How to become a professional writer

When I was very little, my dad had a grey electrical typewriter for work. Sometimes, he brought it home and worked in the dining room. He could pre-write 2 lines digitally, correct them and then push enter when he was ok with what he had written. I admired him because he could write so fast. Sometimes, I played with that typewriter — as if I could write so fast, too. But what I wrote were not real words. Just letters that didn’t make sense. I don’t remember if I was even old enough to read.

When I grew older and was able to read, reading became my number one hobby. I went to the library all the time. I read at night below my blanket. When the batteries on my flashlight died, I used the light of my alarm clock. On the weekends, I stayed long in bed so I could dream a different ending of my stories. Reading never felt like a real hobby. My friends went to group sports and music lessons. I read.

Finally, I started to write my own story. I typed it on a black typewriter in my room. Alone, sitting on the floor. It took a long time but I hated what I wrote and threw it away without ever showing it to anyone.

I wasn’t good at writing essays in school. I was very good at spelling but unfortunately that didn’t count as much after primary school.

When I visited Australia for a study abroad exchange, I finally started a semi-regular diary. In the beginning of my trip, later I stopped writing. I wrote it for my boyfriend but when I got home I felt weird about showing my personal notes to anyone, so I kept them private. I finally threw them out when I moved house.

When I wrote my thesis, it took a long time before I showed my first draft to my supervisor. I hated showing her my new stuff, eventually I got used to it. The worst day was when I was ready to hand in my finished thesis and she had another review with like a thousand red comments for me.

About two years ago I started occasional writing to do some self-discovery. It was my tool to learn about myself in order to change careers. Since then I founded my own freelance business and this month I wrote my first invoice for a text. So, now I’m a professional writer?

I haven’t had any writing education. I haven’t worked in an agency, a newspaper or whatever. So getting paid to do a writing job can feel like a scam. But I don’t have proper education for what I do during my other day job. Sometimes, this doesn’t feel right, either. However, I know that I help people when they are willing to pay for my services. So maybe, I should just get used to those words: I’m a writer.

Some things have changed since I was a kid. I can write really fast on the computer. There are actual words on the screen after my fingers danced across the keyboard. Instead of throwing everything out after I’ve finished, I hit publish.

What hasn’t changed is that I feel vulnerable when I show my texts to someone, especially friends. So, I still try not to show my texts to them.

But I still write. I like it. It makes me feel good. It gives me energy. After writing, I have accomplished something for the day. And I keep going. Consistency is one of the keys to becoming a professional. And getting paid for your work is a good sign that you finally are a professional.

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