Writing Without the Hustle

I’m wrapping up a project I’ve been working on for a few years, and it has me thinking about what comes next.

Not because I don’t have ideas.

Those aren’t something I ever run out of.

But for so long this piece has been all mine. Private. No deadlines. No one waiting. No pressure. It’s lived in my imagination and fit into my schedule when I wanted to work on it. For fun.

This kind of freedom felt creative, exhilarating, interesting. A place to think, play, and explore.

And now that this phase is nearing completion, I’m realizing how much I’ve enjoyed having something that was just mine.

Publishing and writing are not the same.

Writing is a lifestyle; publishing is a career.

So many writers come to it for the joy of writing. Writing is an escape. A hobby. An intrigue. A creative outlet. Personal expression. They do it because it’s fun.

Then they start thinking about sharing that writing. About publishing and contracts and bestsellers, and it becomes something else.

Publishing does change how you write and sometimes even how you feel about writing, and not always for the better.

Still, you must share your work. Writing can inspire, uplift, inform, connect, and motivate change—it’s too valuable to keep to ourselves. Part of becoming a writer is sharing it.

It’s not easy to do. Practice now. Start a blog or Substack. Write a letter a week and send it out. Write an essay about something you care about and share it with a friend. Go on the record with your work.

Here’s what that does: It makes you a better writer. It helps others. It elicits comments and can help you grow or gain confidence. It helps you finish and get comfortable with imperfection.

As I said, publishing is different from writing. You need to practice both.

Whether it’s one sentence or a post or article or chapter, it doesn’t matter what you give away. When you ship your work, you get in the practice of engaging with your art and your readers.

Pick a project. What will you write this week?

When will you send it? Prepare to launch even if you don’t feel ready.

How will you distribute that piece?

Ship it.

I published my first piece when I was 18 years old. Of course, not everything I’ve sent out since has been published. But my intent is to have what I pitch, published.

I get paid when an article runs, or a reader signs up, or a book sells. Sure, I take on projects I enjoy, but I write them with publishing as a goal.

That changed during the pandemic when I began writing something just for me. Most people don’t even know about it.

And it’s been one of the best writing experiences of my life.

Now the writing phase is coming to completion. I have to decide what’s next for this piece, and I’m reluctant to ship it. It feels so freeing just to write for yourself.

Not everything has to be a side hustle. It doesn’t have to become a book or a course or a podcast.

Our writing must also be a place to play and experiment. To grow and learn and lose track of time. Writing can be fun. Satisfying. The writing itself matters. Not everything needs an editor or deadline or deal. The process comes with its own rewards.

Start jotting notes about something you’ve been thinking about.

Shhh. Keep it to yourself.

Intend this project to be about your writing, your experience, your joy.

Choose a form. Book, blog, essay, script?

Give some attention to it each month. No deadlines. No decisions. No drama. Just experiment.

Make something without expectation or stress. Just see where it leads.

The freedom to create without an audience helps take the pressure off and allows us to play without trying to please others or make a buck.

Sharing our work with others teaches us to become better at the craft, to learn how to communicate and convey emotion in clear and compelling ways. It teaches us the power and impact of words and makes us stronger.

Ship your work.

Save something for yourself.

Both will make you better.

-p

Simply Write episode 460 featured author Michelle Lee. It was a great discussion about process and novels and middle-grade markets, and how to sustain a writing practice. Then I found out she’s teaching a class in July with Writing Workshops.

UNSTUCK: Strategies for Moving Your Novel Forward is designed to help writers identify where they are stuck in their work and how to get moving again.

The class is capped at 10 people and will cover concrete, craft-based ways to reengage with your writing. Writers can also submit up to 75 pages of their novel in the first week, and on the last class date, they’ll receive a personalized "Promises & Expectations to Remember” PDF checklist as a guide to help jumpstart their future writing.

Interested? Here’s the link: Get UNSTUCK!