Pen Names and Professionalism

Pen names have been a part of writing for centuries, just as professionalism. Both pen names and professionalism play an important role in internet writing today. With all of the safety concerns involved with the internet, using a pen name is probably a good idea. However, when you choose a pen name, you must maintain the highest level of professionalism - as with every aspect of your internet writing.

Choosing a pen name is much like naming a baby. It will go with you for your entire internet writing career. It will set the tone for how you and your work are perceived by readers and clients alike. You pen name will open or close doors for you as an internet writer.

When you choose a pen name, think like a "real world writer." Your authority as a writer may hinge on your pen name. Would you go to your local bookstore or library and ask for a book about wedding planning written by ClownCollegeGrad1992? Would you consider seeking advice about roses from Buddy Boy? Neither one of those names are professional. They do not demand the respect of your readers and they do not help you sound like an authority on most subjects.

When you choose a pen name, you should choose one and stick with it. Having several different pen names will only complicate branding yourself and your work. It can make promoting your work extremely difficult. Keeping track of "who you are" and your writing style for the different pen names is a waste of time, energy and effort.

You should also consider your readers and your fans when you choose a pen name. How will they be able to find all of your work when you use different names? Will they understand why you use different names? Will they be able to trust you as an internet writer if they learn you use different names?

Once you have narrowed your choices for pen names down to a few, google those names. You will want a pen name that isn't overly used on the internet. When I first started my internet writing career I was writing as Emma Sutton. Several months later, I searched my name and learned there was an English actress with the same name. I knew I wouldn't make it to the first page of search engines competing against her. I added my middle name, Riley, to all of my work and VIOLA! I was no longer competing with an award-winning actress. When you search my name, you will find pages and pages of my work with only limited interruptions by others with my name or a similar name.

If you have already been using several pen names, there is little you can do to change that. If you write for several different niches, it may work for you. I don't recommend it, but it is possible to make it work. You may want to consider choosing one pen name and using it. It will make your internet writing career much simpler.

Your pen name is an important part of you and your internet writing career. Choose carefully, making sure your pen name is professional and will demand the respect you deserve as an internet writer. And, as with all things pertaining to internet writing, have a little fun with it. There is no reason your internet writing career has to be dull or boring.

The Secret Formula for Internet Writers

"...I am just about desperate here....I have been reading and re-reading your blog. I have been writing online (feverishly) for over 2 years. I get that residual pay takes time. What I don't get is what I am doing wrong....I try writing about timely/popular subjects...excuse me for mostly writing from my heart but that is what I do. Can I not expect to earn money unless I figure out the "secret" formula for success?"

The above is a message I received yesterday from a fellow internet writer. My heart went out to this writer. I've been there, frantically looking for "the secret formula for success."  The one thing I have learned from years of internet writing is that there is not one secret formula. There are several formulas, none of them secret, that must be mixed and matched with each other to fit each individual internet writer and their internet articles. These are just a few of those formulas I've discovered:

• Write Every Day - Internet writers must write every day. Whether it is published or not, we must produce new content every single day. This is part of honing our craft - improving our work. As internet writers write each day, we must see improvement. Internet writers must learn from their mistakes and not repeat them.

• The Devil is in the Details - Yes, it is true that the devil is in the details. No one is writing "War and Peace" or "Gone With the Wind" for the internet - it is all short snippets that will fit into our hectic lives and crazy schedules. Despite this, internet writers must weigh the details that will fill their "snippets" and make their concise and clear internet articles even more concise and clear.

• Original Only - Internet writers must produce original internet articles. We can't being writing duplicate or "almost the same" content as others. With millions of internet writers out there, we must put our unique spin on everything we write. The personality and spirit of the individual internet writer must shine through. The only way I know to do this is to write from the heart. If you aren't writing from the heart, you are missing the boat and the potential of a profitable career of an internet writer.

• Trial and Error - All writing, especially internet writing, is trial and error. My "writing philosophy" is quite simple: Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks. What works for one internet writer may not work for another internet writer. Yes, there are rules all internet writers should follow. Think of the old Air Supply song..."I know all the rules and I know how to break them and I always know the name of the game." The name of the game is "Making Money" and, as internet writers, we must break some rules to win that game.

• SEO - Always have SEO on your mind. I have Post-It notes on my edges of my computer screen, reminding me of SEO. Internet writers can't forget that SEO is what gets their internet articles indexed by search engines and increases your page rank. Without both, you will struggle with earning a living as an internet writer.

• Keywords - As with SEO, internet writers must be mindful of keywords. Use them and use them wisely. Use the keyword tools available to internet writers online. Pay attention to the specific keywords you use and their ratio in your internet articles. Avoid using too many different keywords in individual internet articles. Use trial and error to find the mix that works best for you.

• Branding - Internet writers must brand themselves and their work. This is key; an internet writer must be remembered by their readers. Develop your specific brand and stick with it. Use that brand to increase your readership. As your readership increases, so will your earnings.

• Promotion -Internet writers must promote their work! Never count on getting indexed on the first page of major search engines. This does happen and it happens often, but you must promote your work to help the search engines pick up your internet articles. Use Twitter, Facebook, Digg and other forms of social networking sites to increase your page views. The more page views you have, the more like you are to make money.

If I had "the secret formula," I would have it in bottles on shelves everywhere and the internet would be saturated with this formula. The formula would have a pretty bow on it and a nice price tag. I don't formula. Personally, I don't think it exists. You will see so-called formulas all over the place. Many of them will have giant price tags on them. Please don't fall for it. The internet is always evolving and changing; our internet writing should do the same. Because of that, those secret formulas are often outdated and obsolete. What what last year or last week may not work today, tomorrow or in six months. As internet writers, we must learn to adapt and change. We must hone and craft, constantly "putting it out there" for the world to read.

It Isn't Writer's Block

If you think writer's block is bad, you must have never suffered from "Don't Wanna Write Syndrome." That is the worst. With writer's block, there are techniques that can used to overcome those temporary problems.  With "DWWS," it is nothing but forcing yourself to do it.Trust me, I know. I'm having a severe case of DWWS at this very moment. Contrary to "my norm," I am as interested in writing as I am in giving birth to a blue hippo.

For the record, writer's block is physical problem. Your brain is unable to think of things to write about. And, this is complicated by "blockage" between your brain and hands that stops ideas from getting to the paper or screen. DWWS is a psychological and emotional problem. You are physically able to write and you have ideas to write about, but you can't seem to get it together.

At this moment, I have oodles of ideas to write about. I just don't want to. I can think of hundreds, if not thousands, of other things I could be doing beside writing. I could watch it snow and blow during what is being called "the storm of century." It is historical; I can't miss it. I could clean out the litter box. Okay, I just did that. The entire Egyptian protests/revolt/uprising is very interesting. Even Rupert Murdock talking about his newspaper created just for iPad is fascinating. Yesterday, I was disciplined writer. Today, I am ready to scrap it all for no particular reason.

What am I doing about it? It is a painful procedure. I am forcing myself to write. I have become an evil dictator and will not allow myself out my chair until I am finished writing what I need to write. I am not a big fan of myself now, but I am getting it done. I should also mention the "dictator mentality" was the last resort.

What did I try before this? I thought of you, my readers, and how disappointed you would be if I didn't pass on some sort of information about online writing. I thought of my goal to provide new content on a daily basis. I thought of all the money I would be losing if I didn't write any internet articles today. I finally had to lump all of these together, become a dictator and get to writing.

You are probably wondering why I am bothering to post this. Well, I want you to know you aren't the only one who has days like this. Internet writers need to know it is possible to push through DWWS and get something accomplished. It takes discipline and, at times, sheer stubbornness to do what is necessary. We are internet writers. This is our job and we must do our job. Good luck. I hope you handle DWWS better than I do.