To write, or not to write: that is the question.

It honestly feels like it's been a year since I've written any new articles. In actuality it's been just a couple months or so since the last post. I've been so focused on trying to find something profitable to do that doesn't revolve around running a blog, that it feels like so much more time has passed since I've given this site some attention. Might be time to get back to it. At least for one post anyways.

You want to know what keeps me coming back to this blog? The comments. Even after not posting for months, I get comments every single week. It's great to know that people are still reading my articles and everyone has been so positive. Despite a lot of the older articles being... well... not so great.


When I go back through and read my old articles it can be an inspiring experience. I wonder if I'm the only one here, but I tend to forget how far I've come in relation to the quality of my skills as a writer. It's not until I read old work that I see the stunning difference. It's a difference that I'm actually quite proud of. I'm certainly far from where I'd like to be, but if anyone saw the way I used to write many years back and compare it to the present, I'm sure it would garner some slow golf clapping. I'm happy with where I am right now with my writing proficiency.

Read, read, read. That's basically what I did to slowly improve the quality of my writing. Since discovering the joy of owning a laptop early last year I've done almost nothing but read on the thing. Poring over reviews, previews, blogs, and wiki pages. On topics ranging from movies, television, gaming, science, technology, and even on the art of writing itself. I've picked up a whole new roster of article styles: Top 10 lists, bullet lists, and cleverly positioned – timeless – content. You need to write something that's fun to read, a breeze to skim through, and will benefit people for years to come.

Now, a lot of my posts on this blog aren't written in this way, including this one. It's perfectly fine for the way this blog has evolved, but going into the future I need to get used to using these writing styles. However, I'm seriously thinking about dropping this blog stuff altogether. There are plenty of other ways to build some type of financial security online besides blogging. Not to mention the fact that I haven't made a cent with this site as of yet.

Posting ads and throwing around referrals haven't brought anything positive into my life; Just clutter. The actual blogging part of this site, however, has been a tremendously positive learning experience.

I found a site called Helium.com today. I signed up, filled out my bio, and posted a picture. “Learn what you need, share what you know.” is what the site offers. You write some good articles and they give you cash depending on how popular it is. It seems simple enough. Having an article that can rack up some hits doesn't have all that much to do with good writing skills either. Just need to find a popular topic that you know a little about. So there's no pressure to out-write people.

The two questions I have about this Helium site are: Can I produce a decent income with this? And can I produce enough content?

I obviously can't answer that first question yet. But I'm so used to not succeeding at whatever it is I do that I'm already going in doubtful that I'll ever make a buck. I plan to solely focus on the articles I write, and not the money I could make. The last thing I want is for my articles to suffer because I'm too busy worrying that no one will read it.

The second question might be a little easier to answer. I know I can write at least a few articles a week. I've done that before, easy peasy. I just need to figure out if I can write about topics they require of me. Looking at the main page now I see they're looking for articles on...

“Signs that a website may be fake.” and “How to barbecue a squirrel on a spit over a campfire “ I may have my work cut out for me :P