The Simmonds Signal

Write to bring peace to your mind. Write to create financial abundance. Write to find your people. Write to discover your personal path to spirituality. Write to know yourself. Write.

Insights, actionable tips, and philosophies for writers, creatives, and storytellers…

The Desperation That Started It All

I’m elated.

Last week, one of my posts hit 1 million impressions.

But that’s not what has me so fired up.

It’s what went viral.

I wrote about Naval Ravikant—one of my personal heroes.

And The Beginning of Infinity—a book that changed my life.

This is what so many aspiring writers dream about…

To make a living writing about ideas that set their souls on fire.

For me, that’s big ideas from influential thinkers.

But my writing journey?

Didn’t start out like this.

Not even close.

It started out much more embarrassing…

When I first started writing online, I had one mission:

Quit my college teaching job.

I needed to go full-time as a ghostwriter fast.

Why?

Because my girlfriend lived in Germany.

And if I didn’t start making money online, I’d have to kiss our future goodbye (I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic).

So I dove headfirst into ghostwriting.

Which leads me to the most embarrassing post I ever wrote…

The Starbucks Incident of 2022

I landed my first free ghostwriting gig.

The goal?

• Stack proof

• Gain experience

• Then land my own high-ticket clients

Easy, right?

Except the first post I had to write was for a Christian client.

Cool, no problem.

Until I saw the topic:

Semen retention.

Yes, my first-ever ghostwriting assignment was a Twitter thread on why Christians should hold in their seed.

And here’s where it gets worse…

I got this project while sitting in a Starbucks.

So there I was—sipping my matcha latte with almond milk—surrounded by strangers…

Frantically writing about semen retention.

Every keystroke felt like a crime.

I was paranoid.

Kept glancing over my shoulder, worried someone would see my screen and call the cops.

And just when I thought it couldn’t get worse…

A 65-year-old woman sitting behind me tapped me on the shoulder.

My stomach dropped. My face went red hot.

Had she been reading my screen?

Was she about to scold me for writing about the Lord’s sacred seed?

There was a pause.

Then she said:

“Young man, I just wanted to say… you type really fast. I wish I could type that fast.”

I burst out laughing.

Said “thank you.”

Turned back to my laptop.

And promised myself that I would never forget this moment.

But here’s the worst part…

That godawful thread?

It was so bad, the ghostwriter refused to post it.

He said, “You know what? Let’s try something else.”

So I failed my first-ever ghostwriting test.

But I didn’t quit.

He gave me another shot.

This time? Writing book threads.

And those? Crushed.

That’s what got me three months of work with him.

That’s what got me experience, social proof, and credibility to land my first $3,000 /mo client.

And a year later, that’s what led to my six-figure ghostwriting business.

And that’s why I’m telling you this.

If You Want to Write About What You Find Meaningful…

I get it.

You want to write about what you actually care about.

You want to skip straight to work that fills your heart and soul with fulfillment.

Same.

I hate writing salesy newsletters and the newest trends.

But here’s what I understand that most people don’t…

Passion pays—if paired with a plan.

You have to be strategic about your career.

Want to write about mindset, philosophy, self-improvement?

Cool.

But don’t expect to wake up tomorrow and be the next Naval Ravikant.

That’s not how this works.

Look at the greats.

• Dan Koe wrote about web design before he became the Dan Koe

• Christopher Nolan made indie films before he got to write Inception

• Brian Johnson built an empire before launching his passion project Don’t Die

Everyone starts out doing work they don’t love.

Until they have the brand, audience, and leverage to go all in on work that fills their soul.

So if you’re thinking:

“I just want to make money online, but I also want to work on things that feel deeply meaningful…”

Good. That’s the goal.

But be strategic and pay your dues.

Give it one to two years.

• Get to six figures

• Write about what pays the bills

• Build your skills, proof, and audience

Then?

Use your leverage to write about what you find most meaningful.

No straight lines.

Only stepping stones.

Take the first one.

— Taylin John Simmonds

PS. There’s some juicy, free goodies below 👇

PS. When you’re ready, here’s 3 ways I can help you:

1. Watch this podcast to learn how I built a $500k per year digital writing business from square one. This is by far my favorite podcast I’ve been on.

2. Read this to land your first $3,000 per month ghostwriting client. No bullsh*t, just an actionable system.

3. Watch this video created by my mentor, Dakota, to learn more about ghostwriting. Whether you’re an amateur or seasoned writer, this is you fastest path to earning 6 figures as a writer (I’m biased, of course).