Ev BogueA year and a half ago, I read a book by Steven Pressfield that changed my life.
I was in the midst of what I like to remember as 'a difficult time'. I was making just enough to survive from my writing at that point (a starving artist) off a tiny ebook about minimalism. I was on the verge of moving to California.
The War of Art is a tiny book. I bought the paperback on Amazon, because I couldn't find it in bookstores anywhere and it wasn't on Kindle at that point. I remember reading it at a laundromat in on the south slope of Brooklyn in-between wash and dry cycles as the snow began to thaw after a long winter.
The book's premise is this: There's a thing called "The Resistance" and it's keeping you from doing your work.
For me: Drinking instead of writing is The Resistance. Listening to what critics might say (or anticipating what they might say) is The Resistance. Forgetting to eat good food is The Resistance. Checking email before doing the work is The Resistance. Checking my spelling too many times before hitting publish is The Resistance. Doing anything that's easier instead of writing is The Resistance. Untethering too early is The Resistance. Not untethering soon enough is The Resistance. Doing something else when the work gets hard is The Resistance.
Since reading The War of Art, I've realized that it has become a cult favorite amongst artists. I can say "is that the resistance?" and any writer who's read Pressfield knows what I'm talking about. Then they have an opportunity to keep giving in, or to do the work.
Getting Paid to Write
I've made The War of Art the only required text for Get Paid to Write.
The reason is because it's the single most important book that I read in order to get to a place where I can charge a decent (and direct from my audience -- no middlemen) amount for my work as a writer making money online.
Doing the Work (every single day)
In my experience, becoming a writer hasn't been easy. In fact, it's the hardest thing I've ever done with my life.
I'm not the kind of person to shy away from doing the most challenging work that I can find. Writing is just that, the most challenging work that I can find.
The reason being a writer seems so easy is because all of the work that a writer does is behind the scenes. When I walk by a construction site, I can see a construction worker doing the work. A writer's work is invisible until the moment when he/she presses the publish button.
The reason making money online seems so easy is because all of the work that an online entrepreneur does is behind the scenes. When I get a coffee, I can see the barista crafting my latte. An internet entrepreneur's work is invisible until the moment when he/she releases the work onto the world.
I'm not saying this to discourage you from your dreams. I'm saying it because it's reality. Getting paid to write is hard.
I know for sure that getting paid to write hardest thing that I've ever done, every single day. This is why I wake up every day and do it.
Anything other than getting paid to write would bore the shit out of me.
When I ask you to sign up for Get Paid to Write, I'm asking you to do one of the hardest things you will ever do with your life. Not just because you're accountable only to yourself (no one's going to make that first $1,000 but you.) but also because only other artists will truly understand what you're going through when you're fighting The Resistance every single day.
Some days the resistance will win. Other days it won't.
The days when I beat the resistance, those are the days when I feel truly alive.