You're in the Idea Business!

If you're a writer, you are in the idea business.

Doesn't matter whether you write fiction or non-fiction.

You live and breathe the atmosphere of ideas.

Ideas keep you alive!

You pick ideas you want to pursue, develop, and spread.

They motivate you and become prime ingredients of your motive power.

You seek to learn the truth about x, y, or z, and spread that truth far and wide.

You do so with stories, with narrative, and with whatever artistry you can create.

You're a writer.

Your business is discovering and developing ideas that can move a reader to read more.

Your ideas, packaged and promoted, become your product and service.

How you make money from your writing is as diversified as the world of ideas.

And the digital age opens up a world of possibilities for you to discover and pursue.

You're a writer and solopreneur.

To help you in this process, there's a plethora of actionable information from those who have been willing to share how they successfully pursue the idea business.

Here are some writers I follow for their insights on the business of writing. They can help you learn to write and publish material that appeals to the audience you choose to serve. Here's what I wrote in a previous issue that's worth repeating here:

Dan Koe - I discovered Dan Koe on Twitter. When you follow him on Twitter, he posts numerous insights daily. As do many writer/creators on Twitter, Dan offers free as well as paid offerings. He is full of encouragement and kick-in-the-pants, “let’s get things done” insights. Here is just one insight from a long, value-laden Twitter thread:

 Keep in mind, the money you make is directly proportional to the *solution you build* for a big problem.

Money should be treated as a reflection of your impact. If you are not making money... chances are you haven't produced something of value.

Here's an example of his no-nonsense encouragement:

Write content, make friends, build a product or service, and refine your skill set through experience.

Anything else is procrastination disguised as productivity, especially at the beginning.

1 hour of leverage-focused work is all you need to build a creative income source.

For an abundance of free information (as well as paid courses), here is his website...

August Birch - Recently Birch created a five-module paid course titled "Momentum Maker." I bought it because I have been guilty of spending more time on learning and research than on writing and publishing. His course focuses how you can do what you must do without resorting to brute willpower. It's loosely based on James Clear's phenomenal best seller, Atomic Habits, which Birch encourages you to read.

Momentum is simple. You do the work today. Tomorrow, you do the work again. Next Thursday (you guessed it) you do the work then too. Our success is not determined by our talents. Our success with any project is determined by our momentum.

In other words, you need a daily process that gets you to finish what you begin... and ship! It can only happen if you use a process that is daily, habit-forming, and productive. It's your mission, your passion, your work!

"All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision. But as that decision is repeated, a habit sprouts and grows stronger."

James Clear 

Nicolas Cole - Nicolas Cole is the author of The Art and Business of Online Writing. In it he shares the nuts and bolts of how he became (and you can become) a prolific and successful digital writer. He's been writing since he was seventeen years old. And he's still going strong with insights that can help you write better, publish more, and monetize your writing.

For a plethora of information, here is his website.

Finally, allow me to make a confession. I had reached a standstill with this newsletter. My problem was that I didn't know what more to write about writing. I was ready to give up.

Then, as I was taking my morning bike ride, I began listening to The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. I had read this book years earlier, and thought I needed to go through it again.

I sure did.

As I listened to Pressfield's discussion of "resistance" and the devious ways it can stop you from pursuing your creative mission, I suddenly realized that I was befuddled by a devious form of resistance.

Once I realized this, I simply went to my computer and began this issue of Write for Your Life. I had no idea what I was going to write about... Yet suddenly "The Idea Business" sprung onto the page.

I hope this and other issues of this newsletter help you with inspiration, encouragement, and actionable ideas.

One final thing. Just a moment ago I noticed that Amazon conveniently created a list of books about creativity and generating ideas. Here's the link...

Meanwhile, let me know what's on your mind and what you'd like to see in future issues.

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share this article with anyone you believe would appreciate it.

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Ken West is the author of seven books designed to help you live the best life possible and flourish in this ever-changing creator economy.