Hi Reader,

In my late 20s, I took up short story writing.

I wanted someone to publish my stories to call myself a writer.

I signed up for some intensive creative writing classes at the Irish Writer’s Centre in Dublin city center to learn the craft.

We met on Monday and Wednesday evenings in an airy room overlooking the River Liffey in Dublin.

Our instructor, a balding man from Texas, was a hardcore literary writer. He tasked us with writing “one true sentence”.

He didn’t have much time for fools like me who didn’t know their Hemingways from their Faulkners.

But I was determined to show him.

So, I spent hours writing and revising a collection of a dozen short stories in my spare bedroom after work.

I spent a year working on a single collection.

But I was never happy with my stories.

I wrote and edited without getting feedback from readers or an editor.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was procrastinating.

I was practicing in private instead of writing in public.

Holding yourself to a high bar is one thing, but I should have sent my stories to an editor or beta for feedback sooner.

Much later, I discovered I was better and faster at writing non-fiction, and I only figured that out after I started writing online.

These days, I don’t write short stories.

And I’ve the same hairline as that Texan instructor.

But, I run a profitable writing and content business.

To keep the business humming along, I press publish early and often.

Not every piece of content works out, but that’s ok.

I only need a few pieces of content to succeed each month.

That’s all you need, too.

I was coaching a client a few weeks ago.

They want to earn a living full-time from the game of writing and creating online.

They don’t feel ready to write online yet.

“I’m too small fry,” they said.

I read a few of their posts.

They need work, but certainly not endless rounds of revisions.

You see…

If you want to become a pro content creator, press publish early and often.

The internet is a laboratory for writers and creators.

Substack, Medium, LinkedIn, a newsletter… so many great platforms exist.

All you have to do is create on them.

Don’t let fear hold you back, either.

The biggest problem isn’t what people think of you or your work… it’s getting their attention in the first place.

It’s a rather noisy laboratory.

And you won’t get what you want if you work on the same pieces of content in private for months like I did.

Press publish early and often and...

You’ll discover what you’re good at creating.

You’ll learn more about your audience's likes.

You’ll open up the door to surprising collaborations and opportunities.

And you’ll figure out how to achieve your creative goals by creating (money, impact, freedom).

I write more about practicing in public in my book The Power of Creativity.

​Buy now​

Write on,
Bryan Collins

P.S. If fear of practicing in public holds you back, I'm working with a few creatives who are serious about creating and writing online.

Learn more here​

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