Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It’s impossible to put a single label on Robin Rice. She does so many things.
She’s a storyteller and author whose writing has been translated into several languages.
Robin is also a social change artist who has launched several creative, high impact social media campaigns that have transformed the lives of women and men around the world.
And, Robin is a spiritual teacher and mentor to world leaders from the political, NGO, entrepreneurial and arts communities.
We discussed how she uses writing in all aspects of her work, whether it be writing books, blog posts, creating apps, filming videos, or launching viral social media campaigns that change lives.
And she offers practical advice for people trying to discover their calling in life, and how writing can be a powerful tool that can help people through their personal journeys.
How to contact Robin
Website: robinrice.com
Facebook: facebook.com/robin.rice
Twitter: @BeWhoYouAre
Highlights from the conversation with Robin
Forget about the money. Find your voice first.
“Almost everybody gets hung up on the money. ‘How do I make money off of this voice that I have.’ Don’t start there, that’s my first piece of advice. It cripples your voice to think that you have to turn it into a dollar sign in some form. Just start figuring out what the voice is and play with it first, don’t put pressure on it. And it takes a while to hone your voice and to see what your style is.
Start small
“What I would suggest is start small, start with Twitter. Twitter will hone your voice because you don’t have many words to work with, and that’s actually a good thing, if you can say something significant in a short period of time.”
Create a personal style sheet for your voice
“I encourage people to create a style sheet. Just like your website might have a color palette for your graphics, your voice can have a style sheet. So for me, no matter what I’m doing, my style sheet is ‘This has gotta be real, it’s gotta be deep, it’s gotta be clear, it’s gotta be precise, and it’s gotta be potent.’ That’s my truth, it’s what I look at. So if I’m going to put something out there, if it has accomplished these things, it helps me know if I’m ready to press send.”
If you believe in your work, it’s worth doing, even if noone reads it.
“The other thing is to step back and take a look and say, ‘Is this something I really want to put out into the world?’ Maybe someone will read it and maybe someone won’t. Maybe tons of people will read it and maybe only one person will read it. But that’s a place to get tripped up and worried. If it’s worth putting out into the world it’s worth doing if noone reads it. And that’s one of my personal litmus tests. If I think this is something that should go out into the world, then doing it has its own value if it has no result.”
Become a craftsperson
“If you’re a writer, take words more seriously. Use them as a tool, as a machete, as a sculptor’s tool. Use them to craft your life. Don’t just see it as something you’re writing on a page. Go deeper and become a craftsperson.”
Be real
“We’re living in an incredibly surface world, so when you do something real, people know it, they feel it, and they benefit from it. So one of my taglines is always, “Let’s do something real here.” It may not be huge, but at least it will be real. When you do something real, people will say ‘Thank God, I’m reading something real here.’
Be precise and concise
“If you want to get better at being a writer, get more precise and practice using fewer words. And look carefully at what’s really there.”