Messy, unpredictable, creative

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Subject: Messy, unpredictable, creative

** 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, April 3, 2026

Hi Friend,

Editing a novel is a daunting process...

But it doesn't happen in one day.

Right?

Remember that and you got this.

Writing and editing a novel is a messy, unpredictable, and creative process.

Like life!

Let's embrace that.

Remember that it took you a long while to write your novel's first draft.

Not for comparison but for some context, it took me 5 years to write my very first novel, and my 2nd novel took me 6 weeks.

So, patience, compassion, and -- I'll say it again -- you got this.

I believe in you.

Coming soon - next week: the Edit Your Novel Checklist.

In today's email -- lots of great writer-ly events coming up!

Plus this week's podcast episode "Beginning, Middle, End — And Mess" and...

... sharing about the new membership to help you edit and revise your novel, "Edit The Future: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Revision Lab Membership."

And... the latest Writer's Fun Zone posts!

Writing and Publishing AMA with Gala Russ, April 4
Substack Live, with me, Monday, April 6
The Platform Intensive with Julie Trelstad starts April 7
Settings that Wow Your Readers, April 9 & May 14
How to Easily Get Free Traffic & Sales from Pinterest in 2026 with Nadalie Bardo, April 15
Edit Your Novel Checklist Q&A Call, May 6

Read on for details and linky-links!

❤️

Do you have questions about writing and publishing yourn fiction or memoir that you're wishing to ask a teacher in a live meeting?

Then join Gala Russ in her Ask Me Anything session.

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 4, 2 pm PT/ 5 pm ET

In this 2-hr live session, you can Gala ask any questions you have about writing, business, mindset, publishing, etc.

And she will answer you live and on the spot and with insight and depth.

An experienced teacher and published novelist with 9 books under her belt, Gala is my co-teaching partner with the Creative Entrepreneur Academy.

So, I've seen first-hand her on-the-spot writing coaching brilliance.

Highly recommended!

When: Saturday, April 4, 2 pm PT/ 5 pm ET

Length: 2 hours

How: Google Meet, recorded

Invest: $19.99

Sign up here:

https://writingconversations.thrivecart.com/ama-april2026/

Gala Russ is a romance author, book coach, and publishing strategist.

Her mission is to empower writers to follow a custom-to-them, most direct, least stressful path to finishing and publishing their novels so they can live their best creative lives

Author of nine books under the pen name Willa Drew, she went through the long and often confusing process of figuring out how to finish, edit, and publish a novel. And now she's here to help you!

❤️

APRIL 9 & MAY 14, 2026 – Deluxe Two-Parter - SETTINGS THAT HOOK READERS with Beth Barany

Also, next week I'll be teaching Settings that Wow Your Readers in 2-parts in the Writing Success Series over in Lorin O's community.

Dates: April 9 and May 14, 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT

For fiction writers:

who want to create a rich, immersive world without writing paragraphs of description;
who care about tone, character, genre, and emotional resonance;
who want tools that help them revise with clarity, not guesswork;
and who are ready to understand setting as more than scenery.

I LOVE teaching this class!

I get to combine my passion for deep world building in sci-fi and fantasy with my filmmaking know-how for a hands-on class I've never seen anywhere else, except for when I taught this last year in Sue Brown-Moore's community.

If you're deep in your edits, and you're ready for tackle setting, then this class is right for you!

This is the only time I plan to teach this material in 2026.

➡ Sign up here.

❤️

Substack Live on Monday, April 6, 10am PT/1pm ET with Beth Barany

I'll be doing another Substack Live on Monday, April 6, 10am PT/1pm ET on one of my favorite topics:

Using Divination Cards to Spark Your Stories

https://open.substack.com/live-stream/153892

Bring you story ideas and your favorite divination deck and let's play!

❤️

🎤 Beginning, Middle, End — And Mess

How To Write The Future podcast, episode 198

“Life is messy. Life is unpredictable, and so is creating."

-Beth Barany

In my latest episode, I'm sharing why embracing the mess in creativity can have powerful results.

Beginning, Middle, End — And Mess, How To Write the Future podcast, episode 198

Read | Listen | Watch

❤️

The Platform Intensive is a six-week program for authors who want to build a working platform that doesn't just mean posting more on social media.

My friend Julie Trelstad will be teaching a class soon!

Perfect for you if you're wondering how to build your author platform.

From a publishing expert comes a class to finally figure this platform thing out.

The Platform Intensive is a six-week program for authors who want to build a working platform that doesn't just mean posting more on social media.

Each week covers one piece of the system:

author brand
newsletter,
visibility
events
revenue
and a sustainable maintenance plan.

The pprogram includes:

a weekly live Q&A with Julie Trelstad,
a private community of other authors in the cohort,
and full access to all six AI-powered Author Tools.

The next cohort starts soon: Tuesday, April 7.

$497, one-time fee

Payment plans are available.

https://bethbarany.com/tapjt

♥️

The Future-Ready Writer Membership by Beth Barany

Announcing the Edit The Future: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Revision Lab Membership!

For $5/month, you get exclusive access to premium content via audio/video.

I'm launching a membership to help you edit your sci-fi/fantasy stories.

Join the Edit the Future: Sci‑Fi/Fantasy Revision Lab!

For $5/month:

Get a weekly lesson to edit your sci-fi/fantasy story via audio: world building, how to handle backstory, POV, and more!
Invitation to a monthly live edit and Q&A on Zoom
Bonuses and surprises!

Delivered via How To Write The Future podcast. (Private video coming too.)

The first live call will be: May 6th, 10am PT.

Topic: Edit Your Novel Checklist Q&A Call

🌟 Join the lab to join the Q&A call! 🌟

I'll have the checklist ready for you by next week.

So sign up today!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/supporters/new

Exclusive Launch Bonus!

And I have something special just for you!

The first 5 people to sign up will get a 20-minute private live edit* and coaching session on their sci-fi or fantasy novel.

*I'll look at up to 250 words with you and give you edits on the page while we're together.

Students and clients tell me this is an invaluable part of working with me.

❤️

How to Easily Get Free Traffic & Sales from Pinterest in 2026 (Even If You’re completely new, or Ghosted Your Account) LIVE Wednesday, April 15th @ 11 am PST / 2 PM EST

A great way to market our books!

A colleague is offering this free Pinterest training soon.

Check it out!

How to Easily Get Free Traffic & Sales from Pinterest in 2026

(Even If You’re completely new, or Ghosted Your Account)

LIVE Wednesday, April 15th @ 11 am PST / 2 PM EST

❤️

Happy Writing!

Best,

Beth

PS. In these uncertain times, I know of one antidote to help you feel centered, feel grounded, and even a deep contentment -- and that is: write your story.

Do what brings you joy.

You got this. I believe in you.

♥️

More upcoming events!

💕 But wait there's more!

I'll be speaking in 3 summits in the next 2 months. Details coming soon!

🎙️ Plus, 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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