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The Inner Restart Button + Essential Novel Planning Tips
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| August 12, 2016
Oakland, California
Hi Friend,
Note: This newsletter reposts one of most popular articles: The Inner Restart Button. Thank you for all your shares about how useful it has been! And I have announcements about our upcoming essential novel planning tips webinar and the October Plan Your Novel class.
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Recently I shared about focus and made plans to work on my novel -- final edits so that I can get my print edition ready.
Well, I didn't do those edits on some of the days I'd planned to. I was putting so much time and energy into other activities that I essentially overbooked.
I spent a few minutes being upset about it. My inner critic raged for a minute or two, totally running the show.
You may have some of these voices in your head, too. Things, like: - I should be further along than I am.
- My peers/colleagues can work so much faster than I can.
- What's wrong with me?
- I'm a failure.
- I suck.
- I'll never succeed.
Okay....
Are these the voices you want running the show?
Are these words true?
Possibly. Possibly not. Is the inverse true? It is. What's also true:
- You are just where you are.
- Everybody works at their own pace.
- There is nothing wrong with you or anyone else.
- There is no failure, only feedback.
- You are perfect just the way you are.
- You have already succeeded, and you get to redefine success for you at every stage.
I get it. You may not believe this second list. You may believe the first list is true.
I hear you. These two lists are examples of beliefs that can and possible do run in your subconscious.
Humans can and do change their beliefs all the time.
Here's one way you can change the inner critic to the inner support team:
Your Inner Restart Button
1. Take a deep breathe. Take a few more.
2. Feel your feet on the ground, butt in chair, human body on planet earth, in the place you are now. If it helps, move, dance, wiggle. The point here is to get back in your body and recognize the present moment. Another way to do this is to remind yourself of the date, time, and your age.
3. Release the harsh voices. You can do this by sending them into the air or the ground. You can also release the voices by dancing or by writing them down. You know the best way for you.
4. In your mind's eye, create a restart button. Yes, like the ones you see on machines, games, your coffee maker. It may be an on/off button. Maybe it's big and red and says "Restart" or "Reset." You decide.
5. With lightness and humor, press your Restart button. Allow yourself to come back to your creative self that knows there are infinite possibilities. Pick a few of the positive beliefs that you already know to be true and step into that.
6. Stretch.
7. And go on with your day.
Little known fact: People may think I have it all together, but I actually hit my inner restart button about 5 times a day. True. I release and restart a lot. It's totally okay!
Update: I've been editing recently and have hit an important finishing milestone, and am about to approach another milestone. Yay!
Your turn: What does your inner critic say? And what does your inner support team say? What was it like to hit your inner restart button?
Hit reply and let me know what you discover. Happy Restart Button!
♥
In the rest of this email:
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| | Special Webinar! on Planning Your Novel: Essential Plot & Character Tips *New & Updated*
For the last two years, Ezra and I have given this webinar to over 300 registered attendees. We’re pleased to bring back this webinar this year!
When: Tuesday, August 23, 2016: 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern
Your Investment: 90-minutes of your time
In this 90-minute special webinar, we will cover:
- Why preparing your novel saves you time and can help you have direction, power, and purpose
- Essential plot and character development tips
- The key questions to ask your characters to make your story hum
- The overview of the “Plan Your Novel” October 2016 course — Our 3rd year with this popular course
- Who are your instructors and why we’re qualified to help you
- Why we created this course
- Q&A: Time to get your questions answered
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♥
Annual Plan Your Novel: 30-Day Writing Challenge course Join us for our third Annual Plan Your Novel course!
Registration is now open!
This course is designed for the writer with a life.
In our 30-Day Writing Challenge, we will help you think and write through the steps to create your novel — from character development to plot structure to story themes and world building — so that you can start NaNoWriMo prepared.
This class is good for you:
-- If you have never written a novel, and have always wanted to, and still feel lost on how to go from brilliant idea to The End, then you will be stretched in new and different ways.
-- If you’re an experienced novelist, with 1 or 2 completed or partially completed novels under your bed. You may find this course structured in a way that’s new to you and yet familiar.
-- If you have 5 or more unfinished novels sitting in a drawer, and always hit that sagging middle and lose focus or lose interest, this course will help you dream up exciting ways to torture, I mean challenge, your characters all the way to the resolution of the story.
This course structure:
Week 1: Elevator Pitch & Short Synopsis
Week 2: Get to Know Your Main Characters
Week 3: Story Plot & World Building
Week 4: Scene-by-Scene Outline & Plotting
Dates: Oct. 1-31, 2016
Delivery method: 4 live classes, 90 minutes each; 30+ lessons; lots of video tutorials, templates, and worksheets; and a private Facebook group. (All live course calls are Tuesdays 5pm PT/8pm ET. Upgrade option for 1-1 support.
Cost: $159
If you have a coupon, be sure to use it!
♥
Early Bird Sign Bonuses If you register by August 31st, you will also get:
-- Craft Compelling Characters homestudy course ($60 value)
-- Writer's Adventure Guide homestudy course ($60 value)
-- Writer's Adventure Guide e-book ($15 value)
♥
Two things to know!
1. This year I have a scholarship for the class. Check that out if you're interested in applying. Open to those who have not won in the past. The application is here.
Due: August 23, 2016, 9pm PT / 12 midnight ET
The winner will be announced by August 24, 2016.
2. Another way to win a pass! To enter the giveaway, complete the free Plan Your Novel mini-course by entering your answers in the course, all by August 23, 2016, 9pm PT / 12 midnight ET, and then let me know. I'll be awarding 2 DIVE IN passes.
Winners will be announced by August 24, 2016. |
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Have a Happy and Creative Week!
And thanks for showing up for yourself and doing your creative work!
All our best,
Beth & Ezra
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
PS. If you found this newsletter useful, please forward it to your friends,
writing buddies, and people who you know want to write a novel, but
gosh darn it, haven't yet.
♥
ABOUT US
Beth and Ezra Barany
are award-winning, best-selling novelists, with 18 books and 5 awards to their name. They are teachers who have worked
with over 100 authors to help them get their books written and
published and into the hands of their readers.
♥ Happily married for over 15 years, we’re passionate about writing, storytelling, and guiding authors to achieve their dreams.
♥ We
offer coaching, change work sessions, book marketing coaching (Beth)
and cover design (Ezra), all for genre novelists. More at bethbarany.com.
WHAT I DO + WHY
I support writers and aspiring authors through classes and workshops, articles, books, group programs, and consultations with private clients.
I also help authors because I walk my talk; everything I or my teachers teach is based in real experience and matured through the school of hard knocks.
I believe that the creative life works better with play and love, so with playful joy, I offer you goodies to support you in your writer's adventure.
ABOUT BETH BARANY
An
award-winning novelist, certified creativity coach and Master NLP
Practitioner, Beth runs Writer's Fun Zone, a blog for and by writers,
and her recently launched school for novelists, the Barany School of
Fiction.
In
her downtime, Beth reads, colors, watches movies with her sweetie,
travels, and has coffee with friends and family. And plays with her cat, gardens, and walks. And sleeps. She loves sleep.
Photo Credit: by c. 2014 Vivienne McMaster
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