Writing
Why You Really Need To Only Worry About Your Writing
The rest will eventually take care of itself
As writers, we certainly have plenty of things to worry about. The following list is not all-inclusive. If you’re a blogger you probably worry about traffic and content and SEO and site optimization, readability, and a host of other web-related concerns.
If you freelance, you more than likely worry about your client base, your revenue stream, which currently is in arrears, hitting deadlines, and building that same client base you’re worrying about. If you’re into writing the next great American novel, you’re worried about finding an agent who’ll work with you, a publishing company that will take your work, and worrying about sales.
If you’re self-published, you get to worry about all the items above, including all the promotional activities as well.
Worry? Nothing to worry about here folks, right?
Yeah, there’s plenty to worry about. The problem is, we writers sometimes get so caught up in the minutia of all these “writing activities” we frequently neglect the prime area we need to be focused on. You folks are probably way ahead of me on this, but it’s writing.
Above all else, we should be worrying about our writing. Now, worrying about our writing doesn’t mean having a complete melt-down because we believe what we just wrote is terrible. Although we sometimes do that as well.
So, how about we exchange the word worry for concentrating?
We should be concentrating on putting the words together one by one to form visions and thoughts, which plunge the reader into exciting experiences and new ways of thinking.
Keep in mind, with the exception of actually writing something all of the other activities I just mentioned are by-products of our initial effort, of those moments when we are in the writing zone. Yes, I know all the other things are essential, but let’s all stay in the lane here for a moment. Would you be doing all those other activities if you weren’t writing?
Maybe.
You could be working for a freelancer and performing all the non-writing tasks for them. You might be responsible for all the SEO, web design, and site maintenance for a writer’s blog. You might even be that agent or work for a publishing company, but are you doing all this and writing?
Perhaps and in reality, most definitely for the self-employed writer. You’ve heard the saying about no one can serve two masters, you may love the one and despise the other or be devoted to one and hate the other? It’s pretty much the same here.
As a writer, you need to carve out time for doing what brings you to the picnic in the first place. Each day, and it’s certainly best if you can do it at the same time each day, you need to focus and concentrate on sitting down and writing something. All the rest of the things associated with your world of writing will eventually take care of themselves.
Yes, they will most assuredly need attention from you each day, but your primary focus, the main worry of the day should be your writing.
Sounds easy, huh?
It’s not.
When you realize you’re expected to be the chief cook, waitress/waiter, sommelier, dishwasher and maître d in your tiny (or large) restaurant, it can sometimes be a vast overwhelm. What do you do first, what takes precedence over the other? I need to do this, but this needs my attention right now, no this, no that. Whew. Good God almighty, it can drive a person completely insane at times.
Stop. Breathe, then write.
Write because as a writer, writing should always, should always be your primary focus, your main worry. And on most days, your only worry. Yes, as a solopreneur, you’ll have many irons in the fire needing your attention, but those irons won’t ever get hot enough to stick your brand on anything if you never stoke that writing fire.
It’s really tough starting out, but eventually, all of us will find that groove. And once we do, we’ll realize the most important thing about all of our ministrations and all the hard work we do is, of course, our writing.
I remember once discussing my writing with an acquaintance of mine where he commented he could write absolute crap, but with the right dedication to the proper blitz campaigns and promotions, he could sell it to hundreds of thousands of people and make a fortune selling crap.
Today, that fellow is a respected auto mechanic at a local Pep Boys.
Huh, guess he didn’t worry about his writing all that much.
Thank you so much for reading. You didn’t have to, but I’m certainly glad you did.
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© P.G. Barnett, 2020. All Rights Reserved.