You Are Invited to a FREE Creativity Workshop
Ready for a free creativity workshop? As you may know, I’m working on a book that helps you consistently access a state of creative flow. And I’ve refined by 5 Steps for “writing in the zone” to incorporate my new insights. At a focus group meeting, two long-term clients suggested I call this new iteration the “TENER Method” for creative flow. The whole group gave that a thumbs up, so I sat with it and it grew on me! And now, I’m ready to share it. For free. In a creativity workshop. On Zoom. I don’t want to wait for… Read more
9 Ways to Connect with the Creative Muse
Do you know how to consistently connect with the creative muse? Probably my favorite activity in working with clients is guiding them in my signature “Meet Your Muse” guided visualization. We journey from meadow to woods to a clearing and a little building inside which the muse, a symbol of their creative source, awaits. Questions for Your Creative Muse We come with questions: Which book to write? Who are my readers? What’s blocking me and how do I get unstuck? How do I find my voice? How to get over my self-doubt? Is this the right timing (to write it,… Read more
5 Ways to Get Unstuck: In Writing, Creativity and Life
Looking for Ways to Get Unstuck in Your Writing, Creativity or Life? This time of year, in the Northeast, it’s especially easy to get creatively stuck. It’s cold outside. We hunker down, watch more TV, skip yoga class, eat chocolate… I’ll write tomorrow. I’ll exercise later. And it’s downhill from there. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Winter can be an especially inspiring time if you know how to get unstuck. How? 5 Ways to Get Unstuck #1: Change Your Environment I do my book coaching, teaching and much of my editing from my in-home office that doubles… Read more
How to Write a Book Quickly — and Make it Exceptionally Good
In my Bring Your Book to Life® Program, I teach how to write a book quickly. A quality book, of course. And quickly is a relative term. We’re not doing it in a weekend! Start at the Beginning to Write a Book Quickly I just love beginnings—getting in touch with the vision of a book, thinking deeply about future readers, seeing what’s possible. So, I’m having a ball meeting with the participants in Bring Your Book to Life® as they embark on an 8-12 week journey of writing their books swiftly, many planning to complete a first draft by the… Read more
Answers to 32 of Your Book Writing and Publishing Questions
In the past couple of weeks, I held two book writing and publishing seminars (Bring Your Book to Life® in 2020) to help participants get started on their books (or get reinvigorated on a book project that’s stalled). Thanks to Sam Bennett for hosting one of them! I received over 35 varied and excellent questions about writing and publishing books and could only answer a handful on the calls. And I promised to answer the rest on my blog. Ready? Here we go… “When to write?” There’s no one answer to this question, but writing very first thing in the… Read more
Harvard Medical School’s CME Writing and Publishing Course
Many of the most successful authors I work with have attended Harvard Medical School’s writing and publishing course. And you may have read my recent interview with the course director Julie Silver, MD, who shared many of the areas that the course is branching out into, such as writing and publishing op/eds, podcasting and how to ramp up your speaking career. In today’s post, I interview past attendee Carla Naumburg, PhD, author of How to Stop Losing Your S**t with Your Kids, and three other excellent books on parenting. Enjoy Dr. Naumburg’s insights on the power of this course for… Read more
“How Do I Connect with My Creative Muse?”
Karin’s creative muse showed up as a bee How to Connect with the Creative Muse In many of my private consultations and classes, including “Writing in the Zone” and “Bring Your Book to Life(R),” I lead participants through a guided visualization to “Meet Your Creative Muse.” What’s a Muse and Why Connect? Think of your Muse as the creative aspect of yourself, that inner source of creativity that just “knows things.” Your Creative Muse knows from deep inside your heart and soul, beyond all the constraints and perceived limitations of the ego. I love this work with the inner Muse…. Read more
8 More Reasons to Write a Book This Year
. If you’ve follow my blog, you may have read my post or free ebook, 40 Reasons to Write a Book. 8 More! For the new year, and in preparation for next week’s “Bring Your Book to Life in 2020” free training call, I came up with a few new reasons to write a book. I hope they inspire you. You can find the obvious reasons (and some nifty, out-of-the-box reasons as well) in my free downloadable ebook, 40 Reasons to Write a Book. Here’s some new inspiration: To get in touch with the essence of your mission and message…. Read more
Conversing with the Creative Muse
If you’ve worked with me or followed my blog for some time, you’ve probably heard me talk about the muse—an archetype for our creative source. You may have also experienced the guided visualization I sometimes take writers through to receive clarity about their writing and creativity, experience a creative breakthrough or determine their next step. I call the exercise, “Meet Your Muse.” I often ask my writing coach to take me through my Meet Your Muse exercise so I can easily access my deeper answers about my work. A recent example came just days after leading Leadership Coach Amanda Madorno… Read more
Author Cara Bradley on Speaking, Podcasting & the Doors that Open for a Published Author
Browsing recent posts on LinkedIn, I came upon Cara Bradley’s podcast. It’s always exciting for me to see what happens after a client’s book gets published. It’s especially so when the author dives into book promotion and related activities with the kind of gusto Cara Bradley brings to it. I asked Cara to share her experience both to inspire you, and also to help you think about the kinds of activities that might go into your promotion plan and the business plan for your book. Some of Cara’s advice plays well into some of the content of your book as… Read more
Life, Writing and Presence Amidst the Holiday Mayhem
A couple of weeks ago, my office looked like this: And my kitchen table looked like this: Can you relate? If not to the mess, at least to the feeling of overwhelm that comes with it during the holidays? Especially if you’re also working on writing a book! I’d scheduled with Jess for an extra cleaning/organizing day that week–one to do her usual house cleaning and the second to address and stuff holiday envelopes, wrap and pack gifts (and the all important labeling due to my messy handwriting), and help make those surfaces (table, desk, floor) visible once again…. Read more
27 Brilliant Holiday Gifts for Writers—Unique, Book-ish and Beautiful!
Buying gifts for writers in so much fun. One for your recipient and one for you! As I wrapped holiday gifts for the writers in my life, I decided to reach out to my Facebook community for additional ideas to share with you. And our writer’s gift giving guide wouldn’t be complete without a few ideas from my assistant Geri Lafferty who gives THE BEST gifts! My Favorite Gifts for Writers Let’s start with one of my favorite gifts for writers—essential oils. The creative muse responds when we slow down and nurture ourselves, making space for creativity to bubble up…. Read more
Thanksgiving Gratitude
Thanksgiving Gratitude Thank you for being part of my community and entrusting me as a guide, colleague and/or coach in your book writing and publishing journey. As I think about Thanksgiving gratitude, this year, my mind turns to BOOKS! I am so grateful for books, in general and in particular. This week, I’ve been reading Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul and it’s reminded me how profound an impact a book can have on a reader. Sitting in traffic on Tuesday as I drove to Massachusetts to pick my son up from college, I employed Singer’s instructions to notice the… Read more
“If You’re Not Prepared to Write the Truth…”
Today, I spoke with a writer whose editor told her, “If you’re not prepared to write the truth, you shouldn’t write.” On the one hand, there’s some powerful advice in there. If you’re hiding something, if you focus only on a pretty package with your writing, such hesitancy to dig deep and write the truth can dilute your writing or prevent you from writing powerfully. However, in my experience, there’s another side to the issue. If you’re afraid that you have to tell everything, it can keep you from writing anything. Or just hold you back. You may need a… Read more
Choosing How to Tell a Story: A Conversation with Mitch Albom
When it comes to telling a story, whether fiction or memoir, Mitch Albom is one of the most effective writers I know of. If you’ve ever read anything by him, you’ll know why it thrilled me to interview Mitch for Jewish Rhode Island. Mitch’s books have such heart and soul. Mitch’s new memoir Finding Chika is one of those rare books that you finish and know that you will be carrying the characters—in this case real people—around in your heart for life. I had so many questions for Mitch about his new memoir, Finding Chika: an Earthquake and the Making of… Read more
Working on a Health Related Book? Writing, Publishing, and Social Media for Healthcare Professionals
Writing a Health Related Book This morning, I heard from a Family Practice Physician who’s been planning to attend Harvard Medical School’s CME Publishing Course for the past two years. She started on her book idea five years ago and feels ready to dive in. Helping her clarify what she’ll get out of the course—and how to make the most of it—reminded me of some of the ways this course is so effective for physicians and other healthcare professionals: In-depth knowledge in health and self-help genres: The faculty have a deep understanding of the many aspects of writing, publishing, promoting… Read more
