motivation

What’s Your Give-Up Moment?

There is a point in your writing journey when every author realizes that the next, and only, step is:

Write The Book.

To spend the time, day after day, week after week, to put words on paper.

The learning is over, the doing has started. And yes, through the doing, through the writing, skills are honed, stories are told, and progress is made. After all, you are harnessing the power of mini-goals, right?

But what happens when you feel like you’ve stalled out? Like the finish-line is so far away that you might as well give up?

I get it!

You see, there’s a moment on every backpacking trip where I feel the same way. And it’s always on the way BACK to the truck! It’s the moment when my legs are burning and shaking, I’m hot and sweaty, the backpack has gotten heavier…

 

It’s the moment when the water in the CamelBak is too warm to be refreshing, (or has run out entirely!), the pick-me-up snacks in my pocket have all been eaten, and my back hurts, my shoulders ache, and my blisters have blisters.

The give-up moment has arrived.

For an author, giving up is a choice. It’s rarely a conscious choice; usually days go by without work on the manuscript. Days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, and then the dream dies quietly and only guilt and dried up ideas remain.

That’s not what I want for you! And right now, in this week, you’ve got a special opportunity for your writing.

Join me at “Brew Your Book Live: Stop ‘Percolating’ on Your Message and FINALLY Write Your Book” happening April 7-9, 2022, in Prescott, Arizona.

Now, this event is a full FOUR MONTHS (and change) away. So why am I bringing it up now?

Because I’m offering you some amazing Super Early Bird Bonuses that expire tomorrow, December 1, at midnight.

Keep Reading!

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There IS a magical day in every year…

When I walked into PT Tuesday morning, the therapist commented how since it is November second, the year was practically over.

Um…

No, it isn’t!

We have TWO WHOLE MONTHS left in 2021.

Are the last 65 days of the year a bit… hectic? From Halloween through New Year’s, yes, we’re ALL super busy with extra activities.

But that doesn’t mean the year is OVER just give up! There are still EIGHT WEEKS left in the year with which to go after your goals, dreams, and yes, work on your book.

Eight weeks is a long time. It has so much potential. Don’t just give up.

I totally get the feeling of “Ugh. Let’s just get OUTTA here already!” Except, may I remind you we thought that exact same thing LAST November and what did it get us?

All this anxiousness for the last 60 days and then January rolled around and you realized something:

Nothing MAGICAL actually happens on January 1!

Ever!

Not in 2019.
Not in 2020.
Not in 2021.
Not in 2022.

Let me tell you the most magical day of the ENTIRE YEAR.

Are you ready?

I’ll build the suspense…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TODAY!

Today is the most magical day of the year.

Today is the perfect day to start, to begin again, to renew your goal or intention, to rest, recoup and THEN start again.

 

And no, I’m not being trite or oversimplistic.

Today really IS the best day for you. It’s got all this MAGIC and possibility.

 

Sure, January FEELS sparkly and new. But in the northern hemisphere it’ll still be cold, windy, dreary, and more cold. (Almost exactly like December except without Christmas lights.)

It’s not ACTUALLY magical.

Today, you can make magic.

And here’s where it starts:

I want you to take a BIG action toward writing your book. Yes, a BIG one.

I want you to invest in yourself, your message, your story, and your readers by enrolling in “Storytelling for Non-Fiction Authors: Learn to Write Captivating, Emotion-Invoking Stories that Keep Your Reader Turning Pages and Get Your Message Across” which I’ll be teaching LIVE – starting November 8.

Enroll Here

  • After our five weeks of live training together, you will have the skills to effectively share your story – so that your reader is engaged, learning, and above all, REMEMBERS the principles you’re teaching.
  • You’ll no longer be struggling to come up with “examples” – you’ll know when to use a story and how to craft it.
  • You know exactly how to create emotions in your reader – no need to increase the drama or trauma.
  • You will know that your writing isn’t boring, pedantic, or too heavy. Your reader will keep turning pages.
  • You know your message is getting across – so you can help the people you’re meant to help.

Enroll Here >>> Your Book Needs Stories

Don’t wait! I know it’s so EASY to make this one more thing you have to “think about” or plan to do later. Except you’ll forget (I do!) And then when you go back… the early bird expired. Or the course is full.

To help you make the decision, I’m also offering a great Early Bird Bonus to the first 10 authors who enroll. You’ll join me for a half-day virtual storytelling retreat to get my eyes on your writing. That’s a $997 value RIGHT THERE on TOP of the other amazing bonuses you get when you enroll.

So enroll right now.

 

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Are You Writing a Book You Love?

Let’s talk about love…

At the risk of sounding overly sappy or 80’s movie corny…

Are you in love with your book?

Do you get the warm fuzzy feelings when you think of it?

Let me pause here:

I get it that you might feel overwhelmed with the amount of work ahead of you or the unknowns you’re facing. Especially around publishing… I’m talking about the topic you’re writing about, divorced from the work.

Do you get choked up imagining that person pulling your book off a shelf in a bookstore, curling up with it at home, and realizing that THIS was the book they needed?

Do you feel like you’re writing a love letter to the person who needs your message?

Do you?

Or are you writing the book you feel you should write? Writing it because:

… you want to be seen as an expert, so you’re pouring everything you know into one book.
… will do anything for more clients, and you’ve heard a book is the way to do that.
… it’s ‘time’ for you to write a book – you’ve done as much as you can in your business so this is the next step.
… feel like the book you’d love to write isn’t the one that you should write right now.

Is your book a love-letter to your future reader? (HINT: It SHOULD be!) Click To Tweet

So let’s talk about love.

When I’m working on projects I love (personal projects) I get a thrill when I think of them. I get the warm fuzzies when I imagine that future person reading it. I pour everything I have onto the page – especially in the first drafts – to get the message out of me and pray that it will reach that One Soul it’s meant to reach.

A book that is written from a place of passion – with love and compassion for the reader – will see success. Period.

Keep Reading!

3 Tips to Boost Your Motivation to Write

Motivation is a hot topic, no matter WHAT industry you’re in. How can you get MORE – usually in less time? Or for less dollars?

For me, motivation is about BALANCE. Balancing the “go do it” with the “yay! I GET to do it” with the “I’m really, REALLY not feeling it.”

I’ve got a big day ahead of me today with client calls, a meeting with a prospect, today’s newsletter, and next steps on SEVERAL projects.

Am I motivated?

Actually, yes, very much so. Yesterday, when I was talking with Ben about what I have on today’s plan, I said “I get to do XYZ.” I’m genuinely looking forward to most of my to do list tasks.

What about the “go do it” stuff? Trust me, there is a lot in my life that falls into that. (Dishes, I’m looking at YOU.) But I know that if it’s not done, it WILL make me crazy, keep me up at night, and add to my stress.

Then there’s the “I’m really, REALLY not feeling it.” Here’s where the real crux of motivation lies. Because in the category, there are two subcategories:

  1. If I start, it’ll be okay.
  2. I’m gonna loathe every minute and get resentful.

Sometimes you have to do it anyway, resentment or not. That’s not a good place to come from for your writing. It’s not sustainable. And resentment… ooph. That’s just no good all the way around.

Sometimes, you best bet is to… not.

Just don’t.

Maybe you don’t for today. Maybe you don’t for this week. Maybe you just… don’t. Ever.

(Unless it’s dishes. They get stinky. Go do them.)

There are plenty of books that I THOUGHT I wanted to write. Until I started. And then they moved firmly into the “I’m really, REALLY not feeling it” category. And no amount of rest, free writes, or change of scenery got them OUT of that place. So I kindly thanked the idea – and set aside the book. Zero guilt.

Tip 1: Know which category you’re falling into – then act accordingly.

It amazes me how many times just NAMING my emotion gets me sorted out. I learned that from my mentor Holly Doherty, by the way.

And yes, motivation is TOTALLY an emotion – it comes, it goes, it can me a great thing or a horrible thing. Just because you won’t find it on a list of emotions doesn’t mean it isn’t one.

Tip 2: Don’t go it alone!

Pep talks WORK, folks. I have mentors for when I need specific pep talks around business, marketing, or health.

I also have a cadre of friends to call when I need a more generalized pep talk like: “Go do those dishes and then you can have a brownie!”

(Clearly THAT person is not my health mentor!)

Keep Reading!

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It’s OKAY to Throw Out Ideas that Aren’t Working

I’m in a Facebook group about decluttering and today, there was a post saying:

I use conditioner a lot more quickly than shampoo. I like to change scents so I have multiple partially used bottles of shampoo. Any suggestions for use? I feel bad just tossing it.

The comments have given some… interesting suggestions about how to use the partial bottles with the majority of the suggestions being to mix them or to use them to wash items that are not hair.

WHY am I writing about this?

Because I can 100% see the parallels between these half-used bottles of shampoo and writing. The shampoo is a stand-in for half-done ideas, books that you’ve begun writing and never finished, and even for business courses you’ve purchased but never completed (or never implemented.)

You “feel bad just tossing it.”

When I gave the poster permission TO throw them away… holy moly the storm I stirred up! I was accused of being “very wealthy” and “very wasteful.” To clarify, I DID say that I have no problem only using PART of something and then tossing the rest. I.e. I use the part I wanted, needed, and liked – and the rest goes out the door.

These folks however… holding on to this shampoo and “using” it is a big deal.

Why?

While I’m shuddering at the idea of mixing the bottles (I have a feeling that’s a recipe for damaged hair!) what has me more appalled is the underlying mindset.

Stick with me, I’m digging in.

Right after Small Thing was born I wrote a short-lived series of Writer Mom Chronicles. I had this idea to document my journey as a writer and a mom. A few weeks later, when the C-section was healing and I was sleeping a bit more, the luster of the idea faded.
Keep Reading!

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Why You SHOULDN’T Write a Book

Ahhhh…

“Should”

The word that killed a thousand dreams and launched a million failed projects.

Typically, when personal development folks start going on about “should” they talk about how you’re “shoulding all over yourself” i.e. you’re beating yourself up about the things you should do, should have done, should be doing, should not have done, should not be doing.

(Take a moment to ponder the grammar in that sentence and freak out about verb tense. I’ll wait.)

And while I’m definitely NOT a personal development guru or self-help expert, I mostly understand what they’re saying:

That SHOULD kills your momentum and dreams. Do it (or don’t) but stop shoulding yourself.

Greaaaaat.

Now let’s talk about how “should” functions in MY world.

It goes like this:

You’re having a great time, chatting with a new friend or acquaintance. You’re telling a story about something that has happened in your life – good or bad – and they’re hanging on every word.

Your verbal storytelling skills are spot-on. You’ve probably told this story so many times before, you know just how to deliver the emotional punch lines, where to speed up, where to slow down. How to change your voice inflection, how to gauge your listener – and make adjustments to your voice, story, and pace to KEEP them hooked.

And then…

And then…

And then…

You get it:

“That was GREAT! You should write a book.”

{Insert dramatic sigh and pregnant pause here.}

Telling a great story to a live audience does NOT mean you should write a book. Or that THIS story should be in the book, the basis of a book, or belongs anywhere except where you’ve already delivered it – live, verbal, and to your listener. Keep Reading!

Is “How To PUBLISH?” Keeping You Stuck?

Writing a book is unlike any other process.

Why?

Because you’ve got a series of “gates” to get through. Or thresholds to cross.

And while these are each distinct steps or processes, there is a LOT of bleed through.

(OMG I feel like I’m really mixing my metaphors today. Curse you, brain fog!)

So stick with me here:

The main reason YOU want to write a book is to help people.

Other reasons are dream fulfilment, be seen as an expert, get clients and speaking gigs, have passive income, etc.

So the idea/writing phase can feel easy.

Except…

When you realize that without knowing THIS thing in the editing, publishing, or marketing phase, you simply cannot go on.

And then you get stuck.

Friend, this is ME!

So much me.

One of my first mentors, Lisa Sasevich, was always saying that you build the plane as you fly it. You don’t HAVE to know all the details of every module in your course, when you’re having your calls, or how you’ll deliver the content. Just SELL the transformation and figure the rest out.

Except…

That “it’ll all work out” thinking does NOT work for everybody. I tried so hard to take her advice for my first seminar – back in September 2012. I tried So.Damn.Hard.

Except…

I couldn’t do it. I DID have to know some of the ins and outs, some of the hows and “what’s nexts” before I COULD focus on what I was doing.

Is that you?

If it is, that’s okay! If you’re mired in “how do I publish?” and it’s keeping you from WRITING, here is my two pieces of advice:

1. Buy my all-new product, “The Complete Self-Publishing Toolkit: Easily Format & Publish Your Book for Print & Kindle”

You need those questions answered? (Even if you’re TECHNICALLY not ready to publish?) Here’s your answer!

You’ll get:

  • Exactly how to set up your publishing accounts
  • A pre-formatted template for your book AND videos on how to USE it
  • System to make sure your text is beautiful and typo-free
  • Details on creating your book cover (hint: this is NOT a DIY thing)
  • How to actually GET your book onto Amazon

AND as a bonus, you’ll get how to format your book for Kindle AND my Easy Table of Contents Generator

Plus, it’s just $49.

So grab the product. Dip into it and then your brain can rest – and you get back to writing.

(OH and you get LIFETIME access so if you’re not ready to actually DO the steps for another month, three, or six, you still have it at your fingertips.)

Keep Reading!

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