Curating Discomfort

I don’t think I’ve been clear about The Write Kit Newsletter. We are trying to do two things: Give you marketing and writing tips and entertain you with fictional obituaries. Why? IDK. You can do what you want with your newsletter.

You need to find your audience, because why write if no one reads it? We’re not going to lie to you.  This is often when it gets scary. It’s like that dream we’ve all had where we forgot to get dressed. It doesn’t take a psychologist to recognize that feeling as vulnerability. The thing is, all humans feel vulnerable at times unless you're a psychopath. It’s in our nature. The trick is to identify it, acknowledge it, and celebrate it. Getting past this discomfort is the first step toward building your audience. 

The good news is that you don’t need a lot of people to start building a community. You only need a few trusted people. Start slowly. Look at the last people you’ve had interesting conversations with, either in person, by email, or by text.  Have you told them you’re writing? Have you shown them some work? They might very well be the right reader for you. Or maybe you need a writing group (there are tons of these either online or near where you live). We’re big fans of direct mentorship as well. Try a few things out. This process will get easier the more you do it.  

How are you with social media?  If you answered “intimidated,” you’re not alone. But don’t be. Social media is just another form of creativity. You don’t have to use every platform. Find something that feels good and creative to you. We suggest keeping things as simple as possible. Remember, authenticity is the best policy. Set modest goals. Generally speaking, the slower you build your followers, the more loyal they tend to be. 

The most successful people on social media are those who take their readers seriously and are open and authentic with them.  Your readers want to get to know you, and you can’t do that by mindlessly promoting your book.  Much of what you share with your readers can be about your writing process and just the day-to-day of what it’s like trying to get your book out there.  If you see something you like out there on the vast Internet, share it with your followers.  People will get to know you by what you associate yourself with.

And now another installment of: “Resurrected and Recycled.”

John James, (February 8, 1970 – February 2, 2000), son of a famous disco singer, committed suicide by removing all his clothes and sitting out on an abandoned pier on the Hudson River in New York City in the winter. No drugs were found in his system. He just had the will to die.

  He is survived by his mother, who was an R&B singer from the fifties whose career got a second wind when she changed her name and dance music became the rage. She had a dico in her house. There was always a heavy backbeat and rainbow lights in the house.

John seemed to have everything going for him. He was cute, smart, and popular.  He didn’t do a lot of drugs and he had good grades. So, what gave him such a strong need to end his life? His mother’s nickname for him was “Stupid.” Was that like someone poking him in the chest for years, and finally he just needed the annoyance to stop? Do all parents feel their kids are nuisances at some point but most have the decency not to say it? Or do some parents love their kids so much that they never see them as anything but joy?

The disco fad has long since faded. His mother had a great voice but the lyrics and the beat were so repetitive. There were no colored lights to boost the mood. It was all so monotonous. Maybe the music killed poor John.