The Importance of Why I Keep My Plans to Myself

"Keep It Private Until It's Permanent"

Hello Storytellers!

I’ll just jump right in.

I watched a YouTube motivation clip, it was less than 20 secs long. I don’t know who the older gentleman speaking was, but I got one important thing out of the list of wise advice he gave.

Keep it private until it’s permanent.

I’ve been chanting that like it’s a mantra. Especially when it comes to conversations or texts when I’m tempted to talk about what I’m working on.

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

That’s because I’ve noticed how important it is to just keep whatever you have planned to yourself sometimes. Or at least how important it is to me. Every time I said my plan aloud, it never happened. Even if I wrote a journal about what I planned to do, the next journal entry I had was about how whatever I said last time it didn’t happen.

Every single time.

Whether I just tell a few people or do a big post on my blog or announce it on Substack…it will definitely not happen if I tell people my plans. Basically once I start blabbering about what I intend to do, my brain decides I’ve done the work, it gets its sense of accomplishment, then bam, I don’t do the thing.

It can be telling people my new exercise routine because I have big plans for losing weight by a certain time. I not only stopped exercising, I gained more weight.

I can go on and on about my plans to write this or that project, or when I planned to finish my next novel. Nothing came to fruition.

It’s like as soon as I tell too many people, all the wind goes out of my sails, and I lose interest in whatever was currently motivating me. I’ve simply tricked my brain into thinking I had already done it by talking about it so much, so then I don’t do the thing after all.

After this has been happening for years, and I was putting the pieces together, I saw that YouTube short.

Keep it private until it’s permanent.

So I decided to keep quiet about what I was working on until it was totally official. No telling anyone what I’m trying to do, and just work on my writing samples, my personal essay, everything I needed for my application to Spalding University completely quiet. I only told my mom and sister, who were helping me with reading what I wrote and giving me feedback so I could edit.

Now, now that its all official, I will share my permanent unconditional news!

Dear A.E.,

Congratulations! On behalf of the Graduate Committee of Spalding University, I am pleased to notify you that you have been accepted unconditionally into the MFA in Writing program in Writing for Children and Young Adults.

I am so very happy to announce this! After I got the acceptance letter, I told everyone I knew. I sent a million and one texts, changed my status on Facebook, and told my women’s bible study groups.

The key word is after. I didn’t announce my plans to apply, I didn’t announce I WAS applying, or while I waited for the decisions to come through. Only after I got word that I was accepted.

I also call it “moving in silence.” (Yes like the song.) I work on my plans without announcing it to everyone. I’ve found it’s the only way that for me, personally, to get anything done.

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

It makes things difficult when it comes to planning how to do anything, because when I tell myself “I’ll publish this many articles this many times a week…” I’ll end up not.

So I simply can’t say anything! I won’t say how I’ve decided how I’ll figure out a way to start publishing articles again, or how I’ve decided to finish projects, or introduce new projects or what novel I am trying to finish. I don’t mind mentioning something here or there. But I can’t make grand sweeping announcements of “what I plan to do.” If I let my brain get it’s full and satisfied, then nothing happens in reality.

I will however here announce a few other things that have happened in reality.

As I stated above, I’ve been accepted into Spalding University’s Nalsund-Mann Graduate School of Writing. So I’m working on a Creative Writing MFA right now.

I’ve also published the e-book of my debut novel The Other Side into bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Bookshop, Everand, Fable, Kobo, Smashwords, and its available in Germany and in France. The novel is also available in libraries thanks to Overdrive, and hopefully soon in Hoopla.

Getting my book into bookstores and libraries was something I announced, because it was something that happened (and was overjoyed about.)

Here’s my next announcement:

This is the comic I began drawing, as you can see, about a year ago. While I was still going to Lesley University. I’ve been working on drawing it daily (though it’s really on-and-off) since then. I kept trying and failing to post it online because I’m scared. So…here it is.

It was originally called Fro & Mute but now it’s called Fro & Friends. You’ll see it again, that’s all I’ll say about it, since if I say more maybe I’ll ruin it.

So I keep at it.

I created a Buy Me A Coffee, and made a thank you for supporting me button, my first attempt at asking for monetary support, since I’m too hesitant to turn on paid subscribing yet.

I made a shop at Big Cartel, though I have to figure out what kind of merchandise I want to sell.

Those are things I have done, already in reality, so I’m ready to announce. Anything that hasn’t happened, anything that I’m still planning, I’m keeping it private.

I think that’s everything. Everything else is moving silently and when it’s ready, you’ll know. I’m so excited!

Of course, I don’t believe I did this all on my own efforts. None of it would have been possible without the support of those around me, who believe in me, who prayed for me and who love me. God is with me, I’ve prayed for strength, and my Mom is always ready at my side, my sister encourages me, my dad video calls me to check on my health, I’ve found and created writing communities both online and in-person. I’m building the life that supports my goals and my dreams. And when I wake up in the morning, I dedicate my day to God and ask that my writing and my life honors Him.

Well, that’s it for me today Storytellers. I have a lot more stories to tell, and you all have your own stories to tell too! Are you telling everyone what you plan to do, instead of just doing them? Talking about the novel, the epic poem, the memoir, that you plan to write, while the WIP just gathers dust? Don’t talk about it, write it! The world needs our human stories, especially in this time.

Until next time, Storytellers.