Go Seuss-ical
Welcome to the Friday edition of The Writer’s Life. This is Starr, giving you one final reminder that the time to get a jumpstart on 2013 is right now. I want to end the week with one of my favorite stories of all time.
Dr. Seuss is the rhyming genius of your childhood. Who can forget Green Eggs and Ham or Cat in the Hat? But as fun as those were to read, the good doctor was genius in other ways as well. He had his finger on the pulse of life and disguised his wisdom in stories for children.
But now that you are a grown-up writer, you can take a deeper look and the works of Dr. Seuss will seem brand new again.
For instance, Oh, the Places You’ll Go is a popular graduation gift because it describes going out on a new venture so well. It certainly applies to launching a career in copywriting!
As the story starts, the main character is setting out for “great places” – just like you are …
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
But pretty soon you hit obstacles …
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
And a slump can set in …
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You might find yourself just waiting for things to happen …
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
And because you’re a freelancer, you spend a lot of time by yourself …
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But when you look back over your goals – your roadmap for 2013 – you’ll remind yourself what you need to do – Get Ready to RUMBLE. You’ll build your momentum with small, consistent actions and stop chasing more than one rabbit so you keep your focus. You’ll turn to your mentor or your mastermind group for support and encouragement.
Then, in the words of Dr. Seuss …
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
I hope you’ve had a great holiday week. And I hope even more that you’ve carved out a little time for yourself to get a running start on 2013. I’ll be setting new goals and taking this same advice right along with you, so if you have comments, please share them here.
The Professional Writers’ Alliance
At last, a professional organization that caters to the needs of direct-response industry writers. Find out how membership can change the course of your career. Learn More »
Starr,
I just want to say I thoroughly enjoyed your series this week. I skim all the daily emails by AWAI... but your articles I read.
You kept me engaged and entertained this week.
Thank you.
Desiree
Desiree S Johnson – December 29, 2012 at 9:59 am
Thanks so much, Desiree! I hope your 2013 is off to a fabulous start!
Best, Starr
Starr D – January 22, 2013 at 10:46 am