I Used to Write Elsewhere, Now I Focus on Steemit

I am a writer from way back in the day. When I was younger I was into poetry and short stories so I would write them, print them out in half page size "books" at a local printer and staple them together myself. I would sell them at local gas stations, mom and pop book stores, etc. I never made enough to become a "professional" but I certainly recouped my costs in getting my writing out there.

Years later I got onto the Internet, heard of this free website service called "Homestead" (who remembers that one?) and created my first website - ExUSMC's Game Bunker. I wrote game reviews of Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation and PC games. I even made contact with Sega and many other companies that started sending me free games to review (Sega sent me a Saturn and a handful of games about nine months after it was released). I realized there was something to this writing thing (that Saturn console and games was about $900 worth of stuff in 1997 or so).

A failed marriage later I was back at square one. The world had changed and I had to change with it. Instead of writing about games on my own website I learned that I could sell more stuff on Ebay if there was more information in the listing. I focused on providing short, original, write ups of the game story, game play, etc in each listing I put up on Ebay (I primarily sold video games). This was up to about 2005 or 2006.

Around this time I began getting busy with real life and stopped using the Internet as much and focused my efforts elsewhere rather than slowing Ebay sales. In 2009 I returned to the Internet with a new idea to make money with words. I decided I wanted to start a public relations company. The only problem is, I had no idea how to do it. A friend, who was the man responsible for starting video game magazines in the early 1980's, had just come into my life via a chance meeting on a gaming forum. I told him about my wild idea to start a public relations company and he was all for it, rather than against it. This surprised me.

Since April 1st, 2009 my PR company has written over 1,200 press releases, over 10,000 articles, a few hundred scripts for radio/television and we have edited more press releases from other companies than we can keep count. Along that time I have started, and shut down, more than a few websites that focused on gaming (see a trend yet?). I still run two sites today http://www.gravisludus.com and http://www.retrogamingmagazine.com which are successes in their own rights.

This brings me to my wanting to expand my writing outlets. I signed up for http://www.infobarrell.com and http://www.hubpages.com and at first, made a few pennies off my writing. This was fine because it was content that I would have to start another website to post a random article here and there. I was not interested in that so using a third party site like these was cool. Well, the minimum payout for those two sites is $50. After over a year or two on each, I am still under $15 and earning a penny a month off my past writing.

That is why I am no longer going to focus on those two sites (Infobarrel and Hubpages) and instead, I will be focusing my writing here on Steemit, Gravis Ludus and, Retro Gaming Magazine.

This is partly due to the fact that the community here on Steemit is far more willing to welcome a newcomer, support others and give criticism where needed. Sites like Infobarrel and Hubpages are fine for what they do but I am on a quest to become a professional, full time, writer - not just another "penny account" on someone else's site.

Thanks to the support of people here on Steemit, I have recently earned enough to pay my Internet bill for one month. I know, that is small potatoes to some of the "I paid this bill with Steemit earnings" posts but for me, it is good enough. That shows me, this is no trick of the mind/Internet and is truly something that could be huge if we all work to make it so.

I just wanted to say thanks to the many that have welcomed me here, helped when I have asked and, the many that have shown me support simply by commenting/liking etc my content. Thank you.

Now, how far will we take Steemit? As far as we damn well please. That is how far. I want to take it to the stars. How about you?