Here’s the Thing - Part III

Okay, so what did you come up with? 

We’re thinking about something small, something inexpensive to make, but valuable to others, and possibly even something you can trade for money more than once. Any ideas?

How about this? 

“Quickstart Guide To Canning Tomatoes At Home”

Or this?

“For The College Grad: Living Green On The Cheap”

Or these?

I wanna know how to do this, and
I'm probably not in the target audience!

“Nerdcore DeeJaying Made Easy”

“Magic Tricks For Meeting Girls”

“Dining In Style #1: Napkin Folding In A Hurry”

“How To Refurbish Antique Lamps”

Catching on yet? Yes, it sounds too easy but that’s because in the grand scheme of things, it is very easy. (And maybe you think it’s hokey, too, but just hold on),  

Think of writing a short guide in terms of cost, both in time and money. You spend a few hours - yes, I mean a few hours - combing the internet and/or your local library for information that you can condense into a short, accessible guide that teaches certain people how to do certain things. The guide can be anywhere from a few pages (formatted with wide spacing and lots of pics), to a ten page report (still lots of space and pretty pictures), to an entire novel-length book, depending on your scope and hope. The research, by the way, is free outside of internet charges, which you probably already have or can get for free at your local library. Heck, you can even use the computers at the library to write the thing, if you want. And if by some miracle you don’t have a computer at home, then you can go old school and write it down by hand! By the way, so far you haven’t spent anything outside of a few hours of time devoted to research and typing.

Then of course, there are lots of ways of getting the thing out there that will cost nothing or next to nothing, but that’s another part of our process, and I’m not sure you’re convinced about writing as a way to really make money. 

I can hear you now. “But writing? Writing? I hated writing papers when I was in school. I’m no good at it. No one would want to read what I wrote. I don’t have the expertise or the talent. And writers don’t make anything, they’re always starving! I saw that once or seven times on television. Also, I kind of like not doing anything that would make me uncomfortable or break the inertia I have going here. Dang,” you say, “why does it have to be so hard?”

And I would agree, in a way. “Hard” is the right word. But don’t for a moment confuse that concept with “difficult,” because difficult it’s not. It’s just outside your comfort zone, and it’s not something you’ve ever tried before, so of course you’d meet it with resistance. Maybe you’re even ready to walk away now, say “Thanks a lot, but it’s not for me.” If you did, though, you’d miss out on a tiny little step that will mean bigger things for you later. Writing these small guides is just a start; after a time, you’ll find that you’ve been learning baby steps for the pièce de résistance, your passions and your meaningful projects. This is about making money, yes, but it’s about much more than that, too. It’s about making positive change, one step at a time. The writing, and making a little money at it, are just doorways to bigger things. Once you get your foot in one - the door, I mean - there’ll be no stopping you. So don’t go just yet, alright? We'll start with pennies but end with gazillions, right? Or at least, I will. Love to have you for company, but I've already said I'm gonna, so this is the way I'm starting.

Stick around, and next time we'll talk about whether or not something like this can really sell. You'll see, I think, that it can and most likely will, against your better judgment.