What Motivates Me As A Writer and Author?
As a freelance writer and author, I'm motivated by three things:
📄 Good Briefs: Of course, I want to work on interesting projects. If I can speak to interesting people and learn something new in the process, even better. One of my favourite jobs was interviewing University Professors about their programs. These projects often involved writing about subjects I previously had very little insight into, and as a result, I came away from each and every job a little better informed.
⏱️ Deadlines: This ex-newspaper man loves a deadline. Deadlines focus the mind and remind us that quality is important but not to make perfection the enemy of the good. If you need something in a hurry, give me a deadline and watch me hit it.
💷 Money: OK, that sounds a bit cynical, but money makes the world go round (and keeps my daughters in dance classes and University). Good content costs money, but I try not to take the mickey. I've always set my rates at a level that keeps me busy - without being a busy fool.
Another thing I really enjoy about being my own boss is the ability to work on my own projects, such as my book projects, my Content Marketing Bootcamp training events, and my cycling mini-adventures.
When you work on your own projects, you don't always follow the same rules you set for working with clients. While my personal projects are always interesting to me (and hopefully others), deadlines can sometimes be stretched, and the idea of money goes out the window.
With this said, I believe a little more discipline would be beneficial in this area of my work. Therefore, for my next book project (a follow-up to Becoming THE Expert: Enhancing Your Business Reputation through Thought Leadership Marketing), I'm going to make myself more accountable to myself and the community of small business owners and marketers I serve.
The plan is to document the book's progress with a weekly podcast featuring every word I write (with additional commentary). These podcasts would be made available to premium subscribers via my website, enabling the community to comment and add value to later edits and the final draft. You can share your thoughts, suggestions, and even your own experiences related to the topics discussed in the book. Your feedback will be considered for later edits and the final draft, making this book a collaborative effort. It would also give subscribers a glimpse behind the curtain and allow them to access ideas (and remember, there's no such thing as a bad idea) that don't make the final edit.
I'm still working out the final details, but I envisage that all monthly subscribers will receive an electronic edition of the book when it is available, and all annual subscribers will receive a print copy of the title before it becomes available on Amazon.
If this sounds like an interesting project and you'd like to get involved and follow my progress, leave a comment or question below, or send me a DM for full details when available.