Hello Reader, This morning, I woke up before six when sirens raced past on the main road at the top of our neighborhood. I admit I grumbled a bit. But then I remembered that part of the reason my husband and I moved away from our little retreat in the woods was so that we could be in town, closer to neighbors, activities, potential new friends. And that helped me reframe, even if I was awake before the sun. Writing can be such a solitary activity, so writing in the woods, far away from community, was sometimes an isolating experience for me, especially during a pandemic. Although we're reaching a new normal now (my kiddo had COVID along with many of his fellow students on campus last week, so I won't say things are back to how they were before!), I still find myself yearning for connection and community. That's part of the reason I created the Wyrd Writers Collective last year. I know quite a few of you are considering whether you want to be the one to fill three There is so much we can learn from each other, especially in a supportive and nurturing environment. But one of our Collective members knows even more about writing proposals than I do. Maxie McCoy is an award-winning author in her own right and also helps folks write and pitch their proposals in her work as a ghost writer. So it was obvious to me that she should be leading the call instead of me. And my instinct was spot-on, because last night's call was full of energy, commiseration about the difficulties of the writing journey, support, and learning. I love that this can happen even when I'm not taking the lead on an event in the group. It was a beautiful thing to witness Collective members supporting each other and learning from each other, and it's exactly why I created this community. So if you're one of the folks who is on the fence, please fill out the interest form and jump on Zoom with me this month--I'd love to hear more about your story and your struggles in a low-pressure call where we can determine together if the Wyrd Writers Collective is the right fit for you. What I'm ReadingIs anyone else absolutely obsessed with Only Murders in the Building? Ever since I first listened to Serial years ago, I've been fascinated by true crime podcasts and even though I'm a bit of a chicken about these things, I have been a faithful Serial listener. So I was thrilled when Only Murders came out because it took the form and added humor. Imagine my surprise when one of my favorite romance author's new books was set during an investigation for a true crime podcast. That's right--I devoured it! Kate Clayborn's The Other Side of Disappearing has more than just podcast lore to recommend it though. It's a sister story, a story about mothers and daughters, a story about the stories we tell ourselves and how they hold us back. And of course, it's also a love story! Football. Conmen. Pancakes. Podcasts. Family Secrets. Love. What's not to love? Hope to see your name pop up in my inbox this week. I'd love to talk with you about the Wyrd Writers Collective! |
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, Back e January, a couple of friends and I hosted a creative reset one afternoon. We each led an activity and mine was one I've done many times before both for myself, my writing pals, and my clients. It's an activity where you write down your doubts, fears, and disappointments and then burn them in order to acknowledge them, then set them free. Even though I'd done this exercise many times, this particular time, a memory emerged of another time that fire had led to a major...
Hello Reader, We had a couple of unexpected adventures last week as our three-week road trip through the western states wrapped up. We woke up Wednesday morning after a really wonderful evening catching up with old friends in Salt Lake City to the news that our route for the next day was...on fire. Most of the news coverage has been focused on the devastating fire in California, but things are pretty dire in eastern Oregon as well, which meant not only was I-84 closed, but our destination,...
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...