Nike was Right: Just Do It

Do you want to succeed as a writer? Then stop planning. Stop thinking. Stop imagining. Just sit down and write. Make writer friends and build a community. Find a channel through which you are comfortable speaking to your audience and speak. Power through the anxiety. Ignore the voice that whispers (or screams) that you’re doing it wrong. Because the secret is, the only “wrong” thing you can do is nothing.

For so many writers, there is a Grand Canyon-esque gap between dreams and accomplishments. And it has almost nothing to do with talent, planning, or life situation. It has everything to do with output.

Let’s start with the writing itself. How many times have you written a paragraph, or a chapter, or even a book and then gotten caught in an endless loop of editing and “perfecting”? Stop doing that. Especially if it’s your first book. Repeat after me: Good enough is good enough. You will get bad reviews. You will second-guess every word you wrote. At some point, you’ll probably be embarrassed by that work. That is a writer’s destiny. Embrace it. Because you have work to do, and you can’t let these doubts slow you down. Publishing is not about the book you just put out, it’s about the one you haven’t written, yet. Once you’ve hit publish and released that baby to the world, forget about it completely.

Let’s talk about marketing. For some reason, we’ve convinced ourselves that there is a Magical Marketing Formula that should be guaranteed to generate sales. So we seek it like Monte Python on the quest for the Holy Grail but minus the puns and the nuns. Coconuts optional. Lest you think I am contradicting our earlier advice that everyone needs a marketing plan, you should do your research and be smart about your marketing. But don’t get so caught up in perfecting your Magical Marketing Formula that you don’t actually communicate with your audience, or let fear of “doing it wrong” smother your natural voice. Find a void. Shout into it.

Let’s talk about the industry. Google practically any topic related to publishing and you will find diametrically opposing advice. There are passionate proponents of writing to market. Then there are those who proclaim that you should only write what you want. Skip looking for a publisher and just self-publish. Don’t self-publish until you’ve established yourself through traditional publishing. Le sigh. There’s more than one way up the mountain. Ignore everything until you have actually written a publishable book. Then let your goals dictate the strategy that’s right for you.

We are all striving for success (in this case mostly defined as money and renown) in a hyper-competitive industry that also happens to be in the midst of a sea change. It feels like every decision we make, no matter how minor, has the ability to destroy our dreams. So we get stuck trying to figure out the perfect path forward and letting fear paralyze us. I’ve adopted this motto: When you don’t know what to do, do something. Anything. A single word on paper, a single tweet to your zero followers is a step in the right direction. It’s something to build on, and that’s all you really need.

If you need a pep talk, drop us a line or give us a call. We’ll gather our coconuts and bravely ride to your rescue.