In his latest blog, Pavlina recommended we try and think about how we already provide value, and what we can do to leverage it…

Now that I am (was/will be) writing for pay, it is easy for me to see how my employers take advantage of the passive income stream model using my work. I write something, they throw it on a website, blog or something similar, and continuously generate money from it. All those blogs I wrote for my last job are a low-level version of this idea. 

I should be able to do the same thing, on my own. There is also the added bonus that my personal writing can be about stuff I actually care about. And it can have me in it. I can curse, use contractions, and enjoy the occasional oxford comma. 

(side note: before my writing job, I thought seperating thoughts like this, this and this was ridiculous. I loved double spacing after a period.  After hundreds of hours of using AP style, though, I can now admit that it’s easier to type with only one space after a period. Also, this, this, and this does read clumsier than this, this and this.)

It is up to me to begin writing for myself, as well as figuring out the best way to leverage my writing. The internet seems obvious. I just have to work out my message, and the most effective way of presenting it.

Here’s to leverage.

I got my first writing job…  crazy.  I’m writing these blogs for lawyers.  I take news stories about things that happened in their area of practice and turn them into little 200 word blogs, linking back to the lawyer’s website.  I write web content for them too.  And it’s hard.  I mean, I thought I could write.  I always said I could, and believed I could, but this is a whole other level.  I can’t be too dry, can’t be too sensational, have to write in AP style, meaning one space after the period and a bunch of other stuff.  I put links into the text and use keywords and all the other stuff that goes into writing web content.  It takes me forever.  I’m probably averaging a dollar an hour or something.  But it is making me better.  I now know what the hell “passive voice” means.  I’m getting better at taking new information and explaining it.  Shit I don’t know anything about.  Premarital/prenuptial agreements?  Got it covered.  Sort of.  I’m still revising, truthfully, but the point here is that I am getting paid to write.  What I want to write?  No.  The writing of my hopes and dreams?  Naahh.  But hey, for the first time in my life I’m trying really fucking hard at something I know I can be good at, and slowly succeeding.  That kicks ass.