If you look to the right hand side of my blog page you will notice a section called BLOGROLL. In it you will find links to other blog sites that I read often. One of the entries in the BLOGROLL is for the Daring Fireball blog written by John Gruber. John epitomizes the next generation of writers...the online generation. In an excellent interview with Shawn Blanc he discusses writing online and what it looks like. The interview was heartening for the aspiring author such as myself because it gives hope that print is truly not dead. Print has been reborn with the birth of the weblog. Instant access is the buzzword of the new era of writing, and the internet delivers. Most people also don't have the time, nor the inclination, to read entire books anymore. Blogging fills a unique niche that allows people to read without requiring the commitment to reading hundreds of pages. Many traditional authors look down on online writers as hacks that don't have the skill to be published in the traditional way. John and I disagree with the traditional author's on this point. I can't speak for John, instead I urge you to read his blog and the interview with him by Shawn Blanc, but I can tell you my thoughts on this topic. Writers are realistic. In other words they like to eat. Since the utopian society where money is no longer needed to get food is no where on the horizon we writers have to find a way to get paid for writing. The traditional route to being published is frought with hurdles that can be daunting. Traditional publishing is a shrinking market which makes it harder and harder to make money in the field. Getting published in todays paper published market is truly a daunting task. Whereas online you can publish yourself immediately, and be copywrited at the same time. Another benefit the internet offers the aspiring writer is equality. If you are good at your craft others will find you and start reading you. Once you have traffic to your site you can begin advertising, and before you know it you are making a living as a writer. Something any aspiring author wants. However if you write poorly you will be ignored and your site will flounder. In the interview John Gruber address these issues and more with his popular style. His is a success story in that Daring Fireball supports him financially without any outside source of income. The reason why is because he is good at what he does. Read this one post John referred to in the interview titled "Vacation, All I Ever Wanted" and tell me that he isn't a talented writer. At one time being published was the holy grail of all writers. The internet has leveled the playing field to the point where this goal can be obtained by anyone with internet access. The rules have changed and now more than ever content and quality are more important to a writers success. SeanDareOnline.com was started for three reasons, see my manifesto post, one of them being the desire to hone my writing skills. I want to become better at what I do and maybe someday I can support myself with my writing. So, what is your passion? What do you want to do so badly that you want to support yourself doing it? Is it what you are doing to support yourself now? - Sean