Think of Yourself as a Pre-Published Author
Mindset shifts can stimulate—or deplete—our creative energy. It may seem like a mere shuffling of words, but approaching writing projects with an attitude of affirmation rather than frustration (or doubt) can improve productivity. The same is true of minimalism. Viewing yourself through the lens of a pre-published author allows you to refocus your attention on the projects that make sense to prioritize most—the screenplay closest to being finished; the manuscript that has the best chance of selling; a writing residency to revise a poetry collection.
Letting go of constant worries—like whether you’ll ever find an agent or earn enough to quit your day job—frees up mental space to write and edit. Plus, it can reveal thought patterns that protect your confidence through rejection. Truly believing that ‘it is only a matter of time’ before your novel, chapbook or next essay is published does help. You must keep writing—even without knowing when (or how) the next chapter of this creative adventure you willingly embarked upon will begin.
Taking a more minimalist approach to our craft will also lessen the perceived need for more hours in the day to outline, read, research and workshop. Fully anchoring in one project for several months—rather than trying to crank out new poems while also completing a memoir—is one way to stretch the clock. For example, I used to never read more than one book at a time. But for a wide variety of reasons about five years ago, I transitioned into this era in which I try to rotate between a couple of novels and a handful of nonfiction texts every month. The result is the total number of books I typically finish in a year tends to be significantly less than before. Yet now I listen to far more audiobooks—since I tend to only listen to one book at a time.
Another perk to pivoting toward minimalism is growing your writing career or pursuing publishing opportunities may actually become noticeably more budget-friendly. Because instead of signing up for writing classes that sound only “kind of” interesting, you trim annual out-of-pocket expenses to only the ones that directly connect to current main goals. This might include prioritizing a genre-specific intensive, a professional manuscript critique or submissions fees.
In her book The Rest Revolution, freelance journalist Amanda Miller-Littlejohn explains the art of “purposescaping”—the process of clearing a path to your purpose. She emphasizes this habit can lead to radical self-discovery by discerning the “growing conditions” one needs to thrive. It can be easy to assume you need a MFA, a renovated home office or an active social media presence like numerous other writers you know. However, your optimal growth criteria may vastly differ. It may not be about what could be added but what should be limited—or removed altogether—from daily life.
This is especially true if you have chronic mental fatigue. A hyperactive nervous system blocks creativity. Try inserting periods of micro-rest into each day by taking periodic 5-minute ‘pauses’ to sit in silence, walk around the block, or simply step away from all of the screens surrounding you. The more holistically rested you are, the greater your capacity to write, publish and sell your work. Start today by meditating on this truth: Only you can unveil the stories whose truth—and magic—resides in your voice.