I'm 46 and completely psyched about the prospect of becoming a freelance copywriter, and I'm convinced I could be great at it. I've had almost 30 years experience working with words in some capacity (typing, word processing, editing/proofreading, and resume writing), and have spent 8 years strapped into a cubicle at a 9-5 insurance company job, doing mostly word processing, but gradually more editing/rewriting due to the dire need (though when it comes time for raises and bonuses, I'm still just a "typist"!). I don't do novels, poetry, plays or any other "creative" writing, and bylines and headlines get a big yawn from me. Business writing/copywriting is what excites me.
After countless hours and dollars invested over the past several years on reading, researching, and dreaming the dream, all I've really accomplished is to overload my bookshelves and my brain. I've collected 'em all . . . Holtz, Bly, Makepeace, Bowerman, Yudkin, Masterson, and too many more to name . . . countless books, newsletters, message boards, and every resource on copywriting and marketing I can get my hands on.
Still, when it comes to leaving the comfort zone of the writing fantasy and making it a reality, a few demons seem to continually hold me down:
1) No experience writing the types of projects I'd be called on to do, fostering self-doubt about being able to 'cut it' and a reluctance to dive in;
2) Feeling overwhelmed by the MOUNTAIN of information and resources I've collected and exposed myself to, feeling there's no way to ever digest/master it all;
3) A hardcore conservative upbringing that has me hard-wired to be a responsible steady-paycheck-drawing employee, and the pursuant insecurity about having the "right stuff" to run my own business and be responsible for my own income and destiny;
4) An inability to get past the "if it sounds too good to be true..." rule with the hype of certain copywriting training programs and the alleged enormous demand for good copywriters. How do I separate the b.s sales pitches from the real opportunities?
Any snippets of wisdom? Thanks for the continuing inspiration, Michael!