An article written by speaker, writer, and life coach Brad Stulberg caught my eye. It bore the grandiose title “8 Rules to do Everything Better.” Really? Everything?
I’d love to do everything better. At the moment, I stink at mountain-climbing, neurosurgery, trombone-playing, the decathlon, and a couple of other activities. However, I’d settle for writing better, so I figured I’d see if the eight rules applied to fiction writing. What follows are Mr. Stulberg’s rules, and my assessment of how they apply to authors.
1. Stress + Rest = Growth
This one makes sense. Writers can overdo things, typing until late at night, going without sleep. Everyone needs recharging time. Besides, the unconscious mind often mulls over problems and finds solutions.
2. Focus on the Process, Not Results
I might have stated it a different way, but I agree with the intent. Writers shouldn’t compare themselves to famous authors, or anyone else. Rather than aiming for the best-seller list, seek to write as well as you can.
3. Stay Humble
This rings true. I imagine some best-selling authors lose some humility when they reach the pinnacle. They might imagine they’ve learned all they need to learn. If they step past confidence to arrogance, they risk going stale.
4. Build Your Tribe
Readers might think this couldn’t apply to writing—a solitary activity. It does, in some measure. Even the most introverted writers benefit from surrounding themselves with like-minded supporters. These take the form of critique group partners, beta readers, and eventually reader-fans.
5. Take Small, Consistent Steps to Achieve Big Gains
Any big job, like writing a novel, seems daunting before you start. Beginning with a small step helps in at least two ways. First, you’re less likely to abandon an effort you’ve started. Second, what you found difficult today, you’ll find easier tomorrow. That’s a corollary to the adage about eating an elephant. Thanks to the learning curve, you can take bigger bites each day.
6. Be a Minimalist to Be a Maximalist
Though I’d quibble with the phrasing, I agree with the meaning. If you say yes to fiction writing, you need to say no to some other fun activities of life. Focus on learning to write better. Put in the time.
7. Make the Hard Thing Easier
By this, Mr. Stulberg means to design your life around doing what you value, and make the tempting disruption thing harder. Don’t count on your willpower to avoid distractions or to prevent falling back into bad habits—remove the lures. Engineers call it the poka-yoke concept, or mistake-proofing. Example: if you tend to plunge into the rabbit-hole of fun research while writing, then write with a device disconnected from the internet.
8. Remember to Experience Joy
Like all people doing what they love, writers can turn into workaholics. Take time to celebrate the achievements, to delight in the other aspects of life. This goes beyond the rest and recharging of point 1 above. It means to allow a happy pause for reveling in small victories and to be fully present for the others you love.
Summing Up
Overall, Brad Stulberg has provided eight helpful pieces of advice, as applicable to writers as to anyone else. Though the rules may seem trite and obvious, don’t we all need a reminder every now and then? Among the writers who needed this refresher, I’d count—
Poseidon’s Scribe
