For copywriters with literary dreams, striking the right balance between work and play can feel insurmountable. How many of you have put your personal projects on hold so you can advance someone else’s idea?
Your portfolio may be full of statistics, landing pages, and award-winning copy. But that’s not all literary copywriters are capable of. If it were, you wouldn’t pay for fiction writing workshops or wake up in the middle of the night to jot down that emotionally-gripping scene.
Ecommerce deludes us into thinking that work and play are mutually exclusive. I cringe at how many hours I’ve spent tending to writing-related work that doesn’t satisfy my heart & soul.
For literary copywriters, creative fulfillment’s not about balance but what you’re willing to prioritize. If you don’t prioritize your novel, screenplay, or poetry collection, then it will never get written down.
That’s the worst kind of self-betrayal. The good news is there are 3 simple writing-related practices that can keep you on the right path.
Remember that creative writers don’t have to be fast. They just have to be willing.
The Literary Copywriter’s Top 3 Writing Practices
1. Meditate Daily
A daily meditation practice comes with numerous health benefits. From reduced stress to improved sleeping patterns, meditation is a catalyst for radical growth.
Nothing supports working artists like improved concentration. Personally, I can’t create when I’m worried or fatigued. A cluttered mind can lead to fertile mistakes.
Meditating for just 1-2 hours (preferably in the morning) can enhance your concentration and overall mood. More compellingly, it can unlock creative brilliance.
Theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski wisely said talent is nothing but “a prolonged period of attention and a shortened period of mental assimilation.”
A daily meditation practice will help you focus on your creative work by literally re-programming your brain. Meditation changes our brain waves from beta to alpha to even theta. When our brains regularly produce different brain waves, the automatic nervous system steps in and leads us down a nuanced, healing journey.
If daily meditation can improve your relationships and self-image, then imagine what it can do for creative projects.
2. Read 1 Book A Week
Reading 50 + books a year isn’t just about bragging rights. Reading a novel has the power to improve your craft and theory of mind or “ToM.”
According to Psychology Today, our ToM is “the ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one’s own.”
A book a day keeps the neurosis away.
For literary copywriters, reading books improves our creative writing skills. There’s a reason (or several) why Stephen King vows that every great writer is a great reader. Zadie Smith makes a similar argument in her enchanting collection of essays Changing My Mind.
Reading 1 book a week is a fun and necessary challenge. Your biggest opponent will be personal distractions.
Copywriter Mila Meldosian offers practical advice on how we can better manage our time so we can open ourselves to the world of ideas. If you’ve fallen behind on your reading schedule, be sure to check out Mila’s article on how you can easily read more books this year.
3. Write 1,000 Words a Day
After meditating, I highly recommend writing at least 1,000 words toward your creative project. Remember that these words aren’t perfection, they’re a contribution.
The best way to complete a creative work is to regularly contribute to the work’s atmosphere. The words you write each day may not make it into the completed draft. As you know, writing is re-writing. No word is ever wasted.
When you write 1,000 words a day toward your project’s atmosphere, then you gift yourself the confidence and stamina to keep going. This puts you on a routine deadline-focused, inspirational path of completing what you set out to do.
Everyone writes. Real writers finish things.
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Your Friend in Craft,
Emily