Is that really failure?
And useful resources to help
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The next Writing Club will be starting in mid-Jan 2023 at this stage.
Happy Thanksgiving to our US family.
I’ll be helping my American friend celebrate here in New Zealand while all of her family are still over in the states. A low-key Thanksgiving dinner.
Probably no turkey.
We do lamb roasts and mint sauce here in kiwi land.
Anyway, it’s holiday season, but the general feeling for many of us leading up to the end of this year is one of nervousness.
It’s not a boom time right now.
And that can make us feel like, individually, we’re failing.
It was announced yesterday, New Zealand is heading into a recession next year with a quote “bumpier landing than we hoped for”.
For some reason, that news made me feel like I’d personally failed. Don’t ask me why.
Some of my friends, who are very successful writers, are feeling that way too.
Stats are dropping. Jobs are tougher to come by than a few years ago.
What’s going on?
Are we all failing simultaneously?
Here’s the thing—I’ve been doing this for a long time now and there’s a pattern.
Just like the economy, writing has times when you have more work than you can handle and times when you’re hearing the sound of silence.
YOU are not a failure.
It’s just tough right now. For most people.
Is there still work? For sure. Plenty of editors are still commissioning stories. There are people wanting copywriters and ghostwriters. People are still earning.
Is it easy-breazy jobs raining from the sky season—Nope.
What can you do in the dip?
This is a chance to innovate a little.
Think outside the box—is there another aspect of writing you could try? Freelance clients? Copywriting? Helping businesses with landing pages?
Think even further out—is there another skill or, I hate to say it, side project (not hustle—we don’t need added stress) that you enjoy doing or used to do you could start up again?
Are there skills you could be learning, like pitching? Or improving your service pieces or interview skills?
Are there things you could trim back on or eliminate? This is a good time to assess what is currently working for you and what’s a time waster. (Cutting Twitter anyone?)
This is a transition time and transitions always hurt a bit, but they can bring about growth if you approach them in the right way.
In the meantime, comfort food is good too—I’m going to fill my plate with roast potatoes and gravy. What about you?
Writing resources:
Preordered “No More Blank Pages” to prepare for 2023 writing goals. Just $18.50
A newsletter to help you find editors to pitch:
A Bunch of Paid Writing Opportunities by Ashley Broadwater
Inspiration to get story ideas flowing:
A weird and interesting free archive
Every thought about writing a Buzzfeed list like this one? 90s Movies You Probably Loved and Then Forgot about.