Author: Dan Blank

The Benefits of Talking About My Book 1+ Years Before Publication

This post is a part of my behind-the-scenes series on a book I am writing called Dabblers vs. Doers.

When I announced that I am writing a book last month, I did so at a time that is likely two years before it is published. I have not yet queried agents, not yet signed with a publisher or started any element of that process. Even if I signed with an agent and publisher tomorrow, it would likely be 12-18 months before the book itself would be published.

Which begs the question: why talk about my book so publicly 1+ year before publication?

Let’s explore this topic in a number of ways…

Why Some People Wait to Talk about Their Book

I was chatting the other day with a friend who whose publisher requested they not say ANYTHING about the book until publication, for fear of competitive titles being developed and released. In that case, I completely understood their reasoning.

I have heard many authors and marketers advise against talking about an idea too soon – because it either sets false expectations, or raises awareness too soon. That, by the time the book is released, interest will have dissipated.

While I can definitely understand scenarios where it makes sense to not talk about a book so far ahead of publication, but in my case, I am finding many more reasons to support talking as openly as possible about the book. Here’s why…

My Goal is to Affect People’s Lives, Not a Publish a Book

Inherently, what I am exploring in this work is about more than the book itself. This is an effect I hope to have in the world, where the book is the epicenter, with many extensions. The book itself is a wonderful artifact to share. It is a milestone to reach that will embody everything I am doing, and will be the primary way by which the core of my work is communicated. But… there is so much more.

Writing This Book is an Experience I Want to Fully Embrace

Writing the book is an experience I am creating for my life. Thousands of hours, hundreds of conversations, and a major shift in my identity. It is something that my wife and son will have to live with day in and day out with me. I want to understand the depths of this topic and shape it as best I can. I believe I will learn more about this topic and experience it more fully by talking about it every day than I would if I were to silently slave away with the hopes that the artifact will somehow create this for me on the day of publication.

The book will be stronger if I explore these topics openly than if I covet and hide the work.

I am Testing and Honing the Message

I’ve announced the book, but the truth is that I have no idea what it really is. It exists in its absolute WORST form right now — a 60,000-word draft that I am editing and still doing primary research for. Truthfully, the draft itself is a mess. When I gave it to my editor, she promptly sent it right back with a deep analysis of what it needs before I present it to her for an edit.

It was as if I invited you to dinner at my house, and you walked in to find big vats of raw ingredients overflowing in the kitchen, and not a single recipe in sight. You would politely walk out and tell me to call when I’d at least found the stove.

Yet every single week, I am learning more and more about WHY the topic of the book resonates, and the specific ways that it resonates with those I hope to reach.

I announced the title and the description of the book after testing it with a group of those I am close to. Dabblers vs. Doers seemed to resonate. When I shared it publicly, I found that it still resonated. Now, I’m not married to that title – but what I am finding is that it is efficiently creating interest. I mean, what more would I want a book title to do?

Will a publisher eventually want to change or modify it? Maybe. And if that discussion does happen, I will have months and months of experience on the ways the title works, and the ways in which it doesn’t. I won’t be clinging to it out of pride, I will be able to intelligently talk about reactions from the core audience I hope to engage.

Since announcing the book, I have had to describe it to people dozens of times via phone, Skype, online, email, and in person. I notice which words resonate, which stories resonate, and how my own description has evolved even over the past few weeks.

Many authors only experience this rapid-paced learning AFTER their book is published, when they are on a book tour. At this point, what you learn comes mostly too late. All of the book’s messaging has been defined and printed. I want to learn these insights before the book is published.

Even though this book does not really exist yet, I have had the pleasure of hearing others describe it already. I pay attention to the words they use, the phrasings, because if I want the message of this book to spread, it has to be in the language that people fully embrace.

A core part of research for the book has been interviews that I have turned into podcasts. Something that these interviews are forcing me to do is TALK about the book a lot. It is one thing to do so on paper, another in conversation, especially with people I respect and admire.

I am interviewing people who I feel do great work, so if I can have the confidence to describe the book to them, I can do it with others.

By the time I get to a proper marketing plan once the book is slated for publication, I will have months and months of honing the messaging, identifying what resonates and why.

And let’s face it: this process gives me confidence. I have heard from so many other creative professionals who are about to launch their work to the world about that deep anxiety they feel. They second guess everything because they genuinely can’t predict how their work will be received.

While I’m sure I will be filled with anxiety when my own book launches, I at least want to have months of experience knowing that people seemed to think this was a good and valuable idea. Because, as I spend a few years on this project (including time after publication), wouldn’t it be nice if my wife and son experienced me as someone who was confident and learning, instead of someone who was simply terrified that I have made a foolish mistake?

People Caring About This is Motivating

I can’t even describe to you how encouraging it is to see feedback like this so early in the process. Here is a Tweet from Sean Blanda after I announced the book:

Sean Blanda 2015-01-16 at 2.42.55 PM

(Thank you Sean!)

After I interviewed Julia Fierro, she shared this on Facebook:

Screen Shot 2015-02-07 at 6.47.12 AM

(Thank you Julia!) I am blown away by this generosity, and that fuels me to find MORE time to research, write, and edit this book. I know that this process will be difficult – I have heard that from thousands of others. What I am finding already is that this kind of feedback early on is making the process feel wonderful, even as I devote hundreds of hours to it.

Awareness and Caring Take a Long Time to Develop

Why does Coca-Cola spend billions of dollars each year on marketing even though their company is more than 125 years old and their products are iconic? Because to get people to remember things takes a certain amount of frequency and effort.

I explored this back in 2012 in this blog post about the value of repetition in marketing. What experienced marketers know is this: it takes a long time to get people to know what you are doing.

Even when I launched my company five years ago, it took months and months for even my closest friends and colleagues to fully understand and accept what it was I was trying to do.

Now that I am talking publicly about the book, I am finding that when I meet someone for lunch, they almost immediately ask, “So you are writing a book?” That is proof that awareness is growing, at least with those I am already friends with.

What I also find in these casual conversations is that we touch upon themes of the book as we talk about life and work. When we hit upon key topics around risk and developing a meaningful body of work – I mention that this is what I am exploring/researching for my book. It gives the topic of the book a real sense of context.

Bottom line, this makes the book stronger, and the experience of crafting it more nuanced.

The Journey — and Who Joins Me on It — Deeply Matters

Already – 1+ year before publication – it feels as though I am not alone on this journey. The people who have said kind words, or whom I have interviewed for it, feel as though they are on this journey with me. It feels social, and that makes it all the more meaningful to me.

Addressing My Own Ignorance

Honestly, I don’t know what will work. Talking openly about the book is my way of finding out. In the past, I shared profiles of authors such as Eric Ries and Rebecca Skloot who spent years experimenting to understand how to ensure their book finds an audience.

I am not doing this – talking about my book a year before publication – just as some marketing tactic. I am doing it because it most honors the work itself, making the book stronger. And it honors the audience, by ensuring their voices help make this work better, and can potentially help others in that process.

Every week, I am feeling a greater sense of focus of what the book is, what I hope to achieve with it, the value of the experience it is creating for me, and who it can likely connect with. Will that help the book itself succeed? I like to think so. Will it create a deeper, more meaningful experience for me and those who my work connects with? Most definitely.

For more information on Dabblers vs. Doers, and all the behind the scenes stuff I am sharing, click here. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes here.

Thanks.
-Dan

Rachel Fershleiser: A Career Built on Enthusiasm

Today I’m speaking with Rachel Fershleiser, who describes herself this way, “I’m someone who gets really psyched about books on the internet, and I help others do it too.” I am so inspired by not just the scope of Rachel’s work over the years, but how much she is an enthusiastic champion for others.

Rachel Fershleiser and Dan Blank
Rachel Fershleiser and Dan Blank
In this interview, Rachel talks to me about:

  • How her career has been driven by enthusiasm, not blindly pursuing job titles
  • The role that volunteering for organizations and championing others has played in her life
  • How she collaborated with others to organize hundreds of live events
  • The story behind crafting a “feisty” voice online, and where her boundaries are
  • When she knew the time was right for a big career move
  • The value of embracing individual connections that are meaningful, not ‘going viral’

Some background: Rachel Fershleiser works on Tumblr’s outreach team, specializing in publishing, nonprofit, and cultural organizations. Previously she was the community manager at Bookish and the director of public programs at Housing Works Bookstore Café, where she now serves on the board of directors. She is also the co-creator of Six-Word Memoirs and co-editor of the New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning and three other books.

Her Kickstarter campaign for Stock Tips: A Zine about Soup earned 13 times its initial funding goal. She also runs The Reblog Book Club which is Tumblr’s Official Book Club.

Click ‘play’ above to listen to the podcast, or subscribe on iTunes, or download the MP3.

This podcast is part of the research for a book I am writing called Dabblers vs. Doers, which is about working through RISK as you develop your craft and build a meaningful body of work.

Here are some key insights that Rachel shared with me…

When Pigeonholed in Jobs She Didn’t Love, She Said, “Let’s Recalibrate”

“I did PR for broadway shows, I didn’t necessarily want to do PR, or even knew what PR was. I wanted to make people excited about theater.”

“Then, when I was unemployed, all I wanted to do was read books. But I wasn’t one of these people who wanted to work in publishing my whole life. When I went to look for publishing jobs, I was applying for editorial assistant. They were like, ‘Oh, you have PR experience.’ I went in for an editorial job, and was offered a PR job.”

“So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll make people really excited about books!'”

But PR isn’t all about enthusiasm, you are given books to work with, not all of them you are genuinely excited about. Rachel continues…

“I quit my job without another job lined up. But I was living in a 6-floor walk up with 3 other girls; I was paying $700 rent; I did not have a lot of debt; I was not taking money from my parents, but knew I could if the situation got desperate; I had no kids or responsibilities; so I figured: let’s recalibrate.”

Volunteering

Rachel chooses to volunteer; chooses to get involved; chooses to champion things. This is a thread throughout her career.

She started at the most basic level at Housing Works Bookstore, and worked through the ranks and got more involved. “I was a volunteer (four hours per week), then I was a part-time bookseller, then I was a full-time bookseller, I was director of public programs, and now I’m on the board.”

Rachel’s other volunteer work includes:

Collaboration Mastermind: Organizing Hundreds of Events

At Housing Works Bookstore, she crafted events with others in a collaborative manner, and didn’t just book basic readings. She crafted readings, book launch parties, poetry, dance events, music concerts, and more.

Her specialty? “My passion is like, okay, we’ve got four different debut novels with a thru-line, and if we get all of those writers together, and get this band to play, then we show this animated short, then we have a cafe special that is on-theme, then we have a photo booth, then we put clips from the event up on the internet… that whole mishmash of different literary-ish things.”

She would ask, “What can we do to bring together different fan bases? We did crazy things like have Salman Rushdie read with a progressive rock band that had written an album based on one of his essays. We put him in this big leather armchair, and then there are these punk boys behind him. That was the kind of thing where some people came for the writing, and didn’t know anything about the band; some people came for the band, and didn’t know anything about the writing. We were like, ‘Let’s all get together and see what happens.'”

How did she collaborate on so many events across such a broad range of fields? “A lot of it stems from knowing what you don’t know. I don’t know anything about music; I don’t know a lot about pop culture; I don’t know a lot about comics; I don’t know a lot about poetry; I can go on for a long time. So the ability to be like, ‘You know a lot about poetry, come here. Who do you think should read with this band?’ that isn’t me being generous, that is me stealing other people’s brains. It’s benefiting from all different kinds of expertise.”

This was an incredible insight, that she saw the gaps she had in knowledge as an opportunity to ask questions, to collaborate, and take chances. I feel like so many people stop pursuing creative ideas with the phrase ‘I don’t know.’ But for Rachel, that was the instigation to keep exploring.

“It’s an interesting idea, the ‘voice’ of a bookstore, because theoretically it is a physical space and a small business. And this is what I will take full credit for is that before I started at Housing Works Bookstore, there was no social media, very little web presence, and there was basically no way of communicating with our patrons and wider community. I was not very digital and not very into internet culture. But what I had was a zero dollar marketing budget, and I was supposed to turn this place from a ‘best-kept secret’ into a city-wide institution with no resources to get the word out. What resources did I have? Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare. We were the first bookstore on Tumblr. And the voice was me, basically. I certainly exercised care and realized I was speaking for a larger institution, but the ability to put personality into it makes a huge difference. People want to show up and hang out. Housing Works values and my values are very much aligned.”

“I’m a woman on the internet. Yes I get hate mail.”

She describes her public voice as “feisty.” I asked her how becoming more honest online has affected her ability to be employed; in other words, so many people are afraid to be themselves publicly because they fear it may offend a potential employer. She responded, “I can’t imagine where I would want to work, that doesn’t value the things that I value. At this point in my life, I am much more likely to get hired for my public persona, than to not get hired because of it.”

She does have her own boundaries for what she shares. She never says anything bad a bout a book, and is never “unkind” to people to come to events and communities she is a part of.

When I asked if there is a flipside, if she gets hate mail, she responded, “I’m a woman on the internet. Yes I get hate mail.” She then referenced this episode of This American Life, where Lindy West has a conversation with her biggest online troll.

On Making a Big Career Move

After years of working at Housing Works, which she loved, she decided to leave. Why?

“There are the very real practicalities of working for a small nonprofit… you don’t have resources to do anything. A lot of my creativity stemmed from not having resources, but I was there till midnight every night stacking the chairs, taking out the trash — you don’t have your own life.”

She moved on to a startup called Bookish, which she described as “using the internet to bring readers together,” how that perfectly aligned with what she wanted to do. It gave her a growth opportunity, even though the site turned out to not live up to its promise.

Then, Tumblr came to her. To work with publishers, authors, libraries and bookstores in a community that she understands and loves. “I had been an author, at publishers, a bookstore, nonprofits, so I had a sense of what these groups needed from a platform.”

Embracing the Small

On engaging directly with readers online:

“A lot of writers are terrified of people saying ‘you have to do this brand new thing that is nothing like you have ever done, and nothing like you have ever wanted to do.’ That is not how I look at it, at all. You are a reader, you are a writer, you are a person who likes books, and probably likes talking about them. Here is one more step on how to do it. That is what I mean with start small. The idea of starting a ‘social media platform’ is terrifying. But, Tweet the last book you loved, and some people will fav it, and one person will write back and say ‘I loved it too,” this is human interaction that an author would enjoy having. Just seeing it as another way for readers and writers connecting.”

“That is my whole vision of this. I’m not promising you 100,000 new fans. I’m saying that you will find the four people who already love your book, then you’ll find the six people who listen to the books they recommend, then you’ll find the 12 people who read one of their books, then you will get to do an event because one of those people invited you to it, then 50 people will come to it… you are collecting, over your career, more and more people who are just like in your boat. And those people have an audience, even people who don’t think they have an audience.”

We ended on this note, which was so perfect: “I am trying to have a career that I am genuinely passionate about.”

Thank you to Rachel for making the time to meet with me and share her wisdom. You can find her in the following places:
http://rachelfershleiser.com
https://twitter.com/RachelFersh

For more interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff on my book Dabblers vs. Doers, click here.

Thank you!
-Dan

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My Podcasting Equipment – Update!


Back in 2012, I began exploring podcasting, and purchased some audio equipment that would ensure a high quality listening experience. I shared the list of podcasting equipment I bought in this blog post, which included:

  • Heil PR40 microphone $300
  • Heil shockmount $100
  • Heil boom $100
  • BSW pop filter $60
  • DBX Compressor $85
  • Allen & Heath Mixer $235
  • XLR Cable $10
  • 1/4″ audio cables $10

At the time, I recorded a few podcasts, but gave that up because I didn’t have a driving need to record a show each week. In the past three years, I have used this equipment for other purposes though: recording videos for my courses, Skype chats, and other everyday uses.

Recently, I set the goal of not just writing a book, but doing primary research via interviews with creative professionals. While the goal of these interviews is 100% to get material for the book, I figured it would be nice to share this research as I did it via a podcast.

So I resurrected the WeGrowMedia podcast. You can also see a list of recent episodes here.

For the interviews, I want as many of them as possible to be in-person. The idea here was that I wanted to have as personal a conversation as I could with these people, and in-person seemed like a meaningful way to connect. From a podcasting equipment standpoint, this meant I had to go shopping again!

Here is what I purchased this time around:

Grand total for new equipment: $839. This is in addition to the $900 I spent back in 2012. It should be noted that I am highly tempted to buy an additional Heil PR40 microphone, and am trying to resist temptation. I know I will lose this battle.

Screen Shot 2015-08-21 at 6.15.57 PMClick here to receive my free PDF guide: Podcasting Equipment and Setup Guide

Each interview has a redundant backup recording method. This means that if I somehow mess things up in my primary recording equipment (such as a loose mic cable or I forget to hit a certain button), that I have a backup recording to work from. My biggest fear is having someone donate an hour of time, and have the entire recording be lost. Right now, my backup method is using the camcorder matched with a Rode mic, which I will talk about below.

I should also mention some other expenses and equipment I am using. There are small things such as paying Libsyn to host the podcast files. This is something like $10 per month. I also bought ID3 Editor software for $15.

I am also using other equipment that was purchased previously for other projects:

Here is my son Owen testing out the live recording setup with me:
150206owen 003

And here is the entire mobile podcast studio packed into my backpack:
IMG_1090

Okay, let’s dig into why I purchased each piece of equipment listed above:

Zoom H5 Digital Audio Recorder

My first instinct was to record podcasts directly into my computer. As I did my research, it was pointed out that this could be risky. For instance: if the program quit midway through recording, you would lose everything; or if you were using your computer for your questions & notes, that left open a chance of clicking the wrong button and ending the recording. It felt almost old fashioned to consider buying a machine dedicated to recording, but that is what the pros use.

There are quite a few obvious choices in the $200 range for a dedicated audio recorder, including the Roland R-O5, the Tascam DR-40, and the Zoom H4n.

Any of these would be a wonderful choice for recording audio for your podcast. One feature I definitely wanted was XLR inputs. These are the connections that professional engineers use, and which come standard on many microphones. For $70 more, the Zoom H5 seemed like an incredible deal for the additional features it offered. I actually couldn’t believe that Zoom offered so much on this unit for this price.

So far, I have loved having a dedicated audio recorder – everything on it is so obvious, that when recording a live interview, I have zero fear that I messed something up or accidentally forgot to record.

Rode Podcaster USB Microphone

I bought the Rode Podcaster for virtual interviews I do with people via Skype. These are people who don’t live in the NYC area, so I can’t set up an in-person interview. I have listened to too many podcasts that were done over Skype and they are using horrible microphones, with heavy room echo, where it becomes difficult to hear the speaker. This challenge is worsened when you consider how people often listen to podcast: while commuting in a noisy car/bus/train or working out in a noisy gym.

If the interviewee doesn’t have a decent microphone, I mail this mic to them to use for the interview, and ask that they mail it back to me. That means for every Skype interview, I incur an additional expense of about $20 in postal fees back and forth, but this is a small price to pay for such higher quality.

The Rode is a USB microphone, which means that unlike the Heil mic, it connects directly to a computer via USB, instead of using an XLR cable. It is super easy for an interviewee to receive this, plug it in to their computer, and begin using it immediately.

Canon R500 Camcorder

As I mentioned, I am using the Canon R500 camcorder as a backup method of recording audio. I’ll admit that I’m excited about these interviews, and love the idea of having an archival record of them via video. I don’t have any immediate plans of doing anything with the video footage though. I considered sharing the video of each interview, but to do it right, I know myself: I would want to frame each shot perfectly, get the lighting right, and have a three camera setup (one on me, one on the person I am interview, and an establishing shot of both of us). This would add way too much work to the process, and would be even more to ask of interviewees who are already being so generous with their time.

Case Logic DCB-309 backpack

Can I just tell you how many YouTube videos I watched on camera backpack reviews before finally selecting the Case Logic DCB-309 backpack? DOZENS. I wanted a backpack that did three things:

  • Allowed me to carry my laptop
  • Had a large flexible area to carry my audio gear safely
  • Wasn’t too big — but was just big enough. I have to lug this thing all over NYC in all kinds of weather. I’m going to feel every extra ounce of weight on both 5 degree icy days, and 99 degree humid days.

I have used LowePro bags in the past, but had found their laptop bags to be bulky. This Case Logic bag not only seemed perfect, but was $20-45 cheaper than many comparable alternatives. I am surprised at how many hidden pockets it has, how comfortable it is, and how well it fits my gear. Very happy with this bag.

Conclusion

Did I need to buy all of this equipment? Nope! I could have easily done every interview via Skype, using the built in microphone in my computer. It would have cost me $30 total for the recording software. Why did I choose the expensive route? Because for me, so much of this is about the process of exploring the topics within my book Dabblers vs. Doers, connecting more deeply with the inspirational people I am interviewing, and considering the details of what a high quality experience really means.

 

For more information on Dabblers vs. Doers, and all the behind the scenes stuff I am sharing, click here. You can subscribe to my podcast on iTunes here.

Thanks!
-Dan

Julia Fierro: Working Through Anxiety to a Wildly Productive Creative Life

What Julia Fierro has accomplished is astounding. She is the author of Cutting Teeth and the forthcoming The Gypsy Moth Summer, she runs the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop which has had more than 2,500 writers pass through it in more than 12 years, she is a teacher, has been published in many prominent magazines and media outlets, and is a wife and mother of two. What makes her accomplishments so much more intriguing is how open she has been about her struggles with anxiety and OCD. She described it this way in Poets & Writers magazine:


“The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder I’d struggled with since childhood, pushed me into a cycle of episodes, both depressed and obsessive, that would make it difficult for me to leave the house, socialize, write, and even read for years.”

Julie Fierro and Dan Blank
Julie Fierro and Dan Blank
In this interview, Julia talks to me about:

  • How she started The Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, beginning with a simple personal goal.
  • How (and why) she runs the organization without an administrative assistant.
  • How her obsessive compulsive issues and anxiety have at times hindered her creative work, and at times helped it.
  • Why she couldn’t write for years and years as she taught other writers, and how she was eventually able to write and publish her novel Cutting Teeth.
  • Her own unique “balance” of teaching, writing, running the workshop, and raising two kids.
  • How she loves and embraces social media, but puts firm boundaries on it to ensure it doesn’t become debilitating.

Click ‘play’ above to listen to the podcast, or subscribe on iTunes, or download the MP3.

This podcast is part of the research for a book I am writing called Dabblers vs. Doers, which is about working through RISK as you develop your craft and build a meaningful body of work.

Here are some key insights that Julia shared with me…

STARTING & RUNNING THE SACKETT STREET WRITERS’ WORKSHOP

“I am not your typical business-woman. My clear intention was not to start a business. I put an ad on Craigslist in 2002 because I was lonely, and I wanted to have a workshop in my home. I had this big disappointment in my first novel being rejected by editors. I was just feeling so broken and lacking in confidence. I needed to remove myself from the literary scene in New York, because I wasn’t feeling good about myself. I think there are times you have to remove yourself from the intensity of the world of your work, so you can find yourself again and become more centered. So I put this ad on Craigslist for writers of all levels, I didn’t screen them, I had no idea who was showing up to my house, and it was just so comforting to be working with a tiny community. Then it grew and grew, I was teaching four nights a week in my home, and people started calling me a “school.” I realized legally that I had to incorporate.”

“I’m the only administrator, because I can’t afford to hire an assistant because life in New York is so expensive. And also because I am a micromanager. I really feel like I am the person who will answer emails with a personal stake in the exchange. I do get 50-80 emails a day. I do get behind on email now. To write the next book, I have to LET myself get behind. I can’t just answer emails as soon as thy come in, which I feel like a lot of people expect you to do.”

HOW SHE MANAGES IT ALL

“It’s really unhealthy. Because of my lifelong obsessive compulsive issues, I have been able to cope with well these last couple of years because of Zoloft, which I’m starting to be more open about. I need to be busy. I find I’m happiest when I’m like a workaholic. This busy age that we live in is great for an obsessive person.”

“It’s hard for me to run the business, and write, and teach.”

“I still can’t believe I have accomplished even a tiny bit of what I have. I have such debilitating anxiety for so many years. Even when I was first starting Sackett Street, and all those years of teaching, students would be like, ‘you are changing my life,’ and I just couldn’t congratulate myself. I really just felt like a failure because of the OCD, anxiety and depression. Plus, I had two children during that period, it was very hard to get by financially in New York. I had to keep teaching, teaching, teaching with the small babies and my husband would lose a job, start a job, we were in an economic depression — it was hard. When it comes down to it, for me, when my second child was born, I had terrible anxiety. After she was born, my OB practically begged me to try Zoloft. And for me, that changed my life. Obviously, I’m not pushing drugs on people, but for me, it alleviated a lot of the anxiety which allowed me to focus.”

“Learning to feel good about myself that wasn’t based on external praise. I could see that I was working hard, and that affect was visible through Sackett Street.”

“Becoming a healthier person – being able to afford babysitting after not having help for so many years – that was huge. After my daughter was born, I finally could afford my babysitting hours, which was doubled to 20 hours per week, which was ridiculous and not even much time – but that’s how I started writing again.”

“My husband works until 7:30 every night, and that was when class started. He would come home just in time to grab my son and bring him to the back room, so I could teach class [in the living room.]”

EMBRACING THE DIFFERENT PHASES OF YOUR CREATIVE LIFE

“My story is really one about ‘failure,’ creating an amazing reward in the end. I think it is really about, whether you are a writer or different kind of creative person, figuring out what you need in the different phases of your life. As a young writer, I thought my style, my process, my attitude, my focus, would be the same for the rest of my life, it was so ignorant. It wasn’t until I went through all those years and came out the other end, into a completely different phase, with a new process – where I wrote much faster, much more efficiently, in a completely different style that was much more like my voice, that I realized that you have many different phases in your creative life, and sometimes those phases involve being patient with yourself.”

Thank you to Julia for making the time to meet with me and share her wisdom. You can find her in the following places:

There are also several other amazing articles on Julia to check out:

For more interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff on my book Dabblers vs. Doers, click here.

Thank you!
-Dan

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Why Email Newsletters?

In my recent guest post for WriterUnboxed.com, I reviewed the reasons why a writer or creative professional should consider having an email newsletter:

  • If you are skeptical about email, you are not alone.
  • What do you share in a newsletter? One thing: enthusiasm.
  • How often to send a newsletter? Often enough to matter: weekly.
  • How to reconsider the value of a newsletter when you are swamped.

Read the full post here.

Thanks!
-Dan