Transcending Writing Boundaries: Carve Your Own Path
Matt: [00:00:00] Welcome everybody to write Out Loud the podcast about storytelling and writing, and just becoming the best author, writer, version of yourself that you could possibly be. Right. My name of course is Matt Cassem, and this alongside me is the lovely and beautiful and amazing.
Christina: Christina, I don't know why
Matt: Christina. I don't know, but I love it.
Christina: singer.
Matt: don't stop doing it. It's okay.
Christina: think
Matt: Don't stop.
Christina: what it is. She always sings song stuff.
Matt: That is true. That is true. That is true. Well, listen this episode we've decided to call. Why are you not writing? Wait, what are we calling it?
Christina: Why aren't you writing to your potential ?
Matt: That's right. Yes. Yes. I forgot. I'm sorry. Okay. And I think I have a question for you.
Christina: Yes.
Matt: The question is this, why are people so easily influenced, do you think?[00:01:00]
Christina: I think the number one reason why people are easily influenced is because they don't have confidence in their own abilities.
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: They don't have the confidence, and rightly so, especially if they're just starting out.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: These other people, by golly, must know better than me.
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: So, they look to others for guidance and advice.
Matt: Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. I think because you think about it, like we're looking for people who have walked to the path before. Right. And especially if they've had success. You look at them and you go, gosh, they must be re, I mean they, they're good. They've got millions of books that they've sold, they've sold millions of albums.
They are movie stars. Like, I should just do what they do because it's working for them. Right.
Christina: Right, but just because it's working for them doesn't mean it works for you. I think the thing that we always forget is that creativity is very [00:02:00] personal
Matt: Mm
Christina: creativity comes from inside, and where you're starting from. And
Matt: mm-Hmm.
Christina: going outside. You're not, at your creative best, I guess.
Matt: Sure. Sure. Well, it's like, it's like the Judy Garland quote, right? Like, don't be a secondary version of someone else. Be the first version of yourself. Mm-Hmm mm-Hmm.
Christina: There's a reason I love Judy.
Matt: I know. She's so good. She's so good.
Christina: Yeah. And, and
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: and, and actually, is it Judy Caroline, or is it, audrey, Audrey Hepburn. I think it's, it's, I think it's been attributed to both actually, because now
Matt: Probably,
Christina: I think what the quote is, Audrey Hepburn said, why be a second rate of Julie Garwood Garwood when I can
Matt: yeah.
Christina: Garwood no, ju Julie Garwood is on my head. I, Julie Garwood is one of my favorite all time historical romance authors,
Matt: Mm mm-Hmm[00:03:00]
Christina: Mental slipup came in. No. I I, no, but it is, it is absolutely, 100% a fundamental in this business. not be a second. Right. Anybody else when you can be yourself,
Matt: mm-Hmm.
Christina: that's what we're missing in the writing world.
We are missing someone who has had your experiences, your writing ability. Even at the beginning, there is something that we are missing. You are meant to tell your stories and not somebody else's. But I think
Matt: In your voice.
Christina: In your voice. I think we're gonna take this episode a little bit farther than just be your own voice.
Matt: Thought we were done.
Christina: No, there's
Matt: were just like, listen, be yourself, everybody. Okay. Goodnight.
Christina: That's,
Matt: No.
Christina: the message tonight. And end of story. No I, there's a, there's a lot more to this than just be [00:04:00] yourself.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: to take it a step further and tell you how to gain a little more confidence in your own abilities
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: how to. Embrace what works for you throw out all the rest.
Matt: I love it. Are we saying really that they should not read any books by these experts or authors that have been famous and successful before them? Are we saying like, don't listen to any of them. Don't even read any of them?
Christina: No,
Matt: No.
Christina: not. You can listen all you want. The point of difference I am speaking to don't take it as gospel. Don't take it as you have to do it this way. Finding your own way is difficult if you don't have guidance. So hearing how other people do it, you can go, Hmm, that's a great idea, put it to practice and see if it works for you.[00:05:00]
Matt: Sure.
Christina: think in this business, I used to do several years ago before the pandemic, and I keep thinking maybe I should get back to it. I used to have this workshop was pretty much all about. Figure out who you are as a writer, just doesn't mean the content that you're writing. This means what time do you write best? Okay. Schedule yourself for that time. do I prepare for that time? I have a client that I actually just spoke to today and she started telling me, oh, I used to do this and I used to do that, and I'm like. Why did you stop? It was working for you. and that's, that's actually what we did today was she is gonna write me an email tomorrow after she completes her tasks because
Matt: Okay.
Christina: a pre ritual and a writing ritual she really needs to stick with that because that's how she writes best. Even though it's something that. She says Other people would think was weird, it works for [00:06:00] her, so who cares how weird it is. If
Matt: Sure.
Christina: for you, stick with it.
Matt: Yeah, I love that. I think too, when we talked about doing this episode and I started looking at the research on, just what are the. Experts saying, right, what are,
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: some of the major kind of themes around the advice that they like to give out? And there's a list here.
I mean, there's a list of just, just start like, just write badly and just start discard cliches. Listen and observe like eavesdrop and observe strangers, and try to create compelling characters out of that, right? Beginnings matter and da da, da da. So there's this whole list, but there's one in particular.
That struck a chord with me. And that was follow the headlights, allow room for surprises and let the story reveal itself. And I thought, that to me is just so fascinating, right? So for me as a writer, that's something that I would latch onto. 'cause it's not necessarily telling me how to do it, but it's saying, consider this.
Right? Consider this approach
Christina: but,
Matt: and all of that.
Christina: but you know what, what it's telling [00:07:00] me, an author, coach, and expert, there's something for the you there because you latched onto that one more so than the rest. That tells me that maybe you aren't leaving enough room for spontaneity in your stories.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: you're, you're sticking too close to what you planned and are not allowing room for surprises.
Matt: Which is even more ironic considering I'm a pure pants,
Christina: Oh,
Matt: like I really, truly,
Christina: Okay. So,
Matt: is so funny.
Christina: Again hearkening back to that client I talked to today, which actually in my client call, I actually said, this is what we're talking about on the podcast tonight. So, she actually is very meticulous
Matt: Mm-hmm.
Christina: Routine driven. so all of those things you would think up to, she's a plotter. No, she's totally the opposite. She is such a
Matt: Yeah
Christina: today we were actually talking that she works [00:08:00] best when she has no idea what's happening next is working on the current chapter. And only then can she see into the next chapter.
Matt: sure.
Christina: but if it works for her, why not embrace that more? So for you, I mean, same thing.
If you think you're a pantser, then maybe lean more into the pantsing. Maybe you're not doing enough pantsing. Maybe you do need to do like her, and just know what comes next. In the next chapter, plot out the next chapter, right after you finish, know, chapter one, okay, what's happening in chapter two?
And then leave that for tomorrow. You come back to it tomorrow and you go, hmm. This is what I said was happening in chapter two, but I'm not gonna do that. I'm gonna do something different. Yeah. No, I think
Matt: Yes.
Christina: I think that's great advice. Great
Matt: is also really funny, I think for you, when you consider the fact that throughout this podcast I've been the one saying, let's see, I need to have more structure. I need to have more of an idea of how this goes. And yet I'm like, when I'm [00:09:00] writing, that's not the case whatsoever, which is,
Christina: No,
Matt: funny.
So it's very much in line with your client, right? That there's certain aspects of us that deal differently in different ways.
Christina: when you get that structure in other areas, that makes you feel secure enough to go be wild and crazy in the creativity.
Matt: Sure could be.
Christina: could be.
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: I do think, yeah. No, no, no. I, I think so too. I, in fact, it took us a while. I mean, this is book number seven that we're working on,
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: and so neither one of us recognized that before. She started working on, these struggles that she was having.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: another client I wanna bring up simply because she's kind of the one that sparked the idea for this podcast because. She hired me for the coaching side than she did the writing side. And the reason was the first [00:10:00] session we had together, was talking about all these experts and saying, well, I tried to do it this way and I tried to do it that way.
And I read this book and I read that book and like there was a stack of books. She had talked about writing, but yet she couldn't sit down to write chapter one. she kept trying to fit into a mold, but you have to do this, but you have to do that. And I finally said to her throw away all the books. 'em all away. buy another one. we really had to figure out exactly why she kept falling into this hole of trying to do it their way. But when we, really sat down to it, it freed her.
Matt: Mm-Hmm
Christina: her from any parameters of having to do this and having to do that. And now we are in the practice of writing.
Matt: mm-Hmm.
Christina: Practicing how she does things. [00:11:00] She's figuring out who she is a writer. She's figuring out what things stopping her in addition to, 'cause I think the, the real issue with her is that there's underlying things with that creativity are stopping her.
So, but we couldn't find that out until we could get rid of the books her. Getting rid of the books was freeing. I'm not saying that's right for everybody. Again, the way I work many ways, including in my business, but in my personal life too, I will listen to the advice of everyone and then figure out what works for me. When I, when I have a huge dilemma, oh, do I break up with this guy? I will listen to all my friends. But I still have to make the decision for myself 'cause I'm the one living my life. And
Matt: Sure.
Christina: way with creativity especially writing because I really [00:12:00] do feel this is, something that I truly believe in that every writer out there that wants to write that has this desire to write to start. If you don't have enough desire that you haven't even started. If it's unlike this client that hired me to figure out why she can't start, know, that was, that was huge. She's spending money a author, coach, and editor without a book. So that told me right away, she's, she's got a huge desire to actually do this.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: that person that you know, oh, I don't think I'd ever spend money. On an editor, maybe you're not a writer. Yeah,
Matt: Yeah,
Christina: is, is that if you truly are at the computer and writing stories and trying to figure it out and doing it, then listen to the advice that's out there, but only take what, what works for [00:13:00] you and throw the rest away.
Matt: sure. I think it goes back to the, the lack of confidence and lack of trust in your ability as well. That sometimes people, sometimes, not everybody, sometimes people get stuck in the learning mode,
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: which is a, just a form of procrastination, right? Because they think, gosh, I'm not quite ready yet. I just have to, I have to learn more 'cause there's just more stuff that I don't know and I'm not ready to write yet until I know whatever that is.
When there's not really.
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: goal. They're, they're hoping some magical, acorn knocks on their head and goes, oh, here it is. And now that's their inspiration and off they're off to the races. But, but it's really, there's safety and learning because you're not actually doing
Christina: Yes. is
Matt: Right.
Christina: Oh my
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: That that is the proverbial I'm better off not even trying because I could fail. Well, you're failing by not even trying.
Matt: [00:14:00] Mm-Hmm.
Christina: failed. You're, you're actually it's a self-fulfilling prophecy then,
Matt: Yep.
Christina: So, yeah. So you really do have to give kudos to every single person who is trying, this is, this is my absolute favorite, Brene Brown. If you are. A client of mine and listening to this, they're, they're all going, oh my God. Okay, here we go with Brene Brown. Because it's not the critic who counts, is not the critic who counts. It's the man in the arena. Now, I know Brene Brown didn't say that, but she's actually the one that brought it to our generation. it is from Teddy Roosevelt, a speech he gave called, and they labeled it the man in the arena. 'cause it really
Matt: Hmm
Christina: That I am not going to take criticism from you when you are not in the act of doing so. This is
Matt: [00:15:00] mm-Hmm.
Christina: those book reviewers who have never written a book, who are panning somebody because of X, Y, and Z.
And it's, I say 90% of the time reviews all our opinion and not really a critique.
Matt: Sure, sure.
Christina: that is my opinion. But
Matt: it.
Christina: yeah, and, and the thing is, the critic who doesn't actually count, is the one who's actually stopping you from following your dream because you're afraid of what they're gonna say.
Well, guess what? They don't matter.
Matt: Nope.
Christina: matter Who matters. Are those people that you are gonna reach with your book, with your. Song with your TV show,
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: your whatever. And it's not just, oh, I've gotta write the Great American novel. No, I grew up on romance novels [00:16:00] I, I'm sure there's someone in the audience going, rolling their eyes and going, oh, she's gonna talk about romance novels. But you know what they taught me a lot about people. Because
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: character sketches, those are at the heart of them. Character driven stories. There can be some plot driven ones, but then I would argue that they're more, know, plot driven mysteries or whatever with the romantic elements. But the ones that are really romance driven are about relationships and characters. And there is somebody out there is going to read a book. Be like, I see myself in that character and that character can make it through to the end. So maybe so can I. So I think there's a lot of things that we miss when we get caught up in our own. As you pointed out, lack of confidence
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: that when we don't start, we've already failed.
So,
Matt: Sure.
Christina: [00:17:00] said, or actually it was Nora Roberts who said, but you said early in the podcast about the just start wherever you are. Just
Matt: Yeah,
Christina: Nora Roberts has a quote, and I'm gonna get this bungled, so I'm just gonna paraphrase, but attribute it to her. fix a blank page. You can't,
Matt: Yep.
Christina: work on, and the thing is, a lot of people get caught up in that blank page, and the blank page is important, but guess what's more important? The idea that you can revise
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: the most important thing you can do is write a good book. Well, in order to write that really good book. gotta edit, you gotta
Matt: Gotta start.
Christina: Gotta
Matt: Yep. Gotta start in the first place.
Christina: [00:18:00] yes.
Matt: Yep. I love it.
Christina: So,
Matt: you were telling me another story,
Christina: yes,
Matt: Before we started too, about one of your clients. Why don't you share that.
Christina: no, it's not actually a client. I would love for her to be a client. and actually more importantly, I would love for her to be on the podcast. So if you're listening out there, or if somebody. Somebody who knows her maybe passes along that we are talking about her on this episode. Her name is Scarlet Cole, and I am a fan. I'm actually a fan of her work and I've read a lot of it. but that's not what I'm gonna talk about. I'm actually gonna talk about something that she posted in a group that one of my clients. I think that's what you were thinking of. One of my clients
Matt: yeah.
Christina: to me, because she knew I would be interested in it because she just. Talked about a lot of what I talk about in that gotta do what's right for you. And she is someone, and she brought up this word pivot. And I'm gonna call it the Grand Pivot. So Scarlet Cole, [00:19:00] if you are listening, come on the podcast for an episode that we've already titled The Great Pivot. But her important pivot was realizing that after, I think it was eight years of writing. Full-time as her job, that she was bored
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: that if she went back to work part-time in a job that she loved and actually admitted missing that she actually discovered that she wrote better. There were a lot of other things that she talked about, but the important thing is, is she knew herself. I'm telling you, there isn't a person out there that's going, this woman is crazy. She was making money, full time writing. Why didn't she stick with it? Because she was better writer she had this other stuff going on. Now,
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: know her personally, so I can't speak to exactly what. [00:20:00] It was that shifted for her, other than she did say in the post that she shifted from writing in third person to first person, which
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: you, at some point in her career she was probably told third person sells more and better. And that time it was probably true. I don't think that's true today. 'cause I think it, it sells as equally. I think it comes down to writes a better book. So someone maybe does write a better third person book than they would a first person, maybe Scarlet Cole. When she flipped and wrote in third person, she discovered something. Hidden inside of her. Maybe it was that confidence that, we were
Matt: Maybe.
Christina: earlier that just said, you know what, this is my natural voice. I'm gonna pivot slightly, pun intended to Kristen Ashley, because we're talking about first person versus third person, she is someone I constantly talk about [00:21:00] because New York did not want her because she wrote her books in first person.
Matt: Mm
Christina: She got rejected I for a decade. I don't know.
Matt: mm-Hmm.
Christina: come on the podcast and tell us your story. So I don't know how
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: was rejected from New York, but eventually self-publishing happened man has she made a career of self-publishing in, get this audience, listen to me and listen carefully.
This woman makes money. I don't know how much. I can guess she at least makes five to six figures a month on her writings. No joke. No joke. And she writes her books in first person point of view for the female character, and third person point of view for the male character.
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: Now you tell me in what person. Telling you how to write would actually say points of [00:22:00] view, first person point of view, and and third person point of view makes for a great book. No,
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: what? It works for her voice.
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: for her voice. I am dropping money on a book she releases knowing that I might get that person, third person point of view.
But it works for her. It works for
Matt: Sure.
Christina: Do I think anybody else could do it?
Matt: Maybe.
Christina: Probably not, because this is what
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: This is where her
Matt: Right.
Christina: So pivot pun intended again, back to Scarlet Cole, because there's an important point that I want to make when she made this pivot from first to, from third person to first person, now I'm getting confused first person That first person either A, brought a new magic to her writing B. Going back to that part-time, know, field that she was in, [00:23:00] that energy, giving her books, her energy, she could be dividing her time and going, okay, it is time to write and let me write. And she was very disciplined about it obviously. but at the end of the day, she herself have set, has said, I am making more money. Yes, listen again. She went back to
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: left the full-time writing to go back to a job, and I'm not talking about the money she's making on that job. I'm strictly talking about the book. She's saying that she is making more money on those books now and she's not doing a lot of marketing. Again, this is just stuff I got from the Post. If I am wrong about any of this, Scarlet Cole, come on and correct me. If I'm right about this stuff, Scarlet Cole, come on this podcast and let's talk more about it because I think
Matt: Exactly.
Christina: it exactly illustrates the point of this podcast when you [00:24:00] are able to do what works for you. Take in all the advice, take in Scarlet Cole's advice. Do you need that part-time, job back? Maybe that gives you the drive to focus on your book for those two hours every night, that that's the only time of day that you can write. Or maybe you're writing on your days off, you know from from that said part-time job. But doing what works for you is going to not only fulfill you, it is going to give you the confidence in your own abilities. Yes. I do believe at the end of the day it's gonna make you more money.
Matt: Yeah, absolutely. All because you stay true to yourself because you find out what works for you.
Christina: Because that feeds into the creativity.
Matt: Mm-hmm.
Christina: when you're blocking your creativity, you get in the shower and you're doing something mundane and suddenly, inspiration hits you and you're like, where's my paper and pen? this is another thing that feeds [00:25:00] into your creativity when you figure out how you work. Then all of a sudden you're excited to come to the desk every day.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: sudden you are excited to go, you know what? It's the weirdest thing, but I have to do this before I write. Who cares? If
Matt: Yep.
Christina: what gets you excited in your writing. And the thing is, I do believe. I do believe this is something that I don't know that anybody's talked about before and I'm about to show, some of my freakish flag. I believe that what you are feeling when you are writing readers can feel when they are reading what you wrote.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: if
Matt: Sure.
Christina: excited to come to the story, though it's this weird, bizarre story, I think the reader's still gonna get it. They're gonna feel it, they're gonna, This is a great book.
Oh, I loved reading it. I, I enjoyed it so much. And it was [00:26:00] because you enjoyed writing it and
Matt: because you enjoyed writing it and it's because you put your heart into it.
Christina: Yeah. You put your heart and soul into it.
Matt: Yep.
Christina: And if you're struggling and literally, what is that quote? And again, don't know who it, who to attribute it to, but you, you put your fingers on the keyboard and bleed. That's what they
Matt: Hmm.
Christina: about I. Writing, whoever this is, is it Hemingway or somebody? I, I don't think that's true. I don't think you should be bleeding at the keyboard. I think your joy should be at the keyboard. And no, you're not gonna get to that joyous place every single day know you shouldn't stop writing.
Because remember, rule number two,
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: go back and fix it.
Matt: Yep.
Christina: if you come to the keyboard that day just with motivation. your words in because when you revise, when you edit that can all be fixed.
Matt: Mm-Hmm. Yeah. And that was one of the things too, that I [00:27:00] had found right as I was doing my research was just just keep revising, revising, revising. Like you can always go back and change it, and you can always make it better just by giving it a little bit more attention. Another once over another set of eyes,
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: don't be afraid.
Christina: I. This is for another episode entirely. But you should have at least three eyes on a manuscript no matter what. Someone
Matt: Yep. We've said that.
Christina: Developmental editing and someone who is doing copy editing, because that copy editor if you have yourself or. Your developmental editor. Myself, I tell my clients upfront, I will not copy edit My eyes, have seen that manuscript too many times.
I am going to miss every single, booboo mistake because I'm concentrating on other things. I'm concentrating on characters and I'm concentrating on, plot holes and.
Matt: Yep.
Christina: that, need to be fixed first. And then if you hand it back to me to copy edit, I'm gonna miss everything.
'cause I've seen it all before and [00:28:00] Yeah. And I know, one, one writer who actually has said she has three editors. believe and and a lot of people use beta readers, but again, that's for another topic of conversation. But yeah, it is, it is about revising. I think every manuscript, no matter how good you are, I don't care if you're Stephen King, you need to edit that at least twice. So
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: you should be at your third draft before it goes to a copy editor.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: And that's because the first draft is you telling yourself the story.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: draft is fixing everything you need to fix after you told yourself the story. And now you know where the story is going.
Matt: Yep.
Christina: And then the third draft, you can hand off to a copy editor.
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: again,
Matt: Yeah, it's your, your first draft again is your lump of clay.
Christina: yes.
Matt: second [00:29:00] draft is the formed piece before it goes into the kiln,
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: the third draft is really, you've now painted it and made it look more beautiful than ever.
Christina: And the thing is, before it goes in
Matt: I
Christina: you may have to reshape it a few times until, this is what I wanna produce.
Matt: Yeah.
Christina: You could take five drafts. I, I have a client who. I believe we're on our third draft, and I know it's gonna take at least one or two more. but he's telling a very complicated story and so
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: gotta, work at it bit by bit, by bit.
It's not, not easily one and done, it's complicated, but
Matt: Sure.
Christina: Layers is good.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: is good.
Matt: Mm. Yeah. I was looking again at the list of things that I had found and, and one of them that's intriguing to me, but is not one that I would choose to pursue because it doesn't work for me, is [00:30:00] Sound it out. Pay attention to the rhythm and sound of your writing. And it makes me think about Aaron Sorkin because Aaron Sorkin if you've ever heard the.
West Wing Weekly podcasts, they talk about this a lot, especially when Dule Hill is on as a guest. He talks about the fact that he, when he played Charlie in the West Wing, he got the scripts and he very quickly realized, oh, this is just, I. This is just jazz. Like this is, this is tap. Right. And there's, and there's that to it.
And he is like, once he figured that out, he did not have to show up nearly as much or as often because he could do, he could nail it much more effectively. Right. So he was able to kind of clue into that because he's also very musically inclined. For me, I love music. I love listening to music. Can't for the sake of my life make a song or write a, or do any kind of like.
Instrumentation. Right. So for me, if I'm to, even though I find that appealing and interesting, if I were to say, well, I have to do that [00:31:00] because this is what the expert's telling me to do, like, I would fail at that, that would not work for me. My story would become disjointed. It would become, just not its full potential because I'm choosing to pursue a piece of a piece of creative writing advice that I think is what is needed to make a good story, and it just doesn't work for me.
Christina: Yeah. And again, that comes down to knowing your own.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: I don't know that I would be able to write a cadence, a rhythm into a manuscript. But even thinking one of my long-term clients, probably my longest term client that I've had over and over again, she writes descriptions so poetically. That it's just, it's magical. I don't even know if I could compare her, to anybody else. That's actually something that, working with her pretty close to the beginning of her [00:32:00] career where we kind of had to pull out, but it's done this way. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. We need to go back to your voice, to your, abilities.
And she's, she's magic. She's absolutely magic when she leans into that because nobody else does it like her. Nobody.
Matt: Sure.
Christina: So yeah, discovering who you are as a writer is definitely, top of the list for when you start out or even, you could be in the middle of your career, maybe it's not going so well.
Then you know what?
Matt: Sure.
Christina: Pivot
Matt: Pivot.
Christina: in
Matt: Pivot.
Christina: Yes. In the language of Chandler Bing. Well,
Matt: from France.
Christina: but Chandler was with him in the stairway
Matt: Yep. Yep.
Christina: and joked about it anyway yeah. If you can then pivot back to who you were when you were happiest writing and when you were writing [00:33:00] your happiest stories and, and you could be writing the most depressing story, but you have to be. Excited about writing that depressing story. And you really have to be who you need to be as a writer to get that book done. There's some obscure, like only 1% of writers actually finish a book. Something like that.
Matt: I believe it.
Christina: I would have to look it up. And, and I don't wanna do that for the sake of time in the podcast.
I know we're running, running to our end here. But yeah, it's a small amount of people that actually finish a book. And I think major reason why they don't, is because their lack of confidence in their own ability to do so that they forever stay in that mode of learning. Forget to learn how they work.
Matt: Mm-Hmm.
Christina: in [00:34:00] your, in your exploration of how do I write, go to, how do I write? how do the experts write?
Matt: Right? Or what do they tell me I should do in order to be this writer? To be the successful writer? To do it just like them. 'cause Yeah, that's what we do.
Christina: This writer makes a gazillion dollars. So if I just follow what they do and their advice, I will make it too.
Matt: It has to work for me.
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: Yeah. No. Nope. Not even a little bit.
Christina: So why
Matt: Well, very good.
Christina: writing your best? Yes,
Matt: Yeah, I mean this for, for you listening, this is, this is the thing to think about, right? Why aren't you writing your best? Is it because you're stuck in that learning mode because it's safe and it's comfortable, right? You're in your little clams shell. Is it because you're taking too many directions and you're not really sure?
'cause at some point you get analysis paralysis.
Christina: Yeah.
Matt: Is [00:35:00] it just because you are afraid to fail? That's okay. Lots of people are afraid to fail, but failure is where the learning is.
Christina: Yeah,
Matt: So get out there and do it.
Christina: failure is where the learning and the experience comes in. I bet you if you asked that gazillion dollar author where they were in the beginning, they're gonna tell you they failed a lot and they
Matt: Yep. Yep. So be, be courageous. Just do it. Just get out there and do it. See what happens.
Christina: Yeah,
Matt: You might surprise yourself.
Christina: you will surprise yourself. There's no might about it. You'll surprise yourself.
Matt: Well, very good. Well, I think that's where we can leave it, and I would just invite you as you're listening to this, any thoughts, questions, comments that you have for us, give us a shout out. You can send it to christina@bookmatchmaker.com. You can send it to Matt at write out loud pod.com. [00:36:00] Either one of those is gonna get to us and we'd love to hear it.
Or better yet, go to the website and leave us a voicemail. There's a little button, you click it, you speak your mind, and it comes to us. And you might hear yourself on the, on the podcast, you never know, but we'd love to hear what you have to say about this because this is a topic that everybody deals with.
No matter how successful they are now, they dealt with it at some point. Well, very good. Thank you my dear, as always. Fantastic. Fabulous, and amazing. Any last words for
Christina: Last words? Yeah, I, I think the best thing that you can do is listen to all the advice. Take what works for you, throw the rest, and get to practicing the writing.
Matt: There we go.
Christina: Yeah,
Matt: we go. I, I will just say ditto.
Christina: I like it.
Matt: I'll just say ditto. I agree. I agree. Awesome. Well, that's where we'll leave it. Thanks so much for listening and we'll see you next time. Bye.
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