Q: How do I start writing online?

Career Advice That Doesn't Suck!

Press “Publish” now.

As someone who has been writing online for eight years and is still a huge overthinker, I wish I would’ve gotten out of my own way sooner. When I was first getting started, I let the same doubts pop up over and over again:

“Why would anyone read what I have to write?”

“What happens if no one likes what I share?”

“Does the internet really need another white guy sharing his opinions?”

It turns out all of these were just nasty, insidious thoughts from that inner critic who enjoys shitting all over my own ideas.

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I tend to overexaggerate a lot, but I am 1000% serious when I say writing online has hands down been the single best decision I’ve made for my career.

From making new connections to having people reach out with new opportunities, sharing my ideas online unlocked an entirely different professional path for me. It has also made me a much better communicator in general.

When it comes to writing online, there are a ton of places to get started. I personally chose Medium because a writer friend mentioned it was the future of blogging (and she was right).

After growing a decent following on Medium, I’ve now decided to shift focus to sharing my writing here on Substack. There are a bunch of reasons why, but I’ll get into that in a future post.

No matter where you choose to share your writing, the most important part is to start today. If reading this is making your armpits sweat, then here are a few steps to help you take the guesswork out of pressing “Publish” sooner (and some example answers I’ve used to paint a picture):

1) Write down a list of 10 topics that interest you (5 minutes)

1. Design

2. Entrepreneurship

3. Education

4. Coworking

5. Ideas

6. Comics

7. Donuts

8. Freelancing

9. Travel

10. Writing

2) Turn these interests into questions (10 minutes)

1. How do you bridge the gap between design and business?

2. How do we make entrepreneurship more accessible?

3. What will education look like in the future?

4. Why is coworking becoming so popular?

5. What is the first step in making ideas happen?

6. What can design students learn from comics?

7. Where can I find the best blueberry cake donut in St. Louis?

8. What is the most important step when starting to freelance?

9. How do I start traveling more?

10. What is the easiest way to start writing?

3) Do a little research in order to form an opinion for each topic (30 mins)

4) Answer each question in one sentence to create your BIG IDEA (15 mins)

1. In order to bridge the gap between design and business, schools need to teach business development skills to design students and design thinking skills to business students earlier on in their education.

2. For entrepreneurship to be more accessible, entrepreneurs need to be connected to others who share their idea and have the skills they need.

3. In the future of education, an apprentice/master relationship will reemerge to better address the individual learning of various skills needed in the new workforce.

4. Coworking is becoming so popular because it provides a collaborative setting for the new workforce that balances productivity with camaraderie.

5. The first step in making your idea happen is to share it with at least one other person in order to receive tangible feedback.

6. Design students should look to comics as the perfect example for effective design, noticing their combination of narrative text and supportive imagery.

7. After doing extensive research, the best blueberry cake donut in St. Louis can be found at Ex-Cop Donut Shop, and here is why…

8. The most important step when starting to freelance is to successfully position yourself by identifying who you are, what you do, who you help, and what value you provide them.

9. In order to start traveling more, try focusing on working remotely, whether through your company or on your own.

10. The easiest way to start writing is to take action and follow this framework :)

5) Expand on one of these answers in order to create your first draft (30 minutes)

6) Show that first draft to three people:

• Someone you know who writes

• Someone you don’t know who writes

• Someone who would be a target reader in that category

7) Take feedback from all three people and revise your first draft (30 minutes)

8) Check for grammar and spelling (5 minutes)

9) Click “Publish” and get ready to share your article

10) Thank and respond to each person who leaves a comment on your article

And there you have it! Once you press “Publish,” you can finally add “writer” to all of your social bios! In all seriousness, this is going to feel weird at first, but I promise it gets easier each time you do it.

Are you sharing your writing for the first time online? Did these steps help? Let me know by responding to this email or leave a comment on Substack!

1. Sorry for that graphic image ;)