Hey, Runners!
Have you ever been to the doctor’s and at some point during the visit, the words “lifestyle change” come up?
No?
Well… good for you… I guess.
But most of us, at one time or another, be it in a doctor’s office or somewhere around the first of January, have had those words suggested to us.
Lifestyle change.
Ugh.
And I’m sorry to be the one to deliver this news but… that’s how you need to think about your writing.
We run from Sept 9—June 13! Subscribe today to be one of the runners and get your novel, or other long-form fiction project, written this year!
Failure is part of success
A lifestyle change isn’t something you can just do. It’s not about suddenly switching everything up and BOOM, now you suddenly have the time and energy to write.
Like all lifestyle changes, be they diet and exercise or fitting writing into a life that is already full to the brim with Shit To Do, this is something you need to do slowly, and you need to expect that your progress will falter from time to time.
In other words, the lifestyle change that gets you writing regularly will go a lot like a teenager learning to drive a stick shift.
Today’s Comments Assignment:
What is the most valuable failure you’ve ever experienced?
Also, redefine failure
The number one mindset that will hold you back with any goal is a fear of failure.
Right now, between this day and when you start the challenge, I want you to embrace failure as much as possible. Stop thinking of failure as a bad thing, and start thinking of it as a paver on the path to success.
Because that’s actually what it is.
I genuinely feel like I’m in a perpetual sidestep with failure.
I avoid it.
I definitely don’t look it in the eye.
And if it’s on my heels, I flop like professional American male soccer players. You might’ve seen them before- the ones who throw themselves onto the pitch to gain the advantage of a foul. As if crushed by the injustice of the opposing team.
It’s not a good look.
And honestly, it’s after fuck ups and missteps that I really fail myself. My inner dialogue usually isn’t someone I’d want to be friends with. She’s got the presence of Inspector Javert from Les Mis (in his rigid and relentless pursuit of justice) and Miss Trunchbull from Matilda (the tyrannical headmistress who rules with fear and cruelty.
This prompt certainly took me to places I wasn’t expecting. And I think I could do with some repair work after said fuck ups, even if that only involves telling myself, “I’m sorry for the way I talked to you back there. I’m working on that”.
I'm not certain about valuable, but I can point to the failure which has had the most impact on my life: I failed my audition to Juilliard's drama program. If I'd been accepted, I would have headed from Texas to New York. Because I didn't, I went into the work force and saved to move west, heading for Los Angeles. It really was a case of "turn right, turn left." (I considered RADA, but while my parents were willing to help with Juilliard, they took one look at the international student fees, plus the cost of sending me living in London and said no.)