Let’s start with the truth. You are a creative genius.
That’s just a fact, your true nature is brilliance, is to shine. Just by the mere presence of your existence, you are a living, breathing act of creation.
You can’t help creating. It’s just that sometimes we’re not particularly conscious of what we’re creating in our lives.
On top of that, we have layers of conditioned thinking and belief about ourselves and the world that tends to obscure a clear view of ourselves and our creative potential to have a positive impact on the world.
Writing is an extraordinary way to get clear, to get conscious.
The practice of writing itself is an exploration of consciousness, a practice toward deeper self-awareness, which moves us along the path of awakening to our true nature, our true brilliance.
Many of our greatest spiritual teachers from around the world were, and are, writers. From Sappho in the 7th century BC to Pema Chödrön, from Rumi in the 13th century to Thomas Merton, Jack Kornfield, and the Dalai Lama—the written word has the power not only to inspire, but also to awaken the very best in the human heart.
The question is no longer whether or not you have the talent to be a writer or any kind of creative genius. The question is whether or not you are curious enough and willing to surrender to the truth hidden in your own glorious heart.
It starts with a shift in awareness, and then an inclination to act.
Our minds are moving so fast, with so many conflicting ideas, emotions, and beliefs—how do we even know what we think at any given time?
The best way toward clarity (after meditation) that I know of, is writing. Writing is an act of creation.
The word “poem” means, “to create.” Poetry is the foundation of all great writing. And so by writing poetry we become engaged creators.
In this way, we can literally script the life of our dreams into being. Writing is one of the most powerful points of focus we have as human beings.
Over the past twenty years, I have devoted my life to helping people wake up through the practice of writing.
More recently, I have been wishing that when I first started out there had been a clear path, perhaps some steps I could have taken where I wouldn’t have gotten so distracted, lost, and confused along the way.
And so, I created the 10 P’s; ten success principles for people who want to write, who want to become more conscious, who are curious about how they too can have a positive impact on the world.
We all have a story, and writing is one of the most powerful ways to convey and share our stories with the world.
1. Purpose.
Every successful writer I know comes to writing with a purpose. It may start as an urge, an interest, and then blossoms into a need to communicate their experience of the world.
It’s a sincere desire to participate, to join the conversation based on your unique take on the world.
2. Passion.
Once your purpose is clarified and cultivated, passion is right on its heels.
Passion is the engine that drives you and your writing forward. An engine needs fuel.
Sincere interest and curiosity are that fuel fired up by active reading and exploration both literary and otherwise, by being physically and intellectually engaged with words.
3. Practice.
You’ve heard it before. Practice is the cornerstone of success as a writer. And practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes process, and once you’ve committed to practice, it evolves into a personalized process, and you are on your way!
Every single successful published author I know sits their butt in the chair and writes. . . and writes and writes again, every day (or most days).
4. Process.
Similar to practice is process, which develops over time. It’s everything from the type of journal you use to your favorite pen. It’s about habit, continuity and completion.
Everything from the time of day you sit down to write, to how you find yourself editing is included.
It’s best for process to happen organically over time, and it does from sustained consistent practice!
5. Persistence.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve noticed over the years with my students is persistence. Simply sticking with the process. Life happens and grand excuses arise.
They feel so real and insurmountable. A death in the family, a divorce, a major move, an illness, a flood, fire, or earthquake—all terrifying, yet powerful things to write about and great material for your practice, especially in the specific moments of their happening.
6. Perpetual reader.
Every successful writer I know is a voracious and diverse reader. How else do we learn about style and what’s possible with sentence structure phrase and tone?
Reading inspires, it gets us to the page. Reading reminds us how we would say it (write it) differently. And don’t ever say you don’t have time to read, you need to make time to read in order to become a better writer.
7. Prosperity.
Many writers still have this old romantic notion of the starving artist. Nothing could be less romantic than having no money.
In order to nourish your creativity and your life in general, it’s important to have some abundance to help you along. This takes a major mind shift for many of us toward a mindset of prosperity.
When I use the word prosperity, I’m not talking just about money, but abundance in a relationship, work, community, spirituality, and creativity.
8. Participation.
Writing is both a solitary practice and a deeply communal collaborative process. The path to a successful writing career begins with engaging in the community.
We do have to spend some quiet solo time writing alone to get the words down, but it’s essential to reach out to colleagues, friends and neighborhood readers. Join a writing group, go to readings, and then summon up the courage to share your story with the world
9. Platform.
The time to build your platform is now. This is the space from which you can shout out about your experience of the world.
Do you have some insight or new information about a particular topic? Does your novel relate to some interesting aspects of science, history, or sports?
The important thing is to participate in that community and build your visibility and engagement, so by the time your book comes out you have readers, the auditorium is full and you are ready to sing to them!
10. Promotion.
Your job is to get your name and your words out there to your readers. Every successful author I know is a tireless promoter. We need to let the world know we’re here, with our unique, interesting, and positive message to share with the world.
Start that blog, connect on social media, send your work to your favorite journals and magazine, take a class on marketing, PR, and promotion, and let the readers in.
I invite you to take the next step. If you don’t already keep a journal, start today.
Be courageous and write forth the truth of who you really are.
Write forth your creative genius; share your story with the world. It may just unlock the brilliance you have hidden within, and once unleashed could contain the inspiration we all so greatly need to help make ourselves and the world a little more shiny!
