Are you one of the six per cent?
Last week I attended a two day seminar on leadership. It was the Global Leadership Summit – rather grand name that – sponsored by the Willow Creek church. I attended in order to enhance and develop my leadership skills within my local church. It was a truly inspiring series of presentations. Key speakers included screen writer and director Richard Curtis, former US Secretary of State Colin Powell and former President Jimmy Carter.
One of the facilitators challenged the 700 people present to apply what they had learned at this summit. He stated simply that the information gained over the course of the two day event was enough to significantly change one’s life. And if everyone made one significant change as a result of the summit, whole communities could see enormous change.
Sad fact
The speaker then went on to state the sad statistic that, at best, only six per cent of attendees will do any follow up or make any significant changes. Once the enthusiasm of the event is over, once the musicians stop playing and the dust settles, people drift back into their old ways of operating. Very few make any effort to apply what they have learned. Only six per cent have any impact for change. I think that the percentage is a little generous. I suspect the true figure is much less.
Writers and the six per cent
Many people dream of being writers. Some people actually do something about it and write something. Even less send manuscripts to publishers and very few are actually published. As far as books are concerned, the figure in Australia is less than one per cent. Most larger publishers receive more than a thousand manuscripts annually from would-be authors. Of those, perhaps five to ten will ever be published. Daunting odds. That equates to less than one per cent. This figure is probably very much the same in other countries. Are you determined to be in that six per cent – or that one per cent?
Bloggers and the six per cent
The situation is frighteningly similar for bloggers. Of the 75 million or so blogs out there, perhaps only ten per cent are actively maintained on a regular basis. I’m guessing that figure – I have no hard evidence to back up my claims. Furthermore, less than one per cent, make any money from their blogging. Granted, there are people who choose to blog for the joy of writing with no intention of making money from their writing. That’s fine. But for those who intend to make a living from their writing, the message is clear. You have to be in the top one per cent in order to make even a modest income.
What now?
As in so many fields of endeavour, the learning should never end. Be constantly learning about writing or blogging so that in a year’s time you can look back and see the progress you have made in your chosen pursuit. Don’t be content to be in the 94% who hear or read about what to do – but never apply it to their writing.
Good writing.
Writing Hint #37: Take a break
The writer’s (and blogger’s) life can be tedious. It can also be lonely.
In your writing life you need to have times of refreshment, times of relaxation, times of recreation and time out from writing and blogging. It is important to have a social life, to get out there with friends and family and essentially to “get a life.” Staring a computer screen 16 hours a day for weeks on end is a sure way of driving you stir crazy. Sometimes when a project is due, or it needs to be finished, long hours are needed. Granted.
Start scheduling days off. Most workers have days or weekends off, so why shouldn’t you? Your writing will benefit greatly from the time of relaxation because you will come back to it with renewed enthusiasm and fresh insights.
Schedule a holiday where you get a substantial block of time completely away. I recently had a 24 day driving holiday in the eastern states of Australia. I only wrote a short journal entry in the evenings, and not every day. The experiences I had while away will keep me inspired for months. (The downside is that it has given me the desire to travel more. Not a bad thing I guess, especially if it inspires me.)
Get a life.
Take a break.
Good writing.
How to be a more productive writer or blogger
The writer’s life is a minefield of potential distractions. Getting control over these distractions is the key to being a productive writer or blogger. Here is a list of some very practical things you can do to increase your productivity.
- Write first: ignore the email and RSS feeds first thing in the morning. Get a substantial amount of writing and editing done before you allow such distractions. In most cases the incoming emails will not generate income, but your writing has that potential. Put first things first.
- Turn off the television: switch off that huge distraction in the living room. Better yet – get rid of it. If you must have a television, limit yourself to only a few select favourite programmes. Record these and only watch them as a reward for reaching your writing goals.
- Turn off talk back radio: I know this is a particular problem for me. I enjoy listening to radio but it is so distracting I get nothing done, so I rarely allow myself this distraction. The world will still go on if I don’t listen.
- Set firm goals: if you have no set goals for your writing and blogging you are on a slippery slope. Set firm goals, strive hard to achieve them and constantly monitor your progress on a daily basis.
- Remove games from your computer: I used to have a problem with this in the early days of computing but it rarely concerns me now. These days I only use them for relaxation or as a reward. Sometimes months go by without playing a game. Get control of this distraction or it will control you.
- Take the phone off the hook: this can be a problem on some days for me and I’ve been known to take this drastic step. If you receive many business calls related to your writing, this may not be a practical solution. Consider letting all calls go to the answering machine, then do all your calls back in a block at a more convenient time. This is a more effective use of time. Train your friends to only call when you are not writing, for example, in the evenings.
- Carry a notepad: When you are away from your computer always carry a notepad. Waiting in line at the supermarket, in the doctor’s waiting room, waiting for the traffic lights to change, in a train or bus or plane, use those precious minutes to write. Jot down blog or story ideas. Do a character sketch, write a plot outline, make a “Writing To Do List.”
Share your ideas:
Now that you’ve read my list, I’m sure you will come up with other strategies for being more productive. Share them in the comments section so we can all benefit.
The easy part:
Reading this list is the easy part. The application is the hard part.
Good writing.
A tribute to writers and bloggers
I went back to full time work today.
No need to panic – it is only temporary. I do relief driving for a friend who runs a courier business in the rural city where I live. He wanted to take a week’s holiday this week, so I’m working full time this week.
I’d like to pay a tribute to all you writers and bloggers out there who also work full time at a job and then stagger home to write. It is hard. You feel tired, worn out and drained. The creative juices have usually dried up.
I am enjoying the freedom to write all day now that I have retired from teaching. How I managed to write so much over the years AND teach full time PLUS be on various committees AND do volunteer work beats me.
So here is my little tribute to all you struggling writers and bloggers out there.
I salute you.
Good writing.
Quick Blogging Tip: check all links
I made a small mistake in one of my posts last week. One of the links I included in the body of the text didn’t work. It was a crucial link too, one than took the readers to a vital page which would help then to do what I was suggesting.
I am grateful to one of my readers who pointed out that the link didn’t work. I was quick to correct it for the benefit of future readers.
Quick Blogging Tip: check all outgoing links from your blog to make sure that they take your readers somewhere – preferably to the page you intended – or they may end up somewhere else.