Fantasy Steampunk, Compassionate Planning, Pinterest Marketing

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Subject: Fantasy Steampunk, Compassionate Planning, Pinterest Marketing

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Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

Hi Friend,

“Do your research, read widely in the genre, and don’t limit yourself to strict rules; go ahead and create something new. That would be cool.” – Beth Barany

🎤

This week's podcast came from a question one of my listeners sent in about whether magic is needed as an element to a steampunk novel.

Fantasy Steampunk: Do You Need Magic?

- How To Write the Future podcast, episode 188

I dive into understanding what genre you're writing and how to use your instincts. Plus, I explain why it can be exciting to create something completely new and unique by combining genres and elements.

Read | Listen | Watch

❤️

188. Fantasy Steampunk: Do You Need Magic? - How To Write The Future podcast with Beth Barany

❤️

Invitation to Self-Compassionate Planning this Sunday, Jan. 25th

We're past the midpoint of January, the month we're supposedly meant to plan the entire year.

But what if you haven't?

What if planning feels like pressure instead of clarity?

A colleague of mine, Gala Russ, is reframing the process by leaning into self-compassionate planning rather than forced productivity.

She's inviting writers and creatives to a 90-minute co-planning session Self-Compassionate Planning Session on Sunday, January 25 at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET.

Gala will share a gentle planning worksheet, or you can bring your own system, and use the time to pause, reflect, and thoughtfully map your Q1 or 2026 priorities.

For: 90-min live session and a 20-page workbook

Cost: $9.99

Join here:

https://writingconversations.thrivecart.com/planning-q1-2026/

❤️

Invitation to Self-Compassionate Planning this Sunday, Jan. 25th with Gala Russ

Pinterest is great for evergreen marketing!

Perfect for us novelists!

So here's a great opportunity to learn more about how to use Pinterest these days at the:

5th LIVE Pinterest Bootcamp this January to help creators and sellers jump-start their Pinterest marketing in 2026.

JANUARY 26th-30th, 2026

FREE 5-Day Pinterest Bootcamp for online creators and sellers and authors

🔥 Oh! Before I sign off, I have a request!

Help Me Choose the Perfect Mini-Course Title!

I'm creating a new-ish mini-course for novelists who've finished their first draft and want to know what's next.

I'd love your quick feedback on which title grabs your attention most.

This is for you is:

- You've finished the first science fiction/fantasy draft!! Congrats! And now you're wondering, now what?

- You're a novelist seeking craft development, world-building guidance

WHAT DO YOU GET BY THE END:

You'll move from "Is my draft any good?" confusion to knowing exactly what to do next with your finished novel.

This takes less than 2 minutes — thank you!

Thank you so much for your help! Your feedback shapes how I can best serve writers like you.

Take the survey here

Happy Writing!

Best,

Beth

PS. We're already scheduling our 2026 event calendar! Wow!

Here are some of the upcoming events!

🚀 In March, Gala Russ and I will be running our first bootcamp "Find Your Creative Entrepreneur Niche" to help people who want help writers to get clear on which services you can offer that align with your skills, your interests, and that writers will gladly pay for. -- March 20-24. Registration opens Feb. 1st!

📚 I'll be teaching in Lorin Oberweger's Free Expressions: Settings that Wow Your Readers. Get on her list to get all the details. Save the dates!

April 9, 4:30pm PT
May 14, 4:30pm PT

🎙️ And I'm excited to announce that I'll be speaking at Alexa Bigwarfe's Marketing Bootcamp for Authors and Publishing Professionals, June 12-13, 2026.

🌟 If you find my resources helpful, please forward them to a friend who may need them too. Thanks!

Beth Barany
Creativity Coach for Writers

Teacher, Speaker, Workshop Facilitator
bethbarany.com

I not only teach and coach novelists, I am one too!

*Magical Tales of Romance, Mystery, and Adventure* author.bethbarany.com

Including the award-winning, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer (Book 1), and Into The Black, about Janey McCallister space station investigator (Book 1)

__________________________

❤️ - Here to empower you with core principles, mindset tools, and doable roadmaps to build your sustainable, thriving creative career on your own terms.

🚀 🐲 - Passionate about supporting science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction writers; and creative entrepreneurs serving writers.

🎬 - Filmmaker with a BIG mission: to celebrate warrior women!

Writer's Fun zone blog by and for creative writers, published by Beth Barany

Subscribe to be notified when each blog post goes live. Or wait for the weekly round-up in this newsletter. *Write for us.

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☕️

Support This Creative Entrepreneur

My mission is to support your adventure as a creative and step into your next best self.

If you want to support my mission, I invite you to:

📚 buy my books: Fiction | Nonfiction

☕️ buy me a coffee

🎬 support my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer short film

Or share my work with your friends. Thanks!

Beth Barany is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist, and certified creativity coach for writers.

She specializes in helping writers experience clarity, so they can write, revise, and proudly publish their novels to the delight of their readers.

Here be the legalese: In connection with the operation of this newsletter and business, Creativity Sparks includes affiliate links to trusted partners. Barany Consulting earns a commission from the Affiliate Links which commission is based on the number of sales that are made as a result of users of the Newsletter clicking over to the Affiliate Link and purchasing from the Affiliate Link a product and/or service. Thus endth the legalese.

I live in the territory of Huichin, part of the stolen land of the Chochenyo Muwekma Ohlone, the successors of the historic and sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County, in Oakland, California, the San Francisco Bay Area. Northern Hemisphere. Earth.

The Solar System. → Carina–Sagittarius Arm in the Milky Way galaxy. Milky Way subgroup → Local Group → Local Sheet → Virgo Supercluster → Laniakea Supercluster → Local Hole → Observable universe → Universe.

I stand with people of Ukraine and all peoples 🎗️ in their fight for freedom from oppression and the right to self-determine. Yes, all peoples. Not just some.

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