Best Way to Become a Writer in 2022?
You’ve had enough of your nine-to-five and you want out. You want to become a writer in 2022 and leave everything else behind. Can it be done?
As these lines are being written, there is less than a week before the new year. Everyone’s making their resolutions and setting themselves up for failure with the changes they want to make. Not you! You’re going to do it the right way and succeed!
Start Now
New Year’s resolutions are pointless and counterproductive because they’re just another way of procrastinating.
“I’ll start getting in shape in January.” “I’ll leave my horrible job by Spring.” You’re putting off something that requires work or a tough decision.
If you want to become a writer, start today. Start now. Open a word processing application, Notepad, or, heaven forbid, take out a piece of paper and a writing implement.
Write a 500–1,000 word article on a topic and then set it aside. I’ll tell you how it’ll come in handy in a bit.
Do Some Research
Head over to your favorite website that deals with a topic that interests you. Alternatively, scour Medium for stories that you like. Read through a few pieces of content and notice what it is about these posts that draws you in. Take notes on these elements.
Compare and Improve
Head back to your article and reread it. Chances are you’ll find there’s plenty of room for improvement.
Is the language you used appealing? What about your title and headings? Are your paragraphs endless walls of text? Are your sentences too long and your use of language unclear?
Take note of the things that you can improve. Now, rewrite your article with the new knowledge you’ve gained.
Write, Write, Write
While it would be a blessing to immediately start writing for a successful publication and get paid handsomely for it, you’ll have to do a little grunt work. Find a few websites that pay writers for their content.
Sign up and start churning out articles.
The pay will be low but you can produce tens of posts over the holidays. Despite your best efforts, it’s not going to be pretty at first. Clients will ask for revisions and some of your efforts may be turned down. That’s ok. You need to walk through the fire to get to your destination. Keep in mind, the more time you spend learning the process now, the sooner you can move on to bigger and better things.
Pro tip: Make sure your content appeals to audiences. Just because something sounds good in your head, doesn’t mean that others will want to read it. Use language that captivates and make sure your writing is something that you would want to read if it wasn’t from your own hands.
To achieve this, get a friend to offer some constructive criticism. Avoid getting a close friend or relative to do this as they may be too lenient or excessively harsh. You want an objective critique as to whether or not your writing is appealing. If you catch the reader falling asleep or running for the toilet to vomit, you’ll have to make some changes.
Establish a Presence
Most, if not all, of the writing you’ll be doing on content-writing sites (known as content mills) will be in a ghostwriting capacity. That means that the client takes ownership of your work and presents it on their website as their own.
This is a disadvantage when trying to find clients of your own that will pay you to write for them. You’ll need to show samples of your work but won’t be able to since your work has been sold to others as their own.
That’s why it’s important to establish an online presence where you can exhibit your work. This can be a website or a social media account.
If you can afford a website hosting plan, a WordPress blog is ideal for retaining total control over your content. When operating without a budget, you can start a page on Blogspot which is Google’s free blogging platform.
Create a LinkedIn account and start building a network of friends and colleagues. You can use LinkedIn as a place where you showcase your work. Talk about the expertise you’ve gained as a writer and offer your insights in a professional, value-added way.
Find Paying Clients
Start small by applying to freelancing websites. Now that you have a few samples of work that you can present to prospective clients, you can apply to writing jobs. If you need the money, keep writing for content mills as you search for clients. You’ll find that the more you write, the better your content will become.
Build a Brand
The best way to stand out is to work on your brand. Your goal is to get clients to seek out your voice and not just another writer. At this point in your writing journey, your content should be so unique that people can recognize it’s yours, even if your name’s not on it.
Posting on social media, interacting with your audience, and adding an element of exclusivity and scarcity will drive your brand. People will be willing to pay a subscription or commission your work to the tune of a comfortable living.
How Long Will it Take?
If you start on content mills, you’ll be making money right away. It’s not going to be much, but you’ll be able to call yourself a writer since it’ll be a source of income. However, I don’t think that’s what you want to know. You need to know how long it will take until people are throwing money at you hand over fist for your content.
If you start now, you can amass over 10 pieces of content by the new year. Keep writing through January and start building a blog while you’re at it. Follow me on Twitter and here on Medium. I’ll gladly follow you back and offer some constructive criticism. Oh, and don’t worry. I won’t fall asleep or lose my lunch in the process. I enjoy helping new writers and will offer objective feedback.
Depending on how many hours a week you’re willing to put it, you can make writing a full-time activity within 6 months to a year. Don’t put it off until January. Start now!
