Podcast

Have you tried writing a book but have gotten stuck when it comes to organizing and structuring it?

Most of us come to write a non-fiction book with a lot of ideas. We have so much material. How to keep various drafts organized? What to do with scraps and bits of writing we have here and there? Then, how does it all go together? What belongs in the book? What’s tangential? What goes where? You can see how madness can quickly descend. When we are disorganized and uncertain, it’s a sure cocktail to foment writing insecurity. Helplessness takes over and we abandon our book writing. Don’t do it!

In this solo episode, I will share two of the main stumbles that stop people from writing their non-fiction books or memoirs.

A caveat, there is so much to say about this, so I am just sharing a few approaches that may help you. Also, each book is its own thing and has its own voice, shape, and agenda. There is no one-size-fits-all. I love helping my clients shape their ideas in world-changing books in my customized coaching.

Mentioned in this episode:

Diane von Furstenberg’s Own It

Bibliophile, An Illustrated Miscellany by Jane Mount

Nick Bantock’s Griffin and Sabine stories, illustrated serial novels

Adam J Kurtz

Drawing is thinking / Milton Glaser ; introduction by Judith Thurman

We are each other’s harvest: celebrating African American farmers, land, and legacy

Why we cook: women on food, identity, and connection

Karen Wright is an executive coach and founder of Parachute Executive Coaching in Toronto, Canada. She’s a single mother, shares Cynthia’s passion for Paris, and can’t wait to dust off her passport, hopefully soon.

When life pushes you into leadership situations you don’t want to be in, you could be called an Accidental Alpha. Karen Wright is an executive coach who found herself in charge of her life in ways she hadn’t planned. She coined the term Accidental Alpha Woman and discovered that many of her friends were in the position of taking on things they didn’t sign up for. After struggling with being an accidental alpha, Karen brought her coaching skills to help her navigate life and work. An author of The Complete Executive, she knew the power of putting your ideas into book form. She also knows that even when life throws us stuff we don’t want to deal with, we are always playing a role in that scenario. So she wrote The Accidental Alpha, sharing her Receive framework.

In this episode, Karen shares her Receive framework. This is super helpful if you are a person who has trouble receiving help, support, accolades, or anything.

Mentioned in the show

The Accidental Alpha Woman

Karen Wright

The Complete Executive

Difference between complex and complicated TEDx talk 

Are you like me, always wanting to tweak and revise things? I love designing. In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius, I try a new format. You’ll hear a few more personal stories from me from my studio and life. I share these so you know I’m not sitting on the sidelines with everything all figured out. I am in the creative zone with you, figuring it out as I go!

Here’s how it often goes. We have an idea for a book. It can grow inside us for years. We love this idea and we cherish it. Our idea expands and morphs and gives us a sense of having something precious. But I believe our ideas have a shelf life. Our talents are not Twinkies with no expiration date. I also believe that making our ideas real is way more satisfying than holding onto them, cherishing the sense of possibility.

In this episode, I’ll share some of the common pitfalls that keep us at the starting gate of a book or any other project. You’ll hear about the new book I am writing and how I am going through all these pitfalls even though this is my 9th book. And, I’ll give you strategies that help me and my clients get past the obstacles that we stumble over when we get started with a project.

Also in this episode, you’ll hear about a major creative win I had last month and my unexpected response when it came to fruition. (Plus how I coped with that weird reaction!)

I also share how I am getting more reading time into my life and how this is making me feel more me. Plus, how I get through self-guided classes where there is no accountability from the teacher.

Mentioned in this episode

Atelier

Why It’s So Hard to Finish Our Projects 

Write Your Book Coaching Group

The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book 

Poets & Writers magazine

iPad Artist with Sketchbook Skool

Pam Slim seeks to connect people as communities. Through our work together, we can build the kind of world we want to inhabit. Her latest book, The Widest Net, shows business owners how to connect within communities instead of speaking from afar to audiences. In this episode, Pam shares what’s at the core of her work and how even though this book felt so right, it was a challenge to write.

Mentioned in this episode:

David Moldawer

Hiro Boga

Michael Bungay Stanier

Main Street Learning Lab K’eh

Darryl Slim

Dorie Clark

What are your plans for your creativity next year? Perhaps you have a project in mind and can’t wait to get started. That’s me!

Or maybe you don’t know what you want to work on. There are possible projects. Your friends have clear goals. But you don’t know what you want to do.

In this episode of Stumbling Toward Genius I will share a perspective on how to focus your creative time so you feel satisfied and on track no matter what happens. It’s both broad and specific, and I think you’ll love it.

If you’re like me, you tend to be ‘all over the place’ with your ideas and possibilities. The Creative Edge gives us a broad yet specific focus. It makes it easy to choose projects that give us a sense of momentum and progress.