I think I’ve finally gotten comfortable with the idea of writing AS a living.
Funny, considering —for a long time now—I’ve been writing WHILE living.
The “writing while living” evidenced by:
- With faux-leather-bound journals strewn everywhere.
- Multiple note-taking/journaling screens open at any given time.
- Post-it notes and whiteboard covered.
Ironically, I’ve been acting like a professional writer LONG-BEFORE I embraced it as an identity.
So:
Why I have I never called it that?
Or entertained the idea of writing as a profession?
(That sentence makes me chuckle, reading it.)
The Honest Truth (Why I poo-pooed writing)
It seemed to blaze.
Waif-ish.
It doesn’t seem like “real work.”
You mean to tell me:
I can sit down at my computer for the day:
- Write something that I want to read
- Read the things I WANT to read as “research”
- share it with people who I WANT to share it with.
- And get PAID to do it?!
OKAY, what kind of racket is this?!
And that response is coming from a person who fully believes you can achieve success doing WHATEVER you want.
(Except writing, apparently.)
Suspension of Disbelief
In filmmaking, every director and scriptwriter struggles with the idea of “suspension of disbelief.”
Because if the audience doesn’t believe you (i.e. trust you) you’re done for.
Basically:
I won’t watch the rest of this movie enjoyably, since, you lost me when Vin Diesel landed on a car across a bridge—UNHARMED!
What I didn’t expect is suspension of disbelief for one’s own career choices.
Beauty of the interwebz is, you can find some search RESEARCH.
So here’s what {{amazing researcher on topic of careers}} had to say about my experience.
(Via his writing ofc)
So how did I overcome my suspension of disbelief in order to embrace my new identity?
Embracing My New Identity
So what are the things that helped me change my mindset? Shift into my new identity?
The tools that made me want to write MORE and made me see writing in a whole different LIGHT?
Resource #1. Maria Popova – Author of Brain Pickings
Maria writes an INCREDIBLE blog called Brain Pickings.
Her readership numbers are STAGGERING!
Over 7 million monthly visitors per month.
She has more views per MONTH than large media outlets.
What is just as remarkable as those large numbers is: her approach to the craft.
That I truly found REMARKABLE.
Her “prodigious workload” consists of:
“I read and write from the minute I wake up to the moment I go to sleep at night”
Everything in between…whatever I listen to, that FEEDS in. That’s part of the reading.
For me it feels very purposeful…The uninterrupted intimacy with my own mind.
It’s a kind of ordinary magic; that’s available to each of us by default. If only we made that deliberate choice to make room for it and invite it in.”
[NOTE: Maria talks about the workload between 22:06-24:46 in the video above]
Basically, she was the creative living the life I wanted to live.
So that inspired me to — get to it!
Resource #2. Seth Godin
I’ve known about Seth Godin for a while now.
Who doesn’t.
This legendary marketer has been at the forefront of online blogging since the whole damn thing (thing = the internet) started!
But it’s interesting that his pearls of wisdom style of writing is an aspiration model.
Why? A) Because it compounds B) Because it’s simple.
There is no added EXTRA fluff.
Just Seth and His Thoughts.
You know EXACTLY what you are going to get every time you hop on to Seths.Blog
His book The Practice is a DIRECT influence on me writing and SHARING this today!
The ability to just show up and share.
Recap
To Recap:
- If you are struggling with thinking of yourself as a “writer” because it was never a career you “had envisioned” for yourself. You’re not alone!
- In fact, I’m on the same boat with-cha!
- It’s all good if you don’t think of yourself as some glamorous essayist or hallowed author.
- What matters most is you just show up and write!
Write in a way that it’s meaningful for you!
I prefer to broaden the term “WRITE” to “CREATE”.
Since I still think I’m a better speaker than a writer.
Writing is simply capturing my speaking voice. A tip that was life-changing.
Tip Courtesy of Magaret Atwood. {{link to quote}}
The goal of this piece is to simply push you over the precipice.
The precipice to embrace and say:
Hey, this new thing [Writing] that showed up in my life is ME. I’m gonna check it out with full force! Because I can FEEL that it’s right for ME even if I don’t know where it leads.
The idea is:
Whenever you get a moment in your life that is bring a new identity—embrace it!
Allow yourself to run with it.
Carry on!