If you receive my newsletter, you already know that I recently celebrated my one year anniversary of launching my book coaching business. I have been helping writers in other capacities for several years, but stepping into the role of book coach with a shingle to reflect that work was a leap of faith last year.
And I L-O-V-E it.
Watching writers discover how to say exactly what they want to say, polish their pages, and have their A-HA moments during our coaching calls is awe-inspiring, humbling, and exciting every single time. Witnessing a writer’s creativity and growth is truly a gift I do not take lightly.
Running any type of business leads to lots of lessons learned. Not only have I Iearned more about back-end web design and taxes than I ever cared to know, I have learned a lot about myself and what the writers I work with need.
It has been such a joy to work and talk with so many of you this year. You’ve shared your writing needs, worries, and struggles with me. And boy, did I identify with a lot of them. Because as a writer myself, I am walking this walk right along side you. I have similar needs, worries, and struggles in my own writing.
As I reflected on the past year, I realized that there are three values that focus my business and my writing: Creativity, craft, and community.
These three things define my coaching values, center me in my own writing practice, and allow me to integrate my coaching and writing into a cohesive creative life:
CREATIVITY I want to honor the creative in you. I stuffed down my own creative dreams for years and when I finally set them free, I was amazed at how it enriched all aspects of my life. I believe we should all honor our creative dreams, even if that is just five minutes a day of free writing. Writing heals, empowers, challenges, comforts, teaches, connects. I believe in the power of creativity and want to nurture that power in myself and others.
CRAFT I believe we never stop learning as writers. Writing is a craft, something we practice and perfect over and over again with each revision and new manuscript. My goal is to provide writers with compassionate and actionable feedback to augment their writing process. I want to meet writers where they are and help them to level up their skills whether this is their first manuscript or their fifth or their fifteenth.
COMMUNITY Writers don’t have to go it alone. I have benefitted from collaboration and community my entire career–as a book coach, a writer, a PR executive, and a producer. I believe we can all learn from each other. I think there is power in brainstorming and challenging our own ideas as part of the creative process. Support, encouragement, brainstorming, accountability, and feedback are all ways community can enhance the writing process.
Defining our values as writers is an important exercise. When the going gets tough–whether it’s the murky middle, revision pass number eight leaving you questioning your talent or your sanity or both, or after that first draft when you realize your story isn’t at all about what you thought it was–it’s valuable to know what it is you value in your creative life. Reminding myself that I choose a creative life, craft isn’t finite and there is room for growth, and I have a community of writers to reach out to for brainstorming help or a kind word of support can help me through any blockage–writer’s or otherwise.
I urge you this week to define your own values for your writing life. Not sure where to get started? Google a list of values and you’ll find a ton of resources listing them. Pick two or three that represent your writing life. You may have others for your parenting life or your work life or relationships. Define these values for your creative life and keep the list at your desk. When you feel lost or challenged or get another rejection, when you find yourself questioning your writing life or trying to decide if an opportunity is right for your writing goals, refer back to your writing values for inspiration, reassurance, and guidance.
I would love to know what you value in a creative life. Share your values in the comments below or over on Instagram.
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Featured photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash
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