How Not to Manifest a Writing Career (A Love Letter)
How Not to Manifest a Writing Career (A Love Letter)
Mindset, motivation and inspiration for novelists—with a dash of instruction about writing craft added in. There’s no one approach to writing that works for everyone, but I can help you find what works for you. Subscribe (free or paid) to get the fuel you need for your writing career.
Hello lovelies,
This week I’ve been thinking about expectations.
As in, having uber-specific expectations for an uber-specific thing to happen. That thing may be signing with an agent you have your heart set on. Winning a contest. Getting a book contract from a certain publisher.
This week I’ve heard a couple stories from writers who were crushed when a certain specific expectation did not happen, so terribly crushed that they even quit writing for awhile. I’m not going to betray any confidences by sharing those stories, but I will tell you one that happened to a friend long ago.
She had entered a writing contest and was enthusiastic to the point of compulsion that she would win. On the day the contest results were sent out, her husband was due to go away for the weekend on a business trip. She opened the envelope, ready to celebrate. And. You guessed it. She didn’t win. This threw her into such an emotional maelstrom of agony that her husband canceled his trip to be with her.
We can all feel her pain, no?
And yet, setting store by such a specific expectation almost guarantees it won’t happen. I know, I know, this flies in the face of all the law of attraction, if you build it, they will come, believe and receive stuff you’ve heard through the years. And I say this as a fan of such mindset theories. I am a fan of training your thoughts to make things happen. But there’s a subtle difference here, and it is important.
And that difference is the intent behind your thoughts and beliefs. The universe likes open arenas in which to charm you with the manifestations of your goals. The universe likes to know what you want, yes, but it also delights in sometimes presenting you with something slightly different or better. The insistence on having the exact thing that you have to have reeks of desperation. And desperation turns things away.
The career writer—the novelist who wants to write and publish novels from here to eternity—knows that the best headspace to be in is this: state your goals, and remain true to them. This means: work hard (but not to exhaustion), keep writing and getting better at your craft, put your writing out in the world in as many ways as you can, and believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, you won’t make the effort, and if you don’t make the effort, your writing dreams are not going to happen. Period. The career writer knows that it’s the long game that counts. And the long game is not dependent on a particular thing happening.
And stay open to that little touch of magic that does happen when you are clear in your goals without narrowing them to that one certain way that things must happen.
Good luck. I think you can do it!
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. This week is Valentine’s Day. I have a little treat for you. Watch for it on Wednesday.
P.P.S. Please leave a comment on anything you read here that resonated! Or just tell me how your writing is going.
Books
The Five-Star Weekend, by Elin Hilderbrand. This book was on the lucky day shelf in the library so I picked it up. She has rabid fans who line up to see her when she does events in Nantucket, but I’m usually more meh about her work. I do like the setting though (Nantucket, of course) so I’ll keep reading for now. Update: I finished it, at long last. I liked the characters more by the end. The true benefit, though, was studying how Hilderbrand writes. It’s not a style I aspire to, but I gleaned some ideas for in-the-moment description.
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree. This is a fantasy novel replete with orcs, gnomes and succubi, not usually my thing but the description was so charming I bit. Plus, the author is local. Viv, an orc, gives up her sword to open a coffee shop in a town by a river where nobody has ever heard of coffee. This book is just pure fun.
A Morbid Taste for Bones: The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Book One by Ellis Peters. My late mother-in-law, a rabid Anglophile, adored this series. So when my business partner Debbie suggested we use it for our writing workshop in England, I was enthusiastic. And I continue to be. It’s a fun read. But I do recommend a physical copy over the Kindle version. There’s a couple of maps at the front you’re going to want to refer back to, and there’s a ton of brother names that get confusing. I actually made a list of them.
Watching
I like college football but I don’t care too much about the NFL. But I’ll have the TV tuned to the Super Bowl today, at least in the background. Because: ads. But far more important: Taylor. Will she make it from Japan to Las Vegas in time to see her love play? Will she crash the half-time show? That’s all I care about.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, on Netflix. Loved the first season of Bridgerton, but for some reason never quite got around to watching the second. Queen Charlotte is a spin-off prequel six-episode series (say that three times) that focuses on the marriage of Charlotte to King George. Some fascinating semi-truthful bits about the king’s madness, with the overall high level of acting and staging of Bridgerton. Charlotte was always my favorite character in the series, and not just because of her name. Update: We watched the final episode this week, and it was so, so good. Shonda Rhimes has the best beats when it comes to romance.
Articles and Resources
You can read a fun, creative interview with me on wonderful writer Joanna Monahan’s website. And sign up for her author newsletter while you’re there!
My friend Kevin Johns starts his Story Plan Intensive on March 4. Overcome self-doubt, overwhelm, and lack of direction in your writing journey. Kevin is the real deal and he has a charming Canadian accent as well. Join here.
(The two above listings are a full circle moment for me. Joanna found me as coach through a webinar I did with Kevin. Fun to feature them both today!)
I am participating in The Year of Writing Dangerously from Summer Brennan and I am loving it. The class is focused on non-fiction, and if you so desire you will finish off the year with a memoir draft of a collection of essays. I’m taking it just to get myself back to non-fiction pieces that are nor journaling nor about writing. I have three FREE 1-month gift subscriptions to the class to give away. The first three people to reply to this newsletter via email telling me you want it will get them. I highly recommend it. HEADS UP: Two of these gifts have been claimed. Hit me up soon if you want the last one! I’ll come back and let everyone know when it is gone.
And one last article. This is a good reminder for all of us!
Events
Creative writing workshops in France and Italy next year. (England is now full.) See all here. And let me just add: future you is going to be sooooo happy that you committed to a week in Céret, France, or Perugia, Italy to further your writing career and your world travels! Reply to this email if you want to learn more.
Note: this newsletter contains affiliate links.
So very true. Manifesting is powerful, but you’ve got to back it up with hard work!