Writing Black Joy Season 1 Reflections (part 2)

You can listen to this blog post below.

Last week, I shared some of the beautiful surprises (lessons) I learned from producing Writing Black Joy. This week I want to talk about some of the lessons I learned from “mistakes” I made during the process. I hope that by sharing my wins and mistakes, you can get a real behind the scenes look at what it took for me to bring this idea into the world, and you’ll be inspired around bringing your ideas to life!

My beautiful surprises - taking messy action, holding plans loosely and asking for what I want - catapulted this project into a fun and amazing showcase of Black writers. But I also made some missteps along the way, which I plan to tweak in season 2 and beyond. Here are just a few of them.

1. I didn’t stick to the plan. 

Now I know what you’re gonna say - but Safiya - aren’t you the “plan loosely” girl? Believe me I sure am. Holding loosely to the plan worked really well, however one thing I want to do next time is be very clear on which parts of the plan are non-negotiable, and why they are important so that I can ensure they don’t get lost in the fast paced process of bringing a project to life.

One example of this for me with this project is the importance of sharing the writers’ work. When I first imagined this project, the plan was to feature the words and work of the writers front and centre, as each author did contribute an excerpt - whether they read it live or sent a video or written version in to me. However, in designing the website, I failed to find a way to highlight their work, and I am still trying to figure out the best way to do it.

Part of the problem was that I got carried away, enjoying the conversations with the writers, sharing those conversations, and thinking about how I want to expand the project. And since I didn’t remind myself how important it was, I didn’t give it the time and energy that I could have. My future plans for the project include rearranging the website in such a way that the contributed work has a place of prominence. I am also hoping to have guest bloggers and writers. This is something I will be brainstorming between seasons.

This example shows that even when I am holding the plans loosely, I need to first remember what is really important to me in a project, to ensure that even when plans change, I can find a way to make the changes while still honoring my vision.

2. I took messy action.

You are probably seeing a pattern by now. Sometimes the very things that make something incredible, also can produce consequences that we aren’t ready for, but still have to deal with. And so was the case for this. Messy action is pretty much the only reason that this project exists in the real world at all, but the signs of this messiness are everywhere.

The sound quality of many of the conversations with the writers was not as good as I wanted it to be. Since I am considering making this into either a youtube channel or podcast (or both) this was something I needed to address before heading into season 2. And it also meant that I can’t simply use the audio and video that I recorded from this season and uploaded it for every single guest, which means that I have to find another way to ensure that the writers from this season are still included in whatever I do going forward. (And if you have any suggestions or ideas for me, leave them in the comments or email me!!)

The truth about messy action is that it is necessary, but I need to make sure that I am not too messy as I continue.

3. I wasn’t focused enough.

Again - this is something that became clearer to me as I went through the project. At the beginning, all I knew was that I wanted to highlight Black writers and their joyful work. I put the project out there like that, and I gained a lot of support from folks on social media.

But now that I am considering taking the project further, it’s important to know - who is this for, and how to ensure that I share it so that it can have the impact I want. This meant getting focused on the reality that - I want to encourage writers and wannabe writers - but I also want to have work out there for everyone to read. But it also meant accepting the reality that I might have to make changes to how I present and share it, so that I can reach both groups of people, instead of not really reaching anyone. Knowing this now will feed into how I produce and promote season two.

4. I was too impatient.

Lastly, everything takes time. When I wrapped up the season, so many people asked me how I was going to celebrate, and I had no idea. I was torn between planning for the next season and being excited about it, and being disappointed that not enough people had read or listened to it (at least not in my opinion - heck I thought that the whole world would be listening!) and criticizing my own tech skills. 

The truth is, there will be disappointments in every process, and if you are anything like me - always with several ideas on the go, and ready for the next thing, then you can understand the pull of moving on without taking a minute to acknowledge what was achieved. That was the other reason I wrote these blog posts. I wanted to stop and mark this occasion, and acknowledge that even though it wasn’t what I expected it to be, I created a thing and put it out into the world. Even if only 10 people watched or listened (and I was fortunate that there were so many more than 10!). Even if I made mistakes, and the tech wasn’t up to my own high standards. Even so, Writing Black Joy is out there in the world, and that means something.

So I am talking to myself as much as I am talking to you - celebrate when you put something out into the world. Don’t let your impatience get the better of you. 

So I am celebrating that this project made it, while working towards season 2. I hope that you enjoyed these reflections. Thanks for being on this journey with me, and I look forward to continuing along this path with you!

I send you big love from a small island.

If you are a writer who has aspirations to publish a book, you don’t want to miss the 2 pre-season episodes of Writing Black Joy that drop soon. I will be chatting with a fellow editor as well as a literary agent, and we will be sharing some awesome resources and strategies that you don’t want to miss, that will help you in the writing, editing and publishing process.

PS Join my mailing list to get early access to these resources, as well as a PDF guide to go along with it.

PPS - Love what you read? All content here is lovingly created by yours truly! Want to support my work? Then buy me a cup of tea!!