A writer is someone who writes. And a messenger is someone who gets their message into the world. Neither of those require getting paid to write. However, when you apply a business mindset to any creative effort or cause, you will be more successful. Want to share your voice with the world?

Here are 13 reasons why you should get paid for your efforts. 

Checks // PayPal // #CashMoney

Let's just get this one right out there. We like money. Money for bills, money for luxuries, money for a fat savings account. Once you learn how to commercialize your creativity, you see opportunities to generate income everywhere. 

For the Thrill
Not going to lie, that byline gets me every time. To this day, I get inordinately excited whenever one of my essays is published in Broward Family Life or Baton Rouge Parents. Someone out there thinks my thoughts are interesting or entertaining enough to share? Cannot beat that rush.  

To Let People Know They are Not Alone
I've always been something of an outsider. That's the price of moving around a lot and chasing ever greater dreams. When I wrote the essays in Blacklisted from the PTA I felt like the cul-de-sac pariah, and I didn't have anything to read that helped me feel otherwise. So I wrote it. When people started to connect with my work, I knew I was providing value. When they read about my [mis]adventures, they knew they were not alone.

To Value Your Thoughts and Talent
Maybe sad to say, but it's a lot easier for us to value our own thoughts and talent when someone else does it first. No point bemoaning the fact, it's human nature. So get paid and do your part to build yourself up.

Get Clips // Credentials
The best clips are paid clips. Although there are exceptions, the better the pay, the better the clip. And the better the clips, the broader your reach. Whether you're aiming to build a career or a movement, you want to accumulate those increasingly impressive clips. 

Serve Your Life Purpose
I have worked with several people who don't consider themselves writers at all, but write only to share the message they are called to share. Getting paid is a bonus, but also has a way of elevating your message, and creating the freedom (hello #CashMoney) to pursue your calling. 

To Prioritize Writing
Nothing like a deadline to create discipline and accountability. If you write as much as you'd like without a content-hungry editor on your back, good for you. The rest of us need some prodding to create. Getting paid is my very favorite incentive to be more prolific.

Be a Positive Voice in the World
Media that can afford to pay you can do so because of advertisers. They have advertisers because they have an audience, and that audience is much bigger than yours. So if you want to have a positive influence on more people, start by getting paid to create content for larger outlets and their audiences. 

To Have Fun
Creating is fun. Getting paid is fun. Enough said. 

To Be a Change Maker
Want to be the change? Treat your mission like a business. Getting paid to write is not easy. You've got to have something to say, say it well, and then wrangle the business of keeping those paychecks coming. Good things come to those who hustle, and good things come from those who hustle. When you use your voice, you change the world. 

To Connect
Want to meet people all over the world and learn what you share in common? Write, be vulnerable in that work, and then share it with the world. Getting paid for this is 100% gravy, but getting paid helps keep the cycle of connection in motion. 

To Build Creative Structure
Creativity thrives under constraints. Ironic, but true. The more freedom you have, the harder it is to create. Hello, blank page I can write absolutely anything on. Constraints provide guidance. Once a week I need to write 500 words on a topic about the craft and business of writing, targeted at ambitious and accomplished women. That's easy. Understanding the themes of your content, its purpose, and how you can leverage both is one of the greatest ways to become more creative. The pressure of deadlines helps you craft a workable structure and discipline.

Validation
Getting paid for your work means your work is legit. When your work feels valid, you'll do more of it. That's a virtuous cycle that you get to repeat, over and over and over. 

Are you ready to get paid to write? Join me live online January 20, 2018. Click here for more information and to register.