How To Become A Well-Paid Writer In 3 Months (+20 Tools I Highly Recommend)

Are you stuck at home wishing you could be anywhere but here? Me too! I've become so sick of home that I've turned to writing to break me out!

But the truth is, writing has always freed me. From writing poetry for fun to becoming a professional copywriter, releasing the thoughts that clog my brain and sharing them with the world has always been a pleasure.

But what about you? How can you be a writer, get paid well (pssst the average copywriter makes over $50,000 a year) and still be free to live your life? I'll tell you how.

GO DIGITAL.

If you're not already writing a blog or a book, why haven't you started? You can type your story or help someone sell a product from anywhere in the world with just your laptop. Believe me, I've done it.

You can become a online professional writer in three steps:

1. Pitch up a laptop

2. Build a portfolio

3. Reach out to clients or businesses

Boom, that's it. Check out the resources at the end of this article to see how you can start building a portfolio, where to find jobs and get some street cred as a writer.

DECLARE YOUR WRITERDOM

This year, I finally took my dream of being a professional writer seriously. I stopped calling writing my "hobby" and decided to call it my "profession". That was scary. It meant that writing could no longer be something that I used just for personal enjoyment. It was something I had to share with others too.

I selfishly held onto my passion for writing like a toy I never wanted anyone to play with. But it was foolish. If you have a gift, share it. Writing is my gift and it could be yours too.

YOU'RE NOT A BROKE WRITER. SNAP OUT OF IT!

For years, I lived the life of being a broke poet. Can you relate? I undersold my work as a writer because I felt that being a broke artist was an identity I wanted. But it wasn't. I shortly realized that if I wanted to "make it" as a writer, I needed to have something to fund my work.

I tried freelance jobs and 9-5's. Jobs in culinary arts to English teaching. All of these jobs were worth it and fun at the time. But they weren't writing.

Today, I am proud to call myself a professional paid copywriter. But I didn't arrive here overnight.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

In January 2020, I took a vow that I would pursue my dream to be a writer at any cost. And I did. From January 1st-March 15th, I took over fifteen online courses, listened to digital marketing podcasts three times a week, opted into every cheesy click-funnel I could find for copywriting and bought five books on how to become the writer of my dreams.

It worked. In April 2020, I was offered a job as a professional copywriter for a health startup in my town. This is the first "professional" writer position I've ever had.

I'm scared shitless. I want to be the best writer I can be but I'm deathly afraid of failure. The future is not certain, but one thing is: I won't allow my fear to stop me. This is the mentality you need to have to become the writer you've always wanted to be.

GO GET 'EM, TIGER

Businessman and author, Bob Proctor once said, "the opposite of fear is understanding." Once you educate yourself and get the tools you need to become a professional writer, start applying it. Then watch how your fear will slowly fade away.

If you're interested in becoming a professional writer that gets paid well to do what they love, I highly recommend being a copywriter.

Copywriters are basically sales writers that use written language to get someone to take an action. It's persuasive writing. That's not for everyone. But boy is it highly valued and well-paid.

The average copywriter makes $51,377 a year! (1) That's a great salary for writing a few pieces a week.

For those newbies out there, here are the resources I used to become a professional copywriter in just three months.

I hope these resources will help you as much as they have helped me.

Enjoy!

Resources:

Courses: 

• Copywriting Basics for Successful Sales (Skillshare)

• Writing with Personality: Copywriting Tips for Dynamic Writing (Skillshare)

• Writing Crystal Clear Copy: Copywriting Basics for Beginners (Skillshare)

• Copywriting for Startups (Skillshare)

• Copywriting for Conversions: How to Write Persuasive Content (Alison)

Books:

• The Business of Being a Writer by Jane Friedman

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD

• The Copywriter's Handbook by Robert W. Bly

• High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard (not copywriting related just really great for manifestation)

Youtube Channels: 

• Alex Cattoni

• American Writers & Artists Institute Channel

• Neil Patel (digital marketing but good for digital copywriting)

Podcasts:

• The Copywriter Club

• Dear Guavabean (general freelancer podcast)

• Dan Lok (business dev with strong copywriting focus)

Facebook Groups: 

• The Copywriter Club Facebook Group

• Freelance Copywriter Collective Job Board

SM influencers: 

• Jess Jordana

• Filthy Rich Writer

• Sarah Turner - Write Your Way to Freedom

Organizations: 

• American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI)

Good luck on your journey, future writer!