Writers rarely get to just be writers. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
But those of us trying to build a legacy usually have to do other business-related things to keep the whole ship running on course.
Case in point: I just spent two days setting up my first Meta ad campaign.
Yes, there’s writing involved. And making images, which isn’t necessarily my favorite thing, but I do have an art degree and used to be a pro photographer, so playing with pictures isn’t horrible.
But the rest is boring techy stuff.
I mean, I find it boring. And sometimes tedious. Definitely far from glamorous.
To me, it’s not as fun as just writing.
On the other hand, we can’t always just do what we’re best at and enjoy the most.
Sometimes doing what we don’t love provides leverage for doing more of what we do love.
Where Writing Personality Types get involved
But having said all that, we can’t assume all writers are like me.
In fact, I imagine writers who have The Mechanic as their Writing Personality Type would enjoy all that technical work.
After all, they like setting up structure, building funnels, and making a customer journey effective.
I’m primarily The Stylist and The Empath with a good dose of The Rebel thrown in. I have Visionary and Mechanic tendencies at times, but I have to invite them to the table when I need them.
So here’s how it often breaks down.
- Visionaries typically hate details and dashboards. They thrive on big-picture thinking, so this is the first thing to be outsourced.
- Rebels hate following rules and directions. They want things to work the way they want them to work, and things going wrong is incredibly frustrating.
- Empaths hate friction-fueled frustration more than anyone. When things don’t work the way they’re supposed to, it’s a very emotional scenario.
- Stylists hate clunky interfaces and complicated descriptions that make no sense. They want tech that looks great and works correctly.
- Mechanics actually love the testing and tweaking. They could probably tinker with a good funnel all day long.
But even for those of us who shy away from getting our hands dirty and avoid things that can break at the touch of a toggle switch, the struggle isn’t all bad.
The friction reveals our blind spots.
It shows us where we need to build up skills.
I interviewed Art Alexakis, the lead singer of Everclear, for the second time a couple of weeks ago.
The first time was 30 years ago for my TV show in Toronto. This time was for my radio show in Las Vegas.
I have other things to say about that at another time. But the reason I bring it up now is that he mentioned being grateful for his multiple sclerosis, which he was diagnosed with 10 years ago.
He still tours and plays hundreds of shows a year.
And the reason he’s grateful is that, in spite of the challenges, it makes him stronger. It makes him try harder. And he appreciates that.
He’s no stranger to adversity, having grown up in a tough situation.
And when someone appreciates adversity, challenges and unexpected friction, that’s the power of yin and yang.
Every negative has a positive, and every positive has a negative.
So the next time you find yourself wishing for something to be easier, or the way I felt with the Meta ads — hoping it would just magically complete itself — remember to appreciate the struggle.
Your Writing Personality Type Toolkit also provides exercises and insights for turning your struggles into success.
Write on,
Heather Vale
Helping you UnVALE your superpowers and navigate the Writerverse
The Writerverse is a safe place and I will protect your details in accordance with my Privacy Policy.