Enjoy this 409-word “Micro-Interview” with writer, Charles Miller.
Thanks, Charles.
Let’s get started:
"Do you have a work routine?”
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Every morning, I wake up around 5:30 AM, brush my teeth, make a cup of tea, sit at my desk, and do about 90 minutes of deep work. I usually do another 90 minutes block after lunch, then maybe a call with a prospect/connection, and then I'm done for the day.
"What do you wish you'd known about your work when you first started?”
The importance of networking. I'm naturally not a super social person, so when I started writing, I was a "lone wolf". Then, a year later, I forced myself to network more, and my results exploded. High-quality connections help you grow 10x faster than you would on your own.
“What did your biggest professional failure teach you?”
My first 3 businesses were eCommerce stores. 2 of them lost over $10,000. I learned that you should choose an offer based on your budget and interests, not based on what people online are doing well with. Eventually, I settled into zero-cost offers (like freelance services) related to writing (something I had a natural interest in).
“Has anything helped you shorten your craft's learning curve?”
Talking to people who are better than me at it. In some cases, that has been paid consultations. In other cases, it has been networking calls where the person decided to share some wisdom with me. Conversations like this often lead to finding one strategy or mindset shift that makes a huge difference.
“Do you have a book recommendation?”
For copywriters, I like Ca$hvertising by Drew Eric Whitman. It's a good overview of the craft, summarizes a lot of older copywriting classics, and provides tons of examples.
“Any parting piece of advice?”
Understand that failure is the norm, especially early on. This is true in copywriting, content writing, and life in general. Most of your posts will flop, most of your cold DMs will be ignored, most of your writing will suck, and that's okay. Make peace with it. Focus on consistently executing habits and getting little wins, not your results. Do that long enough, and the results should come.
