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Blog: The Literary Copywriter

L.C. Book of the Month: Me And White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

November 18, 2020 Emily Collins
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Me And White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad

L.C. Book of the Month

Welcome to L.C. Book of the Month! This month I’m reading Me And White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad, a bestselling author, anti-racism educator, and international speaker. She’s also the host of the Good Ancestor Podcast where she conducts interviews with change-makers and culture-shapers.

Why Me And White Supremacy?

I selected Me And White Supremacy as the L.C. Book of the Month because I want to live in a world where no one has to justify or fight for their right to exist and thrive. As someone with white privilege, it’s my responsibility to dismantle internal white racial conditioning in service of Liberation.

Me And White Supremacy helps unite antiracist values with actual practice. To complete this book, you must have a journal and open heart. The book is divided into two parts and four weeks. Each week comes with a reflection on the effects of white supremacy on BIPOC individuals as well as several journaling prompts to be completed by white and white-passing readers.

Although this book can be completed in a minimum of 28 days, the work is far from over. The realizations, hard truths, and painful memories these journaling prompts will inspire are an ongoing process. However, starting within is an unavoidable step. Like Saad says in the beginning of this book, “Create the change the world needs by creating change within yourself.” That’s alchemy. That’s freedom.

As mentioned, the book offers reflective journaling prompts on relationships to white supremacy. Some of my answers have surprised me in a good way. For example, when asked to create a list of ways I've benefitted from white privilege I wrote, "As a white fiction writer, I don't have to worry about whether or not my white protagonists will be too misunderstood or disliked by readers. In fact, my white characters are more likely to be praised for their imperfections and/or misconduct." Probably would've never written those words down if it weren't for this book. Time to become a good ancestor on and off the page ❤

Read Me And White Supremacy Today

More Ways to Help in the Ongoing Fight Against Systemic Racism:

Volunteer with Creating for Justice, a growing network of activists who offer artistic and other professional services in exchange for donations. All donations benefit an anti-racist organization in exchange for the volunteer’s services.

For more info, check out my interview with CFJ Founders Taylor Masamitsu and Casey Neubauer

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Your Friend in Craft,

Emily

In L.C. Book of the Month Tags antiracism, spiritual growth, fiction writing, personal development, #blacklivesmatter
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The Literary Copywriter

Tips & Reflections for the Creative Copywriter

Hello and welcome to The Literary Copywriter. Here you’ll find inspiring posts about creative writing, publishing, clients, the MFA world, and how to manage it all.

As a professional writer and full-time graduate student, it can appear as though my work (copywriting) and my passion (fiction) are at odds.

 

Fellow writers often reach out to me wondering how I balance the two. I overhear students say they’d like to study creative writing but worry they’ll never get a job. FYI, I was a creative writing major, and I’ve been gainfully employed since I was eighteen.

 

For aspiring and/or professional copywriters with creative pursuits, it’s not about compromise. It’s about time management and surrendering to your unique, creative process.

 

Your creative “spark,” “muse,” “drive,” etc. can’t be created or destroyed. It’s a weird, regenerative force that’s head over heels for you. You’re more likely to connect with this energy through stillness and force of will (I promise to go into this in a later post!)

 If you’re a copywriter looking to explore your creative and/or literary projects more in depth, I’m here for you. I would also love to hear from you. I’ll be using this space to interview fellow literary copywriters about their habits, dreams, and advice for fellow writers. I have a soft spot for freelancers and would love to brag about you and your business.

 

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You might be a Literary Copywriter if…

 

You believe in a collective search for truth and beauty.

 The written word in all its realms is a path to self-discovery. Whether you’re writing a novel, brochure, screenplay, or web copy, you finish that project a different person. Every word is its own agent in this avant-garde party we call life.

Chances are your writing helps other people. You probably wouldn’t be a writer if this wasn’t the case.

 

You feel guilty, stressed, or uncertain about neglecting your creative work. Spoiler alert: this does not make you less of a writer. It makes you a human being.

That nagging, overwhelmed feeling is a gift. It means you get ideas, and they want to enter this world in a very specific way.

You are an engaged, critical thinker.

For the literary copywriter, the content world can feel like an exercise in chronic inattentiveness. It’s easy to get discouraged.  Our natural ability to construct and redirect consciousness is reduced to disappointing statistics about performance and human attention spans.  

 Marketing strategies and client satisfaction are important, but they don’t determine your beautiful, writerly worth. Don’t forget to honor your complexity and perspective outside of work.

 Before the discovery of quantum physics, the writer William James talked about what would happen if you viewed a raindrop under a microscope. He said that you would see phenomena happening at once. All within a single drop of water. James believed that a mystic is someone who sees the world as though they were peering into a microscope.

 To think critically is to think mystically. The writer knows how to see multiple realities and walk away with the power of a single idea or worldview. You’re kind of a big deal. Don’t run from it.

 

You feel like you’ve had to hide the “real” writer within you so you can secure clients, jobs, etc.

 I know, I know. Fears of imposter syndrome, rejection, failure etc. are real. But they don’t determine your future unless you let them. Remember that clients need your skills. They wouldn’t go looking for your skill sets if they could do it all themselves.

 Remember that copywriting is creative. You’re making money off your mind. It doesn’t get more magical than that.

 

You don’t care what the “experts” say. Not everyone is a writer and some word-magic can’t be taught.

 Harsh but true. Yes, any determined person can learn the tips and secrets of results-driven copywriting. But not everyone can use their writing skills to secure book deals, literary agents, top publications etc.

 If this is part of your grand, writerly plan, then get discerning. Accept the difference between content and art and love the roles they play in our society.

 You realize the passive voice won’t kill anybody. Neither will a metaphor or two.

 Just sayin’.

POWERED BY SQUARESPACE