“Don’t Become a Writer”, and other tips on how to make it in writing
“I want to become a writer”.
“Don’t. You’ll never make any money.”
That was the advice of my father. When deciding upon a college major, I could not decide between my musical talents — I play five instruments — and my yearning for creative work like writing.
“Don’t major in music either. Major in something you’ll be able to get a job in. Like accounting.”
For a brief moment I thought about Philosophy or English, and yet again he scoffed at it.
“Pick a major that will pay you back for your effort. You go to college to get a job!”
So I did it. I majored in Logistics. I was always good with numbers and I knew the job prospects were strong, even in a bad economy. I was interested in transportation, trains and how things ended up on retail shelves. I chose the safe option — a major with a job track — and listened to my father’s advice.
And I am here to tell you I made the right choice.
Today, I enjoy a career that is interesting and impacts people. I've taken my logistics knowledge and expanded it into analytics. I create tools for our Sourcing, Buying and Planning teams so they can better do their jobs. I get to work with a diverse group of very talented people. I constantly get to be creative; yes, even in something as dry as logistics and analytics.
Outside of my day job, I enjoy a passion for writing. I write for The Daily Muse, a site with over 4 million monthly readers. Each time I post a Medium article, I get between 1,000–15,000 views. I write about everything from personal finance to business productivity to writing. It’s a dream side job, one that spurs creativity within me but one that also doesn't grow stale. And if it weren't for my experience in business and in life, I wouldn't have the audience that I do, as I wouldn't have learned anything that people would want to read about.
If you want to make it as a writer, don’t become a writer. Become a learner.
There are few pure “writers” in the world. The majority of writers are journalists who cover specific events and industries, such as business, technology, and sports. They spend their careers becoming specialized in their field. While writers themselves, they also know the inside-and-out of their field, to the point they could go do the job they are reporting on. They are not just writers; they are subject matter experts.
If you want to make it in writing, you must learn that you first have to make it in the world. Very few people care about your writing for the sake of your writing. What they care about is are you a subject matter expert?
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the likely nominees for President, both are successful in their own right and in addition happen to be authors.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, both wildly successful actresses and comedians, have enjoyed their success from performing and in addition happen to be authors.
Jim Tressel and Woody Hayes, both legendary Ohio State football coaches, enjoyed success on the field and in addition happen to be authors.
I could go on and on. The reality is you do not become a writer, you become a learner. You learn all the details, figure what’s going on, and then you tell people. You become a learner and then a teacher. You do this in a variety of industries or ways. Maybe you spend time on capital hill, figure what’s going on there, then write a book to teach others about politics. Maybe you spend time in San Francisco, learn the tech industry, then write a tell-all about venture capitalism.
What you do not do, however, is say, “I want to become a writer!” and then wait around for a book deal to land in your lap. What you do not do is add “writer” to your facebook bio and then wait for work to come to you. It’s not how the world works.
You want to make it in writing? Go make it in the world. Explore. Experience. Discover. Learn. Try things out and fail. Fail again and again. Tell people about your failures. Volunteer time in the neighborhoods nobody wants to live in. Teach people about the injustice there is in the world and how they can be a part of changing it for the better. Tell people about your successes. Travel to places others dream about. Create art — or speeches or music or comedy or YouTube videos or Tweets or spreadsheets — that truly inspire people and want them to learn more. Become a person that people want to listen to. Then write.
Don’t become a writer. Become a learner.
