“Generosity is the new currency.” Kamy said this to me at the beginning of our partnership, when we were first conceptualizing She Writes Press and what it would be in late 2011.
I wrote about the idea a little bit in my book because the idea stuck with me. Now, two years later, I’m still quoting her, and I’m still struck by how often I find myself to spreading this idea to writers.
The idea itself is simple: Be generous. It’s worth something. But just like money, some people know how to spend their generosity with grace and ease, while others are miserly. Some people are effortlessly generous; it’s in their DNA. For others it’s tough—being generous is not something that comes naturally—and so it requires tending to, or perhaps understanding how what goes around comes around and why it matters to be generous in public and private spaces.
For writers, being generous opens doors. It’s important to remember that every author started as an unpublished writer, and as much as their merits may have led to their getting published, getting work published is an undertaking that can only happen with an inordinate amount of support, as evidenced on the acknowledgments pages of every book you’ve ever read.
Social media has opened up even more pathways to cultivate generosity. If you pay attention you’ll see people promoting people and work they love and spreading causes everywhere. These forums where people can share what they love and care about is undeniably one of the ways social media is creating a stronger social fabric. Truly generous people will ask you to follow people they love. They’ll ask you to buy the books of people they admire. All of this is of course more powerful when it’s done with authenticity, and I’m not suggesting that you praise or promote or post about things you don’t love, but there’s no denying that generous people have doors opening to them, and people repaying favors and shout-outs. It’s just the way generosity works.
Here are several simple ways to spend your generosity:
1. Review a book you love (or even just like) on Amazon, particularly if it’s by someone you know.
2. Post about the work/workshops/books/blog posts of people you admire, and make sure to properly tag them on social media.
3. Give credit where credit’s due. If someone has influenced you or made an impression on you, make it known that this is the case. It’s more powerful to acknowledge someone publicly than privately.
4. Give lots of shout-outs. This can be as easy as participating in Follow Fridays (#FF) on Twitter, or as big as promoting someone’s work in a feature in your newsletter.
5. Respond to fellow writers’ accomplishments with words of congratulations. Even just acknowledging a milestone, like the publishing of a new book, can go a long way.
I’d love to hear ways you’ve spent your generosity, and what’s happened as a result. I will share my own powerful moment that happened just a few weeks ago when I put a call out on my monthly newsletter asking people to review my new ebook in exchange for a free copy of my book. About 40 people responded, many of them past clients, but some people I’m only loosely connected to online. It was a powerful moment for me: an ask followed by a wellspring of positive responses. All of these people took time out for me—not something that’s easy to do in our busy lives, and not something I’ll soon forget.
Generosity is a currency of abundance, just like the old song about love being something if you give it away. Just like a magic penny—give it, spend it, you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor.
Share your stories of giving or receiving generosity—and then go out and commit an act of generosity today. I will too!
My small gesture of generosity expanded into a greater gift than I had imagined. About a month ago, PACT (http:/ / www.wearpact.com/ ) was selling last season's organic cotton socks for $1 a pair at their warehouse. This week, I sent them an email to ask if they had any left overs. I wrote that wanted to buy a few pairs to give to people who stand in the cold on street corners asking for help. PACT answered immediately with a gift of their last box – it held 98 pairs! These colorful, high-quality socks are now brightening the day, and warming the toes of people who need a bit of cheer. My heart is tickled every time I roll down the car window and pass on this gift from a company built on love.
One of my New Year's Resolutions is to recognize and respond to opportunities to be generous more spontaneously. Thanks for this reminder.
Great post. I love the way you define generosity. My critique group leader gives of herself weekly preparing lessons on writing for our group. She is aways willing to go the extra mile to help. Another member offers her home where we meet.
Brooke, I'm sure you're right. I haven't expected anything back other than a certain amount of loyalty and hopefully respect for the value of what was received. I have noticed my own appreciation level increase as a result, and that's a great thing. It's so much fun to give freely, and the joy of seeing it beaming back in a smile is the greatest reward. I will work on my ability to receive. :) Thanks for your reply.
Rachel, how awesome. Congrats on the award!
Virginia, you're right to point this out. Just as some people are inept in the generosity department, there are those who are inept at what it means to receive. It's hard when people take things for granted because you feel used and question the worth of what you gave away. Which is why I think Susan's point (below) is so important: to not have an expectation that there should be payback; otherwise we open ourselves up to hurt and disappointment. This may be inevitable on some fronts when you're being generous and feel that everyone else should be too. But there are just a lot of people who aren't generous! So maybe our work is to also be good receivers. :)
This is an interesting subject. I've been accused of giving too generously over the past fifty years. I always went out of my way to be helpful and kind, and often found it a double-edged sword. On one hand, people were appreciative on an immediate basis, and I'd be invited back to interesting groups and scenarios, and found I was often expected to provide the same service, as if they'd procured free help. I could enjoy the company, but felt obliged to do the same actions that got me invited. I also gave away free counseling services to a number of people who couldn't pay, only to feel dismissed once they had what they needed. I don't regret helping or giving freely to those who appreciated it, and I never regret loving. Truth is, I'm not as altruistic as I was in my youth. I think about that from time to time. I give freely to those who will go out and give freely to others. I think that's a better solution to keeping it going around, than just blindly giving to those who wouldn't do the same for me or for others. It's got to keep flowing out.
I absolutely love this post, Brooke! It's so true. Generosity opens doors in ways that we can't imagine. Being generous with the intention only to help someone is rewarding in itself. When our generosity leads us to opportunities-- that's just an added bonus!
A great topic Brooke, especially for the holidays. I have always believed in paying it forward- something I think I learned from my Dad, who repaid people with his time, helping them solve a problem, being a mediator of sorts in disputes. Having been in a highly competitive MFA program, I was disappointed to find some fellow students who did not share the enthusiasm of others' successes. I learned to seek out the team players, the ones who believed like I did that the universe is a big enough place for all of us...I'm a fan of posting people's good hard work, and appreciate when others return the favor.
I love this post! It expresses something wise and true that I really relate to, because generosity transforms your energy. I'd been feeling down this year because I felt like I was no good: so many rejections, doors kept closing, a general cluelessness about social media... and so I set out to learn something about social media and saw that someone had posted, 'it's about what you can do for other people'. So I started offering to critique work that people needed feedback on, and that grew... and I learnt today that I've been longlisted for SCBWI's Undiscovered Voices. And it felt like it was a response from the Universe because as well as needing to work hard to raise the level of your writing, you have to work to raise your level of positivity and generosity. And you're right, so many people have helped and supported me, it feels good to reciprocate. So, thanks for posting, it's a good point to draw attention to.
Karen, I looked for an image that didn't have bags of money but couldn't find the perfect thing. Time, in my opinion, is more valuable than money. We're all so busy that when people give their time I generally much more moved.
This is awesome, Susan. I agree with you completely. I also really love to contribute to things I care about. I contribute to a lot of Indiegogo and Pubslush campaigns, and to any kind of race for cures and so forth when my friends are involved because I know it matters to them. But beyond money is the simple act of acknowledgment, which is SO powerful. Just talking about it makes me want to do it more.
Hi Brooke, I can't always be financially generous but I am very generous with my time in different ways. I teach an African inspired dance class and let students who can not afford the ten bucks to come for free. I give things away all of the time and can't wait for the day I can give money as well to others besides my daughters! But I believe there is plenty of value in being generous with the internal gifts we have been given. Happy Holidays! If anyone lives in the Bay Area I organized a caroling event to the Elders here in Sonoma this Saturday--all are welcomed!
Generosity carries great rewards, many unexpected. But I find that true acts of generosity do not carry with them any expectation of payback. It's easier to be generous when you're expecting to get something out of it, but it doesn't feel as genuinely generous. I recently anonymously paid for a fellow writer to attend a retreat of my writing class when I learned that she couldn't afford to pay for it. I've done a lot of editing - pro bono - for friends for projects large and small, especially when money was short for them. The latest was a PhD dissertation; I learned a lot from reading it, especially from an editor's viewpoint. I love to give of my expertise, which includes technical feedback on a book a friend is writing, entitled "100 under $100" about simple and inexpensive means to improve the lives of women and girls in low-resource settings. (And she plans to publish it with She Writes.) I'm fortunate to have the time and financial means to do this. Finally, with generosity comes gratitude - for the generosity of others. I will be forever grateful to my writing teacher who continues to encourage me, mentor me, teach me writing skills, and inspire me in so many ways, and it is not just because I pay for her classes. She cares about me as a writer.
Great post, Brooke. I always try to be generous and I'm always touched by the level of generosity I find in fellow writers. I think that writers are, in general, a generous bunch. We know how hard it is when it comes to promoting, sales, competition, etc. Generosity is a way to show moral support.
I'm reviewing a short story collection for a colleague which is coming out in March, 2014. I tend to review stuff pretty regularly. I also give tons of free advice to writers on how to market and promote. And I just decided to donate all of my royalties to charity. I'm starting with the Seattle Animal Shelter and our local Helpline which provides food and clothing to the needy. All of this is in honor of all the help I've gotten over the years from generous writers who gave freely of their time and goodwill.
Agreed, Jenna! Thanks for sharing. And thanks for the comment, Bella. I'm going to follow every one of you who comment today on Twitter. :)
These are all great tips, and I've done most of them. So easy to show love these days, especially online! Although I've been an Amazon user for years, and have read thousands of books, I only started doing book reviews on there and GoodReads in the past couple of years. I realized I read a lot of the reviews, so it helps the author and future readers. As a digital communications professional, your points about Twitter shoutouts and other online generosity are spot on. I love when friends or even people I've never met yet read my blog, and then share it online to their networks. It makes me feel validated - for my writing, and for my feelings. I'm a huge proponent of people gathering the courage to start a blog - whenever I have friends that do, or they share their stories online or in print, I give them major kudos.
Nice, Brooke! Very inspiring. A great reminder for this season!