Where To Write In the Digital Age
Writing has been around for thousands of years. Though most of it would not be legible to those without a trained eye it still existed.
Even before rock was chiseled to rock, stories were told around campfires, bringing to life those ancient legends that people wanted to hear about. Of course, it makes sense then, that in present-day plenty of people still seek that same thrill of writing an essay or research paper. Putting pen to paper, however, is such a thing of the past. Despite creative insistence that a typewriter was the only real way to write.
With the emergence of technology, has come a rebirth of writers around the world. Now, things like blogging, allow those who never had a creative outlet before to put their thoughts and feelings out into the world. But what are the best creative outlets for a writer to use? What places can a writer go to escape the daily humdrum of their lives?
Hubpages
It serves as an outlet to write about mostly anything while following the guidelines to maintain a safe and friendly atmosphere for the writers. Hubpages is also an excellent choice for those looking to make some money off of their work. Though there’s been talk that the traffic has gone down, some successful hubbers have not felt the heat. If you have a topic that you think may be interesting to others, or simply a topic that’s interesting to you, then signing up for a Hubpage account might be the right decision for you.
Pros:
- You can make money from your work!
- 1-100 scale scoring lets you know how you’re doing
- Write about what interests you
- User-friendly site, active admins, and easy-to-use navigation system
- Professional looking articles
Cons:
- Fluctuating scores can lead to increased stress and anxiety
- Money goes up and down with site activity
- Links, pictures, and videos are strictly monitored, making it easy to get your work flagged
Bubblews
Like Hubpages, Bubblews is a great creative outlet for writers. However, unlike Hubpages, you are not scored and you cannot promote outside links or articles. Bubblers, like hubbers, find solace in creating the written word, both creatively and in a succinct, article-style manner. While Hubpages is an excellent outlet for the more professional style of writing, Bubblews is perfect for those seeking refuge in their work. The payout for Bubblews is dependent upon traffic but is not contingent upon the content. Where Hubpages often awards more well-thought-out content, Bubblews might wind up paying you decent money for a poem that made its rounds around the site. If you’re a creative who is looking to maintain artistic credibility rather than write reporting style, informative, and article-esque pages, then Bubblews is probably right for you.
Pros:
- Money for your work!
- Growing readership
- Write about what interests you, including creative writing
- Simple and easy-to-use page layout
Cons:
- No outsourcing or promotion of websites, including your own
- Free writer-ship means sifting through journal-style entries for articles that interest you (unless you’re into journal-style entries to read)
- The page layout is simple and doesn’t allow for multiple images, widgets, or graphs
WordPress
Perhaps one of the most well-known and easy-to-use blogging sites out there is WordPress. Combining blog and personal website, WordPress allows you to create, manage, and share your work easily for sometimes no money at all.
Though you can search for blog themes that will not only help your blog perform better but appear more professional, you can choose from hundreds of free themes available right on the WordPress website. Sign-up is free and the setup is fairly quick and painless. For those looking to have total creative control over their writing, setting up a WordPress account, professional writer service and blog is probably the best option for you. Read up on how best to go about designing your blog and what to include, increasing your search-ability, as this will help grow your readership. Update your blog with widgets that link multiple social media accounts at once. Create an automated system that sends out blogs to your followers and contacts instantly, keeping them updated on what you’re doing.
Be aware, however, that with total blog control, comes total control. You need to be clear about what you want your blog to do. If you’re planning on investing your time and money into a blog to gain a following and increase your possibility of becoming published or making money, then you need to stick to a stringent platform. Just because you have creative control doesn’t mean you should go overboard. Stick to one topic (i.e. computer technology, healthy recipes, writing) and watch your following grow.
Pros:
- Creative control!
- You can eventually make money if you market yourself and your blog well to potential advertisers
- Make your blog as simple or fancy as you like
- Widget friendly pages make sharing social media easy
- Simple and easy to use page and theme layouts
Cons:
- Readership is not built-in
- Increased work on the writer’s end to create a following
- Competition between blogs to succeed
- Time and investment of your own money to create a solid page
Writing in the digital age can be confusing. With dozens of online writing and blog sites, it’s easy to lose track of the folds. Consider these four sites among the top-tier of blogging, and work our way down from there. Do some research and discover what writing opportunities may be right for you.