the craft. taking yourself seriously.

At this point, I’ve spent a lot of years talking to other writers. Recently, I had this revelation about what keeps a lot of writers from actually completing things and it was this fact, a lot of them don’t take themselves seriously enough. Hear me out and my apologies if it sounds harsh.

Writing takes a lot of work on the front end with little to no guarantee of what’s on the other side of that hard work. When I started writing my book, it was not a given that I would sell said book. Frankly, I told myself, if it doesn’t sell, I’ll self-publish it. Thankfully, it did. But before I could be considered a “professional” novelist, I had to first take myself seriously as a novelist. This meant getting up before work, consistently writing every morning, and 80,000 words later hoping on a wing and prayer to get an agent who would submit the book.

It’s much like the concept you’ve likely heard before when people talk about relationships. Like everything is not going to magically change in a relationship once you get married. There is a process where you have to start to think like a married person before you say I do, or else you’ll never get to the altar. Same thing with writing. If you’re not disciplined and dedicated to your writing practice now, do you think having a deal on the table is going to change that?

This plays into consistency, discipline, all those keywords that go along with being successful, in anything, really. The toughest part about those things is that you won’t see the benefit of them right away. Your blog won’t have traction. Your newsletter may have a limited number of subscribers. But it’s the showing up that is eventually going to help those things grow. Believe me, I remember having a blogspot that like five people read at first. But I kept showing up, I was serious about me and my work, and my ability to create opportunities for myself. Spoiler alert: didn’t turn out too bad for me.

Even still, with a little bit of experience under my belt, I am doing the same thing. There are some pieces I pitched all over that didn’t seem to find a home. You know what I plan to do? Publish them anyway. Why? Because I will always bet on myself. Sure, I may not always be able to reach millions like some prestigious publication, but I am so thankful for the dedicated community I’ve grown with since 2013 when I first started to write for public consumption in this way.

Back then, if nothing else, I was holding myself accountable. Building an editorial schedule, ensuring that the posts were well written and revised. Even still, I show up to my practice and this community in the same way that I show up for my 9 to 5. Sure, some days I’m out of gas, okay? But there’s not a day that passes that I’m not working towards something. Even if it’s simply journaling to keep my mental health in place, sending some emails, revising something, reading to further strengthen my mind and writing approach.

I’m serious about my work at every stage, even now as I’m striving to greater heights because that discipline and consistency will only serve me at each new level. We’re constantly juggling one thousand and one things. I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon. But what I’ve learned to do is prioritize my writing as much as I can.

As we wind down in 2023 and move towards this new year, I hope that you show up for yourself and your practice the way you show up for everything else. If you put real effort into it, it can and will be successful. It’s almost as if that little bit of doubt, that you can actually land the pitch or the deal or the whatever, is what keeps you from carving out real time to dedicate to your practice.

Taking yourself seriously means sticking to the deadlines you set. Planning ahead. Doing the things you say you’re going to do. Because your projects matter. Your words matter. I’ve never treated my writing like something I do on the side. It’s important to me. It’s what I hope will eventually lead me to bigger dreams. And that’s serious business. Which helps me push through being tired or uncertain about it all. I trust and have this faith that showing up, staying the course, and continuing to grow my skill set will only be to my benefit.

Please don’t mistake this for hustle culture in any way. I am an advocate of rest, and I believe you have to live to have anything to write about. But what I’m saying is just believe in yourself. Believe in the work that you’re doing enough to show up wholly and fully so that when you do have the time or the energy, you’re doing your best work. Don’t half ass it and then wonder why you’re not getting the results you’d hoped for. “What if I fail?” may be dancing around in the back of your little mind, but what if you fly, friend? What if you fly, as the old adage goes.

How can you show up for yourself and your practice in these last few weeks of the year? What habits do you want to bring into 2024 to be more successful in your writing?

Writing/Job Opportunities

LitUp by Reese’s Book Club is a fellowship for unpublished underrepresented women and nonbinary writers. Powered by the Readership, LitUp is determined to discover, mentor and champion first-time authors so more diverse stories are seen, heard and read by all. Application Deadline: Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 11:59PM PT.

Vox is seeking three fellows for their Future Perfect Fellowship. ($72k)

ESPN is hiring a Copy Coordinator. ($58k)

Critical Mass is hiring a Freelance Copywriter. ($40-50/hr)