I was stuck for 10+ years in wanting to be a novelist but not knowing at all how to get started.

Then through a series of setbacks, I realized that if I didn't start on my dream of being a novelist, I may as well throw away the dream and do something else.

My heart said: No way. I would die if you abandoned the dream.

It was a huge turning point moment for me. A crossroads.

Go forward or choose a new path.

I felt the choice keenly in my bones.

I chose to pursue fiction writing.

Whatever it took.

However long it took.

And with whatever I would face.

I would no longer shy away from my dream.

I was faced with the practical question of how to get started.

I reached for the solution that had helped me learn everything else in my life: to be in a group of learners and learn the ABCs.

Start small.

Take steps.

That's what I did.

I found a writing community, put myself in it, and got to work on learning from my peers and those more experienced than me.

Fast forward 25 years -- and I have 12 novels published and 5 how to writing books.

Several novels and nonfiction books are in the works, and I’ve taught hundreds of people to get started as a writers.

I walk my talk. Every day.

Do the blocks go away?

Nope.

I just know how to navigate them way better than ever before.

I lived through fear, worry, writers block, self-doubt, procrastination -- you name it, I've experienced it and lived to write about it.

I’ve edited hundreds of manuscripts.

I know just about every pitfall there is with the story telling craft and with the inner life of a creative. I've experienced most of them.

Being a creative is messy.

Being a creative writer looks a lot different than we think it does.

It's a life outside the norm. (What is the norm, anyway? It doesn't really exist. We just think it does.)

I've been lost in the wilderness a long time before I found my way.

I know you can find your way too.

And your path won't look like mine, but there will be some similarities.

I act as an experienced guide through the thick wild places of creativity.

We may not know what's around the corner, but we can prepare for the adventure and we can find delight in each and every step.

Check out the road map I’ve created for writers to get started on their novels in the PLAN YOUR NOVEL home study course.

Framed as a 30-Day Challenge to help you create structure, this planning course will help you step-by-step to get to know your characters and their story.

By the end of the course you’ll have a story roadmap and clear path, so you can write your novel.

https://bethbaranyschooloffiction.teachable.com/p/30daywc