Day 3 (Motivation) - Best in Studio Means Noting In The Real World

Being the best in the studio means nothing in the real world. Once you're out there, everyone is strong. Everyone is flexible. What makes you different? How you show up. How you recover. How you adapt. How you tell stories through your dancing. ~ Akay Anil

I really love this thought because it really comes down to a competition level and how we spend too much time trying to be the best, to be better than the other person, to be one step ahead of someone else. Now, don't get me wrong. I am someone who believes that there is something to be said about competition. It does push people. But if that is all we think about, then it tends to make us have a misguided perception of the world and even of ourself.

In the end, as writers, we are all the same. When you sit down at your computer, or you sit down with your legal pad and your pen and paper, you need to know that around the world, there are thousands of others who are doing the exact same thing. 

Every author out there, whether they are new to storytelling, or they have been writing for years, or have been published by a major press, or have self-published or are still trying to find that first contract still struggle with the same things. They all look to figure out what their characters are doing. They look to find the right word and the right phrase to convey the right mood or feeling. 

Your job, is to bring your own voice to the table. Quit trying to be a copy of someone else. Be yourself. As Anil notes in her comment, show that flexibility but show what makes you different and show who you are when you come into the room.

Does this mean to be so completely different and "weird" that people just stare at you? No. But you should be that person that people "see" you in the group.

I am reminded of two authors in particular I saw at conferences. Both just stood out because of "how they showed up." These were working conferences and, as always, I am someone who "people watches." Both of these authors came into rooms and they just stood out as being different. They moved in the room as being professional. They dressed professional. They carried themselves with confidence. They were not cocky or arrogant. You could see they were new authors, but they stood out. I was fortunate to have both pitch to me. Both had projects that were great, but what really stood out was how the demonstrated that they were different and they could tell their stories through how they presented themselves in their pitches. 

So, what can you do to stand out?