- If you want to be a writer, then write. Be consistent and make a commitment to your work.
- Don’t wait for perfect timing or circumstances to write. You don’t have to go on retreat, lock yourself away or climb a mountain to find space. Steal the moments. 10 minutes is enough to get down some words or start a chapter or article.
- You don’t have to be in the mood to write, you just have to show up. If we wait to be in the mood, we may get one good day a month, or that mood may never come at all. Show up regardless.
- Don’t wait for the publishing deal to write your book. If it’s worth writing, it’s worth writing regardless of how it will get out into the world
- Get clear on your intention – why do you write what you write, and who are you ultimately writing for?
- Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, says, “God I’ll take care of the quantity, you please take care of the quality”. A great lesson in having faith that if you show up and do the work, so will wherever you draw your inspiration from, and it will support you.
- Find your believing mirrors. Cameron speaks of those people who reflect back to you the very best version of yourself, and who believe in your work. You are an artist and you need them.
- Find your voice and be true to it. We each have a writing voice. Don’t try and copy or mimic someone else. The more you write in your unique voice, the easier it will become.
- Honour your muse – when she visits – pay attention. Your muse is your inspiration. When she speaks, write it down, send yourself a voice mail, use an envelope or a napkin. It doesn’t matter how you get it down, but get it down. If you don’t respect her, she will stop by less often, and a writer without a muse is a recipe for a lack of creative flow.
- Read. Read. Read some more. But know when to stop as well and tune out as you write.
- Look for the platforms to extend your reach. My first Psychology Today blog on Finding Your Purpose had 85,000 views in 48 hours, which was staggering for me at the time. How can you get your work out into the world?
- Don’t mind the naysayers (and trolls). If you are in the arena, they will be there. Pay them no mind. As Gabby Bernstein says, ‘forgive and delete.’
- Be brave and bold. Don’t be afraid to hit publish.
- There are many ways to get published. Find what works for you. It may or may not be a traditional publishing contract. And if you don’t get a publishing contract do it yourself.
- Trust yourself and your vision for your work – and stay true to that. Take advice from people who have been there before, but at the end of the day, trust your message.
- Don’t be afraid to aim high and dream big. New York Times best seller list? Why not. The new literary darling? Of course. Front page of every newspaper in the country? Go for it. If you can vision it, you can be it. The stars are yours.
- Don’t let anyone tell you no – Stephen King’s first book Carrie had dozens of rejections. Just because someone doesn’t see the vision for your work doesn’t negate the value of your writing – don’t let anyone tell you it does.
- You have to do the work to get your published work out there – most publishers will really only start to care about you once you are a best seller – until then, you have to take responsibility for sharing your message and getting it into the hands and hearts of those who need it.
- Find your people. Who needs what you have to say? Who can you serve?
- Your success is in your own hands. You get to make it happen.
20 THOUGHTS ON WRITING
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Photo Credit: Darius Bashar
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