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WOW! Women On Writing

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Spotlight: No Matter How Busy You Are, You Can Still Find Time to Write! 

In this issue:
Article: Your Writer Self-Image: Why Do You Write?
Spotlight Course: No Matter How Busy You Are, You Can Still Find Time to Write!
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
Writers!   

Like many writers, you may be using the final days of December to crystallize your writing intentions for the New Year. As you begin to work on your list of goals, consider that it may be important to first establish why exactly you want to write. When you really hone in on the "why," you'll write with more determination and really make things happen.

 

Author Kelly L. Stone has a fun course to help you start off the New Year knowing why you want write, and also how to create more writing time in your busy life. It's a great opportunity to get motivated and pick up some tricks to become a more successful writer.

 

No Matter How Busy You Are, Tou Can Still Find Time to Write! starts Monday, January 7, 2013In this class you'll learn unique and creative ways to fit writing time into your busy life, including how to set achievable writing goals, how to create a Writing Action Plan, and how to manage distractions and interruptions. Find out about seven writing schedules used by professional writers, and choose one for yourself. 

 

Kelly is also offering students a New Year's discount of $75 off! (the class is normally $125, now $50). This includes one-on-one support and feedback from Kelly as well as a free critique of up to 10 pages or a 15 minute phone consultation.

 

In the article below, Kelly explains the concept of your "Burning Desire to Write." Be sure to try her exercise that will build up your writer self-image!

 

We also have the following courses starting at the top of the New Year: How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published (Jan 5), Writing Your Novel from the Ground Up: The Early Draft (Jan 7), Literary Devices Writing Workshop (Jan 7), Creating and Building Your Author Online Presence (Jan 7), Write from Your Soul: Memoir Workshop (Jan 7), Memory Power! Crafting Fierce Flash Nonfiction (Jan 14), plus more classes you'll want to check out below!   

 

Write On! Here's to 2013!   

 

Marcia & Angela 

 

Classroom Managers: Marcia & Angela
Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
WOW! Classes & Workshops

[email protected] 

Why Do You Write?

Your Writer Self-Image: Why Do You Write?    

 

By Kelly L. Stone  

     

 
Why do you write?

Whatever your answer is, whether it's to achieve a lifelong dream of seeing your novel on a store bookshelf or to pen your family's memoirs, your answer is what I call your Burning Desire to Write. It's the sense of fulfillment you derive from writing. It's that ants-in-the-pants feeling you get when you don't write. It's the deep abiding need that only the act of writing will satisfy. It's what makes you a writer.

 

Your Burning Desire to Write is a manifestation of your self-image, or your self-esteem. When you feel good about yourself you do things on a regular basis, like writing, that reinforce those positive feelings. Even thirty minutes a day spent working toward a goal has been shown to elevate a person's sense of well-being. This is why writing makes you feel good--because you accomplished something. You created something. A "thing" that didn't exist before: a book, a song, or a painting, now exists because you created it.
 
Your self-image, your answer to "why" you write, gives you a reason to pursue those goals. It doesn't have to be a lofty reason. Many people write because it brings a solace that nothing else can. Bestselling author CJ Lyons began writing out of despair when a close friend was murdered. Many writers write because of the fulfillment that working toward a goal adds to life.

 

Try the exercise below to build up your own writer self-image.

 

Exercise: Nourish Your "Why"

 

Find a comfortable place to sit where you won't be disturbed. Have a pen and a notepad nearby. Close your eyes and begin to notice your breath. Don't force your breathing, simply watch it. Notice where you find the sensations of breathing the strongest: at your nose, your chest, or the rise and fall of your stomach. Wherever it is, simply watch it for several minutes. Don't force. Just observe.

 

Next begin relaxing the major muscle groups in your body. Start with your feet, and imagine that they feel heavy and warm. Then move to your legs, your stomach, your chest, and end with your head and neck. Between each major muscle group, focus on relaxing. Allow your mind to free fall. When you're done sit quietly for a few minutes.  Stay focused on your breathing.

 

Then turn your focus to: why do I write? Allow whatever comes up to rise into your awareness. Keep focusing on the question, why do I write? Notice thoughts, sensations in the body, emotions that arise and pass.  

 

After a few minutes, open your eyes and write about what you experienced. Record the emotional reasons that came to you; perhaps writing makes you feel good about yourself, or it leaves you with a fulfilled feeling. Perhaps you write to cope with deep feelings of grief, or even happiness. Maybe writing helps you deal with an unresolved matter.

 

Next, write about why all these reasons make you a writer. What does this say about who you are as a writer? Give some thought to your writer self-image.

 

When you feel done, get up and stretch, have a cup of tea, or go for a walk. Allow some time to pass. Then go back and read what you wrote.

 

Refine your "why" from your musings in this exercise. Hone in on what makes you tick as writer. That's where your heart is, where your writer self-image comes from; your Burning Desire to Write. That's what will keep you going on your writing journey. 

 

 

Kelly L. Stone
No Matter How Busy You Are, You Can Still Find Time to Write!
   
Instructor: Kelly L. Stone

Workshop Length
: 4 Weeks
Price: $50 (New Year's discount! Normally $125) 
Start Date: January 7, 2013  
Limit
25 Students

Course Description: Students learn unique and creative ways to fit writing time into their busy lives, including how to set achievable writing goals, how to create a Writing Action Plan, and how to manage distractions and interruptions. Fee includes either a free critique of any genre, up to 10 pages, or a 15 minute one-on-one phone consultation with the instructor on any topic related to writing (must be scheduled prior to the end of class).

 

Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing of what you'll be learning week by week and instructor testimonials.   

 

Register  

 

 

   

 

Kelly Stone's Books About the Instructor: Kelly L. Stone is a licensed mental health counselor and writer. Her women's fiction novel, Grave Secret (Mundania Press, September 2007) was called "powerful" by RT Book Reviews. She is also the author of the Time To Write series of craft books for writers; the latest in the series is Living Write: The Secret to Bringing Your Craft Into Your Daily Life (Adams Media, September 2010).

 

 


Upcoming Classes & Workshops
WOW! Classes
Below are some classes and workshops that are starting soon. Click on the links to be taken to a full listing that includes a week-by-week curriculum, testimonials, instructor bio, and more. Keep in mind that most class sizes are limited, so the earlier you register the better.

All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: [email protected] Enjoy!


Starts Every Friday (Self-Study Course) by Deana Riddle:
Independent Publishing: How to Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business | $99 or $150 with 1 Hour Phone Consultation

Starts the First Tuesday of Every Month: (Next class: January 1)
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting
| 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett 

Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

How to Write a TV Pilot | 4 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

Starts the Third Friday of Every Month: (Next class: January 18)
Get Paid to Write! Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students | Instructor: Nicky LaMarco 


Published in 90 Days
| 12 Weeks | $299 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Deana Riddle
 

January 5, 2013

How to Write Children's Picture Books and Get Published | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner  

    

5 Picture Books in 5 Weeks (Advanced Course) | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner  

  

How to Write a Hobby Based How to Book | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Lynne Garner   

  

January 7, 2013

Writing Your Novel From the Ground Up: The Early Draft NEW! | 8 Weeks | $195 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Diane O'Connell and Renate Reimann, PhD

  

Creating and Building Your Author Online Presence: Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales | 6 Weeks | $125 SALE! (New Year's Special! Normally $150) | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Karen Cioffi

  

No Matter How Busy You Are, You Can Still Find Time to Write! | 4 Weeks | $50 SALE! (New Year's Special of $75 off! Normally $125) | Limit: 25 Students | Instructor: Kelly L. Stone

  

Literary Devices Workshop | 8 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Gila Green

  

Literary Devices Workshop II | 8 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Gila Green  

  

Write from Your Soul: Memoir Workshop | 6 Weeks | $249 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Annette Fix

  

January 8, 2013

FREE TELESEMINAR: Show VS Tell and Overwriting in Children's Fiction NEW! | 4:00 pm PST, 5:00 pm MT, 6:00 pm CST, 7:00 pm EST | FREE | Instructor: Margo L. Dill    

   

January 11, 2013

Memory Power! Crafting Fierce Flash Nonfiction NEW! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith 

  

January 14, 2013

How to Get the Right Literary Agent for Your Manuscript | 4 Weeks | $249 SALE! (New Year's Special! Normally $299) | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Annette Fix

January 22, 2013

Writing a Children's or Young Adult Novel NEW! | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo L. Dill    

  

February 4, 2013

Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults NEW! | 8 Weeks | $175 SALE! (First Time Sale! Normally $200) | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Sue Bradford Edwards     

  

February 18, 2013

Journey Through Life's Losses | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Alice J. Wisler

  

March 4, 2013

Writing Your Novel From the Ground Up: The Final Draft NEW! | 8 Weeks | $195 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Diane O'Connell and Renate Reimann, PhD

    

Writing for Children: How to Get Started and Take Hold of Your Career | 4 Weeks | $75 SALE! (Sale! Normally $100) | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo L. Dill

   

Empower Your Muse, Empower Your Writing Self | 4 Weeks | $50 SALE! (Sale of $75 off! Normally $125) | Limit: 25 Students | Instructor: Kelly L. Stone

  

March 22, 2013

Poet-Speak: Crafting Dynamic Poetry NEW! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith   
  

  

Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops 

 

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