A few years ago, my oldest son had surgery, and after almost eighteen hours without something to eat, he wanted food fast…not fast food necessarily…but good food fast. We spotted a Raising Cane’s, and he said he’d eaten there, and that he’d enjoyed it, so we headed that way.
In this age
of being everything to everybody, I was surprised to find nothing but chicken
tenders on their menu. Yes, they sold a few side items, Texas
As
freelancers, we can take a lesson from Raising Cane’s. We’re pulled in so many
directions: writing, marketing, social media, taking care of the business side
of writing, just to name a handful of tasks. I've been at this gig a while, and it doesn't matter where you are along this journey of writing, you wear all the hats, in addition to holding down a public job and raising a
family or helping out with grandchildren and/or elderly parents.
The one
thing I’ve learned (am still learning) is that I need
to focus on the dream, the one thing that got me into this crazy, exciting
business in the first place.
So what’s
the answer? Better yet, what’s the question?
Why am I here? How did I get here?
What am I doing here? What is my purpose?
I’m here
because I’m a writer.
I must
focus on my craft and creating a good story. Focusing for me means devoting the
most creative times of my day to brainstorming, plotting, writing, editing, immersing
myself in my story, and guarding that time very carefully. Write
a good story and the rest will follow.
Yes, the
checkbook must be balanced, the website updated, the books mailed out. The
marketing has to be done, the blog tour scheduled, the contract reviewed, the phone answered. There
are a ton of things demanding an author's attention: blogging, tweeting, sending out a newsletter,
hosting a book signing, or speaking every other weekend, attending conferences. But if we don't focus on the one thing that brought us to this place -- writing -- none of these others things will be needed or even necessary.
I don’t want
to get so caught up in the multitude of things screaming for my attention every
day that I forget to focus on what brought me here.
I’m here
because I’m a writer.
Keep your focus and keep writing!
I popped over to Amazon and saw that two of my books are on sale for .99 cents, so if you haven't read these, today's a great time to snag copies. Happy reading! And WRITING!
We just "discovered" Raising Cane's on a trip we made a few months ago and my hubby and I made that same observation. When you do one thing and do it well, people will respond. Focus is key. Thanks for a great reminder that we can't be or do everything but what we can do, we need to do well. Great post. (And now I'm hungry for chicken!)
ReplyDeleteHmmm... maybe I was just hungry for chicken when I wrote this! lol But, yeah, sometimes we need to get really good at one thing and keep doing that one thing. It's so easy to decide that one thing isn't working (or enough) and start branching out into other things, and then before we know it, our chicken doesn't taste very good anymore. :)
DeleteI've never tried Raising Cane's, though we got one here a couple of years ago. I think I might need a research trip around lunchtime today.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I write is the same reason I read. Because I love it. I read lots of different things. Lots. Of very different things. There are lots of different things I want I write. I have been wondering lately, as I've been learning about finding my "brand" and reaching my market, how to reconcile that specificity with my desire for variety. If I branded myself only one way, there would be so many lovely things left unwritten. But then I remember the fable about the monkey who died because he wouldn't let go of the nuts and couldn't pull his hand out of the narrow neck of the bottle before the hunter came. Too much can be just as bad as not enough.
Hello Terri! I had to reread today's post to see exactly what I'd said about focus.... I'm battling seasonal allergies and a lack of oxygen has got me looking through a fog. :)
DeleteAnyway, I get what you're saying. Totally! When I started writing, I dabbled in contemporary romance, romantic suspense, historical romance, even a bit of sci-fi fantasy. Along with short pieces that I called "nostalgic essays" until I felt confident in completing longer works of fiction. These days I've even dipped my toe into the children's picture book market for the fun of it.
So, having said that, re-read my post again. Which I had to do myself (twice just now!) because of the allergy-induced-brain-fog! Then I reread your comment twice more just to clear the aforementioned fog. lol
While there's a place for writing in one genre, and knowing how much and how far to branch out from your core message, today's post is more about staying focused on the writing ... all of the writing instead of all the other tasks that come with it. Sometimes that's harder than it looks!
Sorry, Pam! I didn't mean to be confusing! I guess I just applied the concept of what you were saying about focus to what I'd personally been thinking about lately. As a pre-published author (thanks for that word, Erica Vetsch!) at the beginning of my writing journey, I don't have books to be mailed out or contracts to review or marketing to be done. I am working on a website, but this whole branding thing has me afraid to take the next step for fear it will be the wrong one. Do I do one thing really well (like Raising Cane's) or do I try lots of different stuff? And if I do different stuff, how do I "brand" that and put it on a business card to take to a conference? Your post was actually quite helpful in showing me that I'm way overthinking it. It's the writing that really matters. If I just do that every day, the rest will work itself out. Right?
DeleteYes, that's it, Terri! But you're not alone in overthinking things. I am the QUEEN of that! Trust me!
DeleteThis is a great reminder, Pam. I crave my writing time each day, but so many other tasks come pouring in and before I know it the day is gone.
ReplyDeleteI need to get back to making that writing hour sacred so I can spend the time doing what I really do!
You and me both, my friend! I've slowed my writing pace down somewhat for now because I'm choosing to enjoy my grandchildren while they're little. The youngest was just born yesterday it seems, but he recently turned TWO. At this rate, he'll start kindergarten tomorrow!
DeleteOne is in school now, and the rest will start school one at a time for the next 4 years. Once they're all in school, I'll have more time (and energy!) to produce more.
Pam, thanks for the great post. In my day job, I am craving to do one thing well so I'm not having to do so much multitasking lol. Focus on writing-I am going to adopt this as my motto. Yes, these other things need to get done, but so does this. This is what I want to do and this is a priority for me right now. And the only way it gets done is if I set aside time to do it.
ReplyDeleteSally, you sound like a busy woman who gets things done! Figuring out how to focus is SO hard, though!
DeleteGreat post, Pam. I love Raising Canes. It was a big deal when our town got one. I probably eat there too often. And I definitely need to focus more on writing.
ReplyDeleteI don't know Raising Canes, but I love chicken. Here in Georgia, Chick-Fil-A is King! Such great customer service too! A number of folks at our church work at their corporate office. Dan Cathy is a local hero!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pam, for your inspiring words on writing. Great blog post! :)
Chick-Fil-A is very popular here as well. We don't have one real close, so don't eat there often, but we do enjoy it when we get the opportunity.
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