It has been a few years since I wrote The Next Piece, a blog post about beginning to take writing seriously. So what has changed and transpired over these four years? I unfortunately didn’t keep up my daily writing habit of writing for at least 15 minutes a day. Consistency is not my strong suit.
On the bright side, I did join an online writers group. There’s three of us and we have switched to writing together online every Thursday night. I really like my fellow writers, we’re like minded and yet diverse at the same time. Both are guys and I’m the gal. We have a loosely structured meeting, sometimes we chat, go on rabbit trails, ask and help answer each other random questions, but most of the time we write. We published a book together in August 2024 and are in development on the next anthology. So that’s a pretty good trade off.
I know I need to eventually start writing every day. But, I had a slight issue bigger than just plain old writer’s block.
What did I want to do with my life? What direction did I want to go in? What niche should I choose? I have a lot of interests and it was hard to narrow it down to just one. It wasn’t that simple to “just pick one thing!” It was “How do I be myself while denying all these other aspects of myself”. This was more than just an artist not wanting to be labeled and put in a box. This was soul searching what the heck am I going to spend the next 5 – 10 years building for myself?
I remember my Dad had said, “Don’t climb to the top of the ladder just to discover it’s leaning against the wrong wall.” That stuck with me. Another point is I don’t want to just chase after the next new shiny and never build anything. Constantly shifting directions. Yes, yes I know things change and you will probably be doing something different anyhow. But, I took the concept of building my writing platform seriously, For the last few years I’ve read numerous books, reviewed personality tests and traits, really soul searched who am I and what do I really want to do even if I can’t make any money from my next endeavor?
As Simon Sinek says, “Find your Why.” Once you know your why, you can build with any how. And people will be drawn to your why. I read a lot on branding, building community, sponsorship, and taking online classes. Had numerous conversations with friends and family,
Everything brewing and stewing in my mind finally came together and clicked. I’m a learner and a writer. I love learning, reading, discovering new shineys, and talking to people. So I have a direction, I know what I want to do, even if it leads just to my own edification. I may not get famous or build a huge following. But, that’s alright, because I chose a direction that had meaning to me.
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