Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Magic is a trick, and the trick is to believe it's real.” ― Osman Welela, Kingdom

Elisa’s Thought for the Week

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I find this tweet from Ethan Mollick fascinating. (If you click through, you can view more from the study that he is referencing.)

Basically, if you are struggling to find your groove for a writing project, a placebo might be the thing you need to get it back.

It also makes me curious … do you think that writing routines serve a similar result?

Maybe part of what works for us with a writing routine is the placebo of believing the writing routine will help us.

Regardless, if you are still trying to get around to figuring out what it is you are going to write about (today, this week, this month, this year) or finding the resolve to sit your butt in a chair and just do the thing, cinnamon may be your rabbit in a hat.
 

What You Missed on Craft Your Content …

Our articles have the same mission we do — to help you to make your own words even better!

  • What do you think it takes to be a successful writer? CYC Senior Content Editor Chris Angelis shares what it shouldn’t take, and how to avoid harmful habits you’re likely to fall into while trying to create your best writing.

  • From the archives (February 2017): Still on the search for your passion? You’re not alone. Writer Sarah Ramsey shares why it’s so hard to find your passion, and what to do next.
     

CYC Elsewhere ...

Other places we’ve popped up around the interwebs.

  • Ever got stuck wondering what to write in a follow-up email? In this LINKIO guide, 25 gurus share 25 essential tips to guide you. Find my advice on following up after a pitch rejection at #4.
     

In Other Reading This Week …

Need more insights and inspiration for your writing and mindset?

  • How do you determine the best structure for your marketing efforts? In this article by writer Rand Fishkin, find a solid case for using influence maps to guide your selling practices: when you know exactly how customers arrive at your doorstep, it’s easier to guide them there.

  • Can’t take a compliment? Me neither. Find out how our brains process compliments in this piece by The Oatmeal.

  • In this beautifully written feature on food, love, and passion, Writer Danny Whitty shares how he communicates beyond the boundaries of his autism and apraxia — with food.

  • What exactly is excellent writing, and is it a skill that can be taught? This article by CYC Senior Content Editor Chris Angelis on his site Home For Fiction shares the link between writing talent and working for it, and what the journey to becoming a “good” writer actually looks like.

  • Off the coattails of her review of a terrible, Michelin star dining experience, and in response to an interesting (for want of a better word) response by the chef in question, Geraldine DeRuiter of The Everywherist shares what we talk about when we talk about food — the bare minimum content of a great dining experience.
     

Weekly Writing Tip …

A quick chance to learn from the masters.

“Some people see a magic trick and say, ‘Impossible!’ They clap their hands, turn over their money, and forget about it ten minutes later. Other people ask how it worked. They go home, get into bed, toss and turn, wondering how it was done. It takes them a good night’s sleep to forget all about it. And then there are the ones who stay awake, running through the trick again and again, looking for that skip in perception, the crack in the illusion that will explain how their eyes got duped; they’re the kind who won’t rest until they’ve mastered that little bit of mystery for themselves. I’m that kind.” - ― Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows
 

For the Upcoming Week …

Because we all need a good chuckle to start things off right!

Don't look at me like that.

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(Image Credit: Chaz Hutton on Instagram)

Till next time!

Elisa