The Writing Life

Knowing this will save you a lot of angst.

You will be caught off-guard when you discover this:

Writing a book is different than writing anything else.

Whaaaat? Here’s the problem.

We were taught how to write in school. Everyone writes! Should be easy, right?

We think because we’ve written blogs or articles that we switch to book mode easily.

But writing a compelling story for a book or article is a craft. A book is a body of work that calls for more depth. Doing it well takes time. Humility and patience.

If you are struggling with writing a book, it’s not your fault. The job itself is challenging.

How have you adapted to the work of writing long-form? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Break it down to meet your deadlines

Sometimes, especially when we’re starting a project, numbers can help us. We can track our word count. We can add up the number of writing sessions.

I came up with a simple formula that my clients have told me is SUPER helpful to stay on track with a project.

I’d like to think I am a genius for inventing this formula. But honestly, it was the method I used to wade through the tomes we read in my Classics Book Club. (Think Don Quixote.)

Applied to writing your own tomes, it can help you have reasonable expectations about how much you need to write in order to meet your goals.

Do the math for your current project:

1. How many pages or words do you have to write?
2. How many days do you have before your deadline?
3. Divide the number of pages by the number of days.

The final digit is how many pages or words you need to write daily.

Try this and let me know how it goes! Share your experience in the comments below.

You will resist this but pretend you’ve just paid me thousands of dollars and my advice is GOLD.

Identify your reader early on. Know your reader, not just from a marketing perspective but from a writing perspective. Often when we sit down to write, we get overly formal and lose touch with our voice and our confidence.

If you have a business, you have identified your ideal client or customer.

When we know our reader, we can write directly to them. The connection between you, your ideas, and your reader is powerful. With a specific person in mind, your writing will flow. Decisions about what goes in the book will become super easy.

And yet, you will resist it. You will want the book to be for everybody. You will think of three or more audiences who will love your book.

But it’s not for an “audience.” When you think of that word, what comes to mind is probably a bunch of people or a big group. But when you think of one specific person, writing your book is infinitely easier. Trust me.

Have you identified your reader for your book or other writing? This isn’t needed as much for fiction but for non-fiction, yes, this is a power move.

Bonus homework from your writing coach

Free-write about your ideal reader. Who needs your book? They will recognize it immediately when they see it. Give them a name. Get very clear about who they are and why your book is important to them.

After you went through your homework, share your comments below.

I promised my coachy genius in this week’s Impulses to help you get over inner critic POO POOing and write the book that’s inside you.

But first you may be asking, Who is Cynthia Morris to talk about writing a book? Some stats:

Reading books for 50 years. (Doesn’t qualify me around writing a book, but I do have unquenchable booklust. )

Wrote and published 8 books, including a novel.

Writing my 9th book now.

I’m a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach since 1999, focused on writing and creative process.

Former bookseller (Again, doesn’t qualify me about writing but gives me insider view to the book world.)

I’ve been coaching writers and creatives since 1999 = thousands of conversations to discover a) the path we all must hike when writing a book + b) how we all have to hike it in our own way.

Okay, here are a few of my best coaching inquiries to help you truly commit to your book writing. Give yourself a few minutes to answer these questions on your own. Respond in writing, without overthinking.

1. What’s important to you about your subject?
2. Why MUST you write about it NOW?
3. What if it doesn’t have to be a ‘book’? Consider it a body of work that could be used in many ways. (Written series, audio, coursework or a program…) Unhooking from the enormity of a ‘book’ can make it easier to write.
4. What will you set aside to make space to write your book? (No one seems to think about the need to make space.)

Are you in for the Impulse Writing Club?

Registration for the Impulse Writing Club is still open. Want to join us for 16 weeks of writing? We start next week. Register today!

Share your comments below.

My answers to last week’s questions that will actually get you writing your book.

Let’s hijack the voice in your head that says don’t bother writing your book.

Yes, the world needs YOUR book. Other books reflect proof of concept. Your voice will add to the conversation.

There’s only one way to find out if you can do it – try it and see. Really. Isn’t it better to give it a chance than to wonder what if for the rest of your life?

If you care about your idea, chances are, someone else will, too. And honestly, you are writing the first draft for yourself in most cases.

Choose the book that feels most alive to you and start there.

Don’t fret about finishing; just get started. Worse than not finishing is the pain of never giving your ideas a chance.

Which one of these statements/actions most ignites you to write your book? Share in the comments below.

Next week I will share my true coachy genius that gets people motivated, ready and in action around writing a book.

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

I want to be sure you know about the Impulse Writing Club August 25 – December 15

Every Thursday, I gather with writers to have a ‘writing jam’ for an hour. We write whatever we want. Some people work on their books or articles. Others write off the top of their head, letting whatever needs to flow to flow.

This is the Impulse Writing Club. It’s so simple, and yet so profound. Here are some of the comments at the end of a recent session:

“I feel a strong, positive mood shift.”

“Working alone is not as good as writing with others.”

“Profound insights – I’m grateful!”

“This was freeing. I feel lightness of heart and more energy.”

We meet every Thursday through December 15. (Except on Thanksgiving!) So far this year I have drafted my book and many articles during these weekly writing jams. We don’t share our work and we don’t waste time on chitchat.

If you could use this kind of weekly writing focus, get a subscription and join us! All the details are here to join.

Unhelpful questions stopping you from writing 

I like to get in your head and listen to the things that prevent you from writing your book. Just kidding! But after decades of coaching conversations with writers, I do see patterns.

See if any of these questions prevent you from writing your book

Does the world need another book on my topic?

Do I have what it takes to write a book?

Will anyone care about my idea?

Should I write this book or that book?

What if I don’t finish it?

Do these questions get in your way? What question do you ask yourself that does not help you to write? Share the doubts that stop you in the comments below.

Next week, I will share my answers to these questions. They will be my voice in your head that will remind you that yes, if you have the impulse to write, you must follow it.

I love the question I’m asking today. It’s one of those that’s impossible to answer. 

I ask it because I always want my clients to feel and appreciate the impact writing has on their days. 

At the end of my Impulse Writing Club sessions, I invite writers to jot three words that describe their state of being. We do this at the beginning, too, to see a contrast between before and after writing. 

Atelier

This notion of who you would be if you didn’t write is really at the core of why I help people bring their ideas into form. I think the projects we harbor but don’t do have a negative impact on us. 

What if this were the time for you to focus on your project? Perhaps all you need is a supportive container to keep you on track. 

Applications are coming in for the Atelier. This eight-month program gives you all the insight you need about your process so you can keep going with your project. Find out how you can be part of it here. 

Writing to Heal 

I have been writing steadily since 1994. I’ve written poetry, plays, dramatic monologues, a novel, non-fiction books, short stories, video and podcast scripts, and articles about the creative process.

Can you even imagine who I would be if I did not have this inky channel to get my thoughts and feelings out onto the page?

I imagine a dark, crowded, cluttered garage full of unprocessed ‘stuff’ and unacknowledged ideas. I imagine I would be a very cranky, mentally and emotionally constipated person.

So of course I loved Nancy Slonim Aronie’s book Memoir as Medicine. I work with a lot of people who are writing pieces of their life story.

Most people want to get their experiences onto the page to help others. But in the process of writing their stories, they are transformed. Nancie’s book offers a great range of short, poignant exercises to help us come to the page with new eyes and fresh angles.

If you have been wanting to write your stories down to get them out and unclutter your inner landscape, Nancie’s book is a great resource.

You don’t have to want to write a whole memoir or book to use this helpful book full of prompts.

If you want to write, please do it. Make it easy on yourself to pick up a pen and ink your ideas.

Meanwhile, share your thoughts in the comments below.

Have you been waiting to write your book? I assert that now is the time to get that idea off the shelf and into your heart. Now is the time to pick up the long-held dream of writing your book and let it go. Let it go onto the page. Let your ideas become ink. Let your ink roll into sentences. Let your sentences form into paragraphs that lead up to the holy container of a chapter. Let your chapters pile up in the best way into the shaggiest, most glorious draft of a book. A manuscript.

If you hesitate, I ask you:

• What are you waiting for?
• Who will give you permission?
• How will you know you are good enough?
• When will you know that you are ready, that you are able to finally write that book that has been haunting you?
• What would your year feel like if you were writing your book?

I am not here to try to convince anyone that they should write a book. I am speaking to you – the person who wants to write a book, the person who has always wanted to be an author.

I will be working on a book that has been on my to-write shelf for way too long. It’s outlined, it’s sketched out. It still speaks to me. It still calls me. It got a fancy new title and concept and I’m excited to get going and put some flesh on those skeletons.

When I think of writing this book – and painting it, because it will be illustrated – I get so excited. I love thinking of having a year devoted to this book.

What book is waiting inside you to be let out to play? What concepts are eager for you to explore them?

Perhaps you need and want support to make this long-held dream a vibrant reality. Perhaps you don’t know how to start, and more importantly, how to keep going. I’ve got just what you need.

My book, The Busy Woman’s Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book will guide you through writing your book.

If I could give a life-changing gift to all writers and artists, this is it: your inner battle around creating is over. You have a new, positive relationship with yourself and your creativity. Your inner demons are ever-present, but you interact with them in a way that empowers you to create. You know your inner allies and they encourage you to keep going despite setbacks. 

This gift is in the two-page illustration in the new issue of Poets & Writers magazine.

I was thrilled when they invited me to do a two-page illustration for their Inspiration issue. I worked with editor Emma and editor-in-chief Kevin to develop the interactive spread of Writers’ Demons & Angels. It’s full of exercises for you to get to know and relate anew with the forces that prevent and support your writing and creativity. 

This is my life’s work: to help people create more and struggle less. This spread is my gift to you as you enter 2022. Have fun with it and let me know how its magic works on your creative life. 

I spoke recently with Molly Nunnelly about her travel writing. I’m curious about how writing about our travels enhances our experience. Molly’s travel consultancy is called Heirloom Vacations. She understands the power of our memories to shape our experiences long after a trip has ended.

Here’s what Molly shared with me in a written and verbal interview.

“I have always been a diarist, keeping personal journals from the time I was young. On my first trip to Europe as a teenager, my father gave me a travel journal and told me he would like to read it after my trip! I dutifully kept that journal and have pretty much kept one on every trip since then.”

What a great gift to receive! I, too, got a travel journal – Banana Republic put one out with a leather cover. I think that got me into writing about travel, too.

I asked Molly how she started her blog at Heirloom Vacations. It’s full of stories, inspiration, and images that make me want to travel more!

“I started writing a blog about my travels because I had a bad experience with a travel supplier,” Molly said. “I felt the need to warn others about this operator. After that, I wrote about my trips and how I organized them.”

Writing our travel stories both for ourselves and others gives us new perspectives and the chance to relive and reframe our adventures. Here’s what Molly said writing her travels has done for her.

“Writing about my travels crystallizes the experiences. Rereading my journals brings back memories that I’ve forgotten, which is great as I get older. I have also learned that I like adding art and ephemera to my journals.

I wondered if Molly sees a difference in the way she travels as a result of keeping a journal. I know I pay attention more and have a process that makes it easy to capture things while on the move. Sure enough, keeping a blog and journal made a difference in her life.

“Over time, I noticed that I pay attention to different things because of the journals. I notice more how I feel rather than just recounting what we did. I always find time and space on my trips and afterward to fill in my pages.”

Thanks for sharing your experience, Molly! I believe in the power of writing to elevate and transform our experiences. We’re bringing our ink to our stories in the upcoming Write Your Travel Stories. Class starts on March 22nd, so get your ticket today!

I had the pleasure of connecting recently with Chandi Wyant, author of Return to Glow: A Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy and licensed tour guide in Florence Italy. We talked about the effect writing about our travels has on us.

Chandi has been an avid traveler since the age of 19. “I always kept a journal and wrote letters home,” she said. 

“That’s one level of writing – recording your experiences. Writing a travel memoir is a whole other level. I had to go beyond the details and drop into my heart,” Chandi said. “I also had to break away from my academic writing and learn the craft of memoir.”

A lot of my clients are writing a memoir, so this conversation resonated with me. I know how much it takes to be honest and vulnerable in our writing. It’s a different kind of courage than we use when traveling. It’s the inside journey and we have to expose ourselves in ways we aren’t accustomed to. And yet, there are rewards to the work of writing authentically.

“I learned so much about myself through writing this memoir. The process was deeper, more profound, and more helpful than therapy,” Chandi told me. 

I get it! My writing and my travels have shaped me in so many ways. My best gift from travel has been courage. With the boldness I’ve gained from crossing the world by myself many times, I know I can brave the blank page to honestly write my stories.

“You have to be willing to dig deep and be vulnerable,” Chandi said. She mentioned this powerful quote by Brené Brown: “Courage is to tell your story with your whole heart.” I agree.

What about you? How has writing about your travels transformed you?

Take a bold trip with us in Write Your Travel Stories. This fun writing workshop will be the adventure you’ve craved. Get on board here. 

Get Chandi’s memoir, Return to Glow here and find out more about her Italian adventures at Paradise of Exiles.

I haven’t been out of Colorado for a year now. Thinking of travel, missing Paris, just made me sad all last year. As I was planning my workshops for 2021, I considered bringing back a travel writing class I taught and loved – Write Your Paris Stories.

But what about other destinations? What if we wrote our global travel stories? And voila, a new class was born: Write Your Travel Stories. 

I am designing an incredibly fun curriculum for Write Your Travel Stories.

It’s for you if you want to:

• turn your wanderlust into something creative.
• write your travel memories down but don’t consider yourself a writer.
• have some fun this spring as a traveler but don’t leave the safety of home.

The multi-media curriculum engages all our senses and our creativity. It’s easy, playful, and focused on having FUN.

You can find out all about it here, where I also share the syllabus. We start in mid-March, but there is an early boarding deal that you won’t want to miss out on.

I do hope you join us for the fun! And travel is always better with a buddy, so pass this on to a travel friend!