Walking the Tightrope: On Writing Epic Shit & Getting Visible


Call it what you will — exposure, traction, traffic, attention, validation, fame, the sacred YES we wish for and warrant — and measure it however you like — pageviews, downloads, adoring eyeballs, crescendos of comments, fan mail, love letters, media ops, onscreen time, on-air spots, bestseller nods, awards, bookmarks, re-tweets, StumbleUpons, Likes or shares. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting visible.

It’s visibility for you, for your work–and your wisdom–in front of the people who need it most.

You want visibility? You need to write. And more to the point, you need to write what Think Traffic founder Corbett Barr politely terms, “epic shit.

Learning promotional tactics is not the key to building a bigger audience. Becoming a better Twitter user won’t magically make your business successful […] Building a raving audience online all starts with writing epic shit. Period. Hands down. End of story.

Write things that make people think. Inspire people. Change lives. Create value. Blow people away with your usefulness. Only after you create epic shit should you worry about sharing your content with other people. All the promotion in the world won’t make your site popular if your content sucks. —Corbett Barr

And the rumors are true. The larger your online audience, and the greater your online visibility, the better your chances of landing a heart-fluttering book deal, the kind with six-figures, and all the ego- stoking trimmings.

Say it, write it, declare it: I am, from this moment forward, a VISIBLE writer.

Go the extra mile to be unique. Traffic (like referrals and retweets and shares) comes from being exceptional and different. Nothing boring or standard ever went viral. Fight to be exceptional. —Glen Stansberry, LifeRemix.net, LifeDev.net

Techno-phobic? Get over it.

You need to write online.

We live in a wildly exciting time in terms of being artists, creatives and activists. We have the Internet, and we cannot underestimate the ways that insta-publishing and content-sharing are shifting planetary consciousness.

It’s what physicist-philosopher Peter Russell calls “the Global Brain.” The communication network that spans the globe and keeps us interconnected acts as our nervous system.

To claim your rightful place in this living info-ecosystem, you need to plug in. Publishing online is the swiftest way to bring the right people to your words, and rally attention around your craft. It’s the closest thing modern writers have to magic.

Just begin.

Perfection is the enemy of done. —SARK

A moment ago, we were revving you up for nothing less than “epic shit.” But holding yourself to epic standards can be paralyzing—especially when you’re at the starting gate of your online visibility adventure.

Before you raise your success meter to EPIC-and-then-some, you simply need to begin.

You want to launch a blog? A website? An online magazine? The Internet’s answer to the Great American Novel? Just start. Don’t worry about your voice (yet). Don’t worry about your audience (now). And as much as it pains us to say this—don’t even worry about your website design, or aesthetic. Just slap up that DIY WordPressblog, and get your words out there.

 Did you write today? Then you’re a writer today. —Julia Cameron

You have time

There’s no magic formula (or timeline) that will take you from newbie blogger to established online icon. But if we had to shout out a number, we’d say: give yourself six months of online writing to find your authentic voice and message. Give yourself that sacred blooming time. Give yourself a break.

When we start by writing from the heart, because we are compelled to, because we must, because we have something to say, our most authentic vision comes forward.

When we have the courage to keep saying that we will absolutely make the time, the time to commit to writing regularly, and the commitment to keep showing up over time, we allow the proper incubation time for something to be born.

What are you birthing? You’re birthing your unique, diverse voice.

The world needs you. The world is waiting for you.

You’ll need to worry about your voice, audience and aesthetic, eventually. But rather than waiting to find your perfect message, or your flawless brand identity — and getting increasingly flustered with what to write about in the first place — just go to WordPress.com, and start writing. There are search engines waiting for you. And your destiny.

What are your tricks and tips to write consistently and get visible?

 


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Danielle LaPorte is the author of the book The Fire Starter Sessions: A Soulful + Practical Guide for Creating Success on Your Own Terms (from Random House/Crown). An inspirational speaker, former think tank exec and business strategist, she is the creator of the online program The Spark Kit: A Digital Experience for Entrepreneurs and co-author of Your Big Beautiful Book Plan. Over a million visitors have gone for her straight-up advice on www.DanielleLaPorte.com, a site that has been deemed “the best place on-line for kick-ass spirituality.”

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