You Are a Writer (5 page)

A writer’s voice is the combination of passion, personality, and people. It’s communication in a way that is both personally fulfilling and relevant to your audience. It’s meaningful and marketable.

If your writing only moves you, then you haven’t found your voice.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Describe yourself in a few adjectives. What do you and others come up with?
  
• Take note of your interests: favorite books, movies, music, etc. What do they have in common?
  
• Imagine your ideal reader. Describe him or her. Write a letter to this person (including a name).
  

As you take note of your unique style of writing and whom you’re trying to reach, you will begin to find your voice. Don’t worry, though; it takes time. Give yourself lots of grace and room to fail.

You’ll need it.

Personal Story: Branding Myself

Stumbling upon my own personal brand was less intentional than it should have been. I kind of backed into it, accidentally. Call me a nerd, but it happened through my blog.

The
.com
domain for my full name was already taken, so I did a variation of it with Goinswriter.com, since I knew I wanted to build a platform around my writing. Then, I repurposed a headshot from a family photo shoot I did with my wife. I put it on every piece of collateral I had: website, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Then, I started reaching out to people, building relationships, and writing.

The more I wrote, the more comfortable I became with my voice. As I looked around, I saw how my writing resonated with others. Before I knew it, I had a brand, a unique writing style that attracted others. And I had no idea.

In fact, a friend had to tell me, “Jeff, you’ve found your voice,” before I would believe it.

Maybe you’ll need the same reminder. That’s why we can’t simply practice in a corner somewhere in a darkly lit room.

You’ve got to get out in the world and share your work. Otherwise, you’ll always doubt yourself.

Your brand is waiting. You just need to find it.

Channels of Connection

A platform is nothing without channels to connect people to your content. This is the third tool every writer needs: a channel — or better yet, channels.

Another word for this is marketing. But it’s much deeper. It’s relationships.

Most writers don’t like promoting themselves. But what alternative do you have? If you want to get your content in front of people, you have to be connected to others: agents, editors, publishers, readers, and writers.

With a craft requiring solitude and focus, this can be hard. Which is precisely why most writers make this tragic flaw: They neglect the importance of building meaningful connections.

And they pay dearly for it.

The New Assembly Line

Everywhere you look, people are assembling. They’re lining up for community. Gathering around unique interests and passions.

The term “niche” has never been more popular. If you’re going to find an audience for your writing, you’re going to have to jump into this new world. You’re going to have to join some existing channels and networks — if you want your message to matter.

Here are a few examples:

• Facebook
  
• Twitter
  
• Email
  
• Phone
  
• Conferences
  
• Meetups
  

You need distribution, to get into these channels of connections. You need a tribe — a focused group of followers to spread your message. But what if what you’re doing isn’t working? How do you start?

“Treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.”
—SETH GODIN

This is the hard part of trying to get noticed for communicating a message. It’s the part most writers neglect. They get scared or lazy. They procrastinate and delay the inevitable.

Or they get excited about sharing their art, and they rush the process. They jump the gun and burn bridges.

Then, they wonder why nobody pays attention to what they have to say, why they’re virtually anonymous.

This concept of building long-term relationships slowly may not be easy for you. But it’s necessary. Even if it’s a discipline, don’t skip this next section.

Making Connections

When two people relate to each other, when they exchange useful information and a meaningful experience is shared — a connection is made.

Therein lies the rub. A connection must be meaningful. It must be mutual. It must matter.

Meaningful:
The listener must care about what you’re sharing. You must have permission and attention.

Mutual:
Both parties need to be in it. One may benefit more than the other, but it cannot be completely one-sided.

Matter:
Not only must both sides care about the content, but there needs to be fruit. Something good must result from the connection.

This aspect of networking is essential to making your work matter. What you need to do is build a platform, establish a strong brand, and then start creating inroads.

You’ll want to earn followers and friends and subscribers, but you’ll need more than daily guests and visitors.

You need to build faith with your audience so they give you permission to communicate with them whenever you like. This is a significant mark of trust. Without it, you have nothing but a series of one-hit wonders.

How do you earn this permission? You
ask
.

How to Ask Permission

Here are some ways to ask and build permission, so that you can deliver a message.

• Invite blog readers to subscribe to your newsletter.
  
• Ask another writer or potential mentor to coffee.
  
• Give away something for free — like an eBook — in exchange for attention.
  

The possibilities are endless, but not all of them are equal.

Of course, you need to do more than ask. You need to be smart. You need to serve your way into relationships. The most important question you should ask is, “What’s in it for them?”

Without permission, you’re only adding to the noise. The best way to combat this is to be over-the-top helpful, to be unexpectedly generous.

Think about what happens when you enter a retail store. Within seconds, a salesperson approaches you. “Can I help you?” he asks.

What do you say? Usually, “No, thanks. I’m just looking.”

But that’s not true, is it? You walked into the store to buy something, and the person that could help you, you just chased away. Why? Because we don’t trust salespeople.

Likewise, your audience doesn’t trust you. Not yet. There’s no relationship, no trust built. Why should they? You need to do something for them to show them you’re worthy of their letting down their guard.

When he decided to give away free copies of an eBook, Michael Hyatt saw his email list grow from 3000 subscribers to over 30,000 in a matter of months. He saw a 1000% trust increase with his audience in less than a year — all because he decided to be helpful.

In other words, generosity works.

Attention Is Earned

It doesn’t matter what
you
think. What matters is what
I
think.

Nobody cares about you. Not yet. If you want them to, you have to realize something: You don’t get to decide what matters.
They
do.

Who is “they”? Your future fans.

What’s the best way to start earning permission and building a fan base? What is the best way to make meaningful connections? What do you need to make all this happen? A channel of your very own.

For years, I overlooked the importance of having my own channel. I thought it was a nice add-on. It’s not. It’s a necessity. A channel of your own is essential to building a platform and extending your reach beyond your immediate networks.

Without it, you are either borrowing attention or stealing it. The only way to earn it is by sharing a meaningful message through a channel you own. For me, this is the email list that connects people to my blog. For Dan Miller, it’s his podcast. For Gretchen Rubin, it’s her extensive network of relationships.

What will your channel be?

Personal Story: Finally Getting Picked

Remember how I had to repeatedly reintroduce myself to the same magazine? How I had to keep pitching that magazine? Talk about the definition of insanity. I just heard from them recently, but this time it was a different conversation.

Years ago, I stopped submitting pitches to this publication. I was frustrated and fed up and frankly, just plain tired. For about a year, I focused on building a really meaningful platform, which allowed me to share my work with a broader audience.

In other words, I had forgotten about the magazine — and most gatekeepers for that matter. Something strange happens when you do this. Much like the pretty girl who’s not interested in you, it makes you want her even more.

I didn’t set up the analogy right, because in this case, I am the pretty girl.

A few months ago, the magazine emailed me out of the blue, asking for a contribution. They wanted to republish something I had already written — on my blog. Imagine that.

Don’t overlook how monumental of a shift this was. For years, I pitched this magazine, and they’d occasionally publish me (maybe one out of ten pitches). Every time, I had to fight to get noticed as if it were the first time. Then, after building a platform, they came to me, asking
me
for permission to publish.

I had now become the gatekeeper.

This is the magic of the age in which we now live. We are all publishers. And peers to those whom we previously used to pitch our work.

Since starting a blog and building an audience, I’ve been approached by more publishers than I have in the past six years combined. I’ve been offered book deals and speaking gigs and other writing opportunities. All because of a blog.

Because I chose myself instead of waiting for others to do it.

What You Get (When You Reach Out)

If you decide to build a platform — to create a brand and connect with others, you will see things you’ve never before seen. I hope I’m not making this sound easy; it’s not. But it’s possible, which is something that’s never been true before.

You, the writer, can now create a destiny for yourself that was never before possible. Amazing, right?

Here are some of the potential opportunities awaiting you:

• Book deals (without the proposal)
  
• Offers to write for magazines (without a query letter)
  
• Money (I have to throw that in there)
  
• Free stuff (like books and products)
  
• Interview opportunities
  
• Chances to connect with other writers and influential people
  

It’s simple but not easy and definitely worth the work.

Nowadays, I’m not afraid of publishing. I don’t fear rejection. I’ve picked myself, and others have seen the difference. Instead of pleading to be published, the gatekeepers are coming to me. Honestly, it’s pretty cool.

I’m no John Grisham, but I’m pretty content with where I am. Every day, my writing is read by thousands of people — something I never would have dreamed of when I first picked up a pen and paper and started writing about gargoyles. (I was in sixth grade; give me a break.)

This didn’t take years of living in obscurity. It took eight months. I did it with a full-time job and a wife, working in the evenings and early mornings. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible, either. I put the time in and showed up — and I saw results.

All of this began with a pledge, with a simple understanding:
I am a writer. I just need to write.

There’s no formula, but being intentional is important. You can follow a similar process as I did, or you can try something completely different and find what works for you. Maybe you’ll see success sooner; maybe it will take longer.

If you do the work, you’ll see the results. The age in which we live is full of incredible opportunities for writers and communicators. It’s the Age of No Excuse — where anything is possible and the only one holding you back is you.

Your opportunity is here. Don’t let it pass you by. And remember: It all begins with a change of mind.

You
are
a writer…

Getting Started

This is where I’m supposed to say, “Getting started is easy!” But it’s not. Getting started is the hardest part.

As you begin, you’ll find every excuse to wait and every reason to delay. You’ll stop to reflect on what to write about. You’ll come up with reasons why it’s not time yet, why you’re not ready. And you will be lying to yourself.

You’re ready. Ready enough, anyway. You don’t have to have it all figured out yet. You just need to begin. You’ll figure out the rest as you go.

Where do you begin? That depends on the kind of work you want to do, but your beginning might look something like this:

• Start a blog and start sharing your work regularly. Practice in public.
  
• Sign up for an account on
  Twitter
  and begin conversing with others.
  
• Create a Facebook page for your blog, books, etc.
  
• Build an email newsletter list (sign up for one on
  Aweber.com
  or
  Mailchimp.com
  ) and reward people for subscribing.
  
• Continue creating great work worth talking about. Show up day after day, making promises and delivering on them consistently over time.
  

Start small and build. Always asking permission, always showing respect. This process, mixed with a little patience and faith, will always yield results. They may not be what you expect, but something
will
happen.

Launching a Blog