There was a time when people wrote something, and it was done.
Yes, done.
Just imagine it. That’s right, soak it in.
Okay, back to reality. We’re in the 2020s and everything’s alive. Except for finality, that’s dead.
Most professional writing is carried out online, meaning they’re always fair game for editing or a brand overhaul. Hell, even J.K. Rowling tries to revise Harry Potter via Twitter, and those books are fortunate enough to be printed on real paper.
In short: Writing in this day and age is exhausting.
“Way to motivate your readers.” - You, probably.
Redefining “writer” (whether you like it or not)
Alright, it’s not all bad — as long as you enjoy the act of writing in the first place. But the world of writing, and what it means to be a writer, has changed a lot.
I’ve worked full-time as a writer for more than a decade. That’s not a very long time compared to some, but even during this short time I’ve seen the definition of a “writing” position shift drastically.
As a copywriter early on in my career I wrote press releases, which were unceremoniously fired off into the ether and never updated again. A few years later I was writing landing pages, which were launched and left.
A mere few years after that I was in the midst of content marketing, trying to write copy while simultaneously researching keywords, optimizing older articles, and tackling social posts.
Oftentimes, if I ran into a problem, I had to research granular solutions for the issue.
Trouble ranking? Time to research the latest SEO best practices.
Asana workflows not automating properly? Off to the Asana forums I go.
Wonky internal tool not functioning? Vent over lunch with coworkers.
The point being, anytime I had an issue with one of the many tasks I faced as a “writer” in a modern content marketing role, I had to find help for that individual problem. This may have helped me advance that task, but it didn’t help me in a cohesive way as a modern writer.
Meanwhile, writers from Medieval times were able to reference Strunk and White’s “Elements of Style” and call it a day. (Grossly simplifying all of this, obviously.)
The problem with yesterday’s writing tips
Expectations around writing have drastically changed over the past 10-20 years, and support for writers needs to change with it.
I’ve read countless books on writing, been gifted countless books on writing, ignored many of said gifted books on writing, and totally spaced out during webinars and podcasts on writing.
Many available writing resources have some excellent tips on the art of writing, from comma placement to storytelling to editing more effectively.
While there’s a lot of great content on how to write available, there’s not a lot on how to survive as a writer in this day and age.
Knowing where to stick a comma or how to structure an article is one thing. Knowing how to maintain some modicum of happiness and sanity while pumping out 4,000+ words each week (while juggling analytics and research and endless revisions) is another matter entirely.
My hope is that, through this newsletter, I can (with the help of other writers and their experiences) deliver a one-stop-shop for modern writers looking for help.
It’s time to outline a slightly less chaotic future for writers. I hope you’ll join me as we pen this rough, rough draft.