You Need To Write Until You Find Your Winner
Quantity can take you to where you want to go.
Finding the true winner in my writing has taken me nearly seven years.
Early on, I thought it was productivity and sharing my experiences in the workplace. But that was short-lived as I don’t like talking about my day job as much.
Then, as I started diving into the spiritual topics of my faith, I thought this might be it. And it still might be, but it hasn’t been the thing that has fused the Ikigia ideas of my creative world.
Finally, after almost seven years of writing and five years of self-publishing, I found the winner I want to stick with for a long time.
The Minimalist Author Movement
Now, I know that I have shared a ton about being a minimalist author and how to write and publish books, so I won’t go into that too deeply.
But it wasn’t until I clarified this reality in my creative life that I found my winner. I have verified that it checks all the boxes.
Most of all, I can expand on it through many mediums, and there are opportunities to expand into other areas.
I have found my winner.
And I want to share a little about finding your winner today.
Have You Heard of this Book?
When Tad Wojnicki shared his book with me, it made me sweat slightly. It’s outside my reading, to say the least, but people love his book!
If you enjoy Haiku, poems, and the like, check out Sucking Mangoes Naked and let Tad know what you think.
How To Find Your Creative Life Winner
Now, some people might find this sooner than others. It has taken me over 2,500+ articles, blog posts, and email newsletter topics to see it.
Plus, there are the 10,000+ social media posts where I have shared so much information that it could make your head spin.
But, ultimately, I found my creative life winner in the Minimalist Author. And looking back, I want to share three things I would have done to help me find it sooner.
#1 - Analyze My Writing
I do a lot of analysis for my day job, but I have avoided doing it with my writing. I spent years refusing to really look at the numbers and figures when it came to what writing did well and what writing did poorly.
And because of this, I ran around trying to figure out why things weren’t taking off.
Now, I keep track of my posts. Which ones get a lot of engagement? Which ones get clicks and views? Which ones are making the most income? Reviewing these pieces, I can figure out what to expand on and then do it.
I wish I would have done this sooner.
#2 - Merge Passion with Reader Need
I have written for years on a variety of topics that interest me. They have been all over the map. While some of these have hit the needs of my readers (who I am sure were so confused about my writing), not all of them did.
Writing about all your passions and interests will confuse your readers.
Yet, when I started narrowing things down, hitting the niches that I really loved, I focused on connecting with the readers of those niches. Well, things change dramatically.
#3 - Abandon the Losers
I have written a lot of loser posts. And you know what? I kept posting content like the losers long after it died. There have been a series of posts that I kept writing to finish the series even though no one cared.
It’s okay to stop writing about topics no one cares about.
After realizing I had picked a loser topic, I immediately ended my writing relationship with them and moved on to other things, leading me to my winner. This move to quit what doesn’t work sooner led to starting what does work.
Final Thoughts on Your Winner
When you find a winning piece of content, you’ve got to run with it. But, you will only find it when you focus, leave the losers behind, and really look for those winning pieces.
When you do these things, the winners will be 100% evident, and then you can move forward in success!
My name is J.R. Heimbigner and I am a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon with 14 self-published books. I have two things I want to share with you:
A short book on to help you use your Substack posts to write books.
The First Draft Masterclass. I share exactly how to write your first draft so you can get that book published!
Have a book already? See how I can promote it with my newsletter!
P.S. There may be sales or affiliate links in this post. So, I might get a little kick back if you purchase anything. Thank you in advance!
Finding my creative winner is all about zooming out and understanding what’s truly working and what isn’t. It’s tempting to just keep writing and pushing out content, but we need to think like true entrepreneurs—constantly evaluating what's resonating and what’s not. What's working and what's not. Sometimes, it's hard to face this reality because it means taking feedback that might be tough to swallow, but it's so necessary for growth and improvement. Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences!
And when you find your winner, you can try to replicate it several times until you succeed again and again…