Do Whatever in the Heck You Want (A Love Letter)
It's your thing, do what you gotta do
Mindset, motivation and inspiration for writers, with a dash of instruction about writing craft added in, from novelist, writing coach and workshop leader Charlotte Rains Dixon. I also carry on a lot about process, because: there’s no one approach to writing that works for everyone. But I can help you find what works for you. I love all of my readers, every single one of you and I’m truly grateful when you read my work and connect with me. Subscribe to get the fuel you need for your writing career. I truly adore all my readers, and a paid subscription helps my bring these words to you.
Hello lovies,
I’ve been noticing the loud chorus of voices out in the world telling us what to do and how to do it. (And—ack—in some ways this newsletter adds to that chorus, only I do try to be inspiring without being prescriptive.) Add up the number of posts and websites devoted to telling writers what to do and they’d fill the library of Alexandria. It’s positively head-whipping.
And if you’re anything like me, the overload of information can cause you to throw up your hands in despair, move away from your computer, and give up on writing. If only for an hour or so. There’s an old adage in marketing: a confused mind doesn’t buy. I’ll extend that to writing: a confused mind doesn’t write.
But I have a solution for you. A solution that will ease your overwhelm. It’s simple, too. Write whatever in the hell you want to write. I know. Hahahahahahahahaha. Because that is so much easier said than done. Which is why we (I definitely include myself in this category) study writing advice and whittle and pare our stories to fit.
This is understandable and even wise. Because lots of experts have given many years of their lives to study what makes stories work. To what makes queries work. To what makes book marketing work. The smart writer pays attention to their conclusions. And of course, I do, too.
But I do have to also note that it’s often the outlier, the one who does not pay attention to the advice du jour, who creates the stunning success. To wit:
Colleen Hoover—I’ve never read one of her books. Probably never will. Because: not my thing. But I admire that she got to be a multi-bestselling author by writing whatever in the hell she wanted to write. And starting out as a self-publisher. (Sadly, Hoover’s fame has so overwhelmed her that she hasn’t written a word in a year or so.) Best-selling author Rebecca Yarros wrote a gazillion military romances before turning to fantasy and releasing the juggernauts that are Iron Flame and Fourth Wing. Emily Henry wrote mid-list YA novels until she started onto adult romance. And she herself says that her novels are more general fiction with a romantic element.
Late-breaking news—here’s a just-published NYT article (gift link) about how Emily Henry would rather stay at home writing than do book tours and social media. What what? Unheard of. And yet, she insisted on that from the start. And the numbers of books she sells do not lie.
Okay, okay, okay. There’s definitely an element of luck and timing in the careers of Emily Henry and the other two women. But they also did what they loved and stuck to it. So there’s this: If you’re attempting to write to market, to write something that doesn’t fill your whole heart, it’s going to show. Ask me how I know. Or, more likely, that attempt at writing something that will be popular will backfire and you’ll find yourself writing what you love anyway. Again, ask me how I know. Okay, I’ll tell you. I thought it was a great idea to write a traditional romance. You know, Harlequin style. But I kept adding in quirky characters, sub-plots, lots of emphasis on setting, things that skewed the story towards women’s fiction, which I love. But those quirky characters and extra sub-plots do not fit the model I attempted to emulate. So now I’m stuck trying to figure out where to slot it.
It doesn’t stop with books, either. I love being on Substack for a ton of reasons. But even here there’s a whole cadre of writers telling people how to succeed here, what to write to do so. One piece of advice I read recently was, don’t write about yourself. Whoops. That’s what I do every week, albeit tying it some writing theme. And weirdly, the people on Substack who have huge followings write about themselves all the time.
So, honestly? Do your own freaking thing!
A caveat: this does not mean to sit down at your computer and throw words at the page, glorious fun as that is, and expect the result to be a novel ready to query an agent. You still have the responsibility to make your work as good as it possibly can be. Just make sure it’s your best work, not anybody else’s.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I just heard about this new writing site that’s going to tell me the secret to writing a bestseller and I’ve got to go check it out. I kid! I kid!
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. Does this resonate with you? Have you ever tried slotting your round hole work into a square peg?
Resources
I have a meaty article on finding your writing process in progress. I’d meant to send it out last week, but life (oh dear lord, summertime is kicking my butt) got in the way. I’m glad I waited, because the post is much better for it. Look for it next week—I’ll send it out earlier than usual.
Do you need to spend money to make your book successful?
Publishing Confidential Subscription Giveaway: One month free. Kathleen Schmidt is a must-read for people in the publishing world.
In line with the topic of this week’s love letter, here is a manifesto for doing your own thing. Inspiring read from Courtney Maum.
Books
I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump, having two recent novels that became DNFs. I’ve been doing a lot of research on branding and come across plenty I need to read, starting with the one below.
Sunset Cove (Orcas Island Book 1) by Amelia Addler. I adore Orcas Island, a rugged spot in the San Juans off Washington state. So I was intrigued by this novel set there. It hits all the right spots and is pleasant to skim. This young author has written a ton of books and been very successful with them.
I’ll have more next week.
Overseas Workshops
We’ve got our eyes on two upcoming workshops in September. Blog posts on our website will tell you all about the location of our France workshop and why we love it so much. You can read about art and artists in Céret, the crazy annual footrace there, and best of all, the wonderful local bakeries. Nab your spot now. And here is the promised interview with our guest resident Angela M. Sanders (written by the wonderful Shari Lane, whose book is also wonderful!)
And here is the most recent blog post about Perugia.
Other places to connect with me:
Instagram (trying to get back on there more regularly)
My website (badly in need of an upgrade)
Our workshop website
My original blog (now for archive purposes only, no longer updated)
This post contains affiliate links.
“You still have the responsibility to make your work as good as it possibly can be. Just make sure it’s your best work, not anybody else’s.” Yes! Thank you for this affirmation, Charlotte! I sometimes feel that by sticking to my vision, I’m not likely to make a “hit.” But, I do feel proud that my work is like my fingerprint — me through and through.
It’s so funny that you posted this so recently because this exact situation happened to me. I am a huge people pleaser, so in my first paid article I asked what do you want to see from me. And my first paid subscriber said how about you write what you want to write about.
I think that it’s still odd to me that people want to read my writing for me, not read something written to please others.