I’m kind of a Big Deal.
Ok, actually, I’m probably the exact opposite of “Big Deal” but if you swing around my neck of the woods and ask about the guy with the really red hair who walks the back roads out here, a surprising number of folks will know who you’re talking about.
Well, not exactly “Who” – I don’t chat with anyone. Heck most times I don’t even see another person when I’m out walking around except for those who pass me by in a car. I pay real close attention to cars, and I try to make sure they’re paying attention to me.
But they’ve seen me. One person, the other day, actually stopped (a safe distance away) to comment on how they’ve seen me walking all over.
Now you’re all probably wondering to yourself how I’m going to manage to pull this around to writing. Hang on and I’ll start in the next three words…
I like walking.
I really do. Not only is it good for me and it gets me out of the house, it also changes my perspective of things. You see things differently when you’re walking than if you were passing the same place in a car.
It also gets me time in my own head – when I’m not listening to music, or podcasts, etc.
I do it because I enjoy it – and I do it often. Every day this month, so far, but one (it was raining).
And simply by virtue of doing what I enjoy, and doing it often, people started to notice me.
The same goes for you as a writer. You do You.
Write what you enjoy. I’m not usually one for absolutes, but I’m going to try one here: Write Only what you enjoy. Do it as often as you can.
And initially, no one is going to notice. You’ll be the equivalent of just some guy with really red hair waving at cars as they go past (Most folks will wave back – which is how I know they see me. Really important when they’re in a car and I’m not).
But when you keep doing it, people will keep seeing you. They’ll start to remember – especially if you’re out and about around the same time every day – seeing you. Maybe you come up in conversation however briefly.
Vary your path – because who wants to walk the exact same route every day – and more people will see you and, eventually, remember.
Now the point of all this is not to be seen (ok, it is when you’re walking and there’s cars zipping by). The point is that you’d doing something that you enjoy doing. I’ve taken walks where I haven’t seen a single car on the road – which is kind of easy to do when you live out in the sticks – and I enjoy myself just as much as I do if several cars pass me by when I’m out.
Do what you enjoy doing. Do it often. If someone sees it, that’s great. If no one sees it, you’ve still got the enjoyment of doing that thing – which is the important bit.
Thanks for reading.
Be safe out there. Be Excellent to Each other.
I’ll see you on Thursday.
###
Be sure to check out the Freebies Page for story Excerpts.
If you’ve read, and enjoyed any of my books, please consider leaving a review: