Stuart Danker

So I’ve kept this blog for nine years now, but it’s only in the past three that I started taking it seriously. And by serious I mean no sporadic posts, always networking on WordPress, and acting as if I know what I’m doing.

Thing is, I’ve never earned a dime from my blog, and I can’t use it to sell anything even if I wanted to.

But just because I didn’t gain monetary rewards doesn’t mean I didn’t benefit from ‘going pro’ when it comes to blogging. So what can a domain name and a paid WordPress account get you? Let me count you the ways.

1. You get to suck constantly at writing

Can’t stop sucking if you don’t stop writing. And maintaining a blog is exactly that: you sucking for all eternity.

The good news is that nothing lasts forever. So in a similar vein, you won’t suck forever. Because you’ll be dead. But until then, you get the joy of putting out work that you’re mildly dissatisfied with but can’t quite put a finger on why.

It’s good to be humble. And I like being reminded that I can work my entire life and still not get anywhere with my writing. That’s why I keep the blog. Because this reminder is the only thing that makes me work harder.

2. You’ll appreciate being paid for your words

“Don’t accept anything less than 50 cents per word,” they say. They being established writers who have a foot in the door of publishing. “Don’t let them exploit you.” Them being whoever has the money.

Well, here’s a math question for you. Would you pay a senior writer the same amount as a junior? What about an intern?

It’s the same with gig writing. You can’t expect an intern equivalent of a freelancer to earn the going rate of 50 cents per word. So naturally, the younger writers will have to give up certain luxuries relegated to the veterans.

Writers will either have to be experienced, well-connected, or cheap to get paid. And guess where that leaves inexperienced, new writers? Ditto.

But no fear! Keep a blog and get used to writing for free, and even two cents per word will seem like a dream!

Heck, I’d even sell my fiction for less than that if it meant others would read it.

3. You’ll get used to speaking to an empty room

I like to liken writing to open mic night. Anybody who dares bare their soul gets to face an audience. It’s just that very few spectators ever make it to these venues.

But do it long enough and a talent scout might chance upon your gigs. Or suck at it until you get good, and you’ll naturally set yourself apart from the people who don’t put in the work.

Performing for a crowd does have a thrill to it, but to really appreciate that, you’ll have to first get used to speaking to a crowd of two—one of them being your mum.

I’ve blogged for so long now that it feels like I’m speaking to myself every time I write, so I’m fine if nobody reads this. But then the odd reader like you comes along and leaves a comment and that makes my day.

4. You get to enjoy the inconvenience of having ideas when you don’t have anything to record them down with

The title says it all.

5. You get to become a social butterfly

Yep, you read that right. Being on WordPress, especially, gives you the training you need to up your small talk game. The catch? You have to network first.

Now, I’m the type of person who loved the lockdown period. So if anyone’s getting a Platinum Member card in the Introvert’s Club, it’s gonna be me.

Which is why when I got this new job that requires meeting strangers four days out of the week, I actually considered changing careers to becoming a night-shift security guard. Or a mortician. At least I’m not expected to make friends there. But I digress. (Also, follow me on Instagram if you enjoy seeing me battle my introversion every day.)

So when I say that commenting on WordPress has allowed me to adapt in conversations, I mean it. It’s allowed me to distil the proper information out of every paragraph—or chunk of conversation—and reply without too much thought.

The only downside is that I can’t send people to the Spam folder if they try selling me unsolicited ‘health supplements’.

6. You can tell your potential employers you’re a writer

No published writing? No problem. Your posts count as published articles. Mainly because most times, when employers ask you for your portfolio, they just want to know how you write.

And your raw writing on your blog tells them so much more than an edited piece in a magazine would.

Plus, there’s just something about someone who writes without being paid that warms employers up to actually paying you.

If I had the money to hire writers, I’d definitely want the applicant who’s written on their own accord, versus the one who’s never cared to write anything in their life.

7. You get to enjoy the stress of a job, without the job

Are you shrinking away from the mention of the word ‘stress’? Maybe it’s too edgy for you? Am I being too sigma male hustle YOLO GaryVee?

I mean it though. Stress is good for you. A healthy amount of it, at least. I’ve had the privilege of being stressless before. And I can safely say that being stressless is actually pretty stressful, and going through stressful periods in my life has allowed me to grow.

It’s a weird paradox, but it’s true. I can give you a life of Mai Tais on the beach and you’ll probably beg for a blogging deadline before the week’s up.

That’s what I get from maintaining this blog. I’ve published weekly for three years now, and I’m not going to break that chain for anything. Which is why when it’s Monday and I haven’t written a post for Tuesday, I start ditching all the unproductive activities like doom-scrolling on my phone just so I can speak to an empty room.

All I need to do is to stop paying for my WordPress account and I’ll be released from the weekly stressors that haunt me so. But that’ll be my equivalent of Mai Tais on the beach. And I’d much rather stay sober, if you know what I mean.

You’re on the right path

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a blogger yourself. You’ve probably questioned your reasons for staying on, and I know if you’ve ever blogged, you’ll definitely have thought about quitting.

But sometimes it isn’t about getting results. Sometimes it’s about finding the meaning in the work, even though there may not be any.

I know how thankless blogging can be. Because there aren’t many reasons why someone would do it for years on end. But you just listed seven reasons, you’d be thinking, and you’d be right.

But I made all that up. I needed to stick to a deadline, so I needed to come up with something.

The weird thing is though, I’m rather happy with this week’s piece, and I wouldn’t have come up with it, had I not had this post to honour.

So yeah. Keep your blog. Your reasons will come later.

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