The Prosperous Writer - Clarity & Authenticity

The past couple weeks in The Prosperous Writer, Christina Katz has discussed Clarity and Authenticity. Her post on clarity rings true to more than just my writer nature. Katz tells us that, “clarity asks you to get clear on where you stand, how you feel, and what your instincts are prompting you to say and do.

A lot of times life gets cluttered and our sense of clarity becomes muddled. This is a crummy feeling often characterized by feeling pulled in too many directions, feeling burdened and guilty, and even feeling like you can't please anyone, especially yourself.”

Have you ever felt like you couldn’t please anyone including yourself? Did you stop to consider why? Sometimes I try to do so much that I end up overworked, overtired or just plain sick. It’s nice to have projects and events to juggle, but at what cost? Sometimes I get ahead of myself trying to cross items off of my To-Do list and miss out on the fun of the experience.

Christina’s post helped me see that I could use some life clarity. Can’t we all? So I am trying to fix that. I am clearing out old junk and have learned to say no – I did it once this year already!

That leads me to Christina’s points about authenticity, “What will people remember about you?

You need to think about it without over-thinking it.

And then hopefully, your answer will tell us something honest about you and what you do.”

She’s right. So I decided to admit something to whoever reads this. (The first step is admitting the problem, right?) I write, blog, friend, e-mail, talk and tweet, but realize I have been authentically all over the place, lacking clarity. However, this is the real me. If you are related to or know me, you know this. My life and my writing process thrives on the twists and turns that make great stories, but taking the long way around isn’t always the most productive. And sometimes you can’t help but get lost.

Take for example my blog bio – it lists that I write fiction and nonfiction and that is true/authentic. I like doing both, but it can get me turned around enough that I lose clarity. It also happens when I write about food, TV, books, relationships and potty training. But, that's just me being myself and sharing a head full of ideas. I think many writers understand this. Because we know how challenging it can be to wear different hats all at once. Writer Mama, anyone?

What’s a woman like me to do? My next step is to establish some goals. Sure, my long-term plan includes a NYT bestseller, a cookbook, mother-and-wife-of-the-year and a hit TV show, but at least I’m taking steps toward some much needed clarity and authenticity.