Remove These Phrases From Your Writing Life
I’m on an inspirational kick this week. I recently connected on LinkedIn with my very first boss at F+W. I always remember the advice he repeated to me that went…
I'm on an inspirational kick this week.
I always remember the advice he repeated to me that went something like: "Imagine you're 80, looking back on the fulfilling, beautiful life you've led. Now go do that."
I come across too many people who append a condition to their writing or creative life. Do you say these things?
- I'll write when … (waiting for perfect conditions)
- I'll write if … (waiting for some thing or someone else to act/decide/validate)
Or maybe something like:
- I'll never be as good as … (denying the fact each person is unique and has something to offer -- and ignoring the hard work of self-knowledge and writing practice to help identify what makes you unique as a writer)
- I don't have the patience … (for those who know the time it takes and the difficulties involved—but this forgets the preciousness of the journey and only considers the goal)
And most evil of all:
- When I have enough time (we're all given the same amount of time in a day, but also we don't know how much time we're given overall)
Lately, I've come across two quotes from famous folks, echoing my former boss's sentiment. Nothing earth-shattering, but still …
Here's what Steve Jobs said when he addressed Stanford's graduating class a few years ago:
... for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
And Seth Godin wrote (around the same timeframe):
The thing is, we still live in a world that's filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity -- we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing. ... You get to make a choice. You can remake that choice every day, in fact. It's never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence. The best thing is that it only takes a moment -- just one second -- to decide.
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).
