May 5, 2021 Resources

Hello again writers,

As I said in class, the two classes I have been taking and some personal issues have eaten up every spare minute, including time to post class notes.

So this will be a different post, with resources I mentioned in class and some new ones that you may find helpful now and in the future.

1. Nadia Colburn: https://nadiacolburn.com/

You have heard me talk about her in the class I am taking: Align Your Story. I encourage you to check out her free classes.

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The lines above came from her opening page, and there is tons more there that you might find helpful. Check it out.

2. Alison Wearing: https://www.alisonwearing.com/

She is the Canadian writer/teacher that I am also studying with now. She is worth checking out as well. Both of these classes that I am taking provide lots of work to keep you very busy BUT these two teachers also have free workshops periodically.

This link takes you to an overview of the class I am taking: https://www.alisonwearing.com/memoir-writing-ink

Alison is a high energy teacher and she brings lots of other published writers in to interview and for you to learn from.

3. Kelly Notaras: https://knliterary.com/ 

Go to her youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoEWlt0rBh1-uaPAhblttLA  and let her show you all of the free helps she has put out there for writers. 

Note: Kelly is high energy, so when I watch her on youtube, I am also typing the great info she is sharing. AND I stop the video periodically to make sure I get the notes I want from what she is saying. Doing it my way may make a half hour video take much longer, but why listen at all if you don’t want to learn…and you will NOT be able to remember all the helpful material she shares if you don’t take notes.

CAUTION: You may love her videos so much you will stop coming to class and I will miss you, and you will miss our writers’ body life. So enjoy what she has to offer, but remember mama.

Kelly   is the founder of kn literary arts, an editorial book studio specializing in self-help, personal growth, and spirituality. Kelly started her career working as an editor for HarperCollins, Penguin USA, and Hyperion Books.

She says this on her “about” page:

•  Is my book a candidate for traditional publishing?
•  Should I self-publish instead?
•  How do I know if my idea or story is “good enough”?
•  What if I’m not the most amazing writer in the world?

The answers to these questions are unique to your book and your vision. They CAN’T really be answered in a FAQ! Let one of our editors give you some good, free advice.

“What can you do for me and my book?”

we can . . .

•  Consult with you about your concept—even before you start writing
•  Coach you through the writing process, so you’re more likely to finish
•  Show you how to make your book or proposal better
•  Edit your work so it shines
•  Write your book or proposal on your behalf, if you don’t have the time or desire
•  Walk you through the process of reaching out to agents and publishers
•  Guide you through the maze of self-publishing
•  Help you build an audience to buy your book when it’s ready

4. I have mentioned Mary Adkins: https://www.maryadkinswriter.com/ in class. She is high energy and identifies herself as a writing coach for aspiring authors.

She does have some freebies on her page like a free masterclass which introduces her passion and method. You will also see some articles on writing related issues, again, worth a look – the whole page.

She says: Whether you need help finding a literary agent or you’ve been revising your book for ages (and exhausted your thesaurus trying to describe that teapot in 72 ways), skip the guesswork.

Join me as I share my own process and shortcuts for writing through resistance, coming up with sellable book ideas, and getting published. All action, no fluff.

But her process is getting the novel done in 90 days, so you must be serious about making the book the center of your life for those 90 days.

5. If you are interested in the faith-based writing market, google Jerry Jenkins or just go here: https://jerrysguild.com/start-here/

He is as passionate about writing his own work as he is about helping you write. Now I don’t know that firsthand; it is

only an observation about how often I hear from him offering helps and ideas.

There are tons of other writing classes available online, not cheap, but there also are many free classes offered and lots of writing helps from writing magazines or writing teachers…enough that you might be overwhelmed.

So check out the sites I have given you here, or not. Just never think you don’t need to keep learning.

And here is a free bonus: both of the classes I am taking consistently offer free bonuses. This was the final exercise in the latest teaching module of Memoir, INK.:

We were to write our own 10 Suggestions for Not Screwing Life up Too Terribly and here is my response to that assignment.

Ten Suggestions for Not Screwing Life Up Too Terribly.

1. Think first whether YOU would want to hear what you are about to say.
2. Can you say what you want/need to say with love, with concern for the hearer? If not, then don’t say it until you can.
3. Never, never allow getting even to consume you.  It will destroy you. It will rob you of every good thing you were meant to experience.
4. Make people welcome whether it is in your office, your room, your fhouse, your tent, your walk, your car…practice making people feel welcome.
5. Keep stuff in your cupboard or pantry, so you can pull off a quick, no-frills supper for anyone who surprises you at mealtime. Feeding people with no pretensions or preparations feeds not just the body, but the soul.
6. Don’t get hung up in the past. If you remember it, something hurtful, think about what you learned from it.  Don’t get trapped into rehearsing it over and over and over until that is all you are, the victim that lived once in a mess and never climbed out of it. If it is a biggy, find someone, ONE someone, you can trust who is equipped to help you with it. Don’t lead every encounter with this pain. You will become  your own wounder
7. Be honest. But honesty does not require you to tell someone your every thought about them. Tell them what would encourage them, if it is true and they need to hear that.
8. Be honest, but very careful about where and when you must tell something you know will be hard for another person to hear…and make absolutely certain that they do need to hear this, not that you feel a need to tell them this thing.
9. Look for opportunities to bless people. Smile. Hum. Share your cookie. Share your talent or skill.
10. When they ask for correction or editing, you don’t need to correct everything that you can think of that needs correcting. Layer the correction with successes. Find them doing something good.