The 4 Biggest Takeaways from Season 4 of Writers’ Rough Drafts

Season 5 of Writers’ Rough Drafts is right around the corner (coming Tuesday, September 3rd), and we can’t wait to share more exciting conversations with writers, entrepreneurs, and creatives from so many different industries. 

But before we dive into our next round of guests, we wanted to look back at Season 4 and revisit the biggest takeaways of the season. 

Whether it was breaking down the mysteries of how to write a book or sharing why you need to get feedback from people you trust, all of our guests had invaluable words of advice for aspiring professional writers and entrepreneurs that can directly apply to their lives. 

Here are some of the most common themes that popped up throughout Season 4.

The Search for Community as a Remote Professional Writer

Writing is a solitary activity, that’s for sure. And that solitude, for some people, can really help them feel productive and creative.

Even as an extrovert, I find that there are times that I need to be alone in order to get work done, whether it’s editing, writing, or communicating with the team at CYC.

Last summer, though, I reached a breaking point with my remote work lifestyle. It took a few months of working alone at home, or in coffee shops, all the time, for me to realize just how alone I truly felt.

One day it hit me: I’m not a person who enjoys working alone. I am not an introvert.

Being alone started to take a toll on my mental health and thus my ability to get work done. Lack of motivation, lack of energy, and general apathy started to take over, making projects that I loved to do very taxing and frustrating.

After lying in bed in the middle of a sunny summer afternoon—on a weekday—too many days in a row due to lack of energy, I knew something had to change. I needed to find some type of community to help me find that energy again.

4 Signs You May (Desperately) Need a Content Manager

It happens to the best, most well-intentioned of us.

You start a blog for your website to help boost your marketing goals, and you begin writing often. But writing on the daily (or even on the weekly) can become quite taxing when you’re also running your own business, especially if your blog is helping you find more of that business.

You then decide to bring some writers onto your team. With the (wo)manpower to fuel dozens of articles a month, without necessarily relying on your own personal time investment, you’re working your way toward becoming a content-producing boss and killin’ your marketing strategy.

Until you realize there’s a big issue you need to solve: How do you find a consistent, cohesive blog voice when you have a team of writers?

Managing Your Social Media Presence as a Professional Writer (When You Don’t Love Social Media)

There’s nothing like going on a camping trip and being forced to be without internet for four straight days to make you take a good, hard look at yourself and your addiction to your smartphone.

Heck, before I dove into writing this article, can you guess what I was doing? Yup, scrolling mindlessly through my Twitter feed.

At first, while I was camping, I definitely felt anxious about not being able to check my emails or text messages. What’s going on in the outside world? What if my client emails me with an urgent question or request? What if one of the editors needs me? I literally have no reception.

But I also thought to myself … What about my Twitter followers? Or my LinkedIn audience? Will they think I suck at social media?

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