Bruce Midgett

AWAI Member Since: 2003
Age: 62

What’s your current occupation?

Freelance Writer/Publisher

What’s your former occupation?

Nonprofit Executive

What was the first project you landed?

Political copywriting/speechwriting for a congressional candidate.

What are your current projects?

Periodic promotional work with an events promoter in Denver; ghostwriting with a 35-year basketball coach in Washington state; 15 publications annually with a Montana sports association; a management/leadership book with 25-year public sector administrator; my own book on sports program publishing.

What has been your proudest copywriting moment?

140-page promotional website for an attorney in Philadelphia; articles in Early To Rise and The Golden Thread.

What’s your favorite niche to write for?

Sports and entertainment, professional services, politics, nonprofits

What’s your income goal for this year?

I don’t set income goals. I find if I take on projects that are challenging and enjoyable, the income materializes. I intend to continue to live a comfortable lifestyle and work when I want to. I cut out as many imperatives in my life as I could years ago.

What’s your writing routine?

I’m generally a morning writer. The bulk of my work is done between 8 a.m. and noon. Any other time is deadline driven. Much of my marketing, such as it is, is done in the afternoon and on weekends.

Please give us an example of how your life has changed since becoming a copywriter.

Writing in general (copywriting in particular) has provided me an alternative to the multi-faceted roles in my freelance publishing business and expanded my streams of revenue. It’s become a comfortable balance that allows me many choices in when and how much I’m going to work.

What success tip would you like to share with your fellow writers?

Ignore all the hype that may lead to bloated expectations. Concentrate on what you can do today to advance your career in writing. Then do it. Success in this business seldom happens in big gulps, but rather in small sips. Take a small sip today, another tomorrow, and eventually they add up.

When did you realize you were living the copywriter’s life?

When I inadvertently got caught in five o’clock traffic and realized I hadn’t seen this for some time; when I walked downstairs in my home to my office to get to work and realized I didn’t have to do anything if I didn’t want to; when a friend told me I was semi-retired; when I told a woman at last year’s Bootcamp what I did, and she replied, “Wow! That’s exactly what I want to be able to do!”; when I realized I’m content doing what I’m doing and can easily continue to do it for the rest of my life.