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#WednesdayWisdom
"Manifesting the things you want also requires that you let them go and trust that they will show up exactly when they’re supposed to." ~ @ashleysimpo
Morning Musings
Thanks so much to everyone for your enthusiasm around the book. I still can't believe I'm going to be a published author. Eek!
You might recall a few months ago when I asked the poignant question, Ya girl was anxious af. As someone who is very much invested in The Rules, I wanted to make sure I did it "right." That I was the perfect author.
Well, by now you should know that no such thing exists and something I learned in the weeks leading up to submission is that the process isn't perfect either. I pictured myself writing in coffee shops and sipping lattes, and while that happened occasionally the majority of the book was written in bursts of inspiration--often coming after a late-night nursing session and largely living in my Notes app. Get in where you fit in, my friends.
I had also downloaded Special Writing Software (aka Scrivener) because that's what "real" authors do. In the words of DJ Khaled, I played myself. Listen, I tried everything. I watched tutorials. I had TWO author friends generously donate their time to teach me the ways of Scrivener (thank you, Eve and Jennifer, I appreciate you both), but the math just wasn't mathing. Plus, there was my perpetual fear that the document wasn't saving (and, like many elder millennials, I've been burned by losing one too many final papers in college to Microsoft Word).
As a result, I didn't really write outside of my Notes app. A couple of months before submission, I decided to start from scratch, sorta. I downloaded my manuscript from Scrivener and started a new document in my Google Drive. It was time I returned to basics, to what I knew--my good friend Google Docs.
It's almost like my brain had some sort of mental block when it came to Scrivener. I felt like my words had to be perfectly formed in my head before I could put them down on paper. But I'd written countless blog posts, newsletters and freelance articles in Google Docs. I knew how to do that. This was less intimidating. Suddenly, the words were flying off the paper.
I say all this to say, you have everything you need to get started. You don't need the fancy equipment and software, especially if it's going to hinder you in the long run.
As I recently shared on Twitter, "Start where you are. Use what you've got. Write what you know. The rest will follow." This applies to more than just writing, too, you know. Get out of your head and into your heart. The rest will follow.
Love,
L'Oreal
Links I Love
1. Harold’s Fried Chicken Is a Piece of the Black Chicago Experience (Chicago Eater)
2. Why Black Women Are Divesting From Excellence & Embracing Mediocrity (Refinery 29)
3. Mothering My Inner Child with Help from My Mommies at The Class (In Pursuit of Clean Countertops)
Words with Wine
Join me and two my faes, Ashely Coleman Thomas and Chasity Cooper, for a candid convo about all things writing (plus wine, obvi). We'll be on Twitter Spaces TONIGHT (June 15) at 7pm CT. See you then!
My Latest Obsession
I just finished reading Helena Andrews-Dyer's latest The Mamas: What I Learned About Kids, Class, and Race from Moms Not Life Me and am now recommending it to all my Black mom friends. But you don't have to be a Black mom to enjoy it and learn a thing or two from the author and Washington Post reporter. It doesn't come out until August, but you can preorder now.
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