One thing I love about being a writing instructor is that back-to-school thrill every Fall. I am probably more excited for back-to-school than my eight-year-old.

I love school, whether I am the teacher or the student. But starting on September 8th and running for six weeks, I am the teacher. And I am looking for a fresh batch of new-to-me, highly motivated, hard-working students. And so is my colleague Abigail Green.

I’ve been teaching classes consistently for nine-and-a-half years to hundreds of students, who have had more articles published than I could possibly count. Several of them have built up a large enough platform over time to get books published and land agents simply by continuing to build their skills and put them to good use.

The writing class I am offering this time around is Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff. Abby is offering her popular class, Personal Essays That Get Published. (I’ll tell you more about my platform-development class, Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform, tomorrow.)

Just this past week, I have heard about twenty of my current and former students’ articles getting into print or getting reprinted (which means that the person who wrote them is getting paid again for reselling what they already wrote). And despite all the hulla-ballo to the contrary, there does not seem to be any shortage of article-writing opportunities for those who are just getting started.

So, if you are wondering if you should take a class this Fall with me or my colleague Abigail Green, and you are on the fence, here are a 21 good reasons why you may want to consider it:

1. Because you have ideas and you want to put them into writing.
2. To write, get published, and paid for your words.
3. Because you don’t have ideas yet but you want to find them and put them down in words (and get paid for them).
4. Because you have thought a lot about writing but not actually tried it yet.
5. Because you have read a lot about writing but not put many of the ideas into action.
6. Because you lack the confidence that comes from doing, though you think you could get there with a little practice.
7. To test-drive other people’s techniques and see if they would indeed help you write better, faster, or more efficiently.
8. Because you’ve been meaning to take a class but just haven’t gotten around to taking one yet.
9. Because our students get published and continue getting published over time.
10. Because you want to find your writing rhythm or rekindle your old writing rhythm.
11. Because you used to write but stopped for a time, and you need help getting started again.
12. Because you can fulfill weekly assignments whenever it is convenient for your schedule.
13. Because you wish to discover a sense of immediate writing community that will make you feel less alone.
14. Because you could use a deadline to structure your time and become more productive.
15. Because it’s been a while and you could use a writing refresher course.
16. Because it doesn’t matter where in the world you live, you can still participate.
17. Because investing in skill-building is something you can take back to the bank over and over in the future.
18. Because you haven’t taken an excellent class with a highly qualified instructor in a while and you think you might like it.
19. Because you will likely take your writing career more seriously after investing in continuing education to strengthen and expand it.
20. Because you could stand a little inspiration and positive attitude amidst all this doom and gloom.
21. Or maybe you just feel like it and you are tired of feeling like you are not allowed to do something you really want to do.

You can read all the details on the classes registration page. WPSS info is here. PETGP is here.

Hope to see your smiling (virtual) face in one of our writing classes that begin in two weeks.

I launched Author Mama in beta (trial) version in March and then in alpha (final) version in May. Coming soon, the Kindle version. And then shortly thereafter, I’ll launch the POD version.

In the meantime, I’ve rounded up the initial feedback on Author Mama. Check out what the first round of readers had to say:

This book couldn’t have come at a better time! Christina Katz’s insightful Author Mama joins my copy of Writer Mama as I move from freelancing to nonfiction books. This is a reference I will use over and over; the chapters are well written and in an easy, conversational tone that make this insider’s guide to publishing a gem. ~ Stacey Graham

Christina Katz does it again! Author Mama is a well-balanced tightly written e-book that provides insight, wisdom and advice for writers looking to publish. Christina shares precious nuggets from her personal experiences of how she became a published author and delivers all of it with her signature thoughtfulness and wry humor. This is another “must have” that writers should have on their resource shelves. ~ Judy M. Miller

Author Mama has it all! Christina Katz has done an amazing job putting everything an author mama needs from getting started writing a book all the way through to publication. She has left no topic untouched from celebrating each step completed in the book writing process to the changes taking place in traditional publishing. Especially unique in this e-book are the sections on paying attention to physical and mental health needs during the book-writing process. This is a book you will definitely want to have on your desk for reference as you begin the process of pitching and then writing your first book! ~ Sarah Joyce Bryant

I loved reading Christina’s book, Author Mama! With a red pen in one hand and a highlighter in another, I completely devoured the book within a few days. It was so easy to read, and I’m amazed at how much I learned. And, despite the tough love and honesty that Christina uses to teach us about the book writing process, I am not discouraged one bit. I’m actually more excited about the process than before I read Author Mama. I would recommend this book to anyone considering starting the journey of becoming an author, mama or not. ~ Jen Levin

Just like in Writer Mama and Get Known Before the Book Deal, Christina Katz delivers a practical, easy-to-follow guide based on personal experience. This is a must-have resource for those of us writer mamas with aspirations of someday landing our own book deal. ~ Liz Sheffield

Author Mama is a pragmatic, personable read for new and seasoned author mamas alike, offering conversational and comprehensive information in a supportive but realistic tone. I wish this conversational and comprehensive guide had been around when my first book was published! ~ Jenn Crowell

Christina’s writing style is so engaging it’s as if you were discussing author characteristics with her over a cup of coffee. Her enthusiasm for her craft is obvious in her well-organized content and aspiring author action steps. Thanks, Christina, for providing would-be authors with the knowledge and resources necessary to write that first book. ~ Kim Murray

Author Mama takes fear of the unknown out of the book-publishing equation. Christina Katz gives you the essentials you need to get your book written and published, along with additional resources. I feel confident that I, too, can follow these steps. ~ Kathleen McDade

The words of encouragement and direction Christina Katz offers up in Author Mama will point you in the right direction as you navigate the publishing world. ~ Donna M. McDine

What I love about Christina’s books is she takes overwhelming topics and chops them up into manageable segments. Not only is her knowledge comprehensive, it’s a relief to know she learned so much about writing and publishing as a mom. Author Mama presented some new ideas to me and it reminded me of other concepts I’d forgotten about. ~ Heather Mark

Tight writing in an easy-to-read format and exercises you can start today will have you moving towards a book deal at a realistic pace. ~ Mary Jo Campbell

As an aspiring writer mama, I am relishing the information in Author Mama by Christina Katz. I feel closer to the writing world craving more. I appreciate Katz’s honesty, intelligence, and encouragement she radiates for all writer mamas and soon to be author mamas. ~ Kristen R. Murphy

It takes something special to make me buy an ebook. And I think Christina Katz’ work is that kind of special. [Author Mama] goes through the different stages of getting a book published. She shares from her own authoring experiences plus how the current state of publishing changes the experience for current and future authors. Most chapters come with recommendations or activities for readers to try out. ~ Jaymie Dieterle, Bring on the Books blog

For all those who were so inspired by Writer Mama that they decided to write a book, Author Mama is the essential next step.  ~ Karen Banes

Keep reading about Author Mama here.

If you just crank out content, they might come for a while but they will eventually move on until they find a nice, cozy context. Or a context that produces the results and benefits they are looking for.

I’ve said it before (somewhere, I can’t find it at the moment), content might be king, but context is queen.

And, as is so often the case, the queen usually wins.

Dan Blank wrote an interesting post today about how newspapers used to be a service. I asked for his thoughts on newspapers as a context vs. content producers.

Because, for me, newspapers used to be a context delivered to your door. But now they have to compete with so many other contexts that can be delivered in so many ways through your phone or iPad or laptop or whatever, that newspapers, which have been slow or clunky in making the transition, are losing the edge they once had in luring us in and keeping us nice and happy on a Sunday morning.

And we have SO many types of context these days. It’s like a circus of choices.

Check out these writer-centric examples:

A Writer’s Conference is a context (Look at what Digital Book World is doing)

The Bookstore is a context (Look at Amazon or Powell’s)

Magazines are now a context (Like Writer’s Digest)

School was always a context but the extension of schools using distance learning give every school more reach (the Vermont College’s MFA program comes to mind)

Heck, even my bank is now a worldwide context (and every other bill I pay each month has their own context, as well)

But comes the context rub: with so many contexts competing for our energy and attention, some of them are going to fade away. The average human being simply cannot care for her children, maintain a career, enjoy personal intimate relationships, and indulge in a few real life simple pleasures if she spends every second of her time online jumping from context to context.

And that’s if she can remember all those passwords.

Now notice that this post is directed to publishers and new media. It’s not directed to writers because I don’t suggest individual writers attempt to create contexts of the size and scope that corporations and businesses create.

I got out of the context business last year and it’s been a huge relief. Guy Gonzalez got into the context business last year but he is a full-time employee and I presume he makes a decent salary for all of his tireless and amazing hard work.

Writers, you have to remember what business you are in. You simply can’t compete with huge corporations or even-medium sized businesses that create intricate, technologically sophisticated contexts.

For me, I’m in the writing business. I write. I teach writing and writing-related skills. I speak on writing and writing-related topics. I am actually something of a creative career expert since I’ve been doing this stuff for almost a decade.

Therefore, when I create contexts, they are necessarily temporary. They are temporary because I don’t have a staff. I can’t afford a staff. And it takes a staff to build and maintain a context (for example, here’s a roundup of the bloggers for Writer’s Digest).

I’ll say more about ways that writers can use context strategies for success soon. But in the comments this time, I’d love to you list all the online contexts you visit in the average week. And then tell us if your time investment is sustainable.

Wouldn’t it be fascinating if we all shared this? (Feel free to use general rather than specific terms, if you prefer.) Context-friendly strategies for writers, next time.

~ Photo by Dustin Diaz

Apparently Seth Godin is going to help me out this week with my Starbucks analogy:

Starbucks didn’t become Starbucks by getting discovered by Oprah Winfrey or being blessed by Warren Buffet when they only had a few stores. No, they plugged along. They raised bits of money here and there, flirted with disaster, added one store and then another, tweaked and measured and improved and repeated. Day by day, they dripped their way to success. No magic lottery. [Read the entire post here.]

So this week’s question for you is: What do people already thank you for? Not what value do you think you provide. Not what would you like to be at the center of your writing career.

Later in his post Godin says:

Here’s another way to think about it: delight the audience you already have, amaze the customers you can already reach, dazzle the small investors who already trust you enough to listen to you. Take the permission you have and work your way up. Leaps look good in the movies, but in fact, success is mostly about finding a path and walking it one step at a time.

So what have you specifically been thanked FOR?

There is crucial information in a thank you. I’d even say that there is crucial information in every thank you, from your very first to your very last, meaning your first day in business and your last day in business and every day in between.

Because if you are doing your job well, then you should be being thanked pretty consistently. And when you are thanked, this is a great opportunity to ask for more detailed feedback or a testimonial.

And then, over time, you start to notice patterns in the feedback you receive. And the consistency either tells you what you are doing right or where you need to improve.

So you tell us right here and right now: what are you doing right? Tell us what others tell you.

~ Photo by J. Star

Last week, I asked you what was at the center of your writing career.

Some people were confused. They responded with their passion, mission, or purpose.

That’s not what I was asking for. What I was asking for is what is at the center of what you OFFER?

In other words the answer is not about you or how you feel about what you offer. The answer is about what OTHERS perceive you offering.

If you are not in business yet, or you are not successful in business yet, it’s going to be difficult to answer this question. Because the question pertains not to what you want to do or hope to do, but what you deliver.

For example, you walk into Starbucks and you perceive them offering espresso because there is a big ol’ espresso machine right there in the middle of the espresso bar. Right?

You hand them money. The barista hands you something with espresso in it. (We’re just going to stick with espresso for now, but we’ll come back to the Chai, Strawberries and Cream, etc. later.)

So whatever you are offering makes a big impression on others too, or at least you hope it does.

For example, I said creating and teaching were at the center of what I offer. I create pieces of writing. I offer them as articles, curriculum, books, blog posts, e-zines, etc. So my espresso, or what’s at the center of all of this, is the creating of pieces of writing, each with a unique purpose and intention. That’s before I even do anything with them. This is what happens first, constantly, and is the key to my humble success.

This is kind of like the way Starbucks creates espresso drinks. Will you look at what they can do?

They can give it to you hot or cold. They can give it to you with milk (or variations of milk). They can give it to you with chocolate or carmel. They can give it to you big or small. They can give it to you straight, with hot milk, steamed milk, or just foam. They can give it to you iced, iced with milk, or whipped with ice and milk-y stuff into a frappé.

Clearly, you can see, when it come to what they do with their espresso, Starbucks is not messing around.

They are going to give it to you exactly the way you want it and this concept is built into their business model. It’s the sheer variety of what Starbucks can do with a shot of espresso that makes them so brilliant as an enterprise.

So.

We come back to you.

Back to question number one: What is at the center of what you offer? (What is your espresso?)

And on to question number two: How many ways are you offering what you offer?

And while we are on the topic, which ways are the most successful for you?

~ Photo by CoffeeGeek

Simple question, right? But perhaps not so easy to answer.

For example, creativity is at the center of my writing career.

That means the part of my work that I love the most is the creating part (often this is writing but not always).

Right after creating, I value the teaching part of what I do.

If I were Starbucks, creating would be my perfect shot of espresso.

Following closely by teaching (the perfect espresso shot plus hot milk).

After teaching, I have to pause and rub my chin for a minute. But if I’m being totally honest, platform building (aka marketing–go ahead and think I’m shallow) is another favorite job of mine.

Platform building is like my…cappucino, if we continue with the Starbucks analogy.

And by the Starbucks analogy, I mean I have one key thing at the center of what I do. Just like Starbucks has that killer shot of espresso at the center of what they do.

I don’t care if they started with drip coffee. (I’m not sure what they started with, actually.) It’s all about the espresso now.

And since my creativity is only limited by my imagination, I feel like I have infinite options of how to proceed in my writing career.

I mean how many different drinks can you make with an espresso shot?

Plenty.

Therefore, the onus is on me to make good choices.

Good choices with my topics, my audiences, my time, and my publishing partners. The same applies to making good choices as a teacher and as a platform builder.

Frankly, it’s a lot to juggle. Fortunately, last year, I pared way back to just the things that bring me the most satisfaction.

Like Simon Cowell, it got to the point in several of my endeavors where I was phoning it in. And that didn’t feel good. I felt stuck. Burdened. Over-committed.

So I made better choices and now here I am feeling as optimistic as a shot of espresso in the Pacific Northwest.

What’s at the center of your writing career? (Feel free to borrow my Starbucks analogy. I’m going to keep using it too.)

Photo by CoffeeGeek

At one time, I was that woman on the subway with the oversized rolling suitcase and the stuffed-to-the-max rolling briefcase trying to navigate her way from the train up several flights of stairs. But after four years of regularly visiting places where writers gather, I am no longer that sweaty, apologetic person. I have finally learned to leave the bulk of my junk at home.

My secret? I fight the impulse to pack everything I “might” need and only pack what I will actually use.

Here’s my checklist of the things I carry from lightest to heaviest for a four-day trip:

Stuff:

• Ear plugs
• Gum (preferably bubble)
• Glasses, contacts, sun glasses
• Cords (for all electronics with me)
• Magazines (People is a must)
• iPhone
• Makeup/Jewelry (just the minimum)
• Wallet (w/cash, credit cards, and license)
• Umbrella (small but not the travel kind)
• Laptop (back it up before you pack it)
• 2 Clipboards (one for presentation/schedule/reservation docs and one for current projects I’m working on while in transit)
• Digital camera
• Flip video cam
• Extra batteries

Clothing for four days:

• One or two dressy outfits (one in black)
• Three t-shirts (two in black)
• Two pairs of nice jeans (one in black)
• Two nice tops (colorful)
• A tank top or two (if needed)
• A jean jacket or shawl (if needed)
• Boots (in black)
• Sneakers (comfortable)
• Dress shoes or dress sandals (comfortable, if needed, in black)
• Plenty of underwear, socks, and stockings
• Jammies
• Baseball cap (my favorite Writer Mama one, of course)

Things I Leave Behind:

• Business cards, flyers, and any other marketing materials
• Books
• Extra shoes or boots
• Too many outfits
• Too many coats or jackets
• Extra sleepwear items

I can fit everything above into one carry-on-size, rolling suitcase plus one shoulder bag, which saves a considerable amount of money in luggage fees. If the overhead bins are full by the time I board the plane, I simply check my rolling suitcase at the gate.

And if I’m taking a much shorter trip, like the one I took to New York City recently, I can fit everything for one night’s stay into my rolling briefcase, which is a breeze to maneuver, even in the subway.

As far as the things I used to carry that I now choose to leave behind, I have found that the most important thing when I appear at events is to be 100% present. And often fumbling with books or postcards or business cards just gets in the way. I’d rather go someplace and just be there, not be thinking about how I’m going to slide someone my postcard. Besides cards can get lost but Google makes me pretty darn easy to find. I’m right here at ChristinaKatz.com.

If an event is located in the hotel where I’m staying, I will carry almost nothing around during the day but my room key, my iPhone, and some form of money.

What I’ve found is that if I travel lightly, either in the air, in the subway, or when extending my hand to meet someone new, the less stuff that comes between us, the better. So don’t forget to pack your smile because it is ultimately what people are going to remember.

So have a little faith in yourself the next time you travel to a literary event. Have a packing phase and then an editing phase, where you pull out everything extraneous. The things you don’t need won’t get in the way if you leave them safely at home.

I know some writers prefer not to watch American Idol. Others may think that reality TV is mindless fluff for small minds. Some may find the show offensive and potentially harmful, especially to children.

And then there are those of us who watch it and find it to be a relaxing form of entertainment. At least I do. So I thought I’d share a few reflections on what I think writers can learn about success from watching American Idol.

Regardless of where you stand on the show, I think you’ll be surprised by how many ideas I got out of it that also apply to writers. And I’m just getting warmed up…

1. Make the most of an incredible opportunity but don’t be a prima donna (viewers can spot one a mile away)
2. Know yourself and be yourself – that’s why people watch – let your uniqueness shine through
3. Figure out who your fans really are and dedicate yourself to them, they are going to be the ones who go the distance for you, tell others about you, and cheer you forward
4. Take in and learn from the critiques, they come with the territory
5. Push yourself to keep growing, nothing else inspires others more
6. Fill the stage – be a star not a mouse
7. Look into the camera, connect with  people (but don’t get all schmaltzy while doing it)
8. Respond to criticism thoughtfully, action speaks louder than words
9. Don’t just sing, feel the music, pull us in, take us with you
10. Remember: this is a competition, don’t dink around: WIN
11. Don’t let somebody else’s idea of who you are mess you completely up (see number 2)
12. Give each performance everything you’ve got & leave everything on the stage, all of it
13. Try not to be self-conscious, it’s just not compelling
14. Watch the show back and see for yourself how well you did, learn from your mistakes
15. Care about your friends but don’t caretake them (see number 10)
16. Craft a compelling story about yourself but don’t get carried away, if you try to manipulate the audience they will abandon you
17. Be gracious, friendly, and if at all possible, funny
18. Never whine or make excuses, millions of people are watching
19. Own your choices, all of them
20. Speaking of, it’s never too late to make a comeback, even if you get voted off
21. When necessary, calmly speak up for yourself, especially to Simon
22. Be respectful of the judges because they know stuff, even Ellen
23. Be respectful of the public because they are telling you how you are coming across
24. Accept that being simultaneously loved and not liked at all means you are pretty darn successful
25. Enjoy the ride!

What else? Did I miss any?