7 Habits of Effective Writers | #6: How to Synergize
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“The whole is greater than the parts.”
A common saying, but the truth of it is profound in the context of who you are as a writer. A story is more than the words that comprise it and far more than the paper it’s printed on, though both are absolutely necessary. You are more than your experiences and far more than your skills. As an author, you are not just one book on a lonely shelf—you are part of a vast and vibrant library, one great unending conversation. Synergy grows out of the recognition of this reality and a desire to participate. For creatives, Habit 6: Synergize catalyzes, unifies, and unleashes your greatest powers.
What is an effective writer?
In this series, we’re talking about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Writers. With each one, it’s important to remind ourselves of the goal. What does it mean to be effective when it comes to writing? Here’s what we’re aiming for: An effective writer knows why they do what they do and understands how their process will get them where they want to go.
Combining the strengths of the public habits
Habit 6 draws together all the public habits, uniting them with a network of support that enhances and develops your work in ways you can’t achieve on your own. When you’re able to consider alternatives that allow you and someone else to succeed (Habit 4: Think Win/Win) and thoughtfully evaluate feedback (Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood), then you can actively participate in Habit 6. If you need a refresher, feel free to pop back and review those habits now.
Synergize—Help me see what you see
Synergy begins with an honest ask: Help me see what you see. Like Habit 5, you must start to see from the perspective of others. But Habit 6 reaches even father. Now, you aren’t just looking at your own work—you’re looking at what everyone else is doing, too. What conversations are happening in other corners of the room? What windows are they looking through? What are they painting? What are they building? This expanded perspective opens doors for creative cooperation, the soul of synergy. From there, you can find new opportunities and new solutions that are better than what any one individual can imagine.
The myth of the lone genius
Widening your perspective in this way is tough. It’s one thing to accept a new idea about what you’re working on, but it’s a whole other thing to start being curious about what others are doing. As you encounter more and more ideas, there’s a real possibility you’ll start to feel less unique and more derivative, less original and far too simple. The temptation to become an reclusive genius comes on strong.
In Austin Kleon’s book Show Your Work*, he talks about the importance of turning away from the idea of genius and instead finding a “scenius,” a term coined by musician Brian Eno. In this concept, we see that great ideas and great people arise from a scene of people “supporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from each other, stealing ideas, and contributing ideas.” Mr. Kleon is quick to say this shouldn’t diminish the achievements of great individuals, but it shows how creativity is always “in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds.”
If you look closely, you’ll find all great creators were in deep conversation with other creators.
Synergy with other people
Like all the public habits, Habit 6 involves others by definition. Conversation requires at least one partner. You can find synergy in a critique group or a workshop or even one-on-one with a beta reader or an editor. It’s scary to enter the unknown to share your work, but synergy is about being open and excited for what might happen when you do. Excitement for mutual learning and insight creates momentum towards more insight, learning, and growth. The key is to find others who share your passion to grow. When everyone is sharing their strengths, what you can do together is awesome.
Overcoming doubt
There is a large blue elephant in the room we must address: doubt. It’s not easy to share your work with others, much less step into bigger discussions with people who might be working on different things and who look at the world in very different ways than you do. There are six thousand ways to be misunderstood. Some writers might feel self-conscious or braggy when it comes to talking about their work. Some might feel embarrassed to own the title of writer in public, especially around others who have seemingly earned it with sales or prestige. However, if you’re going to be effective as a writer, that blue elephant of doubt cannot continue to take up space in your atelier.
Sharing is daring (but also caring)
It’s true. You don’t know what’s going to happen when you put your work in front of people. But with the help of the other habits, it can be a great experience that results in synergy. Being open and authentic allows others to do the same, and we all learn to express ourselves better the more we share. If you’re a writer like me, your ideas only get stronger the more you articulate them in ink and even more so when you talk about them out loud.
Iron sharpens iron, and creatives are all made of the same stuff.
Practicing Habit 6
If you don’t have a place where you are connected to other creatives, actively seek one out. Finding a group can take time (both of us have been there!), but the reward is worth the search. Talk to people about what you’re working on and why. Some may not understand, but some will, and they’ll either introduce you to someone you should meet or they will sweep you into a room full of people who already feel like friends. Wherever you find yourself, contribute. Share yourself.
As Austin Kleon shares:
The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others. Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing, and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing. Be on the lookout for voids that you can fill with your own efforts, no matter how bad they are at first…Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.
Finding synergy with an editor
When we say we love to talk shop, we’re talking about synergy. A good editor isn’t out to change your book into what it “should be” or something you don’t recognize—they’re going to use their perspective to help you see new possibilities in what you’re working on. We bring industry expectations, current reading trends and bestsellers, and technical knowledge to the table, but you get to decide if you want to try new tools or paint with new colors. We’re just opening the toolbox. And, if we can, we hope to help you find the conversations that will make all the difference to your craft.
Thanks to Benjamin R. on Unsplash for the photo in this post!
* I highly recommend Austin Kleon’s work for anyone who needs encouragement, lifting up, and a gentle but firm push to keep going. You might also enjoy another book of his called Steal Like an Artist.
