Spring is a great time to reignite passion. Something about warm weather and baseball puts a fire in my belly. So I thought, why not share?
Most of you already know I offer intimate month-long programs where we work together, one-on-one via email and telephone, on you and your writing. I help you find your voice and make it f*cking sing. We polish the shit out of whatever you want to write, so you can publish it, sell it, or give it away on the street corner as a manifesto to change the world. That sells for $499.
While it’s insanely important to have moxie, be yourself, feel the fear and write anyway, not all of you have that kind of money to spend right now.
Hence, my new spring plan. I call it 6+ for reasons that will become apparent by the time you finish reading this.
It’s a group course where we throw our guts on the page, help each other navigate the crazy pitfalls of this thing we call writing, get unstuck, spit-shine our words and form lasting friendships. (It’s damned near impossible to share this much of yourself with strangers and not feel connected long after the course is over.)
What you get
• to create work you’re damn proud of
• to overcome the bullshit in your head that’s preventing you from doing that
• to learn how to deal with criticism or rejection without letting it crumble your world
• to suck in your readers and clients
• to write more fearlessly
• to get shit done in a way you feel good about
• the secret to injecting your words with personality and enhancing your writing voice
• specific, intense feedback from like-minded professionals
• email access to me throughout
Bonus #1: Weekly conference calls with all participants. Ask questions. Get meaningful feedback from your peers. Soak up the goddamn inspiration. And listen to me swear live. Ha! You’ll also receive an mp3 recording each week to play at your convenience. Can’t make one of the calls? No problem. Play the mp3.
Bonus #2: A free copy of my new book, The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms, Using Your Own Honest-to-God, Gut-Wrenching Voice (due out May 1st). Which includes 150 pages of “F*@K yeah” content, exercises and writing samples, as well as videos to inspire. This is especially handy for writers who want help figuring out their voice, how to develop it, what tools they need, and how to use those tools.
6+ runs for four consecutive weeks, starting May 4, 2013. The fee for the class, calls, new book and unlimited email access to moi is $349. (A bargain anywhere, but especially when you consider a month of my one-on-one sessions goes for $499.) Signup instructions are at the bottom of this post. The key: Only six people allowed.
is for you
+ dreamers
+ creators
+ inventors
+ instigators
+ originators
+ innovators
+ movers and shakers
+ hustlers of epic proportion
OR IF YOU WANT TO BE ANY OF THE ABOVE. No more excuses. It’s time to shine.
We want writers, editors, authors and coaches who are burning to turn up the volume on creativity and inspiration.
Why 6+? Because good writing has six key elements. But we won’t stop at six. (Do I do anything the normal way?)
1. Ideas – your point. How to show it. Not tell.
2. Organization – the internal structure of your story. How you want to present it (logical sequence, compare and contrast, chronologically, etc.).
3. Voice – YOU.
4. Word choice – your word choices, and how they create scenes, clarify and expands ideas.
5. Sentence fluency – varying lengths and reading it out loud.
6. Hello, Style Manual – spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc. And how it can ruin a story when it’s not done well. Plus, you do need to know the rules before you can break them with style. It’s cliché for a reason.
In sum…
If you have a burning desire to write, signup.
If you think you cannot do it, you’re wrong.
If you think it’s unrealistic, you’re wrong.
If you think it will be scary, you’re right.
If you’re willing to go after what you want in spite of that fear …
If want to go out knowing that you did everything you could …
you’re in the right place.
You know what you need to do. You’ve known for a while.
Join us.
As Michael Xavier always says, “No one can tell the story like you.” Let’s make it happen.
Signing up is easy. Shoot me an email at beckster7219 (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line “6+ carpe diem.” Tell me who you are and why you want to be a part of 6+.
Feeling like a failure is normal
You’re scared? Good. That means you’re moving forward. Chasing something. Going after what you want.
Frankly, the times when I’m not scared – when, for instance, I stay in bed an entire day, telling myself I suck and I should pack it in – that’s when shit gets ugly.
Yeah, I do that on occasion. Two weeks ago today was the last time. It was also the day before I launched the pre-sale for my new book (THE Guide) and my new writing class (6+).
Here’s the deal: Making big things happen brings on doubt – about everything. What you do. Who you are. Who you want to be. All of it goes under the microscope. That’s normal.
So what happens when you can’t come out from under the blankets? Well, that depends on whether or not you have kids. Because they don’t care what you have going on. They want shit and you’re going to get it for them. (If you’re not parent, then stay in bed.)
We spend a lot of time telling ourselves we’re doing things wrong. Or we shouldn’t be doing things. Or we should be doing other things. What we don’t do very much is listen to our bodies. If you want to stay in bed, do it. Get it out of your system.
Because eventually, once you’ve given yourself permission to feel whatever feelings are making you want to stay in bed, you will want to get up. And launch a book. Or start a new class for writers. Or any other crazy ass thing you can think of. (Maybe the crazy is just me? Nah.)
These days, my life is about doing what I want to do. I’m not always great about it, but I’m trying. I don’t beat myself up anymore if I need a break. I don’t stress that I’m a complete ass and everyone hates me because I swear. (Sorry, Mom.) I no longer bother trying to please everyone.
What I’ve learned by being gentler with myself is that I feel more empowered.
I don’t need anyone’s permission to be myself. That frees me up – it energizes me – to do the creative work I love with people who like my style.
My point?
Anyone who goes for it will fall down along the way. Feeling like a failure is a part of success. Being scares shitless is a step in the process. They both mean you’re not sitting on your ass whining, like most of your critics. *snicker*
I fall on my face all the time. You’d be shocked if you knew how much time and money I’ve sunk into useless products, dead-end projects and bad deals.
But I also learned from those mistakes.
Feeling like a failure is normal. Sometimes it means you’re sitting on the edge of your biggest success. But even if it doesn’t, your world is not going to crumble.
*
Enter your email in the subscribe box (upper right-hand corner) and grab my free book about the writers’ voice, designed to help you write like YOU. So you can say what you want to say, how you want to say it – and stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. (And writing like a pretentious asshat.)
Spring training for writers, authors, editors and coaches
Spring is a great time to reignite passion. Something about warm weather and baseball puts a fire in my belly. So I thought, why not share?
Most of you already know I offer intimate month-long programs where we work together, one-on-one via email and telephone, on you and your writing. I help you find your voice and make it f*cking sing. We polish the shit out of whatever you want to write, so you can publish it, sell it, or give it away on the street corner as a manifesto to change the world. That sells for $499.
While it’s insanely important to have moxie, be yourself, feel the fear and write anyway, not all of you have that kind of money to spend right now.
Hence, my new spring plan. I call it 6+ for reasons that will become apparent by the time you finish reading this.
It’s a group course where we throw our guts on the page, help each other navigate the crazy pitfalls of this thing we call writing, get unstuck, spit-shine our words and form lasting friendships. (It’s damned near impossible to share this much of yourself with strangers and not feel connected long after the course is over.)
What you get
• to create work you’re damn proud of
• to overcome the bullshit in your head that’s preventing you from doing that
• to learn how to deal with criticism or rejection without letting it crumble your world
• to suck in your readers and clients
• to write more fearlessly
• to get shit done in a way you feel good about
• the secret to injecting your words with personality and enhancing your writing voice
• specific, intense feedback from like-minded professionals
• email access to me throughout
Bonus #1: Weekly conference calls with all participants. Ask questions. Get meaningful feedback from your peers. Soak up the goddamn inspiration. And listen to me swear live. Ha! You’ll also receive an mp3 recording each week to play at your convenience. Can’t make one of the calls? No problem. Play the mp3.
Bonus #2: A free copy of my new book, The Definitive Guide to Writing on Your Terms, Using Your Own Honest-to-God, Gut-Wrenching Voice (due out May 1st). Which includes 150 pages of “F*@K yeah” content, exercises and writing samples, as well as videos to inspire. This is especially handy for writers who want help figuring out their voice, how to develop it, what tools they need, and how to use those tools.
6+ runs for four consecutive weeks, starting May 4, 2013. The fee for the class, calls, new book and unlimited email access to moi is $349. (A bargain anywhere, but especially when you consider a month of my one-on-one sessions goes for $499.) Signup instructions are at the bottom of this post. The key: Only six people allowed.
+ dreamers
+ creators
+ inventors
+ instigators
+ originators
+ innovators
+ movers and shakers
+ hustlers of epic proportion
OR IF YOU WANT TO BE ANY OF THE ABOVE. No more excuses. It’s time to shine.
We want writers, editors, authors and coaches who are burning to turn up the volume on creativity and inspiration.
Why 6+? Because good writing has six key elements. But we won’t stop at six. (Do I do anything the normal way?)
1. Ideas – your point. How to show it. Not tell.
2. Organization – the internal structure of your story. How you want to present it (logical sequence, compare and contrast, chronologically, etc.).
3. Voice – YOU.
4. Word choice – your word choices, and how they create scenes, clarify and expands ideas.
5. Sentence fluency – varying lengths and reading it out loud.
6. Hello, Style Manual – spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, etc. And how it can ruin a story when it’s not done well. Plus, you do need to know the rules before you can break them with style. It’s cliché for a reason.
In sum…
If you have a burning desire to write, signup.
If you think you cannot do it, you’re wrong.
If you think it’s unrealistic, you’re wrong.
If you think it will be scary, you’re right.
If you’re willing to go after what you want in spite of that fear …
If want to go out knowing that you did everything you could …
you’re in the right place.
You know what you need to do. You’ve known for a while.
Join us.
As Michael Xavier always says, “No one can tell the story like you.” Let’s make it happen.
Signing up is easy. Shoot me an email at beckster7219 (at) gmail (dot) com with the subject line “6+ carpe diem.” Tell me who you are and why you want to be a part of 6+.