One mistake I see writers making—and probably the biggest—is playing too small. As much as they love writing, they “dabble” in their free time. It’s “a hobby” or “a dream” or “a mirage.” Who would want to hear what they have to say?
I was like that. I used to blush and shrink when people in the real world asked me how “the writing thing” was going.
But our words matter. And we have worlds within us that can only be accessed through writing fiction, ideas that can only be understood through story.
We have to care enough about these words to invest in ourselves and make ourselves into better artists and communicators.
Have you ever asked yourself this question and truly answered it?
This is important to define for yourself, the quality of your work. 2020 was a year of chaos, fear, and upheaval. As we begin the new year, it’s the perfect time to let the dust settle and get laser-like focus on why you write and how you’re going to get your words into the world.
It’s not easy to be an aspiring writer. Just tell someone you want to become a successful fiction author and their reaction will be something like:
Laughs awkwardly until they realize you’re serious.
Shows concern about your mental health
Says, “Really? Uhhh… Good luck with that.”
It’s the same look adults gave you when you were six years old and you told them you wanted to be an a pegasus when you grew up.
That’s because writing fiction is a time and energy-intensive pursuit that never guarantees a big material reward.
As a marketing strategist for authors, I see many writers approaching their writing career with a “lottery mindset.” They scribble out a book, feverishly upload it to Amazon, and wait for overnight success.
When they don’t wake up on the bestsellers list, they give up.
This the paradox:
Only by NOT writing for money or fame will you possibly become a successful author because once you begin writing for sales, your words will lose heart.
You must have a bigger reason than to become wealthy and famous. You need to think about who you’re writing for and how you want them to think and feel after reading your work. Either that, or writing must be so satisfying for you that it is its own reward.
Maybe you write because it’s therapeutic, allowing you to express yourself and make meaning of your experiences. Maybe you want to make people laugh and forget their worries. Maybe you just want to scare the hell out of them.
Not only will a writing manifesto help you on the hard days when nothing is working, keeping your mission in mind will inspire you to produce stories that will impact your readers and the world.
You got this!
Create your Writing Manifesto!
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Crystalize your vision of what it means to be a successful author.
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Avoid wasting time, overwhelm, procrastination, and paralysis.
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down; don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
— Franz Kafka
It’s tempting to go with the tide and try to mimic whatever is trending at the moment, but remember why you started writing.
It wasn’t to imitate others.
It was to make your own voice heard.
Shut out the noise and write about the things that excite you, the thoughts that keep you awake at night, the dreams that obsess your soul.
Creating stories and books are long-term commitments. There is no instant gratification with writing except the initial rush of the first draft.
After that, it’s painstaking work. Writers don’t get a chance to enjoy the fruits of their labor for weeks, months, or years after they begin a story.
That is why it’s important to reward yourself.
It’s easy to get discouraged when we put our hearts into something and don’t know when or if it will pay off. This is when we are in danger of slacking off or giving up entirely.
The best way to avoid this is to set goals and reward yourself when you meet them.
For example, set a word count or a date for the completion of the first draft of a story or novel.
When you reach your goal:
Buy yourself a gift. I run down to the drug store and buy a lipstick, a new pen, or a luxurious bath item.
Allow yourself a treat like your favorite ice cream or pastry from the local bakery.
As a creative person and one who’s plagued by existential questions, I get trapped into that circle of thinking if what I’m doing matters.
Am I just wasting my time and energy torturing nice people with my substandard prose?
I work with writers and for writers (and this applies to all creative people), and I think we all have that dream of becoming famous (even if you say you don’t, you wouldn’t mind it, would you?).
We all have that hope of changing the world with our work.
We want to be praised and validated.
We want to communicate on a deeper level.
We want to be admired, at least just a little bit, and be able to say “I told you so” to all the haters.
Most of all, we want to leave a legacy after our death.
But our dreams deflate each time we see the sheer numbers of other people who have the same exact dream as we do and are pursuing it more efficiently and more fervently.
They write better, market better, sell better.
We see other artists kicking ass out there, and we wonder how in the world they do it.
Maybe we don’t have the resources, the time, or the energy.
Maybe we don’t have the savvy or the persistence. Maybe we’re suffering from imposter syndrome.
It’s easy to get caught up in the race to the bestsellers list, but let me wrap my arm around your shoulders and guide you into my existential realm here.
Although contemplating our place in the ginormous, black Universe can make us feel insignificant and pointless at times, this simultaneously it frees us from our anguish.
Look at it this way…
You only have one life (as far as we know). If there is anything noble about it, it’s living in the pursuit of creating and appreciating beauty in all its forms. It’s one of the only redeeming qualities of our species.
Your one life is very short. You could spend it watching Netflix. Or you could live a life of passion and do what makes your soul sing.
You have to be yourself. If there’s one thing I learned about being happy in this life, it’s being true to who you are. If you only behave and do what you think you’re supposed to do instead of what you really want to do, you will be a miserable person. Guaranteed.
Your audience doesn’t matter all that much. Human beings are a very small, messy, and crude part of the universe. Having their mass approval is not necessarily anything special. There is much of existence beyond our little blue sphere that might marvel at your work if they ever got to experience it.
Creativity is a gift.In making something out of nothing, we can be the gods of our own little universes.
I hope you all found this comforting.
Happy Monday and Happy Creating!
–Christa
Do you ever wonder if what you’re creating matters?
How do you think your work fits into the Universe?
