Seriously?
Did you really think you could become a professional anything in 4 weeks?
Sorry for the clickbaity headline, but I proved my point.
Many people think there’s some “trick”. Some magic “formula”, “15-step process” or “guaranteed method” that will give them the skillz to pay the billz.
I feel really sad when I see online courses claiming they can turn students into professional writers within 4-8 weeks.
*Ahem*
No.
No, you won’t be able to go from zero to hero in a couple of months. Life doesn’t work that way.
If life works that way for you, you’re a unicorn.
Go fart rainbows somewhere else.
I started writing *regularly* when I was twelve.
I wrote almost 400 poems, dozens of short stories and novellas, and even got published a few times…before I even finished HIGH SCHOOL.
Even when I landed my first few paying clients, I STILL didn’t think I was a professional writer. (Albeit that was because I suffered from severe Imposter Syndrome)
Back in the day…(when I first started, more than ten years ago)
I wrote articles for $10.
I wrote product descriptions for PENNIES.
I wrote website bios for $5.
“But Jackie, you were underselling yourself. You deserve way more than that.”
Did I?
This was over 10 years ago and I was a NOBODY.
I had no copywriting experience, no network and no clue about how the world worked.
Even though I *thought* my writing was pretty fly, it really wasn’t.
It was awful; I just didn’t know it.
*bites nails down to the quick*
It was so bad I CRINGE knowing someone actually paid me to write that crap. Even if it was just a few bucks.
What I EARNED was far more valuable than pocket change though….
I earned XP points. Lots of ’em.
Then, I leveled up over time.
I didn’t start out charging thousands of bucks right out of the gate. I slowly raised my rates over the years.
So many young writers and new writers want to cut the line and start charging the big bucks.
It might work for them, it might not.
But at the end of the day, there’s no shortcut that can magically teach you a skill someone else spent 5 or 10 years and over 10,000 hours refining.
No course
No guru
No YouTube videos
No handbooks
No certifications
Will magically transform you into freelance writing wizard with A-list clients and a Lambo filled with fat stacks. (Hah)
Ya gotta pay your dues and put in the time.
Just like erybody else.
xo,
Jackie