Planning your life can be difficult because there are so many possibilities. It may be best to take a lesson from nature and choose your career path like evolution. DNA evolves by reproduction with random mutations. Many variations are created, not knowing which will succeed. When one trait does succeed, it replicates and builds upon that mutation. This system of evolution clearly works—it produced us, humans, from a single cell of bacteria.

People today can use the evolutionary method of random mutations to succeed in their careers. If you’re starting a business, try everything and see what works, then double down on that. Most successful businesses naturally do this without even thinking of how it relates to evolution. But what about more artistic fields, like mine: creative writing.

As a writer, I feel overwhelmed by the possibilities available today. I don’t know where to devote my time and attention: novels or screenplays, self-publishing or traditional publishing, querying agents or entering competitions. And even if I choose self-publishing, the choices further expand: audiobooks, podcasts, videos, YouTube, blogging, Patreon, Kickstarter, Substack, and who knows what’s next.

On top of the medium, there’s the content. Should I write nonfiction or fiction? If so, which genre? I have wide tastes, as I love science fiction, but also mystery and horror. I like dark stories but also lighter satirical comedies. All I know is I want to be a creator—a storyteller. I don’t care as much about the medium, so long as I create good stories. But how should I do that? The increasing magnitude of possibilities are overwhelming. What should I do?

Which brings us back to evolution. The key to evolution’s success is random mutations—try everything and see what works. So that’s what an aspiring writer (or any kind of content creator) should do. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Don’t solely self-publish ebooks for Kindle, or don’t solely enter screenplay competitions, or don’t solely query agents. Also, don’t only write in one genre. Try them all and see which audiences most respond to.¹ 

I’ve self-published on Amazon, been published in professional online magazines, I’ve queried book (and movie) agents (and managers and producers), I’ve started this blog and a Substack. I also plan to launch a YouTube channel and record audiobook versions of my fiction stories. I will continue to explore all these avenues until one takes off. Try it all and see what sticks, then run with that. By trying random possibilities, you just might end up turning bacteria into a human being.

1. Note that this can be taken too far if you are constantly distracted by the next thing (the newest platform or medium), and never focus on one long enough to achieve success. ↩︎