How I Became A Professional Writer By Following These 3 Anti-Establishment Principles

As much as I want to start with some quotes about 'not being too old to start', I kinda would rather just jump in.

Like full-on, dive into the deep end head first, jump in.

Cool?

I'm 53 years of age. Like, as in just a smidge over half a century old. Or young. Depending on which side of that line you straddle.

And I'm having my best year ever as a writer.

But I suppose it would help if we defined exactly what a professional writer is. Right? From there, we can dissect what I mean when I say I'm having my best year ever.

The built-in dictionary on my Mac defines a professional as such:

pro·fes·sion·al| prəˈfeSH(ə)n(ə)l |

adjective

1 relating to or belonging to a profession: young professional people | resources for professional development | the professional schools of Yale and Harvard.

2 engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime: a professional boxer. • informal, derogatory habitually making a feature of a particular activity or attribute: a professional naysayer.

3 worthy of or appropriate to a professional person; competent, skillful, or assured: their music is both memorable and professional | she's a wonderful actress to work with and, of course, very professional.

So when we say that a person is a professional, we can mean either that they are competent, skillful, and assured, or that they are engaged in that craft or skill as their main paid occupation. And also that they derive an income or living from it. So one can logically append the word "writer" and voila.

I'm a professional writer.

But let's get back to what I said earlier about me having my best year ever.

You see, it's a pinch more profound than just the fact that I've made some decent money. It has a lot more to do with my mindset as well. And most importantly, my lifestyle.

Especially growing up where we're told to go to school, get a job, make a good wage, and one day retire.

One last thing before I share. Do yourself a favor and don't make this about me. See if you can insert yourself into what I'm going to impart. Like, as if you were in my shoes or had ever considered wearing shoes like the ones I'm wearing.

Ready?

I'm gonna start with the money part

Let's be honest. Money is why a lot of folks get into freelance writing.

Before all you pure as the wind-driven snow, altruistic, I do it solely for the art type of writers scoff your nose and click away, lemme ask you this.

Do you like to eat?

More often than not, we're seeking a new path in life. We hear about the freelancer boom, and in our minds, we marry the fact that we love to write, with the potential of doing it for a bit of cabbage, C-notes, bacon, dough, dollah-billz. So we build on that dream.

And somewhere along the line, we get paid.

It could be a wicked simple Fiverr gig where you were paid peanuts for a 900-word article. Maybe a good friend asks you to set up an email campaign for some Benjamins. Or best yet, you write a piece on a platform like Medium, and in turn, get a micro deposit of about sixteen cents.

No matter how you slice it, someone has exchanged their money for your ink.

My journey: I like to eat, and so do my kids. They also want to have new clothes as they outgrow the old ones and my car needs to have gas on occasion. There's not a damn thing wrong with writing for money, aka a living. It isn't magical. I wasn't grabbing a random martini at an airport bar and I happened to meet an editor for Penguin Press. Nah. I wrote for pleasure. For myself, one could say. It was personal.

Until the day I cut the cord and hit publish.

There was an adrenaline rush the first time I hit publish, and I wanted more. So I kept writing and one day received that sixteen cents, but it was more than that. It was validation, and it was the first step on my journey.

Among other revenue streams, I will share that just one of my clients pays me over $2k per month on retainer to write.

What you feed this is everything

That's just a fancy way to segue into mindset.

The battle is always fiercest between your ears. In your head. With your beliefs, values, motivations, and plain old gumption.

So if you're head ain't right, you won't write.

You'll be too afraid to publish (what will they think???)

You'll be too scared to step into the literary void (what will they do???)

You'll be mighty frightened to take that very first step (what will they say???)

Fuck them.

Write.

Look, I have a simple truth I want to share with you. It's a truth that is wicked hard to refute, and I have yet to discover anyone who has ever overcome this truth. And hey, not to sound morbid or anything but…

You're Gonna Die.

We all are.

So fuck 'em and write.

My journey: I honestly wasn't as afraid as one might think to hit publish that first time. When I look back at those first pieces, sure, I laugh at how amateur they were but hey. I did it.

Publishing is a game for me now. Not a game like in 'I don't take it serious game.' Rather a game of stats. A game of measurement. I track my metrics with every piece I publish for one reason and one reason only.

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

And I'm playing this game to win.

Isn't it the proverbial dream to live and work on some remote island?

Well, guess what.

I am.

But I digress…

For some writers, it's the thought of this that is the driver. The whole, writing from an island is really just the symbolic way of creating freedom and control over your life. Not in an irresponsible, lemme eat Ramen and catch my own fish life; instead, I'm going to create my life and become successful tapping into my talents and living a darn good life, life.

See the difference?

Find your island.

My journey: As I type these words on my Mac, which I will soon drop into some editing software then send in to a publication, I'm on an island. I came here at the emergence of the pandemic and have been living here for over 13 months now, as of this article. While I indeed dreamt of this type of life, I never quite knew when it would happen.

And thanks to some homie back in the far east who wanted to make a bowl of bat soup, here I am.

The final word

All of this kind of ties into each other.

Because to get to the island phase, you have to be very ok with making money from your passion phase. And of equal, if not more important, is the get your head straight phase. Once the dough kicks in, the trolls come out and will want to derail you.

But they'll never find you because you'll be on your island.

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