Bonus Myth Buster: Don’t be Nas… or Hamilton

Oh, you thought it was over? Nope. I’ve got one more myth for you!

Have you ever been in front of the computer or holding a writing implement over paper or a dry erase board and feel the pressure of getting it right, saying everything, breaking it down so it will forever be broken? Do you try to cram everything into one paper, one book, one novel, one poem? Do think your observation too small, too paltry an offering to the wider world? Do you think…

I am not gonna miss my shot!

All I need one mic, one pen, one prayer…

This is the Hamilton myth or the Nas myth, depending on your mood, preference, frame of reference. This is the myth that assumes you have only one opportunity to get it all down, to get it all written, to get it all right. And, like all myths, it isn’t true.

Like some myths, it does come from a useful place. Specifically, you need to get hyped up to share your ideas. Cue your mental montage to Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” or Aaliyah’s “Hot Like Fire” or Madonna’s “Express Yourself.” Whatever the tempo, sometimes we all need a little motivation. But, motivation without a clear goal can constitute a form of pressure: namely pressure to do it all. Let’s face it. The montage is never for a miniature goal.

The solution is rather simple: SMART goals. SMART is an acronym. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Attractive, Realistic, and Time-Framed. SMART goals are the miniature benchmarks of your writing projects. They help you figure out manageable tasks that will keep your writing moving. They also help you understand the scope of your project.

I’ll use a personal example. A year ago, it occurred to me that I wanted to begin writing on the intersection of Indigenous and Black literatures. Of course, I thought, I’ll write a book in conversation with Tiffany Lethabo King. But, slowly, without thinking of my small part in the conversation, this book idea ballooned into a sort of multi-media encyclopedia. Quickly, I became deflated and depleted – and I hadn’t even done anything!

Last summer, I decided to start with small project: spend 12 weeks reading and researching in Indigenous Studies. Already, you can see that this hits at the “time-framed” and “realistic” portions of the SMART goal, but it is still too large a project. I could not very well say to myself ‘your task is to go down the rabbit hole with books, articles, and podcasts.’ That hits at the “attractive” and “attainable” parts, but it is not specific or measurable. I decided to narrow it down: each week, read a relevant article or book or listen to a podcast. For accountability, write down your thoughts and post them on Medium. The result is my series “I Have Questions: Learning About Indigenous Studies” on from Summer 2021.

In the above example, you can see how I refined the large idea – make a big scholastic splash in Black-Indigenous Studies – into a smaller one – grow in knowledge over twelve weeks. The smaller one got even smaller when I applied the other parameters to it.

It is helpful to know that when you make grand plans, you do not need to know exactly how you’ll get to your destination. You need to provide yourself with the flexibility to ask, “what is my next best move?” This helps you refine your goals and develop new goals as the writing and researching takes shape.

Also, I’d be remiss if I did not bring up accountability. I really love to write, but I also get overwhelmed and scared like anyone else. I do not consider my fear my fuel or anything like that. I acknowledge it and I ask for a little help. I seek accountability in the form of write-on-site, or check-ins, or sending my work out to a peer.

And, sometimes, I still play a little Nas, or Hamilton, or Aaliyah, or Madonna, or Janet Jackson…. Everyone needs a soundtrack.

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