As I continue to meditate on what’s required to have a productive career, the word Bravery comes up. A lot of the blockages the we face are usually a tangle of logistics and emotions. We have full lives that require adjustment to consistently produce work and we have emotions and expectations that have to be navigated to stay the course.

Humans have so many things going up in our brains and we can be so fragile when facing reality. We have god complexes, too, where we think we should be AMAZING at any and everything we do. If we don’t exhibit complete MASTERY at something—even if it’s new, or even if we’ve only been doing it a few years—then it’s useless to keep trying.

We have to be brave to face the reality of who we are and where we are on our efforts.

• So you heard writers should write every day. You’re exhausted from work and can only manage writing once or twice a week. You’re disgusted that you can’t figure out how to write every day so you quit.
• Your favorite novelist writes with a light touch or can describe things so precisely, it feels like you are there. You work is a bit more clunky and feels awkward when you read it over. You decide you’re not talented enough and don’t deserve to be published so you quit.

And it goes on. The reasons why you can’t. The barriers to your greatness. The proof that you aren’t cut out for it. And none of it is true. NONE OF IT.

Biodiversity is the biggest strength of ecosystems and it’s the biggest strength of human beings. You don’t need to write like anybody else, you need to write like you. You will never discover what you are capable of if you don’t show up and do the work over and over and over again for years—at least a decade to see what you’re made of as an artist.

You ready to put in the time? Do what the Freedom Puzzle says, and get it popping. And when you’re disappointed, exhausted, disgruntled, exercise some bravery and start again!

Goal Check-In:

• Throughout August, the bliss of enjoying life with no deadlines continued. I dedicated most of the month to reading through submissions for an anthology I am co-editing. I actually hadn’t even slotted in when I’d do the reading because I had no idea how it was going to work out. I had a disaster mindset. I knew I was going to be working on this novel, the draft was due in September and I just couldn’t figure out how to make it work, so I didn’t think about it. And then, lo and behold, the editors put a halt to the book and I had timmmneeee, blissful time. Goal done! I’ve read, I’ve made notes, and I’m ready to make final decisions with my co-editor.
• I got feedback on the picture book manuscript from my agent but haven’t reviewed the feedback as I was focused on the anthology. I will dig back in this week.
• The nonfiction book pitch is still in development. It had been excited to see it come to life. One of my sanity tools is avoiding urgency. Allowing things to simmer and develop organically as needed. I am committed to this project, but we recently decided to put it on hold while life changes are settled.
• My Writing What Scares You workshop was so wonderful that I decided to do another in October.
• I have a few pieces of writing to turn in for book promotions—and I came up with an idea for an essay. I used to write personal essays all the time and lost the urge over the years. Maybe essays will make a resurgence in my writing oeuvre. This month, I want to work on these essay. (Well, next week, really, because the rest of the month will be dedicated to the YA novel!)
• YES! I have received my editorial letter on the novel. It’s time to dive back in the YA book. I’m going to spend a week writing multiple promotional pieces and editing the children’s book. And then it’s back into the deep engagement of novel-writing!

Be brave. Accept where you are, believe that you will grow, dedicate the time needed for your growth, and stay consistent with your efforts. Power to your writing hand!

Onward!