How to Be a Professional Writer

The secret to being a writer is really no secret at all. It is simply this: Write.

Writers write.

That is it. I cannot guarantee that writing will make you into a great writer, but I can guarantee that you will not be a great writer if you don't write.

Writing is simply another form of communication, a very specific form. I believe that each of us is born with a certain amount of talent for writing. But make no mistake, it takes work to write well. In fact, my friend, Dave Lakhani says that “writing is the doing part of thinking”. That sounds true to me.

No matter what your level of innate talent, writing will make you a better writer. If you write every day, you will be a better writer than you would have been had you not written every day.

Now, as to being a professional (paid) writer… that's a different story. You still have to be able to write well, yes. But…

The truth is that being a professional writer has less to do with how great a writer you are, and more to do with how good you are at marketing your professional writing services. That is an art unto itself – which is exactly what we'll be dealing with in my upcoming print newsletter.

It hasn't launched yet (I'm hammering out the first few issues and bonus reports first). If you want to be notified when “Marketing Your Copywriting Services” becomes available, you can get notified here.

Ray Edwards is a world-renowned copywriter and communications strategist, writing for some of the most powerful voices in leadership and business including New York Times bestselling authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) and Tony Robbins. Ray is a sought-after speaker and author, hosts a popular weekly podcast, and blogs at RayEdwards.com.