Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of choosing to be a professional writer by adopting a consistent work ethic and persona, prioritizing writing and serving the audience regardless of personal circumstances.

Abstract

The article discusses the concept of professionalism in writing, drawing from a podcast conversation between Seth Godin and Tim Ferriss. It posits that writers must decide whether to be authentic or professional in their approach to work. Being authentic may lead to inconsistency, as it involves acting on current feelings and personal situations. In contrast, being professional means committing to a daily writing routine, maintaining a consistent voice, and serving the audience, even on difficult days. The author suggests that by pre-deciding to be a professional writer, one can avoid decision fatigue and become more productive, prolific, and reliable to their readers. The article also promotes the idea of building a professional tribe through an indie email masterclass to ensure a dedicated audience for future work.

Opinions

Professional writers are distinguished by their ability to write consistently, regardless of personal challenges, while authentic writers may allow their emotions and circumstances to dictate their productivity.
Choosing professionalism involves a one-time decision that simplifies daily choices, leading to increased productivity and the elimination of decision overwhelm.
The professional writer's persona is likened to a mask or costume that one adopts to fulfill their commitment to writing and their audience.
The article advocates for the necessity of writing even when it's difficult, using the phrase "f@ck your elbow" to convey the idea that discomfort should not prevent one from working.
Professionalism in writing is associated with resilience, as it requires continuing to write despite negative feedback or personal setbacks.
The author stresses the importance of serving the audience with the best work possible, emphasizing that the audience's experience is not contingent on the writer's personal issues.
The article suggests that by maintaining a consistent voice, professional writers provide their readers with a predictable and reliable reading experience.
The author offers a practical solution for writers to build their professional tribe through a free email masterclass, aiming to help them gain their first 1,000 subscribers without relying on paid advertising.

Decide (in Advance) What Kind of Writer You Want to Be

…then be that writer

Two days ago I was listening to a podcast about professionalism. The conversation was between Seth Godin and Tim Ferriss. Seth spoke about the choice between being authentic and being a professional.

At first I didn’t get it. So I had to re-listen. Then — his words hit me.

Seth says we’ve got a choice with our work. We can be authentic or professional. He chose professional a long time ago, and went on to explain why.

I’ve never seen (or heard) the word authentic used with a negative connotation. So, here’s the deal: When we’re authentic, we act as our true selves as much as possible. If our authentic self is tired and doesn’t feel it today, we don’t do the work. If our authentic self feels inspired to start a certain project today, we start it. If our authentic self feels rejected, we don’t write until we feel better.

Yes, being a professional writer means playing a part.

Sometimes you might come across as harsh, to those folks who choose to be authentic. Sometimes we say no a lot. Sometimes we pick and choose only the projects which fit our professional model.

When we play the professional writer, we put all the personal baggage in a burlap sack, and tie the thing tight. We stuff the sack in the closest and don’t take it out until the daily writing is done.

Yes, this is easier said than done.

We all have bad days.

But choosing to be a professional writer means adding hundreds of productive hours to your year. The decision is made. You write every day. You get the work done and serve your tribe.

This is how we become prolific producers (no matter what prolific means to you).

Become the Most-Popular Writer in Your Niche — Don’t Make this Mistake

How to grow to the top of your niche while avoiding this common pitfall

medium.com

Choose which kind of writer you want to be, in advance

When when choose what type of writer we want to be, in advance, we become more productive. There’s one decision. We choose to accept a certain persona of work:

I will write with this voice, for this audience, and I’ll produce this much output on a regular basis.

Professionalism is a mask or a costume. Like a pro ball player who takes the field, even though she twisted her ankle yesterday. There’s a pro term I heard recently, from a professional power-lifter. He says, “f@ck your elbow!” Meaning, yeah — sometimes the process hurts, but it’s time to get to work, Ralph.

F@ck your elbow.

Sometimes we’ve got to write hurt. Sometimes (many times) we don’t feel like writing. Or we don’t think we deserve to be writers. Everyone has these thoughts, even the biggest names in publishing. The difference between them and us, is they keep writing.

The Process of Building an Author’s Persona and Why You’d Want To

It’s time to get interesting — for the sake of the reader

medium.com

Be the writer you chose. Be a professional

The professional writer shows-up every day. The professional writer writes no matter how she feels, or how the wind blows. The professional writer takes his licks — maybe a book got bad reviews — this doesn’t mean he gives up.

The professional writer chooses to adopt a certain persona, and acts as-if — even if the lazy person inside screams for a day on the couch. The professional writer laces her cleats and gets to work — rain, snow, sniffles, or sunshine.

The professional writer keeps writing, because that’s what professionals do.

The professional writer uses a consistent voice, so her readers know what to expect when they return for more. Maybe she got a flat tire in the 405 this morning. Maybe her credit card was stolen and her bank account was wiped-out for a week. Maybe her cat isn’t doing well.

The professional writer keeps writing, because the audience we serve keeps reading.

It’s not their flat, their bank account, or their cat. I’m not saying a professional can’t have feelings, or get sad or angry. There are plenty of days when I operate less-than professional (but I’m getting better). But when we choose to wear the professional persona, we take a thousand other decisions off our plate.

How to Build the Permanent Habit of a Daily Writing Ritual

…and why you’d want to

medium.com

If we act authentic every day, life becomes a daily struggle of choice-overwhelm. I don’t need more decisions in my life. You probably don’t either.

A professional choice is binary. Today I write and serve my readers as best I can. Tomorrow I will write and serve my readers a little better than today. There’s no tough decision. The choice was made once. A thousand small decisions are now eliminated. This is how we become productive, commercial writers.

Sure, there’s room for authenticity. We all have an authentic self. There’s nothing inherently wrong with being authentic, just not when it comes to your work.

Remember:

Your job is what you do, but your work is who you are

When we do our best work, as professionals, our tribe gets the best experience possible. Our tribe deserves our best work, not our flat on the 405. Your tribe deserves the best too.

It’s time to go pro.

… and if you want to build your professional tribe now, so you’ll have a rabid audience as you launch your future work. This should be a list you own (instead of relying on social media or some other big-business platform). Tap the link below. Enroll in my Tribe 1K indie email masterclass. I’ll show you how to get your first 1,000 subscribers (and your next 1,000) without spending one hot nickel on ads.

We’re waiting for you.

Enroll in my Free Email Masterclass. Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers

August Birch (AKA the Book Mechanic) is both a fiction and non-fiction author from Michigan, USA. As a self-appointed guardian of writers and creators, August teaches indies how to make work that sells and how to sell more of that work once it’s created. When he’s not writing or thinking about writing, August carries a pocket knife and shaves his head with a safety razor.