A Must-Read Book for Writers Who Are Serious About Their Career
How to build the resilience and toughness you need to weather the turbulence of a new writing career… until you make your own success.
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Usually, professional writers have to create a patchwork of income streams to really jack up their annual salary.
Almost anyone can learn to write well, but most cannot sustainably withstand the demands of entrepreneurship for the long term.
I recommend “Do Hard Things” if you are seriously willing to dive into writing and make it work out for you.
This book is for someone who has no other option but to become a writer, make money and have more flexibility and autonomy.
There’s no doubt that many people would love to become a professional writer. Whether it’s romance novels, essays, children’s literature, copywriting, SEO writing or something else – more people go out and try to become a writer than those who end up becoming the well-paid, passionate writer they dreamed to be.
That sucks, right? Aspiring writers dive into this career with no guarantee that they will like what they do and/or make enough money to support themselves. Plus, writing gets such a bad rap. How many times have you heard that writers can’t make a good living?
Some do. Some make bank. But then there’s a vast majority who never really get their feet off the ground – or don’t get any well-paid work – and then they quit. Sure, they might then “write for fun” or as a “side hustle,” but it’s not the rock solid income they were hoping to get.
In this post, I want to share a great book that truly helped me go from hoping and dreaming and worrying to regaining control over where my writing business was headed. It’s a book called Do Hard Things by Steve Magness.
Are You Actually Serious About Your Writing Career?
If you read the previous paragraphs, becoming a professional writer might sound like a bummer. It might sound like all these people are flocking to professional writing, and only a small percentage of them actually make a livable income.
Well, that’s sort of the case.
After all, being a professional writer is not mainstream. And it’s not easy to come across 6-figure writing jobs that are consistent and worth the effort. Usually, professional writers have to create a patchwork of income streams to really jack up their annual salary.
That alone is enough to deter many wannabe writers from ever blazing a viable career for themselves. They dabble in some writing courses. They put up a portfolio site. They try cold pitching. Then nothing is working out, so they throw their hands up and go back to what they were doing before.
Becoming a successful, well-paid, respected writer is tough – but it’s not impossible – and, in fact, is much more attainable than it seems. You can have a successful writing career. You can make great money. You can “move on up” on a writer’s wages.
But you have to seriously want it.
Sure, almost anyone can learn to write well, but most cannot sustainably withstand the demands of entrepreneurship for the long term. It’s simply too scary and overwhelming. You don’t know where you’ll get clients. You’re drowning in tax paperwork. You’re sifting through website hosts and not really understanding all the jargon. You’re Googling everything all the time.
And, while many people might say (and believe) they really want it, they drop the writing dream and run as soon as it gets hard. Back to their 9-5. Back to whatever they went to school for. Back to those “stable” careers.
Now, I recommend this book – Do Hard Things – if you are seriously willing to dive into writing and make it work out for you. Someone who really has no other option but to become a writer, make money for themselves and live the writer’s life of flexibility and autonomy.
This book is best suited for writers who understand that big dreams require significant effort and that challenges will come their way. However, these writers are willing to work through these challenges so that in 1, 3 or 5 years, they will be living the dream.
Do Hard Things by Steve Magness
I came across this book after my husband was part of a business cohort for soon-to-be military veterans. These people were transitioning out of the military, many of them having served 20+ years. Now, they were facing a transition into the civilian world.
While many of the people in this cohort held high leadership positions in the military, they were most likely going to have to start at the bottom or in mid-level leadership positions when they got out. Many were making 6-figures in the military, plus all the benefits, but almost all were expecting a massive pay cut once they found a new career in the private sector.
Each of the service members were given Do Hard Things by Steve Magness. A gift from a C-suite executive from a prominent business in Nashville, TN. So, my husband brought it home.
Perfect for the Uncomfortable and Anxious Entrepreneur
At the time, I was in the trenches trying to get the Ambitious Writer Society up and running. I was desperate to enroll my first students, and I was not confident that this new business venture would even work.
“When confidence was low athletes [and high-performers] ‘were irrational, and unable to control their nerves, think positively or maintain focus on their usual routines.’ It’s as if their brains were hijacked. Their worldview turned dark and gloomy.”
That’s exactly how I felt! My worries kept me up at night, even though I was constantly anxious as I went about my day too. I would try to squeeze work into every minute of free time I had while watching my son – weekends, 4AM mornings, late nights, etc.
In fact, yet again, Magness describes it best. I was “the entrepreneur whose insecurity leads [her] to incessant ‘grinding,’ the CEO who can’t step away on weekends for fear of falling behind, or the creative who puts off publishing their work until it is just right.”
When I wasn’t working, I had this oppressive urge to work, to move forward, to get that first sale. This pressure was always on my mind, and as time ticked on without success, it started to consume me.
I had actually felt this way several times before in my professional life. For example, in 2017 when I was a new Registered Dietitian, later that year when I transitioned into SEO writing and in 2020 when I started copywriting.
But the difference between 2017 and 2023 was that I also now had a family, real financial responsibility and less time to work on my ambitious dreams. Now, the time I was spending on growing this business (and thinking about it) was putting a strain on my relationships.
Why Every Writer Should Read Do Hard Things
Although the author is obviously a writer, this book is not targeted to writers specifically. It’s targeted to anyone facing ordinary and extraordinary challenges like parenting, sports competitions or starting a business.
However, as you step into the professional writing world – and as you try to expand within it, in my case – there will be a mountain range of hurdles that you have to overcome.
Like I mentioned before, some writers will say that they want a successful writing career, yet end up going back to their bartending job a year later. It’s not that they’re weak. It’s that they didn’t have the tools to remain resilient and adaptable throughout the journey.
So, if you want to become a successful writer, you need what Magness refers to as “true confidence.”
“True confidence has to be founded in reality, and it comes from the inside. It’s not in ignoring the human condition of experiencing doubt and insecurity, but coming to terms with them and what we’re capable of. It’s not in the elimination of doubt, but in allowing enough doubt to keep us in check, while being secure in the knowledge that we’ll find a way past the obstacle.”
When you’re stepping into a difficult situation, like starting your new writing career, you shouldn’t suppress the doubt or the “devil on your shoulder” saying you can’t. You have to work with it, analyze its truth and recalibrate accordingly.
A Writer’s Takeaway
For me, this book was a mindset game changer. Instead of looking at my new ventures as a threat to my happiness and sanity, it became a challenge that I could calculate, play with and overcome.
The mental and emotional parts of running a business and achieving something great are often the things that cause so many people to quit too soon. Yet, as Magness lays it out in the book, these parts can be nurtured, assessed and utilized to meet our full potential.
Through a 4-pillar approach, Do Hard Things by Steve Magness can teach you:
How to build real toughness so you won’t collapse like a house of cards during inevitable career challenges.
How to build true confidence to reduce the insanity and anxiety you feel throughout your day.
How to figure out the best response to move forward, calm your inner storm and claim success for yourself.
How to work through and “massage out” the discomforts that come with doing hard things.
I encourage all writers to read this book as you think about stepping into the world of SEO writing (or any other writing specialty for that matter).
