Last week, I wrapped up a series of public Co-Writing & Chill sessions. These are two hours of quiet and focused writing time in a group.
We gather and declare our intentions, and I share about the moon (mood) of the day, along with some writing prompts to help writers get warmed up. Then, we write. I check in halfway through and five minutes before we wrap.
After the session, I got messages like…
"That was so fun!"
"I thought I'd write just one newsletter and I wrote two!"
"I have six blogs ready to go!"
"I really loved the vibe, the check-in, and the accountability."
"I've been able to take some of that juju forward in my week and get a couple more writing projects going."
Community members get to do this at least twice a week. That's just the icing on the accountability cake. We also do 3-hour sessions around the full moon, monthly marathons for live feedback, monthly workshops, quarterly content planning parties, and a growing library of resources, swipe files, and the core curriculum to help you write website copy and content. Phew! That's a lot. Every day, since I started this community on my birthday in 2018, I've poured my heart + brains into this space.
Sharing everything I know from my experience building a 6-figure copywriting business, communicating inside corporations, writing and publishing two books, and everything that's happening for my current (3rd) book project.
🤯 But when I looked at the attendee list, this kind of blew my mind.
I know that not everyone shows up for things they sign up for—that includes both paid and free things. Of all the people who signed up for a free co-writing session, 52% showed up. Those who did show up made meaningful progress on the writing work they say is important to them.
👉 Tl;dr: They did what they said they'd do.
And THOSE are the kinds of people I work with. The action takers. They're the ones who start the business, even though they have no clue how they'll make it work. They're the ones who begin writing the book even though they're not sure where they're going with it. They're the ones who show up for themselves and write the blogs, emails, and social posts. They're the ones who write the poetry book or the memoir when their ego says they need to write an email nurture sequence.
Doing what you say you're going to do is how you become a writer who's writing.
I get it because I was a writer who talked about writing and wasn't doing shit.
This week, I invite you to do something simple — do what you say you're going to do. It's crazy how low the bar is these days to showing up for yourself. It can be simple. Invest the next 15 minutes working on your writing project. Bonus points for finishing and feeling grateful for your progress instead of shaming yourself for "only" spending 15 minutes, or having a "terrible" writing session. There's no such thing.
🖊️ What to do when you're not sure what to write
Most weeks, I have no fucking clue what I want to say in these newsletters. This week, I wanted to say something about the 52% that showed up for themselves, and that's all I knew.
What most people do is think they have nothing new to say, so they don't even sit down to write the email.
What I do: sit my 🍑 down, start somewhere, and then the ideas start coming. Today, I had to shut them off or I'd be writing a novel to you. Writing inspiration needs to find you at the page. Get to the page.
✋ The struggle stops here
If you're not writing or you feel crappy about writing and you're in any community (online or off) where people commiserate together about all the crappy things about writing — what you're doing is setting an anchor into the crappy writing space. I've seen these spaces, and when I first started as a copywriter, I was in a paid community where most members, including the community leader, constantly complained about all their writing work — shitty clients, scope creep, impossible demands, and burnout. I didn't buy their line of shit for one second. And you don't have to either.
First, if you're in these spaces, staying there will keep you there.
Second, surround yourself with people who love their work and life just as much. They'll rub off on you.
Jim Rohn famously says, "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."
As for my business, I only have amazing clients; I've only quit one (I'll tell you that story another time), and they pay in full and on time. I decided that this was how I'd run my copywriting business from day one.
🤓 New blogs for you
📚 What I'm reading
Nothing. 🤣 I've been writing so much that picking up a book is just not interesting. If you've on a break from reading, know that it's okay. We don't need to always be drinking from the firehose. Take sips instead.
🌕 Full moon vibes coming in strong
On Tuesday evening, there's a full moon happening. Full moons are my favorite for a deep, focused writing session. I love the extra energy boost I get. If you've been drafting up until now, use the full moon for a big writing session (or join the community and write with us on Tuesday from 1-4 pm ET).
Then, read over your work and express deep gratitude — for the writing you've done, the ideas, inspiration, focus, and nourishment your practice provides. Let go of anything that's no longer serving you or your writing project.
🌊 Finding Flow Early Sign Up Bonus
The fall edition of Finding Flow — my 30-day writing experience to totally transform your relationship with writing kicks off on the new moon on November 1. Sign up before September 30 and get a bonus 30-minute 1:1 chat with me to use anytime you like. Sign up here.
I hope this full moon illuminates the perfect pieces for you.
🤍 Jacq
P.S. Writer's block is BS — you're just out of lived experiences. Get out of the house. And if you can't — here are 11 prompts to help you dig for those experiences. They're totally in there.
