What kind of writer do you want to be?

Author? Journalist? Poet? Substacker? Blogger? Microblogger? Copywriter? Or perhaps you're not sure because the ego says one thing and the heart says another. Let's explore the options...

This morning, I was scrolling through Notes (the short-form feed on Substack) and someone had written a list of all the writing jobs they’d had before concluding that now, writing on Substack was their ‘job’.

It caught my attention, because while I’m earning a five-figure annual income from writing weekly articles and essays on Substack, I’ve never really seen it as my job, or as something that will ever become ‘everything’ I do, as a writer.

And yet.

I love writing on Substack. I love that I can have an idea and within a day, it will be written, edited and published. I love the pace. I love the community around the writing (in the comments section, and without any trolls).

But I have some ego issues. I have this idea lodged in my mind that if I don’t continue to also have books published, I am no longer a writer. That if I never have a book of poems traditionally published, I will never be a poet.

When I stop and think about these ideas, I realise it’s absurd, because I know that to be a writer simply means to write. Being a writer doesn’t have to mean being traditionally published, that’s just a possible route to earning an income from it.

But more importantly: if you are fortunate enough to be paid for your writing, directly by your readers, on Substack - well, what could be more powerful than that? The people who matter most - the readers - are backing you. That is incredible.

A publisher commissioning you to write a non-fiction book will be a lengthy process that, these days, involves looking at your social media following and engagement, how ‘niche’ you are and whether they can (potentially) make lots of money from your book.

Whereas on Substack, you can explore different subjects and avenues. You are the niche. People are there for you, and your writing, rather than because you have narrowed down your subject so much they know it’s for them.

Obviously, a niche can be useful. But we’re moving on from thinking it’s the only way to be a journalist or non-fiction writer. You can span subjects and genres; experiment and get creative. You don’t have to stay in your lane any more.

So, I spent a moment reflecting on how lucky I am to be able to write on Substack and publish my own work. And then I thought: but I still want another non-fiction book published. And a poetry book deal. And to have more articles published.

There is value in traditional publishing, in terms of growing your profile as a writer and receiving an advance, so I’m not bashing this route at all. But it’s one option, and can be a part of what you do (if you want to) alongside self-publishing.

The workshop

Rather than mull all of this alone, I’m running a Zoom workshop for writers, exploring: what we really want (and don’t want) as writers. What matters, what doesn’t. And how we are going to make the things that do matter happen.

We will look at ego, heart, financial implications, writing blocks and more.

So… if you write, or would like to write more: Join me tomorrow at midday, UK-time, for this coaching workshop for writers. It’s for my paid subscribers, so if you’d like to join the workshop, you can become a paid subscriber here.

If you’re already a paid subscriber, you’ll get the Zoom link tomorrow morning at 9am.

I’m thinking of running more of these coaching workshops for paid subscribers so if you’re thinking about signing up on the annual subscription (£25/year), you can do that now and you’ll have access to all up-coming workshops, plus all of my writing.

Until now, I’ve been quite committed to only sharing writing - and some audio - on Substack. But now, I’m listening to my intuition and being led down this new path of offering workshops. And I feel excited.

Again, it’s about doing what I want, rather than what I think others expect from me (and hoping that a bunch of you will come along for the ride).

If you’re not interested in joining any workshops, you can opt out of receiving emails about them here: annieridout.substack.com/account. Scroll down to ‘notifications’ and untick ‘courses and workshops’. You won’t receive any more workshop/course news.

For those who are in, see you tomorrow at midday (UK-time) to talk writing, writing goals and dreams, making shit happen and letting go of some of our pre-conceived ideas about what it means to be a writer. You’ll get the Zoom link at 9am.

Annie x

Ps. I’m a freelance journalist, non-fiction author, bestselling ghostwriter, (sometimes) viral poet and, as you know, Substacker. If you’d like to know more about my writing experience, you can read about it here.