I Know You’re a Writer, but What Exactly Do You Do?
Answering your question without any sarcasm…
Hi there, my name is Harumi, and I’m a writer. This introduction sounds straightforward, but I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me what I do, even after sharing my profession with them.
Why is it so confusing? And why do people ask in the first place? My theory is because the title is novel. It’s not a common position, like a doctor or lawyer. I’m also not a New York Times bestselling author or a journalist.
I don’t fit into a clear-cut category, so, of course, people will look at me and wonder what I’m all about.
Let’s go beyond the fancy titles and jargon and dive into the nitty-gritty. Who the hell am I? What the hell do I do? And why does it even matter?
Discover all the answers and more in this article…
A mini timeline of my writing background
- My love for writing blossomed around 10 after writing my first short story about a superhero dog.
- In middle school, I enrolled in a scary story competition 2 years in a row.
- Cut to high school and I never finished a full story, but I still wanted to create something meaningful.
- Once I applied to college, I decided to pursue English: Creative Writing for my major, where I received backlash from professors and second-guessed my life decisions.
- After I graduated, I fell into an existential crisis and pursued special education. For additional context, I was an ABA therapist for 2-3 years until the pandemic hit.
- As we experienced a whirlwind of shutdowns, I was temporarily unemployed and started a blog, Life Lived Candidly, where I shared my experiences through a transparent lens.
- Soon after, freelance writing appeared on my radar, and I scrambled to find work. Take that, professors! I can make money as a writer in the 21st century.
- From there, I took on several writing jobs that weren’t a right fit until I found better matches and refined my offerings.
I hope you enjoyed this condensed summary of my writing life.
Hey mom and dad, I’m officially a freelance writer!
When I kickstarted my freelance writing career, my main focus was blog posts. At this point, I had published 30+ posts on my blog and was eager to show prospects my portfolio.
But, I didn’t have a particular niche. For those who don’t know, a niche is an area you specialize in.
I loved writing about lifestyle and mental health. However, to be perfectly honest, I couldn’t find work that paid well in these industries. Plus, imposter syndrome had settled in.
So, I grabbed any opportunity that came my way. I bet you can imagine how that went.
The first few jobs were rough…
My first writing gig was about mud mats and construction. It’s safe to say the topic wasn’t my cup of tea. Yet, it gave me some direction. I discovered I didn’t care to write in this industry, so it was time to narrow my niche down.
I also wrote lengthy blog posts for $10 a piece with a 48 turnaround time, if you can believe that. I covered everything from Poseidon tattoo designs to malware to metal roofs.
Yeah, this writing thing wasn’t so glamorous at the beginning. Maybe my professors were right after all.
Freelancers, please don’t take jobs that pay pennies even if you’re desperate. You’ll end up working yourself to the ground before lifting off. It’s more worth it if you get social proof to add to your portfolio.
This wasn’t the case for me, so I got out as soon as I could.
After breaking free from topics outside my area of expertise and my first client termination, the floodgates opened, and the jobs came in.
Expanding my writing skillset with social media and newsletters
In the next chapter of my career, I started working for a marketing agency specializing in StoryBrand and a private business.
A little background on the private company: The job posting was for a social media writer. Little did I know they wanted me to wear all of the hats, from social media copywriter to graphic designer to social media manager to client concierge to administrator.
Suddenly, my entire writer identity became obsolete as I juggled every role. I quickly discovered I wasn’t a fan of this, but the income was consistent and I decided to stick around for over a year.
That was until I determined it wasn’t the right fit, and I made the final call to resign.
Fortunately, the marketing agency kept me in check. The projects they assigned were strictly writing-based. We’re talking blog posts, newsletters, email sequences, and social media captions.
This was the creamer to my coffee, and I loved every moment of it.
After juggling multiple roles, I realized my one true love was writing, so I narrowed my focus even more.
All things writing: Focusing on what I do best
If you’re still wondering what I do, I’ll put it plainly: I write blog posts, newsletters, and social media captions.
Why do I write for a living? My original purpose was to make income doing what I love. But since diving into the world of copywriting and content writing — yes, there’s a difference, I realized how essential this skill is in the digital space.
Many business owners, particularly solopreneurs, struggle to maintain an online presence and connection with their audience because they’re juggling everything on their own.
Remember what I said earlier about wearing multiple hats? Well, solopreneurs are typically a team of one. They are the CEO, client concierge, and marketer.
Here’s the problem: It’s nearly impossible to run a successful business without spreading yourself too thin.
If you’re constantly hustling, you can’t show up powerfully in your business.
If you’re spending evenings and weekends writing your own content instead of relaxing with loved ones, you can’t scale your business.
So, I don’t just write.
Here’s what I actually do: I craft custom content so business owners can reclaim their time and energy and focus on their zone of genius.
For some entrepreneurs, my copywriting service allows them to focus on business development and personal growth, like my client Amanda Zack, CEO of Lantern Room Creative.
Or it saves them 10 hours of valuable time for business strategy and brand development, like Darshay, CEO of Boss Academy.
My writing career has gone through many transitions over the years, but by far, the best part has been supporting entrepreneurs with their stories and helping them obtain time and energy freedom.
Are you a solopreneur who wants to connect with your audience without sacrificing your time?
If the answer is “yes,” jump on a free discovery call with me today to share your vision.
Looking forward to supporting your business journey!
P.S. Did you enjoy this in-depth look into my background as a freelance writer? If so, join my community and follow me for more stories like this.
