What distinguishes professional writers from amateur writers? Why should you care?

There are many characteristics that differentiate professional writers.

In The Midnight Disease: The Drive to Write, Writer’s Block, and the Creative Brain, Alice Flaherty identifies an important one. She says that pros

…more successfully engage their audience. It is partly a question of skill, but more often a matter of goals. Amateur writers tend to write primarily for self-expression, whereas writers able to become professional can hide or transform their own agendas enough so that they are of interest to others.

That’s an interesting interpretation that makes me think of the difference between successful and unsuccessful financial bloggers. Someone who blogs solely for self-expression is unlikely to attract many followers. The same goes for someone who only blogs self-promotional content. Successful financial bloggers move beyond these approaches.

To engage readers, you must mix your own “agenda” with your target readers’ needs and interests.

Disclosure:  If you click on an Amazon link in this post and then buy something, I will receive a small commission. I link only to books in which I find some value for my blog’s readers.