Avoid Extremes in Writing. Take the Middle Way
Please indulge what may appear to be bragging. It is to make a point.
As a professional writer for thirty years, I have written:
Over eight hundred newspaper and magazine ads
Copy for forty-five websites
Published thirty-three interviews with spiritual leaders
Contributed to thirty-seven political speeches at the US State Department
Developed eighty magazine articles and edited over three hundred
Wrote the complete curriculum for two graduate-level theology courses
Created the entire HR Manual and Employee Handbook for a company with a staff of six hundred
Wrote a Developmental Psychology Textbook and edited two others
And oh yes… edited over one hundred and thirty full novels. Most of them have been published
Yes, I am proud of this intensity of activity. And yes, it does indeed seem like bragging.
But the entire point of this post is to state, rather strongly, that volume of writing is not the key to success as a writer.
This is not a self-aggrandizing article at all. In truth, this is a statement of a spiritual principle.
There is a concept found in Buddhism (and Taoism) called “The Middle Way.”
What I have learned after nearly three decades of typing is non-stop production did not make me a better writer.
Nor did all the time attending seminars, retreats, classes, and workshops.
What finally helped me find my voice, listen to my internal rhythm, and understand what I have to say, was when I stopped going to either extreme and I followed “The Middle Way.”
What I see is so many clients, especially the new guys, want to be as prolific as possible. They feel compelled to just crank out the prose at all costs.
I have also noticed a fair number of writers who are currently holding themselves back. They feel a lack of some sort. “I don’t have the— (experience, talent, knowledge, skill, ideas, etc.) Instead of writing, they spend an extraordinary about of time studying their craft.
Take the Middle Way.
And there are forces that push writers in both directions. Look at all the ads that tell us we can “Sell our first 10,000 books,” “Be a Millionaire Author,” “Define Yourself as the Next Big Thing.” These are all real ads currently on my feed.
And in my inbox are emails for seven different courses, conferences, classes, or seminars.
It is this pressure to be one or the other… or both that is often holding back many writers from achieving sustainable success.
Ask yourself this question. Do you read these ads and feel better about your writing career or worse? Do these ads lift your spirits, or make you feel you are unprepared?
Just remember, this is a career. You are in this for the long journey. Think marathon and not a sprint.
All these ads are for a weekend… a few days at most.
Your career is for the rest of your life. Take the Middle Way. Avoid all extremes. Sure, take a marketing class if you are curious. Just one. Then get back to writing. Why not attend a class or a workshop, have fun, and make some new friends? Then go home and return to the keyboard.
Committing to a daily writing goal will get you further than any class or program. Doing your thousand words a day (or whatever) and having a balanced life will make you productive. And more importantly, it will keep you happy.
Don’t worry about the latest trend. Don’t bother yourself with what is going on with social media. Forget about tropes and fads. And stop keeping track of the word count.
Write from the heart every day. Get it edited. Submit. Repeat.
That is the Middle Way
Eric Myers
Send a sample of your work for a free editing and critique. Submit One Thousand words to:
submissions@warpspeedediting.com
Responses are usually within twenty-four hours
