to sometimes look back at where we were, in order to assess the progress that we're making. Whenever I look at where I am now as a writer and author and how far I’ve come with my writing, I appreciate the many resource sites that helped me along the way. One of the best ways to try and show that appreciation is by reaching out to other writers who may be new to various sites and the online writing scene. In the middle of 2016, I wrote a short ebook on some of the challenges of online writing and finding sites that pay. One of the sections covered in the book is about Hubpages and the positive experience I had writing for this site. This information is still beneficial, even in the face of certain changes at Hubpages over the past year.

The conversations about “how to write evergreen content” and “how to increase traffic to your hubs” can benefit both new and old timers who may need some reminders. I am currently making "Shut Up and Write!" FREE to Hubpages members (for an indefinite period). This is my way of aiding new hub writers and aspiring self-published authors. You can visit my Hubpages Profile page and click the link to "EMAIL" me your request for a free .pdf copy of "Shut Up and Write".

This year, aspire to do more, whether your aspirations include finally writing and publishing that novel or non-fiction self-help book, or simply finding more ways to earn money with your writing. Whatever your 2017 ultimate goal is, there is no time to waste if you want to be successful in achieving it. Since authorship is typically the next stage in a freelance writer’s progression, what are you waiting for?

• Give serious thought to a non-fiction theme or fictional story you want to write
• Start brainstorming and thinking of titles in harmony with the theme or story
• Think and write down ideas for related sub themes and sub plots to include
• Start organizing notes and put together an outline of chapters and sections
• Sit down and actually start writing your first book

Let’s face it; if you’re ever going to do it, you have to start sometime and somewhere, why not now? This could be the year that you go from being a freelance writer to being a self-published author.