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| Being an artist can be a revolutionary act
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| | Here’s what I mean...
Following your own vision for what makes an interesting, powerful story — doing it your way — revolutionary.
Publishing the book yourself — revolutionary.
Marketing it your way, in a way that's in alignment with your values — revolutionary.
Why so revolutionary?
From a young age, we’re told what to do to make the grade.
When we’re employees we’re told what to do to get paid.
But when you’re an artist, you get to decide what it means to make the grade; you get to decide you want to enter the game of selling books — a product that can give countless hours of joy and satisfaction to many readers.
Even in the game of selling books -- we can make that our own.
Specifically, you can sell books now on your own site; you can set up revenue streams through Patreon, Kickstarter, Buy Me A Coffee, Kofi, grants, loans, partnerships, and other ways I haven’t thought of yet, but maybe you have.
There is no reason why you can absolutely invent your writer’s career, just the same way you invent your story world.
If you have the power to write a novel, you have the power, the imagination, to create a writer’s career in a way that supports you, both emotionally, psychological, spiritually, and physically.
How do you do this?
Here’s my take:
— VISION: Lift your head up and peer at the horizon. Take the time to think about what you really want for your author career, even if it’s way off the beaten path, and you see no one else around you doing that thing.
For example, I hit a huge turning point in my life when I realized that I wanted to be a teacher AND a novelist, at the same time. I had to learn how to balance these two important activities, actually two sides of the same coin, feeding my soul equally, and one activity needing the other to thrive.
— DARE TO ACT: Put your head down and focus on the small things. Set aside the time to work your vision. This is hands-in-the-dirt work. Whatever that may be: sit down to write regularly; talk to the people you need to talk to to build alliances and support; take the time to take care of your health, the engine of an artist. Take the time to nurture your relationships, as the heart is the center of our work as novelists. Take the time. Day after day. Little by little.
For example, I block off time in my calendar to write. I’m a lunch time writer. I have lunch then write, an activity pair that has worked for me since my first novel. (Although then I didn’t realize I was pairing a meal with writing. Looking back, I see that’s what I did from the very start. Wow.)
TIP: Work with your energy flow. If you’re most awake and energized late at night, use that time to write. If it’s early morning, use that. Use your vitality to support your biggest dream.
That’s it. It's a two-step dance to success.
What do you do if there are problems, like if your vision changes? Or when your schedule gets interrupted due to others' demands or one’s own plans?
Answer: Breathe. It happens. Acknowledge, reflect, and choose again. The big dreams require regular re-commitment. Daily, sometimes. I’m often asking myself, “(Self,) Ok, what am I doing?” I’m constantly re-orienting myself toward my North Star, my big dream.
I lift my head up, find my North Star, locate it (sometimes with help!), then put my head down and get to work.
Still the two-steps.
Now you: What is your big vision? What is your daily step to that vision?
Hit reply and let me know.
Onward and forward!
NOTE: I am aware there are a lot more moving parts to the reality of being a career writer. True. And -- the same core action of visioning, then working, applies. Simple, but not easy. I know... If you’re interested in showing up for the marketing activities that support your dream of being a working writer, stay tuned. I’ll be offering a way to do that with me and others soon.
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Have a happy and creative week!
All my best,
Beth
PS. I'll be participating in Infostack’s Write Publish Profit 4.0 next week. Here's my review of it:
In the meantime, you grab Infostack’s new free guide here:
https://k8per9da4h2–infostack.thrivecart.com/wpp4/60b6240a673a9/
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| | | | You have been reading the Creativity Sparks Newsletter!
Now in its 15th year, this newsletter is a service of my coaching and consulting business, helping genre fiction writers write, market, and publish their books through courses, coaching & consulting, NLP sessions, a 12-month group program, and books to the delight of their readers.
You may share this content intact and with no changes with this attribution:
c. 2006-2021 Beth Barany, Creativity Coach for Writers, www.BethBarany.com
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| ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany is creativity coach for writers, a teacher, workshop facilitator, and speaker, who helps fiction writers experience clarity, so that they can write and polish their novels, and proudly publish them to the delight of their readers.
Owner of the Barany School of Fiction, an online training hub, Beth takes great interest in how humans learn, create, and grow, and includes all her students’ life experiences, including the ancestors, into the moment.
Want a course to help you prepare to write your novel? Discover the comprehensive Plan Your Novel course here, I teach alongside with award-winning, bestselling thriller author, Ezra Barany.
She's also an award-winning novelist and writes magical tales of romance, adventure, and mystery to empower women and girls to be the heroes in their own lives.
Uncover her Henrietta series here (YA Fantasy) and her Touchstone series here (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance). And her new Sci-fi Mystery here.
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
Photo Credit: by c. 2018 Ezra Barany
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