Time to Play Big (A Love Letter)
It helps me enormously if you drop a heart on this newsletter, forward it to a friend, or share it on social media. And I adore comments! I love hearing from you, so you can hit reply and email me any time. Thank you for sharing your Sunday morning with me.
Dear lovies,
Play big.
Go all in.
Do or die.
You gotta risk it to get the biscuit.
I don’t know about you, but when I see those phrases my mind automatically leaps to the big moments in a writer’s life. Launch day. Nabbing an agent, signing a book contract. But, really, playing big is all about the things you do to get there. The author mailing list you put together and the street team you form for your launch day. Those dozens (maybe even hundreds) of queries you sent to nab your agent. The multiple drafts you wrote to get your novel in shape to sign with an editor.
We see the big moments on Insta and Facebook.
But playing big is, ironically, all about the small.
Here’s an example. I follow a woman on Instagram who has committed to walking every day. She recently hit her 900th day in a row without missing. Even on a recent day when she had to take her husband to the ER and got home late, she went out late at night in the dark and cold. On that day, she only walked around the block, but by god, she did it. By going small that day, she kept her streak.
I’m pretty sure going out in the dark and cold was the last thing she wanted to do. But something overrode that lack of desire.
Playing big is about doing the little things over and over.
It’s about the mundane. The things you do on the daily for your writing and your writing career. This looks different for everyone. For me, it looks like this:
I try to remain as consistent as possible and this means: at the very least, I lay my eyes on my WIP. Some days that’s all I do. And laying eyes on my WIP means a quick glance. Others I write 2,000 words. But whatever I do, it’s something.
Do I do this every day?
Yes, of course.
No, no I do not.
I do not have a 900 day streak of writing every day, as my Insta walking friend does. I do not always manage to write every day of the week. But by making the effort, I accomplish it more often than not. And something is always better than nothing.
I bring this thought up now because of the horrible crazy time we find ourselves in. I can’t control any of the big things that are happening in the world. But I can control—and do—the little things in my life. Little things that, with consistency, add up to something big.
Also, by doing them, I stay sane. That’s a huge bonus right now.
To go big, you must go small.
Love, light, and good writing,
Charlotte
P.S. Last week I read a post on Leigh Stein’s Substack offering readers the chance to share something and ask for something. Spontaneously, I offered a thirty-minute “get unstuck” session and in return I asked that people subscribe to my Substack. It’s been fun to connect with some new people! But then it occurred to me that I should do this for you guys, my loyal readers, too. If you’re interested, reply to this newsletter and we’ll set it up. We can talk about your writing habits or lack thereof, brainstorm your story, or discuss publishing options. In return, I ask that you share my Substack by forwarding to someone you think might like it, or post on social media, something. I don’t anticipate this happening, but if I get overwhelmed with requests, I’ll cap the offer.
Articles
Now I want to read both these books.
This is long, but makes some good points about why you need an editor.
Tricky relationships amongst your characters
I enjoy Ryan Holiday’s work. He focuses a lot on Stoicism, which truthfully is a bit beyond me, but there’s some juicy quotes in here about how to cope in crazy times.
Books
I am unapologetic, if maybe a bit embarrassed, about my newfound love of reading cozy fantasy. I say, whatever gets you through crazy times.
The House Witch by Delemhach. This is a whole series, and I have it on good authority (my physical therapist shares my love of cozy fantasy) that it is excellent. For now, I’ll just say it’s not my favorite. But I’m sticking with it.
These are on my to-read list:
The Good and the Green by Amy Yorke. When Alison Lennox inherits a country estate, she’s set to sell it and take the money and run back to her city life. But who knew village life was going to be so charming?
Drinks and Sinkholes, by S. Usher Evans. Part of The Weary Dragon Inn series, this cozy fantasy is a mystery as well.
And essay writers (and others) don’t forget:
Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay: Crafting the Story Only You Can Write, by Nancy Slonim Aronie. The lovely people at New World Library have been sending me books to review for years, and this one came in the mail recently. I’ll have more on it soon, but it definitely looks like a valuable addition to the essay writer’s library.
Workshops in England and France
Information, including dates and cost, for our 2025 England workshops is now listed on our website. And heads up! Due to distractions beyond our control, we’ve moved the deadline for the early-bird discount to December 1. We’ve had several writers indicate strong interest in joining and a couple of sign-ups already, so we recommend registering soon.
I’ve just updated our France page as well!
And if you want a taste of the adventure that awaits, you can read my posts about this year here, and here, here, here, and here.
Other places to connect with me:
My website (badly in need of an upgrade)
Our workshop website
My original blog (now for archive purposes only, no longer updated)
See you next Sunday. (And if I have a random thought, I’ll create another I’ve Been Thinking About….post.)
As always, very helpful, Charlotte! I hope to get back to some sort of routine with the WIP and other projects soon. It wd be a relief to have that as a staple again. Thanks!
Love this and it's a very timely reminder. Thank you, as always, Charlotte!