Julie Artz works with both award-winning and newer authors across the publishing spectrum from Big Five to small and university presses to indie and hybrid. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach, a sought-after speaker and writing instructor, and a regular contributor to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and a regular instructor for AuthorsPublish, IWWG, ProWritingAid and more. Her work as a Pitch Wars and Teen Pit mentor, a former SCBWI Regional Advisor (WWA), and her memberships in The EFA, the WFWA, AWP, and the Authors Guild keep her industry knowledge sharp. A consummate social and environmental justice minded story geek, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers (when they’re not off at university!), and two naughty furry familiars. She’s built a thriving book coaching business based on her values, her editing chops, and her knowledge of story. Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and subscribe today.
[Wyrd Words Weekly] Back in the ring...
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Hello Reader, Whenever indie folk singer Chris Pureka comes to town, we try to grab tickets. This month, we got to hear Chris in a tiny venue in neighboring Carnation, Washington, and as always, it was an amazing show. One of my favorite songs of theirs is "Back in the Ring." It's about bouncing back after a breakup and the mental health challenges that came along with it, but it's become an anthem to me when the inevitable writing rejections come into the inbox. I'll find myself singing the chorus when I need a boost: "get up, get up, get up, put the gloves back on, back in the ring." And even though I'm not in any way a boxer, it does motivate me to come back to the work, to keep digging, to keep trying new things, even when the doubt demons are trying to use those rejections as evidence that I should throw in the towel on this writing thing. I'll admit I haven't had the best luck embedding videos in the software I use to send these newsletters, so click this link to hear Chris sing this song if the below doesn't show up for you (and accept my apologies!): What do you use to motivate you to get back in the ring after a creative disappointment? I'd love to hear from you. Get Your Manuscript Reader-ReadyTell me if this sounds like you. Your long-held dream is to have a reader-ready manuscript, but you’re:
And now you’re wondering… On June 5, I'll be inviting This program comes at a fraction of the cost of 1:1 coaching, but provides all the support, craft learning, and market knowledge you need to finally get your novel or memoir reader-ready. So if you've been on the fence about working with me, now is the time to take the leap. There's more information, and a link to the easy intake form, here: https://julieartz.com/community/ Once you've filled out the intake form, we'll jump on Zoom to talk about whether group coaching is a good next step for you. So don't delay--I'd love to chat. What I'm ReadingIf you've been around here long, you know I'm pretty much obsessed with dragons. Ever since I first met Smaug in The Hobbit eleventy billion years ago, I've been fascinated by them. So I was thrilled to learn about To Shape a Dragon's Breath by author Moniquill Blackgoose. Seeing some of my favorite fantasy tropes (magical academies, dragon-human bonding) through the fresh lens has been wonderful. So if you're a dragon-lover as well, you might want to check it out! The lyrical writing draws you into the story from page one, and of course I loved seeing a female protagonist and, of course, an adorable dragonling. Have a wonderful week! Warmly, Julie |
Julie Artz | author, editor, book coach, dragon
Julie Artz works with both award-winning and newer authors across the publishing spectrum from Big Five to small and university presses to indie and hybrid. She is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach, a sought-after speaker and writing instructor, and a regular contributor to Jane Friedman and Writers Helping Writers, and a regular instructor for AuthorsPublish, IWWG, ProWritingAid and more. Her work as a Pitch Wars and Teen Pit mentor, a former SCBWI Regional Advisor (WWA), and her memberships in The EFA, the WFWA, AWP, and the Authors Guild keep her industry knowledge sharp. A consummate social and environmental justice minded story geek, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers (when they’re not off at university!), and two naughty furry familiars. She’s built a thriving book coaching business based on her values, her editing chops, and her knowledge of story. Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and subscribe today.
Hello Reader, Recently, I listened to a podcast with “Deep Work” advocate Cal Newport that talked about the impact of social media, email, and, more broadly, distraction has on our creative work. But he also mentioned a philosophical war of sorts between Deep Work denizens and those who adhere to Mihaly Csikszentmihali’s theory of "Flow" or what he calls "optimal experience." In a world obsessed with these sort of ideological cage matches, I often start thinking in the dialectic—what if it’s...
Hello Reader, It's been a busy spring around here! I offered my first-ever free three-hour workshop to the public. I migrated my course materials to a brand-new platform with robust features to support writers. And I even spruced up my look with a months-long rebranding process. Then last week, we onboarded the next cohort of writers to the Wyrd Writers Collective. I'm absolutely energized by all of this, but I've also been woefully neglecting my novel. It can be so hard to prioritize our...
Hello Reader, One of questions that emerged from Story Scaffolding Live! last week was around a question that appears in my course materials and those of other writing coaches as well, as well as on several editor and agent submission forms: Why are you the right person to tell this story? I love asking this question because it gets to the heart of your bigger "Why" for writing the story--what it means to you on a personal and emotional level, moving beyond the events that happen in the story...