Try tiny experiments instead

How's your writing going, Reader?

Are you where you want to be with it?

Many people feel a sense of inadequacy or guilt when they fail to meet aggressive writing goals.

In the past couple weeks, several people have reported problems doing their writing due to real life challenges: illness, caring for family members, work crises, etc. And they usually feel badly about missing their writing planned goals.

So, in this email, we're going to talk about another way to set goals, that might serve you better in a rapidly changing world. Today's post is inspired by this month's featured book.

But first, a note for those of you going through tough periods with your writing or your life.

In case you need to hear this right now

If life challenges have taken you away from writing, first show yourself some grace. Take a deep breath.

You may have heard me talk about servant authorship: Who does this serve, and how? You want to reach an audience for a purpose. But service goes both ways. How does your writing serve you? Is it serving you well?

If you feel guilt about not finishing a chapter, completing your story, or making progress on that memoir, you may be losing sight of how your writing can serve you. Deadline and goals are our tools, not our masters. Perhaps you need to shift.

In tough times, reframe your focus from output to process. Think of it as self-care if that helps. Even finding 15 minutes in a crazy week to make progress on a meaningful goal can be therapeutic.

Or, you might shift the kind of writing you do for a while and write about the challenges you're facing. Problems are the fabric of life and worth exploring deeply. (Or, treat today's crisis as a comic plot twist.)

No writing is wasted, ever. It's always taking us somewhere. Your work now might feed back into a project you have paused, or give it a new direction.

You might end up serving others as well as yourself.

The April book drawing: Tiny Experiments

This month’s book is Tiny Experiments: How to Live: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff. (Read my review here.)

Although the book is not about writing, its core concepts apply beautifully to the writing life.

To enter the drawing, respond to this email by Monday, April 21, and let me know you’d like a copy. Bonus: suggest a “writing pact” that you might make, and I’ll enter your name twice in the drawing!
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The post: Tiny Writing Experiments

In this post, I share the tiny experiment that launched my author career—and suggest a few things you might experiment with yourself.

More resources for writers

Nonfiction Writers' Conference (May 7-9). For my nonfiction authors (and prospective authors), check out this virtual conference in May. There are agents, personal ask-a-pro sessions, and informative speakers. I'll be talking about book promotion tools. Learn more and register here.

An AI tool for authors (on sale through April 23). If you're not sure how AI fits in your writing life, check out QuickWrite, AI customized for authors. It streamlines much of the work for you. Get a lifetime license on sale right now using my affiliate link. (It's inflation-proof!)

Book promotion course for authors . If you're an author looking to reach new audiences, check out my Discount Book Promotion course.

Writing to attract clients (April 17). Erin Lebacqz is running a virtual workshop tomorrow, on writing to attract clients. Erin is a whiz at effective business writing. The workshop is virtual and costs only $17. Learn more here.

That's all for now. Keep writing, try a tiny writing experiment, and I'll be back in May.

Anne

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PO Box 66285 Scotts Valley, CA 95067

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