Why Luck Won’t Take You Very Far

In 2021, nineteen-year-old Emma Raducanu was crowned the U.S. Open Women’s Tennis Champion. While it’s not unusual for someone so young to win the prestigious tournament, what makes her victory unique is the way she did it.

The 150th-ranked tennis player in the world at the time, Raducanu didn’t receive automatic entry into the contest. She had to play three qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw. Then she had to play, and win, seven matches against the best tennis professionals in the world. No easy feat. And something that’s never been done before.

After 14 days of battle, and much to everyone’s surprise, the unknown teen was the one hoisting the trophy as confetti rained down on the stadium floor.

Many people believed that following her run in New York she would be the next big thing in tennis. They were wrong.

Since winning in 2021, Raducanu has failed to live up to the hype. She’s been plagued by injury, which has caused her to miss or withdraw from tournaments. When she has played, she’s been quickly escorted to the exit after one or two rounds.

With such miserable results, one might question her U.S. Open win. Was she really that good or was she just lucky?

The verdict is still out on Radacanu, but her story can teach us all valuable lessons.

Luck Won’t Take You Very Far

When we hear of magical tales like Radacanu’s, it gives us hope, especially if we’ve been toiling in the trenches waiting for our big break. Certainly, if it can happen to someone like her, then it could happen to us too, right?

And yes, it most definitely could. But her story also reminds us that lucky breaks usually don’t have sustainable success. While it’s nice at the moment, luck won’t take you very far.

If you’re a writer waiting for that elusive book contract or an author selling and marketing your books, hoping for fortune to fall your way with a stroke of luck is fruitless. If you want your writing or your efforts to go the distance, then you need to stop wishing and start working.

There’s really no other way around it.

Anyone who has gone on to be the best in their field (writer, athlete, actor) will tell you that it was diligent effort, day after day, that allowed them to make it to the top. They studied their craft, practiced nonstop, and didn’t quit in the face of adversity. In addition, they spent money as needed, delegated tasks, and got creative in order to focus on their work.

And because they did all that, they’ve managed to make a name for themselves and build a long-lasting career doing what they love. Luck had nothing to do with it.

So rather than searching for a four-leaf clover to help you rise to the top, spend your time doing what the best writers do and emulate that formula. Then, and only then, will you find success.

Author Self-Care: 5 Ways to Love Your Creative Self

Love thy self.

As an author that can be difficult. We are constantly bombarded by negative thoughts, self-sabotage, and insecurity. Now more than ever, it’s important that authors spend time taking care of and loving their creative selves.

Unfortunately, many of the self-care articles for authors today focus solely on a writer’s physical well-being. And while we need to encourage authors to exercise, eat well, and have the proper ergonomic furniture, there are other self-care tactics that wordsmiths need to consider as well.

Namely, emotional ones.

5 Ways to Love Your Creative Self

With emotional state-of-mind being so important to a writer’s success (who can write if they are overwhelmed, off balance, and constantly derailing themself?), here are 5 things an author can do to love their creative self:

• Don’t compare yourself to others. Comparison is the thief of joy. When we, as writers, compare ourselves, our work, or our efforts to others on the same journey, we can easily become discouraged with thoughts that don’t serve us well. Rather than compare, remember that someone who seems to be doing/accomplishing everything you want may simply be further ahead of you on the road to success. It doesn’t mean they are any better than you. What’s important is that you keep traveling the trail and know that you will arrive eventually.

• Embrace the process. It can be easy to get caught up in the results of your efforts. A finished book. A contract with an agent or publisher. An award or best-selling status. However, don’t neglect the process and the changes in the person you’ve become to reap those rewards. Knowing that you’ve disciplined yourself to sit down and write so that you could complete a manuscript or that you worked on your craft diligently so an agent would notice you, means you’ve learned a lot about yourself and created habits to reach your goals. That in and of itself is truly the prize.

• Give yourself grace. As writers we can be extremely hard on ourselves. We often beat ourselves up with imposter syndrome, criticize our work harshly and hold ourselves to unrealistic expectations. We must give ourselves grace as we work. We will not get the words out right on the first try. We will have to revise and edit our manuscripts multiple times. We may even have to delete scenes or change huge chunks of our writing. The good news is that it happens to everyone. So, give yourself grace and be gentle with yourself. If you can, it will go a long way to helping you on the journey.

• Pursue other creative outlets. Sometimes a writer can get stuck and the words refuse to come. Rather than claim writer’s block and become distraught, find other creative outlets to enjoy and give yourself a break. Consider reading, drawing, painting, decorating, or anything else that might get the juices flowing in your brain. In doing so, you not only nurture yourself but you might find the ideas you need while creating another masterpiece.

• Surround yourself with other authors. Writing can be a lonely undertaking. Hours spent by yourself tapping away on your computer keyboard or researching book material. But no author is an island and it’s important that authors surround themselves with other writers. Not only will you find others who can commiserate with your struggles but better than anyone else, they can cheer you on when you are struggling to get the story right. Seek out like-minded people who love what you do and stick to them like glue!

Writing isn’t easy. It requires practice, discipline, and dedication. But it also requires loving and caring for yourself along the way. When you do, you’ll find more joy on the journey than you ever thought possible.

Author How-To: Organizing Your Writing Space

It’s no secret that creatives - writers, painters, musicians - are often perceived as “messy”; that in order to create any type of masterpiece (a novel, a painting, or a song), chaos must rule their worlds.

But is that the case for all creatives? Or is it possible they could be organized?

While the answer to those questions may vary, the good news is that being organized isn’t a character trait, but rather a skill anyone can learn!

With that in mind, we want to offer some simple tips to help authors organize their writing spaces and exercise their organizing muscles.

How to Organize Your Writing Space

Contrary to popular belief, being organized isn’t one-size-fits-all. Everyone has their own individual organizing style. However, there are some steps that everyone can implement to bring about order, regardless of how you like to organize.

1. Schedule time to organize. What gets scheduled gets done, so carve out time in your day to spend decluttering and organizing your writing space. It doesn’t have to be a lot of time - 30 minutes is sufficient - but knowing that you’ve dedicated a specific period to the task can help you stay focused and accomplish more.

2. Start small. Don’t try to attack your entire writing space all at once. Pick one area - for example, your desk - and start there.

3. Declutter. Before you buy any fancy containers, you need to remove anything that doesn’t belong in your writing space:

• Set a timer (10-15 minutes depending on the condition of your space)

• Pick a small spot that needs decluttering (such as a drawer or the top of your desk)

• Group everything in the spot into like groups

• Sort through each group and put things into categories: keep, donate, recycle, trash, shred, go elsewhere

• When time's up, store keep items, take donate items to your car, recycle/trash/shred accordingly, and put items that go elsewhere back in their proper place

4. Assign zones to your stuff. With your space decluttered, now it’s time to give everything that’s staying an assigned home. Each item should fall into one of three categories:

• Friend Zone - Like friends in your life, items in the friend zone should be those you enjoy, use on a daily basis, and need quick access to (i.e., computer, office supplies you use regularly, reference books, etc). Generally these are kept nearby on your desk or within easy reach.

• Acquaintance Zone - These are items you like, use and need but not on a regular basis; maybe once a month or every few months (i.e. reference books you only glance at, books you’re going to read eventually, educational material you want to keep, extra office supplies). Generally these are stored within your space but maybe across the room.

• Stranger Zone - Stranger danger stay far, far away! Stranger items are those you still need but don’t look at or use very often (i.e. old copies of print manuscripts, important documents, old journals). Generally these are best left in a closet on a high shelf, or somewhere outside your working space.

5. Maintenance. Now that you’ve decluttered and assigned homes, the only way to keep the order you’ve created is to stay on top of it. Here are a few steps you can take to maintain your newly organized space:

• Clean up at the end of your writing time. Take a few minutes at the end of your work time to put things back where they belong and to prep for the next day. It may not seem like much but it can make a big difference when you get ready to create again!

• Declutter regularly. Be intentional about decluttering and remove anything that doesn’t belong in your writing space so clutter can’t expand or overwhelm you.It doesn’t have to be every day but aim for once a week or twice a month.

• Leave empty space for rest and growth. Over time more items will enter your writing space. Can you make room for them? You will if you leave empty space. Not only that, but having empty space where you write allows your mind to rest and have space to let the ideas flow!

It may not happen overnight, but organizing your writing space is possible! Using these tips, being an organized creative doesn’t have to be a myth. You, author, can make it a reality in your writing space today!