Hello Reader,

As we continue to navigate end-of-life care with my father-in-law, I've been doing a lot of the soul-searching that comes with that heart-wrenching process. And let's face it, I've had plenty of sleepless nights to ponder.

One of the biggest revelations I had this week is probably going to make you angry...

No one cares if we finish our stories or send them out into the world...except us (at least for now).

Before you race to the bottom of the page to unsubscribe or relegate me to the trash file, hear me out. Because this is actually really freeing. If you are a pre-published writer, no one is out there waiting for your story. There is no deadline. There is no pressure. That will change once you have an agent and/or editor. But for now, you are free to do what you need to do.

That means we can take the time that we need to craft a story we're proud of.

And we can walk away if the demands of the process are too hard or painful. I honestly considered walking away this summer. I had a kid to launch to college, a book that didn't sell (three books, in fact, just in the past 18 months), and a thriving book coaching business that was giving me a lot more positive reinforcement than my publishing endeavors were.

That in between time--between stories, between life stages-- gave me a lot of time to soul search about both why I write and how I want to support the writers I work with. My soul was unsettled without a story to noodle, so that made figuring out the writing side of this simple: I will continue to write because my heart demands it. That, too, is freeing. Because I'm writing for myself, for my heart and soul, first and foremost. So the outcome, the publishing deal, the readership, while still a heart-felt dream, is not my only reason for doing this work.

And the coaching piece was simple as well. Because the truth is, I can't want your book to succeed more than you do. And I can't guarantee that working with me one on one or in my workshop will get you published.

But I can normalize the sometimes fraught process of living a creative life in a world that concerns itself with cranking out widgets and commodities rather than creating art. A world that prioritizes busy-ness over the kind of navel-gazing and space-making that is required to write a novel.

The fact that no one is waiting for your story (yet) also gives you a great responsibility, but one that you don't have to shoulder alone:

To create the space in a busy life to write a book, to make time to learn what you need to learn both about the world and the craft of writing, to seek out the support you need so that you can send those precious words out into the world so they can find readers. And to do it all with confidence.

I'd love to be a part of your journey, to hold space for you to craft a story that matters, to help you send it into the world with confidence. I'm here, ready to chat whenever you are. Just hit reply and let me know how I can help.

Warmly,

Julie

PS - There's still time to join next week's Craft Magic webinar on using the synopsis as a planning tool! There's a lot of fear out there about what a synopsis is and how to write one, but we'll debunk the myths and I'll show you my simple strategy for writing a synopsis that answers the four key story questions and can be a map to guide you through drafting and revising your story.