Invest in Yourself
By Dan Blank | May 27, 2016 |
Would you ever not show up for work without a reason? And do this day after day? Would you drop work at the slightest excuse? Would you assign blame at the drop of the hat?
Of course not.
Yet this is how many people treat their creative ambitions. Their writing, their art, their craft.
Instead of showing up every day to work, they go for the blockbuster mentality — counting on that one big bet that will pay off. Much like people who gamble or play the lottery as a strategy for securing their retirement. It’s a false belief that they can bypass hard work and investment and find their “big break.”
They tell themselves, “When I get an agent, things will begin to happen.” Or, “When I sign with a publisher, I won’t have to worry about marketing.”
But in the meantime, they struggle, alone. There may be bouts of creative momentum, but often followed by periods of outright abandonment.
Do you view your day-to-day creative work as an investment in your success? If not, you should.
If you want to have a nice nest egg by the time you retire (or earlier), you can take the chance you’ll win the lottery or pick the right number at the horse races. But the smarter approach — and the safer bet — is to make regular deposits into an investment account over a long period of time.
Those small investments you make each month, each week, or each day add up over time. And we won’t even get into compound interest here.
This investment habit doesn’t just apply to your bank account. It’s just as relevant to your health, your relationships, and yes, your creative work.
Let’s talk about investing in your creative work.
Focus on Habits, Not Big Bets
There’s plenty of financial advice out there that’s garbage. It hinges upon a short-term bet that feels exciting, and promises to solve all your financial woes with little work or worry. The reality is that for most people, sound financial planning involves boring steps — the habit of saving, or planning, or making reasonable investments.
The same applies for your creative goals. I see ads on Facebook nearly every day for a webinar that promises to teach you how to write and publish with greater success, in half the time and with half the effort — if only you sign up for the webinar to reveal the secret that has been eluding you.
That is compelling, isn’t it? Greater success with half the effort. Right now, you may be thinking, “Um Dan, what is that link?” But let me frame it to you another way:
What if you could get twice the car for half the price?
What if you could earn more money while working less?
What if you could be a better spouse with less effort?
What if you could be twice as healthy while eating twice as much?
Does this begin to sound like a hollow sales pitch to you? It should. Are there tips to write better, and to work more productively? Sure. But it all begins with smart habits and a focus on the basics. It begins by making small deposits into your creative investments.
Sure, we all need some luck and serendipity to help us succeed. But between those moments, I encourage you to create the boring habits that, slowly, propel you forward. That add up to more than the latest marketing trend could ever offer you.
Be Clear About Your Goals
Many people who invest don’t have clarity around their goals. They simply want “more.” Because “more” feels like it will somehow solve their problems.
But with such vague goals, it is difficult to know which actions will truly lead you to a sense of fulfillment. The same applies to the idea of investing in your creative work. It is so easy to click on one of those webinars or courses that promises an outsized result with little effort. It seems like a shortcut. But sometimes shortcuts don’t lead you to where you want to go.
Let me give you an example: I was speaking with a writer not too long ago who had signed up for an expensive online course. I know of the course, and I will say, I think it is a really good course. But… I was kind of surprised that this particular writer invested in this course, because I didn’t see it as having anything to do with her creative goals.
When I asked her about it, she said that she hadn’t even started the first lesson yet, even though she signed up for it months ago. I asked a couple other basic questions about her goals, and sure enough, she quickly concluded that the course would send her in the completely wrong direction. It would lead her to pursue someone else’s goals, not her own.
The problem here is not the course. And it is not her creative work. I am simply making the point that you should spend the time to be really clear about your creative goals. Otherwise, you end up wasting a lot of time working towards goals that are not your own.
Take the Right Kind of Risks
In financial investing, you set a goal for what kind of lifestyle you want, the house you want to buy, that exotic vacation you want to take, or what you want retirement to look like. Then you do the math to figure out how much that will cost, and how much you’ll need to save to achieve that dream.
Certain investments carry bigger risk but yield higher rates of return. Even in smart investing — not gambling — these riskier investments can be the right decision, based on your long-term goals. But you’re using that end target as your goal, then you map out your journey to get you there.
Do you have a dream to write an 80,000-word novel? Awesome. When you have that clarity around your goal, it is easier to work back from it. You set a deadline. You break it up into the number of words you need to write per day in order to reach it.
This is where risk comes into play — the idea of making polarizing decisions to reach bigger goals. Where you have to give up some responsibilities in order to realize that dream.
Maybe you say, “Dan, I just don’t have the time.” I get that — you are busy. But how about if you view your downtime as an investment.
Don’t whittle away your little breaks throughout the day three minutes at a time; thinks such as checking Facebook, reading the newspaper, or volunteering for commitments that are mere social obligations. Save up those mini-breaks and take one bigger — more meaningful — break. One that may include time for you to write or pursue other aspects of investing in your creative goals.
And if you are asking, “Dan, did you really say ‘Don’t read the newspaper?'” Yep, I did. You must make polarizing choices. If you want to push ahead with a big creative dream, you can’t also attend every PTA meeting, read every news article, and do the dishes. That is how J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter:
“People very often say to me, “How did you do it? How did you raise a baby and write a book?” and the answer is, I didn’t do housework for four years! I’m not Superwoman. Living in squalor — that was the answer.”
– J.K. Rowling
These kinds of decisions do mean that you are taking on risk. Very often, that is social risk. You may fear judgement in saying to other parents, “Sorry, I can’t make it to the PTA meeting.” Or judgement if someone sees you have a messy kitchen with a sink full of dishes. Or judgement if someone asks you about a news story that you haven’t read about.
But that risk is an investment strategy for you, not a cop out. You are using that time and that energy to instead work on your creative goals.
Develop Your Investing Habit: Learn to Create in Chaos
So often, someone will tell me, “I’m so busy right now, I’ll focus on my creative work when I have more time. Maybe this summer!” Then, of course, summer comes around and their kids are home from school, and they find they have even more distractions, and no creative work gets done.
Too often, we plan for some kind of “life hiatus” that never comes. That time (which is never now) where you imagine everything in your life to be balanced, and you have time to focus on creative work. And, surprise! surprise!, that time always eludes you.
Instead, we find new disruptions happen. A spouse loses their job, or a parent has a health crisis, or a pipe breaks.
When you wait for your environment to be perfect, you give more power to distraction.
Obviously, you can’t prepare for chaos, but you can plan. Let me give you an example of chaos vs perfection….
Cathey Graham Nickell spent the winter releasing a children’s picture book, marketing it, and preparing other upcoming projects such as a sequel, plus a middle-grade chapter book.
When I was talking with Cathey earlier in the year, I was so impressed by her energy, her ideas, and her focus. She seemed to have developed a wonderful sense of momentum. Yet, even with this, she was sidelined, quite literally.
On spring break, she went skiing with her family, and even though she is an experienced skier, a teenager accidentally ran her off the slope, and she hit a tree. She ruptured her Achilles tendon.
It required immediate surgery, and for months now, she has had to wear this big, heavy boot on her foot, 24 hours per day. Yes, even while sleeping. She can’t drive. She can’t stand on it long enough to cook a meal. Every single aspect of her life has been completely disrupted. It is only next week that she can begin physical therapy on the foot, continuing a long road to being able to walk again. To drive again. To stand again. This type of injury takes at least six months for full recovery, and sometimes as much as a year. Plus, there is a risk of re-rupturing the tendon during her recovery.
No, I’m not trying to bum you out.
This is simply a reminder that too often we take things for granted. We say “Oh, I can’t seem to get words onto the page” or “I don’t know how to reach out to librarians” and stall, even when we are able-bodied, full of energy, and motivated.
We begin planning for the ideal — that time in the future when all the stars align. And too often, the opposite happens. Chaos happens. Suddenly, even the simple act of walking seems like a superhuman feat.
When Cathey’s accident happened, she was preparing for a series of book signings, book fairs, readings at libraries and bookstores, school author visits, and a big parade that was to be her big launch event.
She has been moving forward with her creative work as best she can — she attended the parade in a wheelchair, and she has been accepting help from her wonderful support team: her husband, mother, sisters, and best friend.
This week, I received an email from a writer that said, “I just can’t seem to get words down on the page. I have ideas, but… I just can’t seem to find the time or energy in the day.”
I shared my common advice on this, which includes:
- Schedule your writing time. Anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour.
- Make it a daily ritual, even if it’s only 10 minutes each day.
- Try to get it done first thing, before the day derails you.
- Set a conservative goal for each day, so you can feel a sense of achievement. 100 words. 200 words. Something reasonable.
- Find an accountability partner. Someone — anyone — who you can share your weekly goals with, and who will check in with you.
This post is all you viewing your creative dream as something worth investing in, and developing the habit of making small deposits into your creative investment account. That taking a small action each day can really add up.
When you consider the small steps you can take each day to invest in yourself, and in your creative dreams, I would love to know:
What will your deposit be today?
Thanks.
-Dan
Dan Blank is the founder of WeGrowMedia, where he helps writers share their stories and connect with readers. He has helped hundreds of authors via online courses, events, consulting, and workshops, and worked with amazing publishing houses and organizations who support writers such as Random House, Workman Publishing, Abrams Books, Writers House, The Kenyon Review, Writer’s Digest, Library Journal, and many others.
Do it now. Time will pass, and something may happen in your life that prevents you from doing what you want to do.
We have a proverb in Spanish my mother quoted all the time: ‘Lo bailado, nadie te lo quita.’ Literally, what you have already danced, no one can take away from you. It’s yours. You can remember going to the party, going on the trip, and the book you have already written no one can take away from you.
It may take me as long to write the second and third as it did to write the first, fifteen years. But I have that one. I showed up every day and some days the writing flowed, and other days it was like trying to get the last little bit of toothpaste out.
Doesn’t matter. Nobody can take away from me now that I have written and published a novel, and people are leaving wonderful reviews.
I still show up every day. Because I want that feeling, of having written and published, again and again. It’s my ‘dancing.’
Love that — thank you so much Alicia!
-Dan
Alicia,
“…some days the writing…was like trying to get the last little bit of toothpaste out.”
*That* is absolute brilliance. Thanks for the laugh and the positive thought as I gear up to write this morning. And I hope you don’t mind if I use your mother’s Spanish proverb. My French protagonist’s mother is Spanish and it’s just the kind of thing her mother would tell her.
Wishing you success and writing joy!
–Michael Raymond
Dan-
Goals. Such a good idea. For fiction writers, the “goal” often relates to career milestones: finish my draft by Labor Day, query by Thanksgiving, on submission via my new agent in January, book deal by Tax Day.
You suggest a better thought: *creative* goal. For fiction writers that could mean, how I want my novel to read, or how I want to misdirect readers, or how I want to top Dennis Lehane. (Big goal, that one.)
Why not daily deposits, too? In my pages today, my goal is for readers to hate my protagonist even while they hope for her. In my pages today, my goal is to play with time and sequence. In my pages today, my goal is to plant a seed that will sprout ten chapters later.
The more specific the creative goal, the more one is likely to tackle it in practical terms and achieve it. Call it daily micro-goals. Investing is long term but it is also right now, every day.
Just as you say. Nice post. Now, about twice the car for half the price…
Don — I LOVE that idea! Brilliant!
Great stuff, Dan – in particular, this thought:
“When you wait for your environment to be perfect, you give more power to distraction.”
Amen!
Thanks Keith!
“Would you ever not show up for work without a reason? And do this day after day? Would you drop work at the slightest excuse?”
GAH! The conviction hurts!
But in a good way.
We were actually meeting with a financial advisor just this week to discuss investments. Universe, you’ve done it again!
Ha! Thanks Erin.
-Dan
Liking this investment idea…plus the comments, esp. “micro goals” — love the community & exchange of ideas!
Melanie: Agreed!
Life can get in the way. Great post, Dan. Often it’s fear of failure and those little excuses block the fear and lead to some kind of escape. The wild world of the net doesn’t help–hawkers out there whispering in your ear–if you take this course the world of publishing will open up for you. We all need to be diligent in our choices. Time is precious. Some classes are helpful, but once again it’s sitting at the keyboard day to day that will be the best deposit in the bank.
Beth — thank you!
Dan,
This is one of those articles that will haunt my mind for a long time, it is just thay good.
In the past year I made a few different changes to how I use my time and it has really paid off. Things like removing the facebook app from my phone and setting a specific time for social media put me in charge of distractions. I also lump all my errands to one day per week and all major cleaning projects to two days per week. And I never do either without first making a list because I will inevitably forget the butter at the grocery store or leave the water bill at the house!
I know some people swear by word count, but that just seems to stall me so I give myself a time limit instead. I did use a website called 750 words to get me into the habit of writing every day though. It tracks more than just word count then displays the info in nifty little graphs and charts. I recommend it.
Thanks for all the great tips and the clear explanation of my time as an investment. I already have my notebook out so I can put your advice to good use.
Fantastic suggestions, Celeste! In addition to Dan’s wonderful blog, I’m also going to take YOUR reply to heart and think about all that you have said here! Your [and Dan’s] remarks will haunt my mind, too … :) Thank you.
Wow — thank you Celeste! Love how you framed this in the context of your own life. Much appreciated.
-Dan
Thank you for this, Dan. Just what I needed.
Thanks Lori!
I have been stalled for over a year now on completing my third novel. You have just made me realize I am putting everything in my life ahead of this goal. Thank you for this.
Thanks Linda. Good luck!
Thank you, Dan, as usual, for this excellent article. So much wisdom that can be applied to investing time wisely. In a few months I will have significantly less time for my creative work than before, and I was worried about sustaining it. But you’ve given me a helpful plan!
As far as avoiding distractions, I have recently reduced my email subscriptions after I thought about how long it takes me every day just to delete the ones I don’t have time to read.
Celeste, I’m going to look for the 750 words a day website. It sounds useful. I also like the idea of setting daily goals in the creative work itself, as Donald suggests.
Thank you SK! Smart idea to analyze how much time you have for subscriptions.
-Dan
You are an amazing mentor and collaborator, Dan. If I had not been in your Mastermind group this past Spring (the time of my skiing accident), I don’t think I would have accomplished as much as I did while recovering these past few months. To be sure, my productivity took a big hit due to this trauma, but I kept thinking, “What would Dan do?” I knew you would keep working, keep attending events, keep the schedule going. I’ve tried, and I’ve done a fairly good job of it, albeit in a wheelchair or on crutches. Your blog today has inspired me to keep the pace up and not wait to be able to stand or walk or drive a car … I can continue to do plenty of creative work from a chair. Thank you for the reminder and continued inspiration, particularly this quote: “Certain investments carry bigger risk but yield higher rates of return.”
Cathey,
You are incredibly generous. Thank YOU!
-Dan
And sometimes other aspects of writing books can get in the way of your writing. It may sound absolutely absurd to someone else, but I WANT to be a meticulous plotter. That is a problem for two reasons–first, while I can write in small snatches, I simply don’t have the mental make up to plot in snatches. Second, I think I have not yet beaten into my brain that you cannot possibly anticipate every plot detail ahead of time and it derails me.
So I have once again had to drive myself back to the basics–getting word count down every day, with the knowledge that some of it will have to be jettisoned and re-written when the rest of those plot pieces fall into place for me.
But making daily progress is the bottom line. I can think of nothing more disappointing then being at the end of your life and looking at that list of great novel concepts that you WISH you’d written. UGH!
Brenda,
Great perspective here. Thank you.
-Dan
You are so right – miss a day of work and you get reprimanded, miss a couple of days without satisfactory explanation and you will be fired. Creative writing is not the only job the writer has, publicity is an essential part of the job.
Cannot face writing another word? Lacking inspiration? Maybe it is a time to do something else! But we must always be working to benefit our writing.
Dan, I just taught a seminar at a writer’s conference about the psychological barriers to writing, and at the top of one of my silos of advice was: “Stop Volunteering for your PTA. Volunteer for your novel.”
I guess what I’m saying is, YESSSSSS!!!!
Ha! Love that! Thanks Kelly.
Yet another amazing Post-Master that I want to buy coffee for!
Oh goodness this was great! I can mine so many things out of your post that I have to save it, break it up into sections, and take notes on it.
My own life experiences resonate with what you wrote: “Instead of showing up every day to work, they go for the blockbuster mentality — counting on that one big bet that will pay off. Much like people who gamble or play the lottery as a strategy for securing their retirement. It’s a false belief that they can bypass hard work and investment and find their “big break.””
I started working for specific things that I wanted when I was 12. My parents said if I wanted a Street Fighter 2 Video cartridge then I had to save my money and buy it. That taught me the value of working hard and saving to reach a much larger goal. Now my husband and I are pushing forty and we’re pretty satisfied with the material stuff. And we got there by doing exactly what you advised. My husband’s parents, however, took the gambling route … and guess what? We’re going to start chipping in toward their retirement because they didn’t save and invest the slow hard way, they chose the weekend gambling rush.
Point being, you have so much wisdom here and based on my past experiences, I can say that applying your advice to writing is the way to go (for me anyway).
One of my biggest challenges is below:
“Don’t whittle away your little breaks throughout the day three minutes at a time; thinks such as checking Facebook, reading the newspaper, or volunteering for commitments that are mere social obligations. Save up those mini-breaks and take one bigger — more meaningful — break. One that may include time for you to write or pursue other aspects of investing in your creative goals.”
I’ll be exercising this advice as a life practice from now on. Also, When writing out and being specific about my creative goals for my story, it helps keep me on the rails, one step in front of the other, and only working with two people who I trust and are aligned with my same goals. I can’t do justice to your post with my cheesy response, but I really, really appreciated reading it this morning.
Thank you.
Chris, This is very kind of you — thank you! Also, I think your comment may be the first ever on Writer Unboxed to mention Street Fighter 2!
-Dan
Great post, Dan, and always a wonderful reminder to schedule in some writing time even with kiddos at home. As to putting it first, that’s the hard part. I’ve tried and tried but within 30 min I am distracted. My best writing time is in the afternoon or late at night. I really think this is a Pavlovian response of some sort because I began my writing life when my teenagers were just babies and I wrote during naptime or once they were down for the night. Nightgown = writing time :)
Vijaya,
As long as you know what works best for YOU, that is what matters. Thanks!
-Dan
I would like to suggest investing in yourself would include giving yourself time each day to participate in Writer Unboxed. Perhaps reading one chapter before bed of Writing the Breakout Novel or Plot and Structure. Attending one writers class a year. I believe creativity must be fed, nurtured and encouraged. Remind yourself how important creativity is to you.
Thanks Gretchen!
Great post, Dan.
About a year ago, inspired by another WU post, I began specific writing schedule: one hour each morning on my WIP–and, only one hour. First thing each day, (from the time I open my eyes to the time I open my laptop is about fifteen minutes), I set a timer for one hour, and when it rings I stop writing. This was difficult, unsettling, when I first started, especially when the muse was jumping up and down and screaming that I’d better keep writing or I’d forget that brilliant phrase, clever idea, new dialogue, etc. I discovered, however, that I forget very little between writing sessions. If I have more time and want to keep writing when my hour is up, I work on something else–research, outlining another story, working on a nonfiction essay, etc.
So far, I’ve been very happy with this process. I’ve learned that my mind keeps working on a story regardless of what else I’m doing, and knowing that I have that daily hour set aside, I feel free to do other things, whether its writing related, or just meeting someone for lunch.
LOVE THIS!!! Thank you!
The comparison of a writing job to a “real” job where you *must* turn up everyday was great and put a lot of things into perspective for me. Alarmingly it made me realise that I, in theory, ought to fire myself as a writer (I’ll re-employ myself straightaway though!)
As always, thanks for the inspiration, Dan! I love your posts.
After writing for nearly 20 years, and finally taking the self-pubbing plunge a year ago, I decided to start looking at my writing–all facets, pre, during, and post–as a business. I have friends who own restaurants and retail shops, and all of them remained in the red for about three years, living on pasta and working 70-plus hours a week. But by year three, after building momentum, creating their own personal buzz, and gaining an “audience,” they are finally creeping into the black.
Three years is not a magic number by any means. Some writers hit it big after one or two books. Some after ten years. But what this number did for me was realize that every business, no matter what it is, takes time. A lot of mistakes will be made. A lot of misdirections that make you backtrack. And a lot of advice that you discover isn’t for you.
I think if we see our writing as a business, it really does take the mystery out of what success is all about. Creating a beautiful product others desire is only one part of a writing career. True focus, confidence, goal-setting, and patience is what makes up the rest.
So do not make excuses NOT to write. Find excuses TO WRITE. Only then will others take your business as seriously as you do, and want to invest in your dream. Never give anyone a reason to think you aren’t serious about your writing career. SHOW them you are in this for the long haul!