I Attended Google University to Become a Full-Time Writer
Here are three principles I learned from those who type for a living
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
I’ve published 53 articles since September 2020. They’ve received over 50,000 views and have made more than $1,500.
As someone who writes as a hobby, this blows my mind!
However, I want to take my writing to the next level. This is why I attended Google University.
Google University is a phrase Tom Kuegler coins in Design Your Dream Life. His belief is this: If you want to learn a new skill, Google can teach you how. The same goes for writing.
With this in mind, I opened my laptop, jumped online, and searched “how to become a full-time writer”. I pasted my learnings into a Google doc and re-read articles I’d previously saved to my bookmarks.
Here’s a link to the doc if you want to check it out.
Screenshot by author
The education lasted two days, and it helped me identify three key principles for writing full-time.
Principle #1: Building an Email List Can Turn Writing Into a Business
According to Pat Flynn, there are only two things you can own on the internet: an email and a website. Everything else is rented, including social media. It’s also getting harder to reach followers through social channels because of algorithms and pay-to-play factors.
For these reasons, I’m building an email list.
Tim Denning’s view on this is simple. You need to write a lot, build the list, and email the list.
Here’s my approach.
I’ve created a landing page using ConvertKit. Its simplicity is inspired by Morning Brew and it has a section where people can sign up for my free email course.
The first email describes how I went from not having enough hours in the day to making passive income on Udemy. It also details what a subscriber can expect moving forward.
Screenshot by author
Over the next five days, ConvertKit automatically sends the lessons. They’re about outsourcing, and they include a link to a video lesson (unlisted videos on YouTube).
In the sixth email — which comes a day after the final lesson — I let subscribers know I’ll be sending emails once a week about entrepreneurship. It also explores the benefits of my paid outsourcing course.
If they’ve found value from my free course, I believe they’ll likely enjoy my paid one.
How will people find the landing page?
At the end of every article I write (that’s relevant), I’ll leave a call to action, linking to the page. The same goes for LinkedIn posts.
This is a strategy Tom Kuegler has used to great effect. In this article, he explains how this approach generates 60% of his total revenue each month.
Principle #2: Writing is a Mental Game
One of the most common experiences I’ve heard, even from experienced writers, is how hard writing can be.
We plant our own doubts. Who am I to talk about X? Who will listen to me? What do I know?
Some call it imposter syndrome, and others call it resistance. Whatever its name, how should we face these challenges?
Steven Pressfield, the author of The War of Art, talks about not getting fixated on the opinions of others — positive or negative. Instead, we should focus on the task at hand.
“The professional cannot allow the actions of others to define his reality. Tomorrow morning the critic will be gone, but the writer will still be there facing the blank page.” — Steven Pressfield
Tim Denning echoes these feelings. In this article, he discusses some of the brutal truths writers are likely to face.
“Standing ovations are rare. Most of the work you do in life will be a flop, go unnoticed, or miss the mark.
“That is completely fine. Focus on getting enjoyment and meaning from your work and the standing ovations will become an added bonus as opposed to a search for the holy grail that you’ll rarely find.”
— Tim Denning
Mark Manson, meanwhile, offers practical tips on how to continue despite our doubts.
“These days, I’m often able to sit down and write 5,000 words or more in a single day. I still feel the same anxiety. I still hear the same thoughts (“I need to eat first,” “I should take a nap,” “I’m not in a writing mood right now.”)
“But now instead of identifying with these thoughts, I acknowledge them:
“I feel nervousness about writing today.”
“I have the thought that I need to eat first.”
“I have the thought that I need to take a nap first.”
“And then I turn to my Thinking Mind and promptly tell him that it’s full of sh*t and I don’t need a damn thing except to sit my ass down and start writing.”
— Mark Manson
It’s reassuring to know we’re not alone in our struggles, and even the most experienced writers face these hurdles.
It’s also useful to understand the challenges that lie ahead. When we face them, we can remind ourselves that other people have come out on the other side.
“Has someone in the history of mankind with less drive and intelligence figured this out?” — Tim Ferriss
Principle #3: Your Actual Needs Are Small
For the last seven months, I’ve lived in a two-bedroom flat.
And I love it!
The thing is, it’s expensive. Half of my wage goes towards rent, which is why I’m planning to move back in with my parents once my contract expires.
I’ll be able to chop my expenses in half which will take the pressure off financially when I quit my 9–5.
If all goes to plan, I’ll have one year of savings to pursue my own thing — whether that’s writing or something else — plus all the time that’s available between now and September.
Ryan Holiday, New York Times Best-Selling author, talks about realising our actual needs in his best-selling book, The Daily Stoic:
“It can be beneficial to reflect on what you used to accept as normal. Consider your first paycheck — how big it seemed then. Or your first apartment, with its own bedroom and bathroom and the ramen you gladly scarfed down in the kitchen. Today, as you’ve become more successful, these conditions would hardly feel sufficient…
“When we become successful, we forget how strong we used to be. We are so used to what we have, we half believe we’d die without it. Of course, this is just the comfort talking. In the days of the world wars, our parents and grandparents made do with rationed gas, butter, and electricity. They were fine, just as you have been fine when you had less.
“Remember today that you’d be okay if things suddenly went wrong. Your actual needs are small. There is very little that could happen that would truly threaten your survival. Think about that — and adjust you worries and fears accordingly.”
— Ryan Holiday
Takeaways
Do I want to be a full-time writer? I don’t know. I took a week off work and tried Tim Denning’s writing schedule, but I couldn’t get into the flow.
I think I write more when there’s less riding on it.
Having said that, I haven’t ruled out the idea, and I’m still following these principles to at least give myself the option:
Build an email list (and write to it once a week)
Write every single day
Slash my expenses
Ultimately, I want the freedom to do what I want. Even if I decide not to make the switch to full-time writing, I’ll still be working towards something I love.
After all these hours of study, I believe this may be the most important lesson of all.
“If you woke up tomorrow and knew you only had 10 years left to live, what would you stop doing?”
Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)
