How Being Authentic Will Make You A Better & More Successful Writer
Authentic is kind of a jargon word right now. It’s being thrown around liberally, in some people’s minds when anyone uses it, it’s a sign they aren’t authentic — and in the process we lose the power of its’ true meaning .
Authenticity is, at it’s root, about honesty. It’s about truth. It’s about being true to who we really are, and what we believe.
As writers, it’s about creating work which is true, honest, and real. Not work to impress or get readers, but work which is birthed deep in our hearts, which connects people to the truth of who we are.
A few years ago, I discovered the pitfalls and dangers of losing honesty in our work — and how break through that to find our true voice.
In 2011 I had just launched my first free book on my blog. At the time I had what now look completely unrealistic expectations. I thought this free book would launch me on a road to hundreds of thousands of blog subscribers and a publishing deal, in a very short space of time. (Yes, really).
Now, with the benefit of time, I see I wasn’t interested in writing. Sadly, my ego and insecurity was motivating it all. An unhealthy desire for fame, status, and security was behind all my work.
I wanted to be important, and I wanted everyone to like me.
Success was selling hundreds of thousands of books, being famous and in demand all over the world.
Sound lame? It was. I was.
In the last few years though, I’ve changed completely — though I still have far to go.
I had one e-book fail completely. I lost my way with my blog. My writing went downhill. Eventually, I began to realise this myself. My voice had gone. I had nothing left, I didn’t know who I was as a writer anymore.
So I asked close friends and they told me straight out — I’d effectively sold out. I’d compromised for the sake of stats, and my writing had become, frankly, abysmal and heartless as a result.
I was writing to get readers, not writing because I had something to say.
Stopping To Find My True Voice
So I took a radical step. I took a break from publishing any work publicly until I was right. However long that took. I would just write privately every day, stream of consciousness, until I discovered my writers heart again.
It was painful.
It was difficult.
I felt humbled and ashamed. It showed me how much I’d lost it, and how addicted I had been to the adrenaline rush of publishing blog posts.
But slowly and surely, I began to enjoy writing again. I forgot about the audience, I forgot about my blog, and just wrote for me…
…whatever was going on inside.
It was so liberating. I felt alive again. And I began to feel passions, ideas bursting up inside. I realised what I wanted to write about.
I realised what I’d been through was a common problem. And I wanted to help others avoid the trap I’d fallen into, and discover their identity, calling, and authentic self without letting ego, people pleasing, impossible expectations and the idol of success get in the way.
In this break, I began to create more honest, truthful work than I’d ever done before. I enjoyed writing more than ever. Ideas began to pour out of me, I suddenly found I had ten, twenty unpublished blog posts written.
And above all, I became a better writer. The quality of my work shot up, and I began to feel a sense of purpose in my writing.
Many of these ideas were related to writing and the creative process — about how to be honest in the work we do, how to keep integrity in our art, and how to build healthy writing habits — and adopt a healthier attitude to marketing and promoting our work.
This eventually morphed into an e-book — ‘Dance Of The Writer: A Beginners Guide To Authentic Writing’, and then a second, ‘Unlocking Creativity’.
I launched ‘Dance Of The Writer’ as a free giveaway on my blog. Not thinking or even needing it to have any success. Just because I cared about the topic, and wanted to share this with the world.
And it took off. In the next few months I went from 140 subscribers to over 2000, and in the intervening 4 years it’s gone up considerably. The book is still available for free on my website (see below for how to get it today!)
Ironically, it was when I gave up an obsession with numbers and money and fame, and just stayed true to my voice, that I had more success.
I learned through this process that, if we’re not careful, our desire for success can lead us to creating crap work — or at least, work which isn’t our best work, and not the work we were born to create.
Authentic is a word I use to describe our most honest work. Yes, it’s jargony, I admit. But it’s a useful word.
Time has helped me discovered the joy of creating the work which comes from your heart, a message from the rawness of your soul. And that’s what authentic work really is.
It’s work, yes.
It’s difficult, for sure.
It can even hurt at times.
Authenticity is not always romantic, easy, or happy. But it’s true.
And when those words come out, and you find yourself with something you know truly represents a part of your soul, there is a joy which follows.
I’m not going to sit here and say all my work is amazingly authentic now, and I’m not painting myself as a role model of authenticity. I still get it wrong sometimes, but fortunately I have good friends who tell me when I’m straying.
And I’m being intentional in my efforts to be more authentic.
I’ve learned what matters is not how many people like you, buy your work, recognise you on the street or remember your name.
What really matters is being true to who you were born to be. Being authentic in your life and work.
Pursue that. Hunger and thirst for it. Never give up searching and striving for it. And find people who will be honest with you and tell you when you’re on the right and wrong paths.
Because if you’re not authentic, then you’ll never be truly you.
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Want to find your authentic, true creative voice? Want to let go of the need to impress, and connect with your unique message? Let’s talk. E-mail me at james@jamesprescott.co.uk or go to www.jamesprescott.co.uk/coaching and set up a chat today!
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If you want to read more about the lessons I’ve learned about authenticity and honesty in writing, the book ‘Dance Of The Writer: A Beginners Guide to Authentic Writing’ is available FREE on my website, just sign up here to get it in your inbox today!
