Why every writer needs their plus-minus-equal
When we need help we often seek out experts - but what if offering to help our peers and those less experienced was just as valuable? A tip from Ryan Holiday.
If only I had a writing mentor, then all my writing woes will be fixed.
I’m not alone in wishing for a wiser, more experienced guide to shine a light on my writing, tell me what to fix, support me to do it, and cheer me on. The dream!
While it’s true that a more experienced coach will help us improve1 we don’t need to wait for an expert. Instead, we can build support in different directions with this advice from Ryan Holiday.
Plus-Minus-Equals
In his book Ego is the Enemy, Holiday shares a training philosophy from mixed martial arts legend Ken Shamrock. Whether you’re wrestling words or grappling a bare-chested combat athlete, his approach will help.
Holiday explains that Shamrock has a system for improvement that he calls plus, minus and equal, he wrote2:
“Have someone better you can learn from, someone lesser you can teach, and someone equal you can challenge yourself against.” - Ryan Holiday
In short, the plus-minus-equals system involves finding three different types of supportive people (or communities) to keep you moving forward and in the right direction.
➕ Plus: The first set of people are your writing tutors, mentors and coaches who have built up expertise. They show you where you’re going wrong and how to improve your practice. As Holiday’s title suggests, they keep your ego in check as you cultivate humility by working with someone better than you currently are.
➖ Minus: Next up are people who you can help and mentor by passing on your own experience and skills. It’s like the aphorism, ‘If you want to master something, teach it.’ Explaining ideas or offering feedback to those with less experience will grow your confidence and clarify your own knowledge. It will also help you recognise your own progress so you can value how far you’ve come.
🟰 Equal: These are your peers – people who are equally good as you, such as fellow writers in a group or in a buddy relationship. They are learning and developing alongside you; they will challenge you on their level so you push your creative skills – perhaps because you’re trying to match or beat them. They’ll also give you support and motivation because they understand what you’re going through. You develop together as you share new experiences.
The power of three
Having just one element of the plus-minus-equal system can be useful in terms of your creative progression, but having all three multiples it.
I think of it like a 360-degree support team of people you learn from, people you learn with and people you give back to.
Who are your plus-minus-equals?
Until next week, Bec
Sprint or marathon? Two ways to write with us
#1 Our 7-Day Writing Sprint is back! You can join us free on the starting line on Monday 8 April, sign up here: Can you help us? Volunteer to test our 7-Day Writing Sprint on Substack
#2 Want a longer race? Join us and our friends at The London Writers’ Salon on April 12 - 13 for 24 hours of non-stop writing magic. Sign up now - you can join for a hour for a whole day! Starting at 8am in Tonga and stopping at each time zone, we’ll be hosting 8am BST on Saturday 13 April here in the UK.
Ericsson, Anders, & Pool, Robert, Peak: Secrets of the New Science of Expertise, Penguin Random House, 2016
Holiday, Ryan, Ego is the Enemy: The Fight to Master Our Greatest Opponent, Profile Books, 2016