I was going through my daily reads while watching TV when I came across an article that resonated with me, and I just have to write about it. That article is “16 Top Tips from Blogging Experts for Beginners.” It wasn’t so much all the tips that I read, it was really just Rand Fishkin’s thoughts on content writing, and how you need to prepare to fail as well as being ready to give it a lot of time.

Plan to invest in blogging for a long time before you see a return. The web is a big, noisy place and unless you’re willing to invest more over a greater period of time than others, you’ll find success nearly impossible. If you’re seeking short-term ROI, or a quick path to recognition, blogging is the wrong path. But if you can stick it out for years without results and constantly learn, iterate, and improve, you can achieve something remarkable.

Rand Fishkin, CEO of Moz

Rand then goes on to share images of his wife’s website and how long it took for her to gain a substantial amount of followers.

I guess that’s been my real frustration with really getting to the nitty-gritty of figuring out where I stand in the market. It’s taken almost a year so far, and I know that’s not enough time, especially in the content writing/blogging scene. The fantastic timing about this piece was that I’ve been on the fence about continuing to write. I don’t want to say burnt out, and I certainly don’t want to say discouraged, but it probably lies somewhere in the middle.

I suppose the thing I get most discouraged about is that I’m not doing content writing for a job, I’m just doing this for fun and to build interaction with people out there. However, like Rand stated, this is where I need to learn how to adapt and keep plowing through this situation. Sticking with it is the right answer, and it’s going to help me in the long wrong.

Content writing DOES take time

I suppose I really should take that advice about content writing and pound it in my head. Nobody starts out as someone who’s known in a particular industry and instantly succeeds. It takes work, hours of frustration, and a lot of patience within myself to keep going.

I do particularly like Rand’s quote about the web being a ‘big, noisy place” because it certainly is. There are thousands of people who want to succeed the same way I want to within 100 miles of me. When it comes to content writing, the only thing that I can do is to continue to practice, refine, and do the best I can every time I decide to write something.