The Practice of Shipping Creative Work
Some takeaways from Seth Godin’s book.
Reminder: A writer puts words on a page. An author has a point of view.
And this: My heart is not for sale. What I aim to do is to create a piece of work that might help or entertain or inspire. I’m telling a story. I’m not reciting the Walter Cronkite version of my life.
Reduce decision fatigue.
We become what we do. We don’t ship the work because we’re creative. We’re creative because we ship the work. Saturday Night Live goes on at 11:30pm - not because the show is ready but because it’s 11:30pm.
Understand that a non-fiction book is a souvenir. It’s just a vessel for the ideas. You don’t want the ideas to be stuck in the book. You want the ideas to spread. Which means you should share them. The more you give away, the better you will do.
Generosity is the easiest way around resistance. Write for someone else and send it to them.
Type when you’re not inspired. The typing will turn into writing and then you’ll be inspired.
Mis en place. Set boundaries, prepare your tools and do the work. No drama. Chop wood, carry water.
Flow is the result of effort. The muse shows up when we do the work, not the other way around.
Ship the work. Improve.