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] - Welcome to Preptober!
Hello Reader,
This weekend, I was able to sneak down to the southern coast of Washington with a few of my favorite writer pals for a retreat. Here we are, being cheesie on a sunset walk, but those smiles are 100% real:
It was so good to be with people again, especially some friends I hadn't seen in a year or more. And as much as we laughed, what I really needed--and received--was a little tough love.
Those of you who have been around here for a while know that I'm having trouble selling my YA fantasy novel in verse. Verse novels are notoriously hard to break out AND fantasy in verse is not really a thing beyond mythology retellings (which this is NOT). I've been a little stuck, to be honest, and doing more than a little wallowing.
And while sympathy is wonderful and so appreciated, what I really needed was someone to gently, lovingly, but absolutely unambiguously tell me to get over myself and start working on the next story. We drew runes one night and the darned things told me the exact same thing.
OK UNIVERSE, MESSAGE RECEIVED!
So I'm diving into #preptober to work on that next story even as I hold onto hope that someone out there will fall in love with my feminist, murdery, magical novel in verse. I doubt I will write many words for NaNoWriMo, certainly not 50,000, but now I have something to concentrate on besides my disappointment.
If you're stuck in disappointment or fear around your writing, it may be time to try something brand new. Whether that's a new story, a new approach to your existing story, or a break to read or refill your cup in other ways, this is a good time to listen to your intuition and do what you need to do to get back into the type of mindset that will let you create writing magic.
And if you need a little encouragement, I'm providing a tip a day on Twitter for the next two months. Check it out and spread the word.
Plan Now, Play Later - Register Now!
Registration is live for my world-building webinar, Plan Now, Play Later. But I have to apologize for sending you to a link that didn't allow for that $10 subscriber-only discount I offered (thank you to Ellen for letting me know it wasn't working). That's fixed now--my apologies.
Read more about the webinar here.
Hope to see you there!
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, I've been neglecting the "What I'm Reading" portion of my newsletter in all the busy-ness of the past few months, so today is a double-header. If you're looking for something to distract you from the news once you get your ballot in, this is the newsletter for you! Even though I'm mostly writing adult fiction these days, my love of middle grade endures. And part of the reason for that is the hope and heart that is so much a part of my favorite middle grade stories. This week,...
Hello Reader, I'm just about on the other side of a month of busy-ness and I'm not going to lie: I'm tired. But I also experienced some deep magic that has rekindled my writing spark. If you've been around here long, you know I'm almost as big a music buff as I am a book nerd. And this past weekend was something I would call once in a lifetime if not for the fact that I got to experience it last summer as well: Joni Mitchell and the Joni Jam. Bear with me, even if you don't love Joni the way...
Hello Reader, Ever since I read Cal Newport's Digital Minimalism this past spring, I've been grappling with my feelings about social media. Remember the good old days of Twitter, when we were a cozy little writing community running pitch contests, giving each other support and feedback, and tagging everything with #amwriting and #writingcommunity? At the same time, I was logging into Facebook daily to see photos of my friends and family instead of endless ads and toxic political memes. Sigh....