When I am about to publish a book, the voices of self-doubt whisper incessantly in my head. Have I done enough? Is it any good? Even with professional proofreading, have we found all of the glitches? Could I choose stronger verbs?

These thoughts can drive authors to distraction—even people like me that know intellectually to trust the process.

In the days before publishing Get the Word Out, similar thoughts and doubts swirled in my head. Then my library sent a notification that a book I’d requested months earlier was now available.

The book? The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown.

It was precisely the book that I needed at that moment. Even the title gave me peace.

Receiving gifts from the celestial librarians

My rational mind doesn’t believe in signs from the universe. But sometimes, I imagine that a celestial librarian sends me books, blog posts, and articles at the precise moment I need them.

These gifts arrive from many sources, beyond the actual library.

• Off-hand recommendations by friends
• A blog post or book review that rolls through my social media feeds
• A review request from an author/publisher for a new book

Often, I simply pluck a book from my long-standing “to be read” stack, only to discover that it holds a key to my current situation. Had I read it several months earlier, it would not have resonated so deeply.

Time and again, the universe provides the books I need when I need them.

Does this ever happen to you? With which books? And what did you do with that book when you were done—keep it on your bookshelf? Pass it on to someone else?

If you want more support from the celestial librarians, here are a few ideas:

• Make time to read—especially when life throws you curve balls.
• Keep a large stack of unread books as fuel for the celestial librarians.

Stocking the celestial library for others

Here’s a thought experiment for writers: Imagine a situation where someone desperately needs something that you are about to write.

What is that person’s state of mind, and what is happening in their life? What are they worrying about?

Then imagine their experience the moment they find and read your book or blog post or article or poem.

What will they say? How will they feel? What will they do and how will it change them, even slightly?

Make a note of all of that. Then write.

Write the book that the celestial librarians will deliver for that person.

How does this change the experience of writing? Does it change anything stylistically? Does it get you out of your own head?

Go ahead, write something and give it to the celestial librarians to deliver.

Related content

The celestial librarian exercise is another lens on the concept of servant authorship. Learn more about that in these places:

Blog posts:

Servant Authorship: How serving the reader advances your writing

The servant authorship mindset: Why it matters

Video: My conversation with Joseph Jaffe

Book: Get the Word Out: Write a Book That Makes a Difference

Make the reader’s curiosity your ally in titles and introductions

The following is an excerpt from Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why

Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book The Tipping Point opens with the detailed description of a village in Italy. Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat occupies the opening passage of Susan Cain’s excellent work on introversion, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Daniel Pink’s 2018 book When launches with the departure of the Lusitania ocean liner from New York in 1915.

Of the nonfiction books intended for a general audience on my bookshelf, a large percentage begin with a story that, at first glance, has nothing to do with the title of the book. Yet I trust that the author will make the connection and I’m curious about what it will be.

We can learn from these expert explainers.

Launching your book with the Lusitania may be a bold move, if you are superstitious. But while the ship sinks, the book takes off by linking the tragic scope of the story with the premise of the work: the importance of timing on human behavior.

Pink, Cain, Gladwell, and countless successful nonfiction authors understand that their first job is to catch the reader’s attention. Without that interest, no amount of brilliant explaining will matter, because the reader won’t be around to notice.

Your window of opportunity for earning attention is quite short; it lasts as long as the title of your piece and, if you’re lucky, the opening lines. You may spend hours, days, months, or years tuning your arguments and building your expertise. Without an effective opening, all that work is for naught.

Marketing copywriters talk about the importance of having a hook, in everything from ad copy to blog posts. The hook entices the audience to click your link, pick up your book, or open your magazine article.

Yet even in the discipline of marketing, you’ll hear different definitions of what makes an effective hook. One classic definition is a short sentence or tagline that de- scribes the primary benefit, like the New York Times tagline: “All the News That’s Fit to Print.” Marketers also create headline hooks that appeal to curiosity or the fear of missing out: “You won’t believe what happened next!”

The most effective hooks either pitch a powerful benefit or activate the reader’s curiosity.

The chief objective of a title or an introduction is to find the intersection between the audience interest and what you want to communicate. Without an effective beginning, you may lose the reader altogether.

• Books connect with potential readers starting with the title and book description, and continuing into the introduction and first chapter.
• For a blog post, the starting promise may be expressed in the title and opening sentences.
• In an academic article or report, the title and the executive summary entice people to read further.

If you are forming narrative nonfiction, telling a story related to your content, remember that you don’t have to open with the very beginning and proceed in chronological order. The middle of the story may make the most intriguing starting point.

If the target audience already knows something about your topic, then you have a rich variety of angles to consider for your opening. If not, find a relevant connection to their lives (a benefit) or a way to engage their curiosity.

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This is a short section from the chapter on curiosity in Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why. The chapter continues to explore types of curiosity and how to active them. If you’re interested, check it out.

My last post talked about getting to know your Muse. This time, let’s look at the Muse’s counterpart, the Scribe.

The following is an excerpt from The Writer’s Process Workbook.

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The Scribe embodies the productive self.

It handles everything from getting your butt in the chair or pen to paper to releasing your finished works to the world. (Yes, the Scribe handles publication.)

The Scribe controls these inner processes:

• Linear, analytical thinking
• Research and organization
• Critical judgment
• Self-discipline
• Project management
• Focused attention

As writers, we tend to worship the Muse and undervalue the Scribe’s grubbier, more mundane tasks. But without a fully functioning Scribe, your words will never reach the larger world.

If you want to communicate with others through your writing, you need a stable and reliable Scribe.

How Does Your Scribe Take Charge?

As you did with the Muse, think about how the Scribe fits into your writing life. Which of the following best describes your writing discipline?

Slacker Scribe

Maybe you can’t find the time to write. Or you work only when you’re inspired or love the project. That means you wait for inspiration. If this sounds like you, perhaps you have a Slacker Scribe.

Deadlines have little power over you. You rarely complete things to the standard that you want to achieve.

We’ve all spent time with a Slacker Scribe, so there’s no shame here. But if you want to publish your writing, you’ll need to strengthen your Scribe.

Distracted Scribe

Perhaps you start out strong on a writing project, then can’t maintain the pace or find that life gets in the way. You may feel like you end the day farther behind than you started.

Life challenges all of us with competing priorities. But when your Scribe is easily distracted, you find it difficult to finish writing projects.

Reliable Scribe

If you have a reliable Scribe, you have a good handle on how to get projects done. You meet most of your deadlines and obligations. Sometimes, of course, you falter, or you are not as productive as you might like. It’s not always pretty or easy. But when you need to do it, you get the work done.

Scrupulous Scribe

With a scrupulous Scribe, you never miss a deadline and are meticulous about meeting commitments. You stick to schedules without deviation. You have a reputation for getting remarkable things done, and people often call on you because of it.

Your meticulousness can be a curse if it crowds out creativity and inspiration. You can easily exhaust yourself.

What does your Scribe look like?

If your Scribe shows up differently for diverse types of writing, make a note of it here. (For example, Scrupulous Scribe for business writing, Slacker Scribe for poetry.)

And if your Scribe is a bit of a slacker, don’t worry. You can strengthen it. Consider adding a daily writing practice to your life. It’s like weight-lifting repetitions for your Scribe.

For more ideas on understanding and strengthening your Scribe, refer to The Writer’s Process Workbook: Simple Practices for Finding Your Best Practice.

I used to think that I was not a creative person. But then, over time, I came to realize that I was creative. My inner creativity (my Muse) was simply shy.

That insight opened up doors for me.

Over time, I learned how to work with my Muse, enticing it into my work and my life. Now, I’d have to characterize my Muse as reliable. When I need it, I can summon those creative thought processes, and they usually show up. (Not all the time, mind you.)

How about you? How well do you know your Muse?

If you struggle to notice your Muse, check out my last post on Noticing the Muse. Once you’re familiar with the Muse, take the measure of its personality. That insight might help you as much as it did me.

Take the Muse Quiz

To help you get a handle on your Muse’s personality, try my short Muse quiz. And don’t stress about getting the “best” answer. This is entirely private, and no one is judging!

Take the quiz here.

After you answer several questions, you’ll get a result, identifying your Muse as one of the following personalities:

• Shy
• Temperamental
• Reliable
• Prolific

Read the descriptions below.

Shy Muse

If the quiz says your Muse is shy, don’t worry. You are not alone—and this does not mean that you aren’t creative! But, if you think of yourself as “not a creative type,” it might deter the Muse from showing up.

You can encourage a Shy Muse to participate actively in your life by learning how and when it shows up, and creating more of those situations.

Temperamental Muse

If you have a Temperamental Muse, good ideas come to you after you need them, but rarely on deadline. Creativity feels like it’s out of your control, and pretty much just happens to you.

That’s a pretty normal part of the human condition!

Good news: You can learn how to entice the Muse to appear more consistently. Create time and space for the Muse in your writing life. Leave time to let your mind wander and to listen to any creative thoughts that arise—without judgment.

Reliable Muse

With a reliable Muse, you can generate ideas when needed. They may not come easily, or exactly at the moment you need them. You’d probably like to have better control.

You can learn how to work even more closely with your Muse, integrating it into your writing process.

Prolific Muse

When you have a prolific Muse, often come to you because they know that you’re an “idea” person. You consider yourself creative and have many ideas for projects—perhaps even too many!

A prolific Muse can be a mixed blessing. The constant flood of inspiration can interfere accomplishing anything. You’re easily distracted by the next project.

With a prolific Muse, you need a strong Scribe (the disciplined, hard-working writing processes.)

The Split-Personality Muse

My friend Chip Scanlan, a journalist, author, and prolific writer, reports that his Muse shows up differently depending on the type of writing that he’s doing. He’s not alone in this.

We may work creatively in one domain and get stuck in another.

If you write novels in your spare time and blog posts at work, for example, consider taking the quiz twice, once for each type of writing.

What to do with your results

The Muse Quiz is meant to be both fun and valuable. Once you understand the personality of your Muse, you can figure out how to work with it better.

When you take the quiz, you’ll get an email with suggested exercises for the Muse you have today. Maybe, like me, you’ll learn how to transform a Shy Muse into a Reliable one, or to get better control over a Temperamental Muse.

And if the quiz gave you new insights into your writing, please let me know!

Related Reading

Not sure when your Muse shows up? Check out my last post, Noticing Your Muse.

You’ll find advice and exercises for welcoming and working with your Muse (and its companion, the Scribe) in The Writer’s Process Workbook.

This post is based on an excerpt from The Writer’s Process Workbook—an interactive guide to exploring and optimizing your personal writing process. This comes from the section on learning to welcome (and support) the Muse in your writing.

Creativity isn’t a gift from the gods—it’s a product of our minds. And by learning to make room for it in busy days, we can enrich our writing and our lives.

Let’s refer to the creative systems within us as the Muse. The Muse embodies the mental processes that help you find the perfect analogy, a fascinating story, or an unusual approach to your topic.

The Muse is the seat of creativity and combines many processes, including:

• Associative thinking
• Intuition
• Empathy
• Brainstorming
• Contemplation/mind-wandering

It may seem like the Muse lives outside of our direct control.

We cannot force creative insights to happen, but we can invite the Muse into our lives. And the first step is to pay attention to the Muse when it shows up, and to welcome it with open arms.

Notice when the Muse is present

Inspiration doesn’t always arrive with a blinding flash or a big “Aha!” moment. Sometimes the Muse whispers quietly in your ear. Those ideas waver at the edge of your consciousness. Your Muse might be shy or easily spooked by the presence of other people, urgent tasks, and the rush of the day.

If you want more creativity in your writing or your life, start by understanding what the Muse feels like when it is present. Learn what thoughts, activities, or mindsets attract the Muse when it shows up. Then learn to spend more time engaging in them.

How well do you know your Muse?

The first step in welcoming the Muse is simply noticing when it wants to contribute. Pay attention to situations that attract your Muse.

Grab a pencil and note where and when your Muse shows up.

Places: Where are you when inspiration shows up? (At your desk, in the shower, on a walk?) List as many of those places as you can.List as many of those places as you can.

Are you alone? With one or two close friends or colleagues? Surrounded by strangers in a coffee shop? Does it matter? (Write it down)

Time of day: Chronobiology suggests that biological creatures follow different rhythms and timings. Are you more creative first thing in the morning? Last thing at night? When you wake up at 5 a.m. and don’t want to get out of bed yet? What times are especially fertile for you?

Other observations: Have you noticed any other trends in your personal creativity?

If you’re not sure of these answers, spend a few days paying attention to the quiet voice of the Muse as it shows up with unexpected associations or interesting ideas to explore.

Use the Muse Journal worksheet (which you can download here) to keep track of when the Muse appears in your life.

Once you’ve done that, you can integrate more of those activities, intentionally, into your writing life.

And if you found this useful, check out The Writer’s Process Workbook: Simple Practices for Finding Your Best Process.

“Let this take as long as it takes.” 

That is my new mantra. It’s surprisingly relaxing, and a marked shift from trying to pack as much as possible into each day. 

We eagerly absorb stories of aggressive schedules, tactics to keep our inboxes clear, and life hacks to get more done every day.

But this rush to be productive can be futile and toxic. “Getting stuff done” isn’t the same as doing the important things. 

In writing, true productivity is seeing your work through to the end, and getting it out into the world. Sometimes that requires you to commit to doing less of other things.

Too often, though, we rush through the writing.

Despite our instincts to the contrary, going faster does not make us more productive—in writing, in our other work, or in our lives.

And the rush to be productive is particularly damaging to writing. Here’s why.

We all want to love the writing

I’ve written about finding flow in The Writer’s Process—it’s that state when we are ‘in the zone,’ absorbed in the work, unaware of time passing. 

When we find the groove of the work and stay there, something magical happens. We stop behaving like supercharged drones hurrying through the work toward some joyous future time when all of our efforts will be rewarded.

The rewards happen instantly, in the work itself.

Sometimes that experience is the only certain reward for our writing. So, you’d like to reach that flow state as often as possible. Yet, a desire to be productive can harm it.

You can’t immerse yourself with one eye on the clock

Trying to stuff more things into our day means watching the clock. Counting your minutes. Optimizing.

These things sabotage the state of flow.

Auditing or tracking your time (for a brief spell) can give you valuable insight into how you spend it. But fixating on the minutes and hours of the day slams the door on working in a state of flow.

We can only find flow when we immerse ourselves in the work and let it develop in its own time.

Here’s how to apply this approach to your writing.

1. Identify the next step.

Understand and respect your process. Don’t attempt everything at once. (I’m going to write a great blog post right now!) 

Instead, honor the fact that the writing process has many phases. Pick the next step and immerse yourself in it. 

For me, this means dedicating time for freewriting before tackling the first draft. (The freewriting file for this post was three times longer than this finished post.)

I also commit to leaving adequate time for revision and polishing. 

2. Give that next step your full attention.

Sometimes you zip right through a step. Often, though, writing or revising takes longer than you planned. If you immerse yourself in the writing, then you will give it sufficient time.

Honor the work by not rushing through it. 

Honor yourself by giving yourself the time to craft.

However, there is one more person to remember as you take this project: the reader. Because if the work never sees the light of day, the reader never benefits.

3. Recognize when it’s good enough.

Don’t get stuck over-optimizing.

You cannot do everything to a standard of perfection.

Remember, true productivity means getting your work out in the world. At some point, you must ship. 

What would this feel like for you?

What if you commit to relaxing, not rushing through your writing but letting the work take the time it takes?

If your experience is like mine, two things may happen:

1. You are more relaxed and present as you do your planned writing.
2. You are less likely to try to “squeeze in” bunches of tasks that detract you from that important work.

Will you reach a state of flow? Perhaps. If nothing else, you will feel better, more relaxed.

You pay for this improved state by sacrificing two ideals:

• Trying to do everything
• Striving for perfection

We are imperfect. We won’t get everything done, and we won’t do things perfectly.

When we acknowledge this reality, we can do the most important things, and may even find the rewards in the work.

We respect ourselves and our writing when we don’t rush through it.

Give it a try with whatever you’re doing. The next time you find yourself rushing through a task to check it off, while thinking ahead to the next task, stop. Tell yourself, “This will take the time it takes, and I’ll honor it by simply doing it.” See how it feels.

Related reading

Here are two books that may help with the ideas in this post:

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman is one of the most powerful books I’ve read about acknowledging the limitations of your control over time, and getting on with a meaningful life.

The Writer’s Process (by me) will help you recognize and respect the various components of the longer writing process.