Once You're An Established Writer

Once you receive your very first paycheck from writing you can technically claim that you are a bona fide professional writer.  It doesn't matter if you get paid five dollars or five hundred dollars for your first professional piece…receiving money for writing makes you a professional.  The quicker you get into this mindset, the more confidence you will have to move forward in your writing career.

THINK OF YOURSELF AS A WRITER

Introduce yourself like this: "Hi, I'm a writer." 

You will be pleased at just how interested people are in your job when you tell them that you're a writer.  Even if you don't spend your time fashioning intricate novels, being a writer is a great conversation piece at any gathering.  By introducing yourself as a writer, you will also help convince yourself…don't be apologetic about it ("I'm a writer, but I only make about twenty dollars a week right now….").  Be proud of yourself, and enjoy the fact that you are talented enough to make some money doing something you love.  

Join a writers group. 

Libraries, schools, book stores, and coffee shops are great places to look when you decide the time has come to join a writers group.  A writers group can be a great way to not only make some new friends who share the same professional interests as you, but also to start networking with other writers and learn about the tricks of the trade.  After all, you can read plenty of books about becoming a writer, but sometimes the very best advice comes from other local writers who were once in similar situations to you. 

Don't allow yourself to feel intimidated by the occupational expertise of the other writers in the group.  They wouldn't have joined a local writing group if they weren't willing to chat it up with beginning writers.  Consider the time you spend socializing with the other writers in the group as valuable time to learn more about your desired occupation as a professional writer.  Soak up any knowledge the other writers are willing to impart to you.  Of course, don't get so wrapped up in learning things that you don't allow yourself to have a really good time with all your new writing friends!

Make a point of doing creative things. 

Even if your specialization is writing reference articles about dry subjects it does not mean that you aren't doing something creative.  You have to allow yourself some time to recharge your creative batteries, and heading off to an art museum, botanical garden, or even a crowded subway station to observe other people can be a fantastic way to get your creative juices flowing again. 

All work and no play will make you one dull writer, an no matter what you are writing about you really need to make time to do something other than writing.  It can be especially difficult to lure yourself away from writing when you first start getting jobs and bringing in some money because the process can be quite alluring.  You still need to make time to refresh your creative juices.  Allow yourself the time you need to occasionally get away from writing so you can ultimately be a better writer.

Think about your reputation. 

Like it or not, being a professional writer can be a high-profile occupation.  This isn't to say that you will have paparazzi parked outside your house, but many employers do care about the general reputation of the writers working for them because the writers are a reflection on the company.  For this reason, you will want to watch some of your online activities.  If you have a blog or website which you regularly contribute to where you lament about personal problems or political agendas, then you might run into a situation where a potential employer stumbles across your site and decides to not hire you based on the things you say in your diatribes. 

If you have a burning desire to let the Internet community know about how much you hate your mother-in-law or how you can't stand the local politicians in your town then consider adopting a pen name for your more personal posts.  It would be a shame for you to miss out on a great writing job because you felt compelled to compose a blog entry recanting the wild, drunken night you had which resulted in some questionable activities.  Remember that just because the Internet allows people to tell dazzling stories to everyone does not mean that you should necessarily reveal your life story and opinions to anyone who can log on to a computer.  Watch out for TMI: Too Much Information.   

DO THE TIME

Treat it like any other job. 

This means that you should maintain a schedule just like you would any other job.  For example, if the only time you can steal away and write is in the evenings when your kids are in bed, then maybe you should make a schedule to work on your large projects three nights of the week, your smaller projects three nights of the week, spend one evening searching for new jobs and reading about writing, and then one night off completely from working.  This is far preferable to sitting down at your desk every night without a plan of attack (which will often lead to not too much getting done at all) and without a predetermined schedule of events. 

As money begins to roll in, you may want to work out some time with your spouse (if you have one) when you are not to be interrupted because you are writing…maybe a couple of hours on Saturday or Sunday can be designated as your serious writing time where you really get to work on your larger projects because you know you will be left alone to work.  The more serous you are about your writing time, the more productive you will be.

Even if it isn't your main job, you should still meet your deadlines.  Many people start out writing while working another job, going to school, or raising children.  The fact that you do not rely on writing income in the beginning does not give you carte blanche to disregard deadlines and not do your best on every single project you do.  The people you are writing for - editors, webmasters, magazine owners - are probably not part-time people who do this sort of thing for a hobby.  They are counting on your to turn in quality work on time.  Don't gain the reputation as a writer that can't be counted on to deliver good work in a timely manner.  Use this time in the beginning of your writing career as good practice for working in a professional manner, regardless of the pay involved or the other things you are doing in your life.  

Learn from your mistakes. 

When you first begin to write professionally, you will inevitably make a few mistakes here and there.  Whether it is being too informal in your query letters to potential employers or not looking for jobs in the right places, you will soon learn that sometimes your way of doing things is simply not working.  Pay attention to what works and what doesn't, and vow to not repeat your mistakes.  For example, if an editor criticizes you for using too much passive voice in your writing don't take offense to the criticism and pout about the editor's comments. 

Instead, research what passive voice actually is and then don't use it in your writing anymore.  You need to remember that you are in a position to learn a great deal from other people, and if you don't accept criticism graciously then you will never learn.  Nine times out of ten the editor or buyer will have valid complaints and are certainly not out to hurt your feelings or make you feel bad about your writing…they are just looking for better writing from you. 

Figure out how you work best. 

You will probably notice eventually that you work better during certain times of the day or night, and that there are certain environmental factors which help you to write better and more quickly.  Some writers feel more energized in the morning while other writers find that they are most efficient when the sun goes down.  Pay attention to when you seem to get the most writing done, and then try to schedule your main writing time around your most productive time. 

You should also pay attention to the things which are distracting you.  Maybe you always made a habit of having the television on when you did homework while you were in school, and maybe you have consequently continued with this habit while you write.  It may be worth it, however, to try writing without the distractions of the programs on television and see if you are a lot more productive.  You never know…you may actually surprise yourself with all the work you can get done when you eliminate distractions.  If your kids are the distraction, though, you may either have to learn how to write while your kids play around you or you may instead need to invest in a regular babysitter who can come in and distract the kids for a few hours while you get some work done. 

GET THE MATERIALS

Buy business cards. 

There are lots of promotional items you can buy for yourself, but there is something about having personalized business cards which make you feel like more of a professional.  You may not run into many occasions when you can actually whip out a credit card and hand it to a prospective employer, but you really never know.  In the beginning, your business cards are there to help you feel like more of a professional, and can serve as motivation.  As a bonus, you'll have something to drop into those bowls at restaurants which are designed for businesspeople to put their business cards in to win a free lunch.  If a free lunch is all that comes from your business cards, you're still ahead.

Consider advertising. 

Depending on what kind of writing you do, you may be justified in purchasing some advertising.  Companies and home-based business owners often look to hire freelance copywriters on a contractual basis to work on one or two projects, so you never know if having a nice ad in the local telephone directory will pay off.  If you look in your local telephone directory you will probably notice that the listing of advertised writers is not too terribly long… not when compared to plumbers and computer repair shops anyhow, so you may be one of only a few listed writers available.  There are plenty of other ways to advertise your services and you should take some time to look into them and see if they are worth your time and money. 

Sometimes it won't make much sense to spend the money for advertising.  For example, if you want to write sonnets professionally then a full-page spread in the telephone directory probably won't result in enough work to pay for the advertising because there really aren't that many people combing through the telephone directory in search of composers of sonnets.  If, on the other hand, you specialize in writing website content then you may actually get a few calls from people developing websites who are in need of original content.   

Word of mouth can be some of the best advertising that you can get, and it usually doesn't cost a thing.  Make sure that everyone knows you're a writer, because you never know when the next person you bump into might have the need of your services. Always consider the opportunity to talk about yourself as an opportunity to spread the word about what you do for a living.  You never know when your next interesting writing job might come from someone you know.

Books, stationary, and desk supplies are justified purchases. 

If a notepad with your name and phone number personalized on it makes you feel like more of a professional writer, then go ahead and make the purchase.  Don't feel as though you shouldn't spend some money on the things you need to be an efficient writer; reference books for your desk are certainly a justifiable purchase, as are the various desk supplies you will inevitably need. 

You start to cross the line if you decide that a personalized coffee mug or a top-of-the-line computer system is necessary in order to work your magic, especially if you aren't earning enough money to cover the cost of these types of purchases.  There are some things writers need, some things that writers want, and there are some things that writers don't need but they yearn for despite the price tag.  Try to reserve these types of purchases as rewards for earning a substantial check from a writing job.

Being a professional writer is a highly coveted occupation, so sometimes people who start out writing and meet with success will still have a hard time convincing themselves that they are indeed professional writers.  Try getting into the mindset that you are a writer and pretty soon you will work up the confidence you need to apply for high paying writing jobs. 

YOUR OWN SPACE

You'll need somewhere to put all your writing stuff. 

You may start out writing with nothing more than a laptop computer at the kitchen table and a cup of coffee.  As your career progresses, however, you may collect a few more things which you use exclusively for your writing: business cards, a tape recorder for interviews, files to hold contracts and tax receipts, and reference books.  As you build up more of a writing arsenal you won't want to just let all your things pile up around the house. 

You need to make a space your own, and don't allow anyone else in the house to use that space.  Make it your Sacred Writing Spot where no one else is allowed to trespass.  Sure, you may want to still move about the house to do your writing or even head to a coffee shop occasionally to get your jobs done, but it's great to have a spot which is used only for putting your writing stuff so you always know where to look for your things.  This is far preferable to sifting through your bookcase, family desk, or anywhere else where you might stash your stuff for lack of space.  If you have an extra room to convert into your office that's great, but if space is an issue for you then consider buying a small desk.  It's better than nothing.  

At some point it's not only justified, but smart.  If you are only composing a couple of short articles a month and not necessarily looking to broaden your writing horizons anytime soon, then you probably don't need a writing space of your own right away.  If you are serious about writing, and find yourself at your computer almost every day, then a writing desk or office is certainly justified.  A space dedicated to writing can become a nice tax deduction as long as it is solely dedicated to your writing.  In some cases you can deduct a portion of your mortgage or rent, utilities, and other expenses related to maintaining a home office from your annual taxes.  Talk with a competent tax advisor to find out about the monetary benefits of a home office.

Personalize it, but don't allow it to get cluttered. 

If this is your first desk, you may have the burning desire to load it up with framed pictures, motivational posters, and other personalization effects.  Remember that this area is supposed to be a space which encourages you to write, so if you load up on a bunch of clutter you might get distracted.  You need all the room you can get for all the things you will inevitably purchase for your writing career, such as your reference books, files, and other items, so don't go too wild with making the desk your own.  This means that a framed picture of your kids for motivation is fine, but your lucky troll doll collection should probably go somewhere else in the house.  Try to maintain a professional work space, because that may be just what you need to write in a professional manner.  Besides, what is the use of having your own writing space if it is cluttered with other things?

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