Lorna Faith

Clean Fiction Author

The Secret Power in Making that One Insane Move

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“Sometimes your whole life boils down to one insane move.” Jake Sully says in the movie Avatar, when he reaches a crossroads. He’s deciding whether he wants to continue believing the lies he’s been told – that the natives are in the way and need to be pushed off their land in the name of progress – or if he wants to join the natives in their fight against the military.

He chooses to fight – even though it seems like a hopeless battle.

There’s power in making that one insane move toward your dreams.

Sometimes that big move is talking to someone else and brainstorming ideas, or in developing a creative relationship that brings big results.

I was reminded of this recently when another writer friend, Lori Buckle, told me of her struggle on what to settle on for a website name. Much of the advice she’d been given didn’t resonate with her voice and brand. I encouraged her to go with a name that really spoke to her of the beauty of the Universe that she wanted to share with others on the website – so she did.

I was happy when she told me that because we emailed back and forth, it helped her to cut through the voices to find her soul again.

We all need someone(or many someone’s) who push us to go beyond our ‘normal’ and inspire us to be our best selves.

the secret power in making that one insane move

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There is a Secret Power in Creating Together

Many times the best ideas are uncovered when we talk with someone else who ‘gets us.’ I’ve experienced this when I talk my book ideas over with my husband or with writers in a Facebook group I’m a part of.

Recently I began reading a book that talks about the power of working with another person as a creative pair. Joshua Wolk Shenk, in his book Powers of Two: How Relationships Drive Creativity, gives examples of famous people who have created amazing innovation because of working together. People like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak when they created

There are many well-known creative pairs: like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak when they created Apple. Or John Lennon and Paul McCartney when they started the band The Beatles. Even C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien inspired each other to write their popular books The Chronicles of Narnia Complete 7-Book Collection with Bonus Book: Boxen and The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings (the Hobbit / the Fellowship of the Ring / the Two Towers /. 

Creating closely with someone else helps you:

  • to ‘get’ someone else
  • develop even more creative ideas
  • enhance and appreciate each others strengths

Other times when I’ve discovered the secret power of creative pairs has been when I’ve had the privilege of interviewing other storytellers. Just this past week as I was interviewing romance author Ruth Ann Nordin, we had a moment where we helped solve one another’s problem, by giving each other creative ideas.

I love it when that happens 🙂

I’ve loved help first-time writers learn a simple step-by-step process to write, self-publish and market their books. It’s a passion, and it makes my day to receive emails from writers who’ve been helped by the Free email mini-course.

Be Bold. Make That One Insane Move…

It’s risky to step out into something that’s new – especially when you’re unsure of the outcome.

It’s much easier to stay where it’s comfortable, where life is easier and where there’s little risk.

But without stepping out into that new thing that your instincts are urging you to try, you’ll stay where you are. You might regret not jumping into the deep end.

Whether it’s writing that new book, creating that new course, or collaborating with another creative, don’t wait. Step in and go for it.

Stop listening to the critic inside you – or around you – that is trying to get you to stop stepping into your next level.

Choose instead to boldly make that one insane move that will catapult you into a new crescendo of creativity.

You won’t regret it.

Do you have a new creative idea that you’re hesitating on? What’s holding you back?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments – let’s encourage each other 😉

 

 

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6 Practical Areas of Growth for Writers in 2016

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I’ve been going through my list of areas I need to grow in as a writer for 2016 and I’ve realized that there are many areas for me to focus.

As I read through my own list, I thought maybe other writers would find my own list helpful as they sort through their own.

So here’s what I’m working through in my own writing and creativity process this year.

6 practical areas of growth

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6 Practical Areas of Growth for Writers in 2016

Just like many of you, I’ve chosen to get more serious about my writing this year. I’ve loved writing in past years, but too many times I would get sidetracked by some shiny new thing and would begin that.

Honestly, this has been a big area of growth for me personally and as a writer.

Too many times before, I would panic and somehow think I wasn’t doing enough, so in my fear I would chase something else(insert ‘new book/course/website’ here).

I’ve realized(at last), that I need to make a change – maybe you do too? If you are wanting to get more serious about your writing, I hope you consider adding these 6 practical changes to how you structure your writing process this year.

To be more deliberate in your writing habits, there are some changes to consider so you are more effective as a writer and Authorpreneur. These are the changes I’m making this year that I hope you find useful as you rethink your own writing journey.

1. Be dedicated to your creative work. This is where you get to choose, as a writer, to commit to writing the story you’ve dreamed of publishing. If storytelling is what inspires you, then don’t settle for low expectations and small dreams. Seth Godin in his amazing book The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? writes, “The path that’s available to each of us is neither reckless stupidity nor endless compliance. No, the path that’s available to us is to be human, to do art, and to fly higher than we’ve been taught is possible.”

2.Choose each day to improve your writing craft. This takes step #1 a little further. Beyond committing to writing, choose to: 1)read 15 minutes every day on some part of the craft of writing 2)regularly watch movies and write down the story structure 3)practice writing every day.

3.Simplify how you capture ideas and organize your to-do list. As writers, each of us are multi-taskers and it’s too easy to forget things we need to do or to simply not have a place where we can write down ideas as they come to us. I used to try to keep everything in my head – and I was losing ideas and forgetting important items on my to-do list. Now I have added Evernote to my iPhone as well as I can sync Evernote to my computer too. Another great app(for your smartphone) to write down your ideas and your to-do-list  is Todoist(free). I write down ideas for books, blog posts or generally what needs to get done and it’s so helpful. It doesn’t matter what type of system you use, but you need something. It’s much too easy to forget:)

4.Decide on specific and measurable writing goals for yourself. Choose what you want to write and publish this year and set S.M.A.R.T. goals for yourself. I found this older post by Dean Wesley Smith, has many great ideas to help writers with goal setting.

5.Double check that your books are available in a wide range of digital markets. This is important. You don’t want to rely on just one retailer for readers to buy your books(ie. Amazon). Throw your net wide and publish on Amazon, Kobo, iBookstore, and for everything else you could use Smashwords or Draft2Digital to send your book to many other retailers. Give yourself the gift as an author of getting your books everywhere you can… you’ll be glad you did.

6.Focus on building your list of readers and your tribe. Growth as an authorpreneur comes from really two main areas: 1)writing more books  and 2)focussing on growing your home base – your website. For both your books and your website it’s important to have an email signup so people can connect with you. Also, on the last page of your book, include a link to a signup page for your readers, so they can continue to receive your blog posts and new book releases. This is really the #1 thing as writers and everything else you do should point back to it.

What are some areas you want to grow in as a writer this year? Please comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts! 🙂

 

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006 Grow Your List of Readers by Using Email Autoresponders with Lise Cartwright

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I had the honour of interviewing author, blogger and coach, Lise Cartwright. After countless years in the corporate grind, Lise decided to quit her job and start her freelance writing business. Three years after that, she decided to become a full-time author.

Lise has written over 16 books – many translated into other languages – and has many bestselling books to her name. So far she has written nonfiction books, but starting in 2016 she will be collaborating with author Steve Windsor, on her first fiction novel. You can connect with Lise at her website lisecartwright.com or at the website she co-authors with her writing partner Steve Windsor at authorbasics.com. You can also chat with her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

Watch the Video Interview

Summary of the Interview

*Lise starts off by telling her story of working in the corporate grind and being unhappy with her job. She wanted to have the freedom to do what she wanted, when she wanted to do it. So she started looking for options and came across locationrebel.com. There she learned blueprints of business ideas and when she came across the idea of being an SEO writer, she decided to try that. Within 10 months she was able to quit her job. She discovered she was passionate about writing and learned from Steve Scott and from Chandler Bolt’s Self Publishing School, how to write, self-publish and market her books. It was through them that she became addicted to writing books.

*Her first book was No Gym Needed – Quick & Simple Workouts for Gals on the Go: Get a Toned Body in 30 Minutes or Less. That book was so popular that Lise created the No Gym Needed 30 Day Challenge.

*After that first book, she had so many ideas that she quickly transitioned from being a full time freelance writer working for others to being a full time writer, working for herself. Now, it has been a little over 12 months that Lise has been a full time author.

*Lise gives tips on how writers can get their books written quickly. Steps to take: 1)start with an idea – Pat Flynn encourages people to write down everything you’re interested in. 2)Create a Mind Map. Lise says she writes with pen and paper and this unlocks the book fully for her. 3)She groups the ideas together and comes out with a great outline for her book. 4)She free writes each chapter. The outline helps her to know ahead of time what each chapter will be about and it helps her to write faster.

*When Lise wrote 7 books in 7 weeks at the start of 2015, she was able to write each book in a day because she had a solid outline to start with.

*As far as editing your book, find an editor that understands your writing who doesn’t try to change your voice. Lise found her editor for a reasonable rate on Fiverr.com. She asked her editor if she would edit in Scrivener and she agreed. You can find more of her great tips on hiring a professional editor on her post:  10 Truths of Hiring a Professional Editor.

*Lise and her co-author Liz Froment wrote two books on how to create book funnels: Non-Fiction Book Funnels: How to Engage With Your Readers and Sell More Books! and Fiction Book Funnels: How to Engage With Your Readers and Sell More Books! In these books they talk about the step by step process of how to come up with your email autoresponders and what to say.

*Lise encourages authors to build their email lists from the get go, because this is what will ensure your long term success. To become a full-time author – to make money at it – you have to be in it for the long game. It’s important to build a platform and connection with readers if you want to continue writing books and making money. When you have multiple books, you need multiple lists for readers. It’s great to have a way to keep in touch with your readers. Fiction and nonfiction is very similar in that regard. Amazon won’t give your email address to your reader, so there needs to be a way for you to get someone onto your email list.

*It’s helpful if you have a permafree(permanently free) book that is constantly driving people to your email list, or have another book as incentive for people to sign up to your email list. The more emails you have, the easier it is to launch a book.

*Send the emails out to your list. If you’ve been connecting with your list, they are going to be the readers most likely to buy. Connect with people on your email list on a regular basis.

*Start with a 7 day autoresponder series to let readers know who you are. Continue telling your own stories and building that relationship. If you’re writing fiction, you can be more creative. For example, Mark Dawson sent a freebie out to his list about a FBI report on his main character. Or you could give away a detailed map. Think outside the box and about what the reader would want. You can ask them what they would like for free with a survey.

*Lise talks about co-authoring a book with another nonfiction author and collaborating with Steve Windsor on the fiction novel they’re writing together. Some tips for working together: 1)It’s best if you have a good friendship going into it, because everyone has idiosyncrasies. Need to be able to be quite honest with each other and not take offense. 2) Be accountable. Lise says she likes to use slack to chat. 3)Most likely you’re collaborating because you have similar ideas. Do a google hangout and by talking together, and be open and honest about what you want to do. By doing that, you’ll be able to quickly discover if you can work together well.

*Lise and Steve Windsor will be working on their first YA fiction novel – Dixxon – at the start of 2016. They are using  Scrivener  to write their novel and using 4 part story structure.

*Right now Lise is in the process of turning her nonfiction books into courses. Since many readers of her nonfiction book No Gym Needed – Quick & Simple Workouts for Gals on the Go: Get a Toned Body in 30 Minutes or Less, have asked for a course, she has created the No Gym Needed 30 Day Challenge. 

You can find more about Lise and her books at lisecartwright.com and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

 

*Photo Credit by Lise Cartwright

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

How to Move Toward Your Dreams even when You’re Scared to Death

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“I believe every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.” Oprah Winfrey

One big reason ~ a tragic one ~ that people don’t move toward their dreams is a simple one. Fear. 

Fear holds us back from becoming who we really are. That is the sad reality of too many stories.

How to Move Toward

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Why do we hesitate?

Sometimes opportunity is staring us in the face. Yet, we hesitate.

When you move toward doing meaningful work there is a ton of risk:

  • You might fail – you could embarrass yourself
  • You could lose the respect of family and friends
  • You could lose all your money

There are thousands of ways you could fail. However, the truth is you could also succeed.

Until you start acting on those gifts you’ve been given and living in your calling, you are robbing the world of a gift. The gift of you.

I wasted a whole lot of years before I went after those dreams I had on the inside. One of those dreams was that I wanted to be a writer, but didn’t think I was good enough. I thought I had to wait for someone – a professional in the publishing world – to pick me.

I hesitated because of fear.

It wasn’t until I read Jeff Goins’ book You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) and  when I decided to  Join Tribe Writers, that I had an aha moment that I didn’t need to wait.

I chose to pick myself and write and publish the stories that were burning inside me. My 1st novel was published and then I wrote my 1st nonfiction book and finished creating an online course to help others write and publish their books. Lately, I’ve been working on the edits of the second book in the historical romance series – called Anchoring Annaveta. It’s due out in March 2016, and I’m again pushing through fear to publish another book.

Here’s some of the steps that help me to write more stories… maybe it will help you too. Everyday I do what I can to take steps beyond my wall of fear.  Everyday I sit down to write, knowing that I can’t wait for the fear to go away. I just act on those ideas that are burning a hole inside me. 

In order to move toward an opportunity or a dream you have – even though it’s risky – you need to remind yourself of 3 things:

1. Believe you can do it. The only way you’ll really act on your dream is to trust the gifts you’ve been given. Listen to family and friends who say you are really good at this. Those are clues to the hidden talent and gifts inside of you.

At some point it’s important to stop doubting yourself…. and believe in you. You need to see the possibility of doing work you love before it happens. 

This is called faith. 

Trust in the emergence of your own story.

2. Talk and Learn about it. Keep speaking out loud who you are. Even if it doesn’t seem possible. That’s what really helped me when I started writing. I started talking about writing and learning about it for years until one day I could say with confidence I am a writer.

3. Do your dream.  Until we act on what we’ve been dreaming about doing, what we value is just that – a dream. 

Even though we aren’t what we do, we become what we practice. 

For anyone that is doing any sort of meaningful work, it’s important that we get this. So if you are practicing living in fear, insecurity and intimidation what does that say about you?

So if you have a calling that you aren’t really stepping into, then it’s time to: Believe in your dream before you see it; Keep speaking out loud that you are what you’re waiting to be; and then do your dream.

Then when opportunities come your way to step into it instead of focussing on the negative questions like what if I fail?… Instead ask yourself:

  • What if you are amazing?
  • What if you do really well?
  • What if people LOVE YOU?

Let the answers to those questions guide you to your next step.

 

Are you pushing through fear and moving toward your dream? I would love to hear your story in the comments.

 

*Photo created with Canva

*Some of the above links are affiliate links and help to support this blog

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