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| Which authority do you trust?
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| | | I needed a major mental reset last week about my business, hence no newsletter. I needed the break to reconnect with my passion, my purpose, and my patience. :) Perhaps I will share more on my journey later.
For now I can share that I'll be announcing a special sale next week to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Barany School of Fiction.
♥
In this newsletter:
- Which authority do you trust?
- Upcoming Oakland workshop event, April 21st, "Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: 7 Essential Keys"
- Upcoming online course, May 2019, on Story Structure, Essential Building Blocks of Your Craft
- Simple steps to develop your characters
- Tips on building your story world
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| Which Authority Do You Trust?
There’s a strong voice in me that shouts in a four-year-old voice, “I can do it myself!” (and whispers, “I can trust no one.”)
It’s my independent streak.
Maybe you have similar voices, from a similar age.
Then I went to school and discovered learning together with my peers – all that friendly (or not so friendly) competition. I measured myself against everyone and against the teacher’s expectations. I liked the whole game. It was fun.
As an adult and out of school, when I decided to be a novelist, I had to reconcile my independent streak to do it all myself with my desire to be in the invigorating company of my peers.
I had to navigate what felt like opposing shores.
Over the course of writing many novels, I received lots (LOTS!) of feedback from all kinds of people. I didn’t know who to believe, I didn’t know who was right. It was so confusing.
But I created the stories, so I realized the answer about what the story wanted to be was inside me.
I realized I had to learn to trust myself.
Like Luke in Star Wars (Episode IV: A New Hope), I had to learn to trust the force and listen deeply to myself.
Like Luke, the authority I learned to trust the most was my own. Of course, I didn’t stop all input from my peers and teachers and strangers.
I let their input sift through me and noticed my response to their feedback, and dialogued with all their advice about what makes for a strong story.
Even recently when I was with my critique partners, I listened deeply to their feedback, took it in, said thank you, and am now letting their comments simmer on the back burner. Later, I’ll make decisions about what to do with their input—take it in and use it or reject it and move on.
This is a personal process, so I’m curious to hear who you trust. How do you sift through what works for you from other people’s feedback?
Hit reply. I’d love to hear.
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| Upcoming Oakland workshop event, April 21st, "Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: 7 Essential Keys"
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| Upcoming online course, May 2019, on Story Structure, Essential Building Blocks of Your Craft
For the second year in a row, I’ll teach “Story Structure: An Essential Building Blocks of Your Craft Title” as an online email course with Outreach International RWA chapter. Hope to see you there!
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| | Simple steps to develop your characters
In this Writer's Fun Zone post, you're invited to brainstorm these 11 essential elements of your main characters.
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| Tips on building your story world
Once I know my characters pretty well, I brainstorm my story world, fleshing it out so I know it better. I use these 17 topics as my guideposts.
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| Have a happy and creative week! Happy writing! Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Beth
The Book Designer is the most authoritative source online for information on how to independently publish and promote books. It is the highest-traffic blog in the category, with an average traffic volume exceeding 5,000 visitors a day, over 131,000 visitors in the past 30 days, and with a Twitter count of over 40,000 followers. The blog is regularly named to top sites lists, including the Top 100 Sites for Writers by Writers Digest, who also named Joel as one of the 10 people to follow in the publishing industry.
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| NEWEST BOOK! Plan Your Novel Like A Pro
This book will help you get excited to plan your novel. The tools shared here are designed to spark your muse and give you confidence when you sit down to write your story. Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: And Have Fun Doing It! is for organic writers and pansters who want a roadmap to follow, so that they can let their creativity loose.
** Are you a podcaster or blogger and would like to feature PLAN YOUR NOVEL LIKE A PRO on your channel? Review copies available. Please hit reply and let me know. Thanks! |
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Welcome!
You may share this content intact and with no changes with this attribution:
Not sure which program or course is right for you?
BTW, I'm a working novelist too, with two series published in two genres, and more on the way. :)
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| | ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany is creativity coach for writers, a teacher, workshop facilitator, and speaker, who helps fiction writers experience clarity, so that they can write and polish their novels, and proudly publish them to the delight of their readers.
Owner of the Barany School of Fiction, an online training hub, Beth takes great interest in how humans learn, create, and grow, and includes all her students’ life experiences, including the ancestors, into the moment.
Want a course to help you prepare to write your novel? Check out the comprehensive Plan Your Novel course here, co-taught with award-winning, bestselling thriller author, Ezra Barany.
She's also an award-winning novelist and writes magical tales of romance, adventure, and mystery to empower women and girls to be the heroes in their own lives.
Check out her Henrietta series here (YA Fantasy) and her Touchstone series here (Fantasy/Paranormal Romance).
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
Photo Credit: by c. 2018 Arianna Golden
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| | | In connection with the operation of this newsletter and business, Creativity Sparks features in the Newsletter affiliate links, including links to Amazon.com (“Affiliate Links”). 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. |
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