I’ve been an online writer for about a year and a half, and I’ve published a few articles about how to be successful as a content provider. Whenever I write one of these articles, I invariably get emails asking me for some inside tips on how to make lots of money writing for websites. The people emailing me assume I have some shortcut to give them that will reveal how to make a lot of quick cash writing online articles with minimal work.

I must confess that I have no magic bullet or inside secrets to achieve financial freedom as a writer. When people write in and ask me to explain how they can make a lot of dollars working as a content provider with minimal effort, I shake my head in wonder. Anyone expecting to earn their living as an online writer without putting in a lot of time and labor will not fulfill their dream. As in any profession, it takes a lot of hard work, time and sacrifice to be a successful web writer.

Since I wrote about my success on Xomba, I’ve received a variety of messages and comments in response to my article. Some say they’d like to achieve success, but they just can’t find the time to post as much as they’d like. If they do have the time to commit to Xomba, when they see the amount of work involved in posting a lot of Xombytes and blurbs, it seems like more work than they are willing to do.

Online writing is creative and can be a lot more fulfilling than the average nine to five job stuck in a cubicle all day; however, it’s still a lot of hard work. If you are an artist, and look at selling your art as a small business, then there will be a variety of tasks to do to work on your business, some more creative than others. There will also be times when the work will seem more fun than other times, and instances where you’ll have to push yourself to get something done, even when there are distractions, you feel like taking a break or stopping work for the day to do something else.

I’ve been enjoying increasing success as an online writer lately, and it’s all because I remember what Richard Rhodes called The Knickerbocker Rule: to paraphrase Rhodes, apply your bum to chair. It’s not enough to talk about writing, or how you’ll make a living writing articles for websites--you must actually find the discipline to sit in your seat and write consistently if you want to achieve your goals.

So there’s no shortcut to writing success. I hear so many people say that they want to make money on sites like Xomba, but it looks like so much work. They just don’t have the time to post the number of Xombytes or blurbs needed to build revenues on the site, or they would like to know a shortcut, a way they can still earn cash without the actual commitment of time and labor it takes to earn the money.

I notice an attitude lately in aspiring writers who want to make big money without putting in the hours and effort it takes to achieve it. I tell you that in my experience, there’s no shortcut or way to be successful without working your heart out as an online writer. To those who are willing to apply the first rule of writing and actually sit down and do the work, the rewards can be tremendous. I believe that those who hope for financial and personal success writing for websites without putting in the time and labor to achieve it will be disappointed as the dream of financial freedom slips through their fingers.

When I started on Xomba, I only made a few cents a day, but I kept going. I sensed there was real potential to working with AdSense so I was very patient and persistent. I got tired of working on other sites, where I published over 100 articles but earned what felt like pennies. As my AdSense earnings grew, that encouraged me to work harder, and as I added more content to Xomba, my AdSense earnings continued to grow nicely.

Soon, I’ll have my first hundred dollar check from Google AdSense! It happened because I’m dedicated to posting here as often as I can. I’ve put a lot of labor and creativity into Xomba, and what you put in, you get out of Xomba. I do take days off for a personal life, but I’m pretty focused and consistent. I sit in my chair and post long hours on Xomba, and writing for other sites too. If I’m super busy, then I find small bits of time to add some Xomblurbs or work on writing articles. I know that if I don’t sit down and focus and do the work, I won’t make my desired income, simple as that. That usually motivates me to buckle down and put in the time each day working to achieve my financial goals.

In my experience, the harder you work on Xomba, the greater the rewards. It takes a lot of time, dedication and effort to be successful in any creative or business endeavor. There are no shortcuts and if you can find the time to apply that first rule of writing to Xomba and you work really hard, I believe anyone can achieve their dreams of being a successful online writer.