In a recent edition of his 3-2-1 newsletter, James Clear asks a question that speaks to much of what I write for this blog.

What aspect of your work is hardest to copy? How can you amplify it?

This is you. This is your voice. This is where you find your authentic self.

What can you do – what and how do you write – that would be hard to copy?

Do more of that.

Then do more. Do it louder. With more color. With enthusiasm.

Then do it again. Do it until it becomes second nature. Do it until you can’t remember why did weren’t doing it before.

What do I have?

A dark sense of humor, great comic timing, brutal and occasionally off-putting honesty, cinematic scene-setting, ease with complex and ugly emotions, made-up words that sound right, cynicism sweetened by optimism, rhythm that ebbs and flows, the kind of anti-authoritarian rage you can only gain by surviving a religious cult, the US military, and the public school system, a deep need for community and connection, a near religious belief in redemption, and a dearth of fucks to give.

I’m not the only writer with those qualities, and I’m not the best at any of them, but there’s still only one person who can do it my way.

Go forth and amplify.

___

Know anyone who’d like my blog? Please forward today’s post! I’d love to hear from them.

Need more content? Join my mailing list!