Conscious Creating As A Writer: Why Less Is Still More, Even In An Era of Mass Content Consumption.
I’ve always been a writer and creative, but my professional career as a working writer didn’t start until about six years ago. It started with a mix of basic copywriting and short articles, and transformed into writing for over 20 global outlets, for television and documentaries.
I don’t have a day job anymore, pay my bills solely from my creative endeavours and for the first time in my life, I can say that I am pretty proud of my career and where this journey has taken me so far.
That said, at one time I thought that in this era of mass content consumption, I needed to create as many articles as I humanly could in order to have a successful writing career.
If I could could give any advice to my younger self, it would be to stop stressing over how many articles I write, and instead think smarter about my writing work structure.
If you are living by this mindset, here are a few reasons why you should adopt the ‘less is more’ sentiment into your writing career.
- Financial Impact:
In the days of wishing I could make writing and being a creative a career, I thought that the key was to produce a lot of consistent content, and in turn, I’d eventually get paid for all of my hard work — with time, I’ve realized that while there is some truth to this sentiment, sheer volume alone will not magically make you more money and will likely just leave you burnt out.
Though my large portfolio definitely helps sell me to new clients, when I think about all of the hours I spent frantically creating content early in my career, the financial compensations was not worth it.
Instead of writing 5–10 articles every week and submitting to countless publications along with my regular writing contract work, I decided to restructure my workload: I took on one regular writing contract that would pay my bills, and began to see articles as not only an extension of myself as a writer, but as an opportunity to position myself in a niche market as a writer. I began to pitch concepts that really excited me on themes that I was passionate about, and in turn, I stated producing better work and getting paid more for it.
It’s a sentiment that perhaps doesn’t work with platforms like Medium, but when it comes to traditional publishing and the literary world, quality content is worth more. I’m writing less, getting paid more and have far more time to research, read and experience life — all of which greatly impact a writers work.
2. Networking:
It would be misleading to suggest that simply writing less will make you more money, as networking and building an online community helped me gain clients who were willing to pay living wages for high-quality work. It’s about looking in the right places and knowing your target audience.
The biggest mistake I see aspiring writers make is sticking to writer-dominated communities such as a writers’ group, or simply soley networking with other writers. While it’s great to know other writers, writers typically don’t hire writers.
Do network and meet other creatives like illustrators and photographers. I have a handful of each that I’ve built relationships with, and as creative collaborators that work well together, we often get eachother work. I have built so many publication and brand relationships from being suggested by other creatives and have in turn suggested many photographers and illustrators to accompany my writing.
When it comes to reaching out to brands and publications, don’t be afraid to contact editors and brand reps directly — of course make don’t do this if the brand or publication has a specific submission policy. I have connected with editors directly over Instagram and LinkedIn successfully many times this way, and it’s gotten my work into places that I had previously submitted to and hadn’t received a response.
Another great way to network is by connecting with local PR agencies. This of course won’t work for every style of writing, but when it comes to articles, it could mean that you have access to cover unreleased products, events, music etc.
All this considered, real genuine connections that are mutually beneficial will always outlast agenda-driven networking. Authenticity will take you far in this industry, and it’s important that you also strive to bring something to the table.
3. Career Growth & Digital Monetization:
With a solid business plan as a writer and a budding network, I was able to quit my 9–5.
Things to think about:
Are you writing for notariety and to grow your digital following, or are you writing to make money and build career longevity? Your answer can be both, however, it’s important to discern which is your primary priority and which is your second.
I used to be very fixated on my Instagram follower count and spent so much time sharing and developing writing content specifically for my Instagram account. I still make a concerted effort to share published work and collaborations, but I no longer stress about making digestible content for Instagrams. The reality is that monetizing features work best with photos, not words, and while it is a great way to help grow your community and network, it’s hard to directly make money off of social media content that involves writing.
It’s hard, but it’s not imposible. Though it’s never really worked for me and my style of writing, writers like R.H. Sin, do a great job at posting consistant writing work that leads to montatized subscriptions, content or books. Rising Woman, a conscious relationship and healing writer uses a similar style of branded consistent posts that lead to paid online events and workshops. I don’t personally know either, so I can speak directly to their rate of monetization, however, with their quality content and over 1m followers, I can only imagine they are doing well.
For me, though many of my inquiries come through Instagram and the page I’ve curated, connecting my profile to my website which features links to published work seems to provide a steady stream of income without the need to frantically post content. That coupled with my network and strong relationships in the industry have propelled my career far more than creating a large mass of content ever has.
While creating digital content is a powerful tool, I see it as one of the many tools I have in my toolbox — and writing, an element of my life that deserves to be driven by passion, not overconsumption.
If you liked this article, be sure to clap, follow me on Medium and subscribe to my newsletter. You can also find me on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Visit www.JMPomeroy.com for updates and to contact me directly.
