How do you win as a writer? by Beth Barany

How do you win as a writer?

It may not be what you think. It’s not about comparing yourself to other writers. It’s not about being miserable and too busy.

It is about setting aside time to work on your writing and then sitting down and putting your attention on it.

Do you set aside to write?
What happens when you sit down to write? Do you sink below the surface of reality into your story?

One of my students reminded me that we’re channeling when we write.

Whether or not you believe in channeling, our creativity comes from somewhere.

I think our creativity comes from the Great Mystery and we craft them into being with our work.

Do you know where your ideas come from?

Wherever my ideas come from, I find writing a magical process.

Wherever your ideas come from, your job is to show up for this process and put words to page, or take words out/change words — if you’re editing.

Even if you’re marketing, it’s all about the words, the ones you chose, the ones you don’t.

What are your thoughts on how to win as an author?

Post in the comments below.

Sale!

Reminder: we still have our sale going on at Barany School of Fiction.

Our Most Popular Courses

How to Write Your Author Branding Statement
Draft your one compelling sentence to easily let readers know what you write. Get a practical tool that you can use in all your marketing and promotions.
For more information go here: http://school.bethbarany.com/p/how-to-write-your-author-branding-statement

Start Your Novel with Scrivener
A Beginner’s Guide. A great place to learn the basics, so that you can write your novel with this handy tool.
For more information go here: https://school.bethbarany.com/p/start-your-novel-with-scrivener-training

Plan Your Novel Like A Pro: 30-Day Writing Challenge October 2019 course
Planning for Non-Planners: Get Ready to Write Your Novel
Get weekly calls, step-by-step guidance, and a community of writers all embarking to plan their novels in time for NaNoWriMo. Plan your novel in 30 days and write it with confidence!
For more information go here: https://school.bethbarany.com/p/plan-your-novel-30-day-challenge-oct-2019

All of our courses listed here: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2019/07/01/amazing-july-sale-for-fiction-writers/.

Every course is 50% off now through July 31, 2019, 11:55pm Pacific.

At check out, use this coupon: VENTE2019

Another Sale!

Also, my fellow writing teacher and editor, C.S. Lakin is also running a 50% off sale in her school, Writing For Life.

Be sure to use the coupon code JULYHALFOFF at check out to take advantage of her sale.

Her courses on craft will walk you through a thorough step-by-step process to master novel structure.

All courses are video modules that you take at your own pace, offering lifetime access, and numerous handouts and worksheets to aid you in your learning.

Hey, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, so no risk!

You can also preview for free a few of the modules (scroll down on the course pages for the curriculum and note the ones that are marked “preview”).

Here are the courses currently available on Writing for Life Workshops:

The 10 Key Scenes That Frame Up Your Novel: This course, built on her highly touted Layer Your Novel book, lays out the time-tested basic story structure that most novels, plays, and movies follow.

The 4 Foundational Pillars of Novel Structure: Before you can write a novel, you need to know how to build strong pillars. Drawn from her book The 12 Key Pillars of Novel Construction, this mini course walks you through the four essential corner pillars that support every great story: Protagonist with a Goal, Concept with a Kicker, Conflict with High Stakes, and Theme with a Heart. Nail these corner pillars before you go any further in plotting your novel!

Targeting Genre for Big Sales: Writers often don’t realize how important genre is when it comes to selling success. Instead of writing a novel and hoping it will “fit in somewhere,” learn how to target genre for success. You’ll learn the tips and tricks to success on Amazon, the top-selling site for authors, as well as how to deconstruct novels in your genre. In addition, you’ll be shown step by step how to drill into Amazon to find the right niche genre for your novel—one that will give you the best chance of discoverability and success.

10 Easy but Essential Self-Editing Tips: This short course is packed full of great tips on how to self-edit. Writers need to learn to be brutal self-editors in order to write concisely and clearly. These ten tips are easy but will make a huge difference in your writing if you apply them!

How to Make a Great Living as an Editor: This course is for anyone interested in turning an editing business into a global enterprise. This is not a course that teaches how to become an editor or start a freelance editing business. Rather, it’s for editors at any level of experience to learn how to make a great living doing what they love by breaking out of the freelancing mentality and discovering what unique offerings they can bring to their business and name branding.

I hope you’ll take advantage of this special deal.

Remember: if you sign up and then decide you don’t like the course or you’re not getting anything useful out of it, you can ask for (and get) a full refund. So what are you waiting for? Enroll HERE!

Upcoming Events

July 31, 11:55pm PT: Barany School of Fiction 50% sale ends. Go here to take advantage of the sale before it ends… be sure to use this coupon at checkout VENTE2019: https://school.bethbarany.com/.

July 22-26, 2019: I’ll be teaching my Plan Your Novel material in an intensive workshop in Damman, Saudi Arabia at the world-renowned Ithra center. https://www.ithra.com/en/eventshub/events/201907/writing-novels-201907

Sunday, August 18, 6-8pm: I’ll do a workshop on my Writing with the 21 Senses: Enhance Your Characters and Your Reader’s Experiences at at East Bay Booksellers, 5433 College Avenue, Oaklandto the kid lit and YA authors for SCBWI. Open to all: SCWBI members and non-members. For more information and to register online to get discount pricing, go here: https://sfnortheastbay.scbwi.org/events/sun-aug-18-writing-with-the-21-senses/

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 7-9pm: I’ll present to the Napa Valley Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club. More details to come.

September 26, 2019, 1-7pm: I’ll be presenting at the mini-conference “Getting Known as an Authority in Your Field: Writing Your Book” on how to “Use Fiction Tools to Jazz Up Your Nonfiction Book” for Women in Consulting. Location: College of San Mateo. (Link opens to Google maps.) Registration is now open. More information here.

October 1-31, 2019: Ezra and I run the Plan Your Novel Like a Pro course to help you get ready for NaNoWriMo.

More information and course registration here: https://school.bethbarany.com/p/plan-your-novel-30-day-challenge-oct-2019

Early Bird enrollment is on now and the course is 50% off now until the end of July. Be sure to use the coupon VENTE2019 to get 50% off.

Saturday, October 4: I’ll be doing a 3-hour workshop for the Napa Valley Writers, a branch of the California Writers Club. More details to come.

Saturday, October 12, 2019: I’ll present “Branding for Authors,” a morning talk and an afternoon hands-on workshop to Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA). More details to come.

***

Get notified about these events and get weekly author tips, resources, and inspiration, by signing up for the blog here: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/contact-beth/#signup.