Your goal as a writer should be to create as many profit centers for your writing as you can. The more income streams you have, the more income.
Makes sense, doesn't it?
When I discovered blogging, a decade ago, my writer and business friends thought I was crazy. "You're writing for free!" they yelled.
I won't say that I had a cunning plan at that stage, because I certainly didn't. I blogged because I loved it. It thrilled me that I could write, hit the "Publish" button, and have readers, instantly.
Have you joined the blogging revolution? I joined in 2000, long before blogging was fashionable.
Instant publishing is powerful. You can make it work for you, as hundreds of thousands of bloggers around the world already do.
Is blogging an essential tool for writers? NO. If you're not passionate about something, there's no point in blogging. Blog your *passions*.