How To “Borrow” a Mantra
The More Writers Know
By Carolyn Howard-JohnsonWriters Advocate, Educator, Writer of Fiction and Poetry and Author of Modern History Press’s HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
“The more you know…the better advocate you make for your book, no matter how it’s published:
You’re a partner for your publisher and its supporting staff if you’re a self-publisher
you’re the 100% decider from do-it-yourself moments to knowing when it’s better to hire a worker bee.”
“The more you know…” has become a favorite motto of mine. I’m positive it’s been said before because I was once on a cruise with lots of sea days that allowed plenty of time for binge-watching TV which I had neglected for many decades before that including the news and the only ads this cruise ship aired were the ones that promoted their activities and their ports. Their chosen syndicated broadcasts filled ad time promoting their own efforts. That’s when I became a regular MSNBC watcher. “The more you know…” tended to lead to lots of new programming, new ideas, new anchors, and it was repeated so frequently eventually I realized it had been by own mantra for years without my realizing it.
It also lead to the realization that it is an essential mantra one for writers, even if they are just aware of it subliminally. Everything we write we’ve learned from something we’ve experienced and none of that has never been experienced before. In other words, nothing is new. So no matter the kind of writing we do, we are always borrowers.
So, I borrowed “The more you know…” for the introductory lectures for the new classes I was teaching at UCLA, to included on the promotional material I was writing for the books I intended to use as my texts, for my clients…and for my kids. Both of my kids were diagnosed dyslexia before most of the medical community and given it a name; one turned out to be a tax attorney and the other a Ph.D. with a love of spreading my mantra to her own students.
As for my clients, I want them to know enough to avoid the pitfalls I fell into when I first started writing with the hope of publishing. Somehow I managed to make some major boo-boos because I assumed I had already done pretty well as a journalist, a marketer (yes, writers better learn a lot about that even if they hate the idea of pairing the art of writing and the lowly business of selling!) and teaching which gave me speaking skills I would need to promote my own books and to help my children through the tangle of educational opportunities.
“The more you know…” give writers to take advantage of myriad of opportunities available when we choose that joyful path as an occupation.
“The more you know…” gives writers the confidence to work with their agent as an equal and to be partners with their publishers even with things we are told we should avoid interfering with like editing and book covers. And the assurance to know when to rely more fully on them for their help.
“The more you know…” means they’ll know how to go about ascertaining that partner-publishing and/or honest-to-goodness self-publishing is right for their personality and their title.
“The more you know…” lets you apply what you’ve learned in the past to what you want to take on in the future, get the help you need, and get it from the best places to accommodate your goals, with assurance.
The best, most frugal way to use a mantra is to be open to new things and read a lot. As your budget allows, choose the the best possible mentors and hang out with associates in as many aspects of the writing world as you can. When we’re new writers we can learn a lot from other newbies, but that should be carefully balanced with reliable, trusted, and vetted resources. Think accredited universities for both classes and activities like writers’ conferences. Think experience. Think, “The more they know… .”
“The more you know… the better equipped you’ll
be to realize your biggest dreams, and the happier, too!”
“The more you know…” the easier it will be to know when to “borrow,” when to give credit where credit is due and when to move on to something else you
know…”
More About Today’s #WritersontheMove Columnist
Full disclosure here: This article may appear in the my new book to be introduced as one of the personal “Extras” I like to include in my nonfiction books. Winning Writers will give the book as a gift to all those who enter their work in their highly acclaimed #NorthStreetBookPrize for 2025 before it is released to the general public by Modern History Press in early 2026. The title is as yet undecided. I am considering, “ A Writer’s Vocabulary: Inspiring Better Writing and Empowering Writing Careers.” Let me know if you have a better idea by leaving a comment. And credit anyone who comes up with a title my publisher, Modern History Press, likes better. Frankly, I think that might be easy to do! (-: Learn more about this contest with many value-added benefits at SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com and more about her series for writers at https:///www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T.
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