Most of the writers I know keep some sort of motivational support handy: a clever phrase written on a post-it note, a poster of a beloved writer, a highly dog-eared copy of “Bird by Bird,” the photograph of a stern but supportive professor. I’m no different. I keep a tiny replica of Coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” taped to my computer. I try to live my life according to the two bottom corners, industriousness and enthusiasm, which Coach Wooden called the cornerstones of success. Whether your field is basketball, dog walking, or writing; it is impossible to be successful if you aren’t willing to do the work, and you won’t do the work if you don’t love what you do.
The author and Binghamton University professor Alexi Zentner once said at the beginning of a semester in a workshop I took with him, that everybody wants to be an author but very few people want to be writers. Then he asked us if we knew what he meant by that. He was answered with silence and a bunch of grad students staring at the table. He explained that being an author means you get your name on the spine of a book, with all the accolades that follow. Being a writer means spending hours a day in your chair doing the work. Writing, alone, and with no promise of publication. That’s the work. That’s being a writer. Coach Wooden said, “Success travels in the company of very hard work. There is no trick, no easy way,” and he was right. Being a successful writer starts with writing one word at a time. It’s just that simple, and just that difficult. There are no shortcuts.
Alexi also told us that there is no better job in the world than being a writer. There’s the enthusiasm. Admittedly, this is subjective. You and I might not agree because we are most likely in different places in our careers than Alexi is. On the other hand, you and I might totally agree because we have this magical vision of what being a writer looks like when one is successful. But again, this is the passion. Loving writing and having a vision of what my writing life will look like helps to keep me focused on the work. Coach Wooden said, “Your heart must be in your work,” and as cliché as that might sound, it is an absolute truth in writing. I know that only I care deeply enough about my stories to tell them well, only I can tell them in my voice and relay them in the way I want them told, and if I don’t care enough to see it done and done right, it won’t get done, because nobody else can possibly do it for me. I roll up my sleeves, stay in my chair, and do the work. And I know I won’t stay there unless I love to write, and I stay there even longer because I’m in love with what I’m writing.
A well-rounded writing life isn’t just about hard work and passion though, it’s about making connections, immersing yourself in the literary community, surrounding yourself with creative people and interesting experiences so you always have a solid support system, and something to write about. Since committing to my writing, I’ve tried to cast a wide net and not confine my pursuits to just writing. I attend and organize public readings, I am the director of a nonprofit literacy outreach program which offers free poetry workshops to anyone, especially to the underserved populations, in my community, I volunteer my time helping to edit two small online literary journals.
A lot of the bricks in Coach’s pyramid touch on this stuff; Friendship, Cooperation, Initiative, Team Spirit, Poise—these are all ingredients that make a person successful in anything. I will not be the reclusive writer suffering alone in a poorly lit coffee shop, and neither should you. Actively seek and maintain connections with like-minded artists, and the payoff will be friendship and support. Writing can often feel very isolating and lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. Motivation should come from a variety of places. Get out there, and see what others are doing to build a literary community, and if nobody else is doing it, lead the way.
Whatever you use to motivate yourself, or even if you’re lucky enough to have the kind of finely tuned intrinsic motivation found in the world’s most creative individuals, remember that you aren’t alone. Look into the stern face in the photograph, read the catch phrase you’ve taped to the wall, read the corners of that tattered pyramid, and remember it was written by someone who, like all writers, needed words of support in order to soldier on when the work got hard. Get out there. Keep working. Make the dream vision of your successful writing life a reality.
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Heather Humphrey is currently working on a Ph.D. in English Literature and Creative Writing at Binghamton University. She is the Editor-in-Chief for Harpur Palate, director of the Binghamton Poetry Project, fiction editor at Ragazine, and Editor-at-Large for Street Light Press. Heather’s poetry can be found in Paterson Literary Review, Edison Literary Review, and Black Fox Literary Magazine. She also has book reviews forthcoming in Paterson Literary Review and The Scattered Pelican. Follow on Twitter and Instagram: @bigred9094.
Heather’s poetry appears in Black FoxIssue 16.
