Blisscraft Life With Christina Katz

Working with me on your professional writing career skills isn’t like working with anyone else.

If you are looking to work with a real-live person who really cares about your creative career growth, I hope you will consider working with me.

Here are a few of the words that my  students have used to described me or my coaching over the past couple weeks.

gifted

awesome

wonderful

respectful

encouraging

constructive

indispensable

wow

positive

great

beneficial

brilliant

amazing

fantastic

delightful

invaluable

invaluable

invaluable (I’ve heard this several times lately)

Working with me is a small yet powerful investment you make in yourself and your writing career. And  you can do invest in yourself incrementally without having to leave home, now or ever.

Check out my upcoming class schedule.

Check out my upcoming 21 Moments schedule.

Check out my upcoming Platform Bingo schedule.

Check out my upcoming Article Writing Challenge.

Check out my upcoming Dream Team schedule.

Thank you to all of my students from the past 13 years. Your strides and successes have made my own career so much more satisfying.

I hope to have the opportunity to work with you soon!

Q: How do you build a writing career?

A: Over time, one well-executed idea at a time.

Honestly, I think some gurus get it wrong. They go overboard on strategy. They emphasize rushing to success so much that they ruin the ride for writers. And then when the writers don’t get the overnight success that was promised, they quit and give up on their writing dreams.

And what I want to know is what is the point of being an author unless you can enjoy every day of your writing career?

The fact of the matter is that most writers are in the ramp-up process to a book. Most writers are not ready for book deals. So why do we spend so much time talking about book deals?

Book deals, book deals, book deals — if you feel like this is all you hear about, maybe you are hanging out with the wrong crowd.

That whole approach is so late nineties/early Millenium. This is 2014, folks.

Maybe what we could really stand to talk about is everything else writing has to offer besides book deals.

Don’t get me wrong. I think book deals and self-publishing books are great. I do both.

I also still believe that there has never been a better time to be a writer.

But I have had enough experience — 13 years of consistent teaching and training writers — to see that those who are not already consistently writing for publication typically flail when they attempt a book.

But what else are the supposed to do? They are totally brainwashed by all of the propaganda telling them that they don’t matter and won’t matter until they get a book deal.

Bottom line: we have become too book-deal focused in an economy where very few writers are actually ready to land book deals. Very few writers will actually contract with agents, as well, because very few are ready.

And yet most of the writing conference promotional materials still focuses on getting a book deal.

This is foolish. And borderline false advertising.

Don’t go to a writing conference this year because it promises you a book deal or exposure to agents.

Go to a writing conference that offers genuine professional skill-building. Because professional skills are what writers need. If you want to become an author some day, get to work on your professional writing skills. And if you don’t have any, hold off on the book deal for now.

Wade in. Don’t try to swim the channel just cause others have done it.

Let’s start using the labels “author” and “professional writer” in the same breath, so that folks who aspire to become an atuhor will better understand that this means becoming a writing professional first.

And if a writer isn’t interested in working on professional skills, then he or she won’t likely end up with a book deal or a decent self-published book, anyway.

When I wrote The Writer’s Workout for Writer’s Digest Books, one of my goals was to put the notion of published author in a context that would make sense to any type of writer. By covering four seasons of a writing career, I was able to show when and where you most want your book deal or self-published book to happen for the best possible results.

Writers always become authors after many years of hard work. The exceptions are so minute that there is basically no point in discussing them.

And here’s the other part that no one wants to talk about: after the book or after the book deal, heck, even after the smashing success, there is just another day of professional writing ahead of you. What then, if you don’t have a deep well of professional experience?

Isn’t it more important to make sure that you love what you do every day than to find out all of the ways you can kill yourself for overnight success?

We’ve got to get off this treadmill of dreaming of success that is going to deliver us from the lives and the creative process we already have. And instead we need to focus on making our satisfying and creative processes into the types trajectories that can deliver the success we want.

This is why I wrote The Writer’s Workout, 366 Tips, Tasks & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach. It’s just as helpful today as it was the day it came out. And it starts in spring, so it’s a good time to pick it up if you haven’t yet.

I hope that you will purchase a copy and keep it within reach of your writing desk for all the days when the online advice mill goes crazy and threatens to throw you out of your process instead of luring you deeper into it.

Happy spring, writers, and happy authentic career building!

Learn more about The Writer’s Workout, 366 Tips, Tasks & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach by Christina Katz

Are you a mom, and you would love to take the Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff Class that starts Wednesday, March 19th, but you would not otherwise be able to afford it?

Then you qualify for The Writer Mama Scholarship!

The application process for the next available scholarship for Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff Class begins today! I am accepting applications until Sunday, March 9th at midnight.

One full scholarship is granted each time the class is held, five times per year. Please read this post completely and double-check your application before submitting. The recipient will be announced on Monday, March 10th in this blog.

Please feel free to spread the word about the scholarship, even if you do not intend to apply. This is a full scholarship. The recipient commits to participating fully in the class and delivering all six assignments on time.

Please do not apply if you cannot make the commitment to participate in the class, which involves reading the weekly workbook, completing your assignments, and learning from your classmates work. (To learn about what you will get out of the class, please read the full class description.)

No additional time or special coaching is offered with the scholarship. It’s up to the scholarship recipient to make the most of the class.

Please note that this is a scholarship, not a giveaway. This scholarship is only for moms and is offered by class instructor, Christina Katz (that’s me).

One scholarship is available per WPSS class. The scholarship is not transferable if you fail to complete the class. The scholarship is also not transferable in the case of illness, family emergencies, a move, etc. If you have already paid for the class, you do not qualify for the scholarship. If you have already taken the class, you also do not qualify.

What is written in your application is private and your personal information will never be shared or sold beyond announcing the name of the recipient. The only way to qualify is to apply each time. No one else will view your application.

The application questions are below. Copy and paste them into a Microsoft Word document (to take the class you must be able to create and read Microsoft Word documents—no exceptions). Attach your application as a Word doc to your e-mail. Please answer each question concisely and completely.

Send your application to: “christina at christinakatz dot com” – this is the only email address for the scholarship. If you do not receive the scholarship, save your application for future scholarships and re-apply. Always add in your most current publication credits, since they are important. Put “WPSS Scholarship Application” in the subject line.

The scholarship recipient will be chosen based on the following criteria: demonstrated effort, need, and enthusiasm. The most important consideration is demonstrated past effort, so please don’t skimp on details of your past writing efforts. Applications accepted from U.S. residents only at this time.

To register for the class as a non-scholarship candidate, please visit the registration page. Space in the class is limited.

Please Note: The Writer Mama Scholarship is only for moms who legitimately cannot afford class tuition for whatever reason. So if you work at home, earn money, receive money, or your spouse or partner earns enough money for you to afford the class, please expect to regular pay price. My classes are kept affordable, specifically so moms can take them!

Here’s the application:

[Copy and paste the following application form into a Word doc, then simply fill it in:]

Name

Address

Email

Phone

Have you read the book, Writer Mama? How about my other books?

How long have you been reading my blog(s)?

What version of Microsoft Word software are you currently using?

Have you applied for The Writer Mama Scholarship before?

Write a short response to each of the following questions:

Please write one short paragraph about why you want to take the class, Writing and Publishing the Short Stuff.

Please list by publication name and date only, any publication credits you’ve accumulated thus far. Briefly list any other experience you think is relevant.

Please briefly state why you are unable to afford the tuition for the class at this time.

[End application.]

Thanks for applying for The Writer Mama Scholarship!

Whether writers who take my 21 Moments Writing Challenge are thrilled with themselves in the short run…

I just had to write you and let you know how excited I am to be in this class. Today, I completed both assignments for Day One and Day Two and am on a writing high like I haven’t been in a couple of years. Thank you!

~ Kathy P.

…or thrilled with themselves in the long run…

Taking all five rounds of 21 Moments got me in shape: writing regularly, settling into in more quickly, getting in a groove and writing longer, and bouncing back more quickly after an off day.

21 Moments got me writing regularly—and got me back on track when I needed it. Some days I went in with a moment I wanted to write about; many days something in the piece Christina sent triggered a memory or experience, sometimes a surprising one.

I can—and during some of the breaks between rounds did—do daily writing, but 21 Moments made it more fun.

~ Sarah B.

Taking all five challenges gave me a mental momentum to keep writing. I liked the variety of writing prompts: poetry, prose, plays, screenplays, fiction, non-fiction. It was an affordable way — both financially and time-wise — to keep my writing muscles in action. ~ Leigh Anne O.

The routine made me feel more “writerly” and kept me in a rhythm. I felt productive and successful having a regular writing practice. I could see improvement in my writing. It became less stilted and I wrote more freely, offhand almost, which led to more coming out than I expected. After all, I had tomorrow to try again! It was nice to have a low-key commitment that led to more writing. A couple of the essays I wrote have since turned into columns for my column in my magazine.

~ Kandace C.

21 moments gave me license and encouragement to write every day. Although I usually had an overall intention of the topic I wanted to write about that month, I let the prompts guide me, and it was interesting when they took me to unplanned places. Printing out the moments at the end and putting them in a binder helped me see where I could develop a number of pieces. It was also a great reminder of what a productivity push the program was.

~ Sue L.

I’ve started a new habit, in part because of 21 Moments. When I read something online that piques my interest, and gives me a new idea for an article or essay, I go ahead and open up a new document on my computer. Rather than saving it on Evernote or something, I paste the link into that document and make as many notes as I can in the moment about my thoughts and ideas on the piece and what I want to write. This is better than just jotting it down here and there, since a new page is already started, and it gives me a head start when I go back to write more. If I’m not at a computer, I try and jot it down in my daily calendar/notebook with the same idea, and open a document later.

~ Rhonda F.

The bottom line is that they are thrilled.

And you could be too, if you sign up for the next round that begins on Saturday, March 1st!

Click on any badge to learn more!

I am very excited to announce that I am launching three new writing challenges in March, April & May 2014.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of my previous writing and platform challenges, it only makes sense to offer more challenges based on the requests I have received.

I chose these three challenges based on participant feedback and the skills I observe that writers want and need to practice most.

Whether you have taken classes with me in the past or not, you will appreciate the opportunity to brush up on these writing-for-publication skills.

And what better way than by studying real, live excellent examples before you take a stab at your own work?

Learn more about the challenges here.

The first challenge, starting March 1st, is the Christina Katz Article Writing Challenge.

The second challenge, starting April 1st, is the Christina Katz Grammar & Punctuation Challenge.

And the third challenge, starting May 1st, is the Christina Katz Essay Writing Challenge.

For those who have completed all of the challenges I already offer, here are three new challenges to keep you writing and growing!

I will continue running all five levels of my popular 21 Moments Writing Challenge and all three levels of equally popular Platform Bingo at the same time as these challenges. So you can take your pick between challenge series at any time.

And you can take these challenges in any order at any time you like.

I hope this announcement makes everyone happy, who is itching to write article, essays, and improve grammar and punctuation!

Registration for all three challenges is now open. I look forward to working with you either for the first time or once again, whichever the case may be!

A champion of mom writers while also maintaining her own prolific career, Christina Katz offers writing career tips and parenting advice in national, regional, and online publications. Christina has been a “gentle taskmaster” to thousands of writers over the past decade. Her students go from unpublished to published, build professional writing career skills, and increase their creative confidence by working with her intensively over the years. Read her complete bio here.

Do what you love and write what you love — sounds like a pretty good plan, right?

But what if I also told you that doing what you love and writing what you love leads to growing a platform you love?

Even better news!

But wait, here comes the punchline.

The challenge is that precisely what a writer loves is almost never apparent…unless the writer has already done a lot of writing.

In fact, I’d say 99.9% of writers I have worked with personally have to write their way to a successful platform.

Rare is the writer who can accurately predict what her platform is going to look like ahead of time without some writing to predict it.

That’s because you can’t describe something that does not exist yet, at least not with very much accuracy, where writing platforms are concerned.

Which is why I train writers to write first and describe their platform second, after they have a sense which topics will stay compelling to them in the long run.

Because when you are a writer, platform is a story about what you love to write.

Sure you could be a flash in the platform pan. You could manufacture a lot of short-term attention on just about any topic, if you wanted to.

You could grab and steal everyone else’s ideas on a topic and throw a platform up in no time.

OR you can dig in and write originally on topics that engage you and will continue to engage you forever.

You can write on topics that allow you to leave behind something solid and lasting.

You can write your way to a platform you love.

And if you do, I promise you will create a platform that will never let you down.

And don’t worry too much about those who beg, borrow, and steal from others so they can toss up a platform overnight.

They won’t be around tomorrow.

But you will, if you write what you love, for whom you love, and you love the process of doing it.

All we need is love?

When it comes to writing and platform, I believe this to to be true.

Christina Katz is the author Get Known Before The Book Deal, Discover Your Platform Potential, and the course, Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform. Nine months out of the year, she offers a 25-day platform workout for writers called Platform Bingo, which is available in three levels that writers can fit into their busy schedules any time.

I adore writing for regional publications. I especially enjoy sharing things I’ve learned with other parents who read regional parenting magazines around North America.

Writers I have trained to write for these types of publications have gone on to write for online and national publications. They have also gone on to write e-books and traditionally published books.

I’ve written hundreds of articles at this point, but I still love writing articles for regional parenting publications because it grounds and centers me in my current identity. I’m a wife and mother, and other wives and mothers like me read these publications. I am so grateful to be able to connect to like-minded others through these publications.

Here’s a roundup of some of my recent articles:

To The Moon & Back: 10 Love Lessons For The Whole Family

A Heart-Shaped Box Of Classic Romantic Movies

Writing Thank You Notes: How To Teach Life-Long Graciousness

How To Tackle Tough Topics With Your Kids

Contagious Compassion: Let Your Kids Catch You Being Generous

Save Time, Money, Even Sanity — Hosting A Sleepover Party

For The Love Of Learning: Four Ways To Teach Your Child To Enjoy School

I have yet to meet a mom who does not have a lot to offer the world with her words.

If you don’t feel this way, I would love to work with you to help you discover how to express yourself in ways that inspire, inform, and educate others.

Interested in learning about how to start writing articles from home? Check out my e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit, which is the perfect companion to my book, Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids. I also create contexts in which I help others achieve writing career success. Check out my writing classes and writing challenges and platform challenges.

Keep in touch! Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Subscribe to this blog and sign up for The Prosperous Writer e-zine.

I think these are helpful principles for writers.

Amy Morin is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist from Lincoln, Maine. She came up with these “13 Things Mentally Strong People DON’T Do” (emphasis mine) and her ideas have recently been picked up and adapted by major media outlets including Forbes.com.

Amy elaborated on the ideas in a poster in her post here on Lifehack.org.

And then a columnist for Forbes, Cheryl Conner, came upon her ideas and reslanted them for entrepreneurs here.

For those of you take other people’s ideas and build upon them, this is a stellar example of how to do it properly in a way that is win-win-win for all involved, including for the reader, who then has no problem tracing the origin of the ideas back to the author.

After all, if we refer to number nine on the list, mentally strong people “don’t resent other people’s success,” which means giving appropriate credit, where appropriate credit is due.

Cheryl Conner gave Amy Morin appropriate credit and therefore they both win. This is how Amy’s name went from somewhat know to internationally know seemingly overnight.

And, writers, remember what I always say about “seemingly overnight.” Just because it seems like Amy became an instant overnight success, do not be fooled. This acclaim is coming after many years of consistent and devoted work.

And this is a good reminder to all of us who are busy with our consistent and devoted work to get back to it and resist the temptation looking for shortcuts to success.

Good publicity comes to those, like Amy and Cheryl, who do good work and build solid platforms.

I hope you find Amy’s ideas on mental strength helpful to your own writing career.

And I hope you find Amy’s media success inspiring in building your platform.

And may we all encounter more journalists like Cheryl Conner. Amen.

Christina Katz is the author Get Known Before The Book Deal, Discover Your Platform Potential, and the course, Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform. Nine months out of the year, she offers a 25-day platform workout for writers called Platform Bingo, which is available in three levels that writers can fit into their busy schedules any time.

One of the most exciting reasons to micro-publish these days is because you can make an international impact on your target audience in a very short amount of time. Thanks to the emergence of helpful publishing technologies for self-publishers, it is easier to go global with your manuscript than ever.

Case in point, I recently received a rave review of Permission Granted, 45 Reasons To Micro-publish from an editor in Puerto Rico, who offers self-publishing services there.

Here’s what she had to say:

I’ve been working with self-published authors for a couple of years now and I had not heard of “micro-publishing” until I saw Christina Katz’s book Permission Granted: 45 Reasons To Micro-Publish. I was happy to see that her tips align with the advice that I have been giving my clients: don’t think about one book, think about creating multiple products from a single manuscript. If ever there was a doubt of what can be done with one’s work, Christina has gathered 45 wonderful tips to encourage an author’s next step.

I particularly liked that she presented the benefits and possibilities of micro-publishing from different points of view: established author, aspiring author, and any writer. After reading it, you’ll feel the urge to micro-publish your work as soon as possible. I know I do! In the end, I found reasons to micro-publish my own work and not just encourage my clients to do so. I must teach by example. Thanks, Christina! ~ Vigimaris Nadal-Ramos, @editorialnarra

Do you have your copy of Permission Granted yet?

Have you considered the benefits that micro-publishing might offer your career?

If not, I am thrilled to let you know that Permission Granted is now available for every type of e-reader and is available for purchase all over the globe.

If I can do it, so can you. Anyone can micro-publish. But don’t wait. Start planning now. You will be so glad you did a few years down the road.

And don’t forget, everyone who purchases Permission Granted gets the “Cliff Notes” version as a list of featured quotes from the book you can download for free!