This Is The Mindset You Really Need To Make It As A Professional Writer

“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” – E. L. Doctorow

I feel obligated to make this post specifically for writers who are out here grinding day in and day out, writing articles for no pay at times, but simply for the love of it, blogging and making posts that don’t seem to be read by anyone, and all in all, pursuing a craft that at times, seems to be all work and no results.

Just for the record, this is not a career path for those who want instant gratification.

This is not a career for someone who is not willing to put in the work or go through years or months of serious self-doubt and self-discovery as a writer.

It’s a career where you need to raise your hand, look for opportunities, and be bold in your pursuit of what you want and your destiny.

But I will be honest, it is hard sometimes to see the harvest grow in the seeds you have planted because this is a craft and a field that is filled with rejection and calls for loads and loads of patience. 

However, our perception of how we are doing in our craft is something I believe can make or break us on our journeys because a lot of us have this mindset that in order to make it, we have to be amazing right away.

For instance, we want to be an author, but we have to be a New York Times Best Seller in order to do so. We want to continue writing articles, but they have to garner a million views and so on and so forth.

We have all these expectations of who we want to be as a writer, but we don’t take into account that in order to get there, we need to start from somewhere and often times, being ‘somewhere’ isn’t easy or glamorous.

But writing is not all about the glamour and the reward thereafter. It comes with so many other benefits that are not superficial and when you can go into this field with this kind of attitude and mindset, writing without pay for a while will not seem like a chore, but a passion.

I need you to realize that you have been gifted with a talent that is not only beneficial to yourself and your own life, but this is a craft where others can be inspired by your work as well.

You are building a platform for yourself where you aren’t physically talking to people about your experiences or giving advice, but you are inspiring and impacting them nonetheless.

And the gratification you get from knowing that you are living a life not only for yourself but for others is one that money cannot replace.

You have the skill and the creative intelligence to share your stories online with thousands or millions of other writers and people who may need advice, mentorship or encouragement. 

This is a craft where experiences, good, bad, amazing, or shitty, can make for articles, blogs, and books that can literally save lives.

So am I saying that eventually you will not get to where you want to be in your craft? Absolutely not. You will. But you need to stop focusing on the likes, the glamour, and how much attention you are getting before you can get to that place.

Real writers write because they want to and because their soul wills them to. It’s just that simple. 

You can go places in this field and I know you know that.

It may be difficult, but if you work hard enough, you can get that magazine job, a position at a publishing house, become an author or motivational speaker or whatever you wish to do.

The list is endless.

But ask yourself this: Am I still willing to continue on even if I don’t get all of these things right away? What am I really writing for and what compels me to write?

Being a professional writer comes with its perks, but make sure you remember that you write because you love it regardless of the outcome.

It’s all about your attitude and your mindset and this is what you need to remember in your pursuit to becoming a professional writer.