Humans are social creatures

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Subject: Humans are social creatures

** This email may show up long in your inbox, so you may need to click to expand and to read the full email. Or read online.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Hi Friend,

I did co-working with other day with a friend at the local bakery.

It was my turn to buy us goodies. We both love chocolate ship scones. Yum!

I love co-working with my peers and conducting one-on-one meetings with via zoom and in-person over coffee.

Here's where you can find writing connections and community in my world:

Fellowship of the Pen Facebook group
Weekly Zoom Writing Sprints (Sundays, 10am PT/1pm ET) (invites emailed day-of; you're here so you'll get those reminders, unless you opt-out)
Monthly Sci-Fi/Fantasy Revision Lab (next call Weds., June 3)

There's lots of other places to find community as writers:

Shut Up and Write groups
Genre groups and conferences
Library and bookstore talks
Regional writing clubs, like the California Writer's Club

I'm a yes for networking with you!

If you'd like to chat writing, your next steps, creating community, then hit reply and say, "Networking - Yes!" with some times that work for you and we'll get a Zoom chat set up.

❤️

In this week's newsletter:

Join next week's Substack Live on Monday, May 11, 10am Pacific on "How to Tell What Your Fiction Needs: 2 Line-Edit Diagnostics"
Listen to this week's How to Write The Future podcast episode, interview with Hip Hop for the Future founder, Khafre Jay
The Digital Spark Summit starts Monday, May 11-13
Take the Breakout Novel X-Ray quiz (Lori Puma)
Read the latest Writer's Fun Zone articles

Substack Live with Beth Barany and Gala Russ

This coming week, I'll be doing another Substack Live with Gala Russ:

Monday, May 11, 10 am PDT/1 pm EDT

How to Tell What Your Fiction Needs: 2 Line-Edit Diagnostics

Line edits are we get into the nitty gritty and make our story shine and also create the glue that keeps the reader on the page.

Sign up here to be notified when we go live.

Bring your questions, suggestions, and fun ideas!

❤️

🎤 Hip Hop for the Future

How To Write The Future podcast, episode 203

“I’m trying to make sure we have artists, the next generation people who can get to the open mic for the first time and learn how to hold a microphone.”

-Khafre Jay

In my latest episode, I interview hip hop organizer Khafre Jay, who discusses the importance of hip hop culture in the San Francisco Bay Area and his plans to get more community members involved.

We met on the street in my neighborhood, talk about networking!

Hip Hop for the Future with Khafre Jay

How To Write the Future podcast, episode 203

Read | Listen | Watch

❤️

The Digital Spark Summit (May 11-13)

I’m so excited to be a featured speaker at the Digital Spark Summit (May 11-13) — a free, audio-only event hosted by Paper + Spark® to help creatives start or grow their digital product journey.

My session is on "Listening Is Your Most Important Skill to Build Products."

You’ll walk away with:

Listening is the fastest path to a product idea
Start small and validate quickly.

I'll share how to do that!

Grab your ticket here.

❤️

Quiz!

We love quizzes around here.

Check out Lori Puma's Breakout Novel X-Ray quiz.

Pinpoint the gap between your current novel and obsessive fans. Then close it.

Take the Breakout Novel X-Ray quiz here.

❤️

Happy Writing!

Best,

Beth

PS. Do you have your Edit Your Novel checklist? Revise your novel faster (with way less overwhelm). Get yours here.

💕 But wait there's more!

🎨 Looking for children's book clip art? Your hunt for inclusive clip art stops here. Get unique, brand new, handmade clip art every Tuesday from my friend and talented illustrator, Melquea Smith.

✨ PLUS a special guide on where and how to use them for only $9 a month here.

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

🌟

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

Help me help more writers!

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.

Latest WFZ posts

☕️

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

☕️ buy me a coffee

🎬 support my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer short film

Or share my products or services with your friends. Thanks!

❤️

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

For the last 20 years, she's been working with writers of all kinds.

She specializes in helping sci-fi and fantasy publishing-oriented novelists experience clarity, so they can write, revise, and proudly publish their books 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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