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I’m your typical writer type: loves to read fiction and claims to write as much as he can. The reading part is all true.
Usually, I devour as much fiction as I can, along with the occasional Malcolm Gladwell or Michael Lewis book. Then I spend a lot of time thinking about writing.
But last month I picked up a book that’s totally out of my realm of interest or competence: Born That Way. It’s a book about genetics that covers a fascinating study of identical twins that were separated at birth and then reunited decades later. Some wacky similarities showed up that solidified the link between genetics and behavior.
Why would a writer/lover of fiction like myself read a book about twin studies when he’s trying to polish his fiction as much as possible?
Because I needed to take a break.
I was putting a ton of pressure on myself to write more fiction, so I read as much as I could expecting that it would help me write more. It’s part of my own personal formula.
But all that pressure isn’t good for you, especially when you’re talking about something creative like writing.
So like Archimedes, I decided to take a break. Instead of taking a bath though, I read a nonfiction book about a totally unrelated, random subject. A subject I do have an interest in, but still nothing you would immediately relate to fiction.
And wouldn’t you know it, I had my eureka moment. I enjoyed the book, for one. But I also picked up a fantastic idea for a short story. Hell, it might even be a novel idea. All because I stopped trying so hard.
But by going out and doing stuff, I managed to take the pressure off of what I was doing and get past the roadblock.
Remember the next time you feel like you’ve been bashing your head against a problem for a long time. Don’t keep bashing: take a break instead.
I picked a terrible time to write some really good content. At least content that I thought was really good.
So I want to highlight some of the great stuff I wrote during the holiday break:
Archimedes, Aronofsky, and the Importance of Taking a Break: This one was published right as I was…taking a break. Perfect timing! Sometimes we need to step away from the things we’re trying to achieve and take a break.
The Michael Lewis Challenge: I dare you to come up with a money-related topic that I can’t make interesting. I dare you! No one has taken me up on this yet…
Failure as Motivation: Maybe it sounds cliche, but at the exact time that we fail at something, we feel so terrible that we forget the opportunity that comes with it. Reminders help to keep that in perspective…
Also want to point out I have a new post on Wisebread about Readability, a cool bookmark tool that allows you to turn any site you want into something more readable, like a novel or a newspaper.
I hope to get a short writeup on the book I finished over the break, it was about genetics and as boring as that may sound to some, it was a huge breath of fresh air to read something interesting about a topic I know very little about.
It was a nice “break” from the usual stuff I read.
When I first started blogging, I wrote the way I thought a personal-finance blogger should write. If that’s what I wanted to call myself, my logic went, then that’s how I should sound.
Right?
Doing anything the way you think it should be done has a fatal flaw: you take yourself out of the equation. It took me a VERY long time to figure this out, but nobody becomes a passionate user of a site because it “sounds” like every other site out there. There has to be something special or unique about it.
Guess what that something is? You!
That’s what makes The Simple Dollar and IWillTeachYouToBeRich so special—Trent and Ramit ooze through in every post. Instead of checking their personality and style at the door, they come full force into every post they write.
And that’s why we all tune in, day in and day out. It’s what makes their sites different than the rest.
I still struggle with this. Should I use the first word that comes to mind or a less vulgar alternative? What I’ve learned is that, if I feel like saying I’m pissed off, there are tons of other people out there that feel the same.
By putting yourself out there in your writing (and anything else too), you’re more likely to make that connection with readers that can take your site from being an also-ran to a must-have destination.
Take Financial Samurai: this guy has been all over the major (and some minor) PF blogs. His comments tell you right away the kind of person he/she is: energetic, outgoing, and loud. Maybe I’m wrong about him, but that’s what I get from his site and his comments.
And you know what? I remember energetic, outgoing, and loud—it stands out. There are tons of other bloggers and commenters out there, and I can’t tell one from the other. But this guy stands out and it’s because he puts himself out there in everything he writes.
You can’t fault a guy for being real.
Some of the other bloggers out there that really stand out for me are Tough Money Love, Ben Casnocha, and Lazy Man and Money. They commit themselves fully to everything they write, and that’s why I enjoy reading their perspective on things.
So next time you’re feeling pissed off, don’t tell them you’re “upset.” Tell them you’re pissed off.
