I subscribe to the newsletter of Mridu Khullar Relph. Mridu is a highly successful freelance writer. She writes magazine features writer and has contributed to several women’s and general-interest publications including Elle, Marie Claire, Vogue, Glamour, and Cosmopolitan. She’s also a motivational speaker and writer who has written Shut Up & Write: The No-Nonsense, No B.S. Guide to Getting Words on the Page.
Mridu also coaches freelance writers, helping them get published. She was discussing this in one of her recent newsletters. Something she said struck home with me. Mridu was calling BS to some writers’ claim that they’re passionate about their work and if they had the choice, they wouldn’t do anything but write all day long.
Her counterpoint was this:
If someone’s truly passionate about writing, they’d be writing anyway, whether or not they had all day long to do it.
I find myself hard-pressed for time. Indeed, every moment of my day counts. So, I found that statement a bit harsh. I, for one, have no trouble admitting that I simply lack the time to write fiction nowadays, especially in the summer, with the wee one always around.
Employee vs. Entrepreneur Mindset
Mridu then asks something that made me do a double-take:
Do you know how I can tell whether a writer is in the employee mindset (and therefore always waiting for someone to come and give them a “fix” for their problems) or in the entrepreneur mindset (thereby ensuring that sooner or later, success is inevitable)?
Writers with employee mindsets measure their weeks and days by how many hours they’ve worked.
Writers with entrepreneur mindsets measure their weeks and days by what they’ve created and how many projects they’ve finished.
Writers who think of their work as a job may well make money, pay the bills, and do interesting work. Absolutely. But those are not the sort of writers I typically tend to work with.
Writers I work with want creative freedom as well as time freedom. Money as well as creative satisfaction. Fantastic storytelling as well as decision-making power over how their work is used.
The writers I work with want to make money, yes, but money is never the motivating factor.
They are driven by the need to live a creative life on their own terms. Telling the stories that are important to them. In a way that feels rewarding, creatively, financially, and emotionally.
That got me thinking. Which kind of mindset do I have, employee or entrepreneur?
There’s Writing and Then There’s Writing
The truth is, I have changed these past years. Whereas I first started writing in 2009, it was because I simply enjoyed writing. Nowadays, it has become a profession.
The upshot is that almost three-quarters of my income comes from writing.
But it’s not the kind of writing I set out to write. Since May, I have written and edited over 100,000 words, most of them for InSync Media, and have become their Editor-in-Chief. My writing nowadays consists entirely of SEO-optimized web content.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a living writing.
More importantly, I love working with InSync Media. They are an amazing team who really knows their stuff and have taught me a lot. I don’t even charge for the time I spend on our weekly meetings, as these feel like catching up with a friend.
But it’s not the kind of career I envisioned when I first started writing. I thought I’d be a fiction writer. And yet, it feels like the whole world is telling me that’s not to be: ironically enough, it’s Emotional Beats, my non-fiction book, which makes up the majority of my sales each month. Just like it’s my content writing which puts bread on the table.
What Am I?
So, does that make me an employee?
When I read Mridu’s words, I realized I’ve never had an employee mentality.
Maybe that’s because I’ve never worked as an employee myself. Or, perhaps, it’s because of my personality. I love forming connections but I also treasure my independence.
Whatever the reason, when writing, I don’t think about money. I am just excited to write, whether fiction or web content. I don’t even think about the number of words, SEO, or time spent. That comes later.
When I write, all I want is to tell a story.
And that, it turns out, is what makes me good at writing web content. For people don’t like to read a series of disjointed, SEO-oriented headlines. They want to read a story. And guess what? My fiction writing has prepared me for just that!
Incidentally, that’s why I don’t like the recommendation that you should write X hours each day. While it makes sense to have discipline in your writing, it puts you in an employee mindset. If you love writing, you will find a way to write. It really is as simple as that!
So, Mridu is right: if someone’s truly passionate about writing, they’ll be writing anyway. Even if it’s not the kind of writing they had originally envisioned!
How about you? What kind of mindset do you have?
Well, i’m glad to know i’ve never had an employee mindset either
LikeLiked by 2 people
I suspect not many writers do 🙂
LikeLike
Still seems harsh to me. It ignores that the writer in question might be forced into a certain schedule. I’d love to do my job, take care of my son, and then write at night. I can’t because I end most days about ready to collapse. That isn’t a mentality. It’s a physical and mental wall I crash into going 70 mph. This ignores the authors that want to write and can’t because of time and energy. Of course, they will say they’d love to write all day. It’s because they feel like they’re current life is preventing them from taking any step forward. That’s more slave than employee to me because the latter has some freedom to pursue things outside the main job. The mentalities here only really work if you have a minimum of responsibilities.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know what you mean and made a similar point myself at the beginning. But you saw from your own experience how even a full-time job didn’t stop you from writing!
LikeLike
It kind of did though. At the very least, I struggled immensely due to exhaustion and people thinking they had ammo to make me quit entirely. Even now, I keep thinking what I wrote is utter garbage because it was so haphazard in progress. Doesn’t matter how much I edit it too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree; there’s no judgment if someone fails to write. The point I was making is that I’m grateful I’ve managed to find a way to make money from writing, even if it has nothing to do with what I set out to do.
LikeLike
Writing can make money in this day and age? I thought that was an urban legend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol–it’s harder with fiction. That’s the point I was making…
LikeLike
Very pertinent questions, thank you Nicholas. Not necessarily easy to answer, depending upon individual circumstances, but basic considerations, none the less.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Jon 🙂
LikeLike
Reblogged this on Wilfred Books and commented:
Want to be a writer? Just do it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a really thought provoking post. Though I never ever had the employee mentality, it’s tough being an entrepreneur.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Tell me about it! It’s bloody exhausting 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Are You An Employee Or An Entrepreneur? — Nicholas C. Rossis | When Angels Fly
Well said. Even though I would love to earn money for my passion (writing), I will not abandon it if I don’t get paid for it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s a tough one. I do appreciate how it can be impossible to write at times, believe me. But I’m grateful I found a way to do it anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think I am an entrepreneur too, Nicholas, when it comes to writing. I am quite a non-conformist employee too although I do try, I’m just not good at conforming. I think that is why I am so good at what I do, because I am innovative and adventurous.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Innovative and adventurous–those are certainly entrepreneurial traits 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree to a certain point. I am probably an entrepreneur because, after 20-plus years of being micromanaged and taking orders from inept corporations, I prefer to work alone and refuse to write to a market fad. However, she is somewhat harsh in her assessment of people. As someone who is partially disabled, there are days I simply cannot write. It isn’t a choice, it’s having a body and mind that will not work sometimes. I never liked the “everybody just needs a kick in the ass” approach to motivating people. Even when I worked, I could not write often. I was working 24 hour shifts (home healthcare, no breaks, no sleep) and taking care of my terminally ill mother. No, I was not productive, I was exhausted and stressed. I couldn’t write, but the desire was always there. I wish there was a little more compassion in the writing community for people who are disabled, have full time jobs, or are caring for children and elderly parents. Scolding people for being lazy or uncommitted is cruel. Life happens, and we can’t always follow our dreams.
LikeLike
My head exploded. Great post.
LikeLike
I think that’s a good point. I just wonder if most people are “either/or”. That is employee mindset on certain project and entrepreneur on others……or certain topics…..or certain times of day….etc.
I think a lot of people have an imposter complex…..at least to a degree. They almost need the job/project to give them permission to write. It is more than just changing your mindset…..that is a real deep seated value that requires work to change.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I plea guilty to the impostor syndrome… big time!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s hard for me to pin down between those two options, employee or entrepreneur. I don’t write for a living, therefore I am neither of the two.
I write every day at set times, therefore I am an employee. I write my own stories rather than waiting for an editor to assign work, therefore I am not an employee.
I always write, no matter what else is going on. I self-publish more and more because I believe in my work and have lost patience with waiting for an editor’s gracious nod of approval. I guess that makes me an entrepreneur?
But I guess my real question is, why am I worrying about someone else’s definition of my career? I think I’ll just get back to my novella.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Lol–a wise choice, indeed 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was pleasantly surprised by this article.
It is easy to get into a groove when your life is comfortable. That’s why it is important to assess yourself every once in a while.
One thing to note, while it is better to measure things by obtainable goals, if you aren’t doing whatever activity for an X amount of time a week, then it isn’t fresh in you mind and when you get back it is like starting over.
I’m glad that you enjoy what you write, and that it allows you to have the life that you want for yourself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re right, when I get back to fiction it will probably take me a while to get back in a groove.
LikeLike
This was a great read, it put in my time spent writing into perspective.
I have a set time that I sit down everyday to write but find myself either forcing myself to wait until that time to write or brushing off my writing during the times I know I really should be.
Thanks for the good post!
Will
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks! I’m like you–it’s so hard to organize our time with everything that’s going on.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: Are You An Employee Or An Entrepreneur? — Nicholas C. Rossis – Minority Business Association