My So-called Creator Life and Editing Dan Koe

My 15 minutes as a creator. Also, I turn 45 today.

The word creator has evolved from the original definition of “one that creates usually by bringing something new or original into being” (Merriam-Webster) into “a person who publishes original content online” (Dictionary.com). And not just that, but someone who engages and develops a business out of the original online content that they publish.

I began 2023 by joining digital creators in the Modern Mastery online community founded by one of creatorships’ big success stories, Dan Koe.

It was an accident. Or a sort of misunderstanding, which is how I typically fall into the most interesting things.

I had been trying to write the same book for almost a decade. My frustration over my writer’s block had reached a breaking point. I started a Substack newsletter so it would sharpen my long-form chops and help me ease my way back to my memoir manuscript. But ten months later, even that had been abandoned, and I had nothing to show for it.

So what did I do? Look for any other solution, except the one where I actually sit down to write.

I found Dan’s 7 Days to Genius Ideas challenge while flipping through IG Stories. 2022 was ending in four days. There was promise of a system. Some mention of ways to find “unlimited” ideas for writing. It was free.

After seven days, I’d written and sent out a newsletter for the first time in months. A few days later, I registered for the full 2-Hour Writer Course and joined the Modern Mastery creator community.

This got me back to the writing groove that I needed and gave me a much-needed perspective that demystified the process.

Yes, I would highly recommend the 2-Hour Writer Course whether you’re a creator or a literary writer

However, one thing became very clear from this experience: I’m not a creator.

Sure, I was starting to get my digital rhythm going and connecting with other inspiring creators. But at my core, I knew my place wasn’t in moving the needle solely online.

I feel most in my element as someone who nudges, enables, and supports, giving perspective to help someone find their words and take the next step. Many times, this work happens offline.

One day I’ll finally publish my book — this blasted book! — but that won’t make me a creator in the strict sense, either. Because when I finally get published, the book won’t be a lead magnet to anything. It won’t be productized knowledge. It will simply be a book that needed to find its way in the world.

For better or worse, I’m a creative writer. A creative lifer. My joy is to witness and advocate for the many different ways that stories may be told, whether in the annals of the literary world or the timelines of digital creators.

Currently Editing…

Speaking of creators, I can officially say (with Dan’s permission) that I’ve been working with Dan on his upcoming business philosophy book, The Art of Focus.

For the last two months, I’ve had front-row seats to Dan-the-Writer. It reminded me that although good writing is typically a matter of craft, learning, and practice, it’s not a guaranteed outcome in spite of the prescribed formula.

All creators have some sort of writerly presence online, but few of them are particularly good writers. Most of them possess a feel for good copy and hook, and that’s enough to communicate well online. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find some talented writers who have pursued the creator path.

One of them is Dan Koe.

He’s quick to attribute his writing instinct and sensibility to the dogged consistency he’s known for — something he evangelizes on all his platforms. He’s one of those writers who thrive on routine: reading-writing-outlining-writing-thinking-writing-repeat.

An anti-thesis to the typical bros of Money Twitter, Dan advocates for the sustainable digital solopreneur life in a sober, grounded approach, which he sometimes calls his signature “monotone” style.

Consistency and practice aren’t enough to make someone a good writer. But I can say that as much as Dan’s good writing was a product of his reading and routine, it’s equally undeniable that he’s a fish in water when he writes.

Some insights I picked up that I think helped Dan develop into a compelling writer:

• He genuinely enjoys writing.

He may not fit the “literary” mold, but by setting out to understand and learn the craft of writing, he found that it’s how he could best express himself. It's the form and medium where he knows his ideas and insights are at their clearest and most impactful. 

• He knows what he doesn’t know. 

Creators like learning by osmosis: following and imitating habits of successful people, reading their books, and trying a similar style for their content, hoping to guarantee their own success. Dan figured out this is only a small part of the work. He puts a lot of stock in awareness and self-reflection, figuring out what still needs to improve, and knowing that nothing can be guaranteed.

• He learns (not consumes)

Dan uses the creator lingo “consume,” when he talks about reading books and listening to podcasts and music. I think this needs to be reframed. Saying that Dan “consumed” books and podcasts may be misleading because it assumes that he reads merely to accumulate information.

But real knowledge isn’t accumulated, it’s absorbed, then transformed, after a period of critical thinking. Immersing in his writing and knowing the influences he draws from, it became clear to me that Dan reads not to consume or regurgitate, but with an intent to learn and form his own insights.

• He trusts the process

You’d think someone who’s hit on a successful business model and millions of followers would balk at the process and time it takes to write and publish a book. But being a true learner, Dan accepts that there’s a process to everything worth doing, and trusts it to unfold the way it should.

Being new to book writing and publishing, he knew it would make his life easier to leverage someone else’s expertise (mine) instead of trying to do everything himself. His one big job was to write and finish the manuscript, and he did it with the focus and consistency that he champions in his upcoming book.

• Finally, and most importantly, he writes to bring the reader along for the ride

Dan writes as himself. Not as a guru. Not as an expert. He writes with the genuine intent of bringing the reader into the story and in his confidence.

The Art of Focus has a potent combination of “truth bombs” without being preachy. He writes as a reliable source, but not the source.

My biggest hurdles as an editor have happened when writers center themselves instead of the story. It made my work much easier knowing throughout the process that Dan is focused on writing for the benefit of the reader, not the ego of the writer.

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Giving Back for my birthday (but wait, there’s more…)

I hope you’ve enjoyed the free fireside chats I’ve offered for my birthday. You can still access them here:

• On Transformation

• Beyond Socials: Digital Marketing for Writers and Creatives

• Exploring Our Layers of Vulnerability as Writers

For my final birthday offer, I’m repricing my subscription fee down to $2 per month for the next 12 months (choose from monthly or annual billing). This repriced rate will be up for grabs until May 15.

That said, the free subscription will always be available: