If you receive this newsletter, you want to write. Maybe you are a novelist. Maybe you are a poet. Maybe you write nonfiction, essays, and arguments. Into romance? (That’s a good area!) Or maybe you want to be a freelance writer, a technical writer, or a copywriter—trying to make writing your business or job. All are good.
As I have written here, there are big problems with the “Do What You Love, the Money Will Follow” mantra. Most of them originate in the mind of the writer and the sense of privilege that comes with doing what you love.
On the other hand, synchronicity, serendipity, or just good old-fashioned luck play a big part in writing success. As with anything in life, the actions you take create a little dent in the universe. Einstein has this image of planets bending light energy around their gravity. In life, something similar happens. When you move, it’s as if the universe stands up and takes notice. Your little gravitational pull affects a few things, and they come into your orbit. Often, you can’t even see them. They may orbit for quite some time. And then, all of a sudden, something happens. The right person shows up for no reason. A lucky break occurs. Your work is honored in some unexpected way.
Beyond the Gurus
Now, this idea has been translated by self-help gurus into two things—the so-called law of attraction and a profound bias for action… "massive action,” as one said. Many coaches will tell you the same thing Julia Cameron writes in The Artist’s Way: “I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seatbelt. The most remarkable things follow.”
Two things about this. First, simply changing the language is not enough. Saying you are doing it and actually doing it are not the same thing. I have found that doing is rewarded far more than any discipline of affirmations, even though affirmations are often important to get us through rough spots. Doing it creates the dent in the universe to make things arc toward you; saying it does not.
So the first thing is to write. Yes, start with a journal of morning pages as Cameron recommends. But then, publish. This is where the Internet comes in. Medium, Substack, and similar platforms are allowing people to publish and get out there. The gatekeepers of old are gone, and you can move out into the world. The importance of this is not that you make a ton of money or change the world overnight. Rather, it is action, and the universe sees it. Things start to occur.
As a writer, however, this is where the hard stuff begins. You write because you love to write, so that should be easy. The harder part is to trust, pay attention, and receive. Here’s what I mean.
Trust
You have to start it. Take the action, which means write and publish, however, and wherever you do that. Just get it done. Doing so is an act of trust. You have engaged, and you continue to engage, and you must trust that your actions will be seen. You must trust that your corner of the world will notice. You must trust that something will happen.
Patience helps here. The "massive action" crowd usually misses this subtlety. What happens doesn't always happen immediately. One friend of mine always says, "Just see what happens." Or as I saw somewhere else, "Don't just do something, stand there!" The mantra to engage in massive action often puts people into a frenzy as they send their energy in a million different directions, looking for just the right answer, trying this and trying that, and sadly, usually coming up empty. Remember, if your writing life is a tomato plant, you can’t make it grow faster by pulling on the stem. You will just break the plant.
Pay Attention
This patience is necessary for the second step, which is to pay attention. "See what happens." We need the patience to observe. Wait and observe. See what occurs and let it occur of its own volition. As an entrepreneur, this has been my most difficult struggle. Because my mind goes off in a million directions, I miss the opportunity the universe puts in front of me. Because I am so busy, the great opportunity disappears. This problem has been profoundly difficult in writing. I always want it to carry too much, insist on money too fast, or tell myself that without a contract with a publisher, I am just a fake. Give me a break. That is a lot of negative self-talk that helps nothing.
Instead, pay attention. See what happens. Calmness inside will help you see the little thing that occurs; frenzy will not.
Receive
Finally, when you finally see the gift, receive it. Accept it. Honor it as yours. You did, after all, earn it. You did the work, and I don't mean just the writing. You wrote, yes, but you also exercised the discipline to watch, pay attention, and let the world respond to your efforts. Now that it has, it is your job to receive.
I say this because more than once in my life, I looked that proverbial gift horse in the mouth. I looked and said, “Nah! I don’t deserve that. It was just a fluke. It came through a friend. It doesn’t count.”
Hogwash! Stop talking that way! Nothing will turn the universe off more than these attempts to erase that little dent you created in it. That, after all, is what you are doing. Running from your destiny. Running from your dream. Pretending that you just don't count. Do you know what this is? It is a way to avoid failure. Discount yourself, don’t try, and you will never have to worry about failing at the real thing. Don’t do that. Receive the gift. Honor it. And get to work.
Don’t Avoid Your Destiny
I avoided a lot of failure by not receiving what the world was giving me. And in so doing, I avoided my destiny, my calling, and my contribution. Whether it was because I did not trust, did not pay attention, or did not receive doesn’t matter. The opportunities were there. They were gifts. They were my road. And I gave them all up. Don’t do the same thing.
First, take action. Write, polish, and publish. Then…
Trust. Pay attention. Receive.
Write On!
—Anthony Signorelli
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Write On! Is Getting Better!
Beginning in February, Write On! is expanding! Articles on writing and creativity will continue to be available as they are for all subscribers. In addition, I am adding new articles on the business of writing for paid subscribers. The topics will include audience development, getting clients, pricing, productivity and efficiency, and how to maximize the money you make from writing. I will be sharing my twenty-five years of experience writing for business clients, getting published, and running a writing business. If you are seeking to make a living as a writer, the paid version is for you. If you sign up for free, you will still get all the articles on writing, craft, and creativity. You will also get part of the business of writing articles to give you an idea of what’s behind the secret door, so to speak. You can expect to see these improvements and additions in February!