How do you decide a piece (or art project, or business proposal, or whatever it is you do) is ‘ready’?

Figuring out when things are ‘ready’ is something I struggle with a lot, especially because there are so many different levels of ‘ready.’ A piece can be ready to show to a friend, or ready to submit to a lit mag, or ready to be published to my Patreon, and all of those moments can feel different. But, when it comes to things like short stories and poems, I tend to have a really good feel for when it’s ‘ready’ for all of those stages. The thing I can’t seem to crack is my novel.

I’ve been working on this novel for six years now, which feels absolutely insane. It’s been a very slow and winding process, partly due to the pandemic and things like getting a stable income (achieved, yay!). For a long time, I kept thinking if I could just crank out one more draft, it would finally be ready to show people. Then a couple of months ago, I hit a horrible wall trying to review my novel into a third complete draft. I just couldn’t bear to look at it anymore. And I realized, I’d discovered a new ‘ready’ for myself. When I can’t bear to do any more editing because I’m so lost or so upset with the novel, it’s time to show it to someone. So that’s what I’m doing.

Is there a project you’re absolutely sick of, or that you can’t figure out how to move forward with? Maybe it’s time to share it with someone who’s opinion you trust, but who will also be gently with you. After all, sharing work is very vulnerable. But sometimes, you have to take the leap.

Love and gratitude.

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Something that gets tossed around a lot in libraries and schools is this idea of tapping into your ‘why’ (as in, why did you choose this career?). Unfortunately, this gets weaponized a lot as a way to combat burnout or try and talk folks into accepting bad conditions because they love their work. But, I do think considering your ‘why’ is important when it comes to doing things that are hard.

Writing is hard. I find myself telling this to people all the time. When I tell people I’m a writer, one of the common responses seems to be ‘I don’t know how you do that, writing is so much work.’ And I always say, yes! It is work! It is also work for me, a writer! The difference between me and folks who don’t write though, is that I have a ‘why.’

I write because I love it, even though it’s hard. It’s cathartic to write things down, it feels good to share my thoughts in this way, and it’s rewarding to bring something new to life.

What’s your why?

Love and gratitude.

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Back when I was trying to force social media to work for me, I don’t think I ever considered what I wanted my end result to be. The ‘big picture’ goal was always to have my book published, and I viewed my social media presence as part of that–a way to try and build an audience to support this mythical publishing deal.

The problem with that though is it wasn’t near enough motivation to get me to consistently post to social media. I found it so tedious and annoying, so not getting an instant result of new followers was incredibly disheartening. I was always thinking, why am I doing all of this work if nothing comes of it?

The issue, of course, is that I was focusing on the wrong result. I didn’t actually want a big following on Instagram, I wanted a place to share my writing life. Adding a picture to that, and hashtags, and trying to game the algorithm wasn’t helping me achieve that result. This blog though? This is actually motivating–I’m talking about what I love, and in doing so, I’m constantly flexing the writing muscle in my brain, which helps me get to the ultimate goal: published book. And while it would be nice to build a bit of an audience, the act of writing the blog is its own positive result, regardless of viewership.

So, if you’re frustrated with the results you’re getting for whatever long-term project you’re working on, sit back and consider if the result you’re after actually aligns with your goals and helps you grow.

Love and gratitude, as always.

Read my writing here.

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When I was in grad school, I feel like there was a lot of talk about how publishers want you to already have a following in some way–through social media or a blog or a newsletter. It makes sense, in a way. Publishers want to sell books, and it’s easier to do that if the people they’re publishing have fans that will buy the book no matter what. This is the reason we see more and more celebrity books (like Milly Bobby Brown, bless her heart) with questionable quality, even after the ghost writers have had at them. Even my mom fell into the trap–she pre-ordered a book by an influencer she loves, and was horrified to discover how badly written it was.

So here’s the thing: you will never be able to compete with the followings of celebrities and influencers (unless you’re an influencer yourself, in which case, leverage that as best you can). But also, why would you want to? People with large followings generate from things other than writing generally publish bad books! Those people are not actually your competition. Those books are going to be published by the big four no matter what.

My response to that? Focus on the quality of your work and the work you want to be in company with. For me, that maybe means an indie publisher, once I’m ready. What does it mean for you?

Love and gratitude, friends.

Read my writing here.

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I hate doing social media.

It’s taken me a very, very long time to be honest with myself about that. The thing is, I like learning about it. I find algorithms interesting, and I’ve invested way too much time in trying to game the system and develop a following. But it’s always miserable.

So, I’ve decided to finally give it up. Social media does not serve me. But, I do still want to connect with others. That’s why I’ve got this blog, and why I’ve started a newsletter and run a Patreon. It has been so freeing to focus on these things that I actually enjoy doing instead of trying to make myself do Instagram or Twitter or (God forbid) Threads. The reach is smaller, of course, but I’m having fun! And hopefully, I’ll find the folks who really do want to go on this journey with me.

What are you forcing yourself to do because you think you have to? What could life look like if you let that go?

Much love and gratitude.

Read my writing here.

Support me on Patreon here.

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