I recently declared that I’m starting a motherfucking writing revolution. And what I mean by that, is I’m starting a revolution of writers who proclaim what they really want, unapologetically step up to the plate and take the actions to make it happen.
Because there are just too many writers out there playing small, not doing the work and not stepping up to claim the dreams they have locked inside them.
Yes, especially as writers, we’ve been programmed from a young age to believe a whole lot of nonsense about what being a writer is really all about. One of the biggest pieces of nonsense are the leaders–the teachers, the coaches, the author-mentors– who teach writers that it’s all about the writing.
I mean, duh–of course it’s about the writing. Otherwise you wouldn’t be a writer, you’d be something else.
But the problem comes in when they act like it’s ONLY about the writing.
Because it’s not.
It’s about SO much more than that.
It’s about craft. It’s about storytelling. It’s about connecting with a reader, pulling out the truths of life that lay buried in your soul and spilling them onto a page with clarity and resonance. It’s about learning what it takes to spread the word about your book and get it into the hands of the people who most need to read it.
And, most importantly, it’s about doing the work and, even more importantly, FINISHING.
There are way too many writers out there who never finish anything. They start a draft and drop it 20,000 words in or they have an idea for a story and make a whole bunch of notes, but then never actually write it.
Or, even worse, they write a draft and spend time revising it for the next decade, never finding an end point or being able to call it done.
And then it happens… they die. They die with their stories still buried inside them, still dancing around. Unwritten and unread.
As writers, we’re born to write. But you’re throwing away your gift to the world if you never step up to that next level and actually finish and publish your writing. Whether that’s a book, a blog post, an article in a magazine, a guest post or something else completely, your writing is meant to be out there.
That’s why you were born with this gift, with this desire to tell stories and put words on the page.
And the most important questions you can ask yourself right now are: do I want to die not having fulfilled everything I came here for? Do I want to get to the end of my life and look back and know that I could’ve done so much more, but didn’t?
Because you’re afraid. Because there are unknowns. Because you’re uncertain or unsure of what to do.
It’s a sad reality that most writers will never, ever publish their books. They’ll never finish anything.
Just So You Know–The Bare Minimum Ain’t Good Enough
And maybe you’re not totally in that boat. Maybe you have finished or even published something.
But unless you’re still at it, motivated and always focused on the bigger vision for your writing life (the dream vision–the one you never really quite allow yourself to want), what you’re doing isn’t enough. There’s more you can do.
That was something I faced recently, as I started working with a mentor who has 47 published books (46 of which have been best sellers on Amazon). Yes, 47!!
And it blew my mind because the woman is only 36 years old. But she’s a freaking firecracker. She’s an ass-kicker. She’s a writer who’s in the world with a purpose–to spread a message and inspire the masses to wake up and live.
And she doesn’t let her excuses get in the way. She shows up every day, she does the work and she gets her writing out there.
I resonated so much with her and with the work that she does. She made me see that I wasn’t doing enough. That I haven’t been doing enough.
Sure, I’ve published a bunch of books, including my debut novel in 2015. But that’s not enough. Not nearly.
Because I have an insane amount of books inside me. Nonfiction writing and creativity guides, and fictional stories just waiting to be told.
But here’s the thing… at a one-book-a-year pace… I’ll never get all of these ideas and stories out into the world. One book a year isn’t enough for me to be the writer and author I dream of being.
So I gave myself a challenge. An insane one.
Write and publish one eBook (nonfiction) a month and at least one novel in 2016. That makes 9 books total (I started the challenge in April).
2016 Writing Challenge: Book 1 of 9
Yes, I’m totally insane. But I’m also inspired and motivated and on freaking fire with a passion to get my ideas, my stories, my message out into the world. To help change writers lives by inspiring and motivating them to turn off Netflix and make their writing a bigger priority in their lives.
Today, I took a huge step toward meeting my challenge. I published my new eBook. One of nine books that I am writing and publishing this year.
That book is Align Your Writing Habits to Success, a multimedia, interactive guide that will take you from “procrastinating writer” (or wherever you are now) to “inspired, productive writer.”
In only 30 days, you will completely overhaul your writing habits and your mindset, so you can step up to be and act like the writer and author you dream of being. When you align your writing habits to success you will be unstoppable in your writing career.
And that’s what I want to help you be. That’s the writing revolution I’m starting.
Are you in?
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How are you going to go big and really step up your writing this year?
