Writing Tips from a Modestly Successful Steemit Author

I've been on Steemit for about two months, and I've managed to have some success with my writing.

I haven't always been successful, and most of the content that I put out ends up netting me somewhere in the range of $10-$20, if it nets anything at all. I have an on-going non-fiction series about my time in the Army, I write flash fiction shorts for #descriptionsonthespot, and I have an on-going scifi serial called The Stellar Wild. Along with the occasional article about philosophy and ethics, I'd say I have a decently diverse body of work. It hasn't made me filthy rich, but I've been steadily accruing followers for my blog and building a reputation as a consistently good writer.

The writing contest I tried to organize earned a whopping $0.06, so what little I did have set aside was paid out to the contestants. I might not be rich, but if I say someone is going to win something from me, I follow through. Since I don't have much left over to shower people with money, I figured I'd offer the next best thing: advice from my own experiences here on Steemit.

Of course, it goes without saying that your experience may vary, but these are things that have helped me out tremendously:

• PROOFREAD! - I cannot stress enough how important it is to proofread. Nothing suggests to readers more that you didn't care about your post than a large number of spelling and grammar errors. It's one of the easiest ways to lose the interest of readers who are trying to invest a lot of time in your article, and most don't. Most will see your post, skim it over for a bit, and move on. If the parts they skim are riddled with errors, they're not going to give it another look.
• Learn To Use Formatting - If you're like me, you started out happy to whip up a title and get to work writing out whatever story you wanted to post. Like I said just a minute ago, people tend to read the first few lines and skim the rest. If there isn't anything to catch their eye, they're not going to stop and dig deeper. This doesn't mean you need to use all of the formatting tags and toss them around willy-nilly, but be mindful of how your post appears visually.
• Use Visual Aids - This ties into the formatting part. Articles without a picture seldom get any traction. Obviously you'll want to tailor your image or graphic to the article you're writing, but do make an effort to find something that will add to the post. Again, people are skimming; a dramatic image or infographic every few paragraphs will keep them engaged.
• Be Diverse, But Not Too Diverse - I have three general topics I write about: fiction stories, personal stories, and voluntaryism. Between these three, I have more material to write about than I'll ever be able to fill my blog up with, even if I took this gig on full time. You don't want to limit yourself to just one topic and write only about that if you're looking for exposure, but you also don't want to spread yourself across every possible topic. Pick a couple of things you're passionate and find topics to cover in those areas. Remember, quantity might increase your odds, but quality will develop your following and get people engaged with you as an author.

Beyond that, I really only have one other piece of advice: don't get discouraged. I had to force myself to take this advice after a couple of chapters of my series The Stellar Wild didn't earn anything. Instead of fretting and worrying about not making any profit on my hard work, I focused on ensuring my quality stayed consistently high. In two months time, I now have over 100 followers, most of my posts make consistent payouts (maybe not big ones, but I'd rather have $20 every time then 1 in 10 earning $100), and I've developed a great network of connections here with some fantastic people.

Hopefully these tips will aid you in your Steemit journey; they've helped me on mine. If you want more advice and help with formatting your posts for better exposure and readability, head on over to #steemprentice on Steemit.chat. There will always be someone (or four) to give you a hand and offer some friendly, constructive advice!