On Craft…
Don’t forget to experiment! Settling down into your writer’s voice is dangerous—I know this first-hand. Comfort in art has the potential to stunt your growth. Once you find your groove or hit a stride, riding that high until it crashes can be a disaster. You have to know when to catch another wave and keep moving. Momentum is everything in writing and developing yourself as an artist.
I get it—when you are starting out, the moment you recognize your voice as your own is incredible. However, don’t let the excitement of being able to articulate yourself purely cause you to settle for that first iteration of your voice. Don’t become rigid. There is no end to creative growth, and while that may seem daunting at first, it’s actually even more exciting than finding the bedrock of your style. The endless nature of improving as a writer implies there’s always a chance for you to get better. That means nothing is as dire as it seems. That means you get to push through, even on your worst days.
Part of this advice requires you to stop people pleasing. That’s everyone: Readers, editors, friends, and the like. Once you get a positive reaction for your work, it’s natural to want to do everything exactly the same way to receive that same positive reaction. We cannot kid ourselves—the likes and engagement feel good. But there has to be more to your process than the pursuit of praise. You are a creative for yourself, firstly. If you’re anything like me, you express yourself through writing or photography, or whatever else is your fancy, because it’s a vital pillar of your character. Don’t sell that to the TL for clicks.
Motion in writing is everything. You want to always be moving the reader from word to word and thought to thought as smoothly as possible. You want fluidity and pacing on your side. Why would you not want the same for your writing process? How bad would a piece feel if it reached the summit of a particularly beautiful sentence, and then just stayed there? Or, worse, was followed by that same sentence in three new versions? We know that’s a dud. The same can be said for your physical work. Don’t get caught up in your technical successes, because they will run out. Always be moving forward.
Experiment for yourself! Yesterday, I told everyone how important it is to invite mess into your process. This is the next logical step. Keep yourself as centered in your process as possible. Remember that before readers and editors, it was just you and your happiness driving your growth. That shouldn’t have to totally change just because your audience has expanded. You’re allowed to be thinking of your own joy and thrills as you put together pieces. In fact, I urge it. Settling at the summit ignores the endless peaks still to come. And they will come. So, why not put yourself in the best position to reach them?