Writers often dismiss platform development and platform building. But they are denying themselves the fun that comes part and parcel with platform development.

The other thing they deny themselves is the self-awareness that comes from playing around with platform, not to mention the professional strides that can be taken in thoughtful directions because of personal insights and epiphanies that can be gained from platform building.

Writers often make assumptions that lead to mistakes. And believing that platform is all about “selling out” rather than what it is really about, which is turning your potential into something powerful in the world.

Long story short, if you think platform is just about expanding your audience, then you are selling the process and your career short.

If you focus only on what is happening out there in response to your work at this expense of what is happening (and has happened and will happen) inside of you, then there is no alchemy.

The most successful platforms are about transmuting your potential into actual successful work in the world.

So, stop your groaning and get off your high horse and get to work on your platform, writers.

You are going to get around to it some day anyway. There is no getting around it in today’s marketplace.

But you could be enjoying the process right now, if only you would stop treating it like medicine you refuse to swallow.

These are some of my many offerings designed to help writers establish, develop, and grow their platforms. All of them, are educational, expansive, and yes, even fun.

If you do not have a platform yet:

Get Known Before The Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow Your Author Platform, my book on foundational platform principles

Discover Your Platform Potential, A Companion Workbook For Get Known Before The Book Deal

Platform Bingo, Level One, A 24-day Challenge

Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform, A Six-week Class

If you have a platform already:

50 Simple Ways To Build Your Platform In Five Minutes A Day, an article I wrote for Writer’s Digest Magazine

Platform Bingo Level One, When it’s time to update your bio

Platform Bingo Level Two, A 24-day Challenge, When you want to expand & update your website

Platform Bingo Level Three, A 24-day Challenge, To help you acquire more professional credibility

The Writer’s Workout, 366 Tips, Tasks & Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach, when you want to learn how to juggle platform evolution with long-term writing career growth

I took the 21 Moments Writing Challenge myself last spring and was somewhat shocked by how empowering it was even though I did not complete the challenge perfectly.

The challenge woke me up. I felt more present each day to my thoughts, feelings, and responses to life all around me.

A few months later, as I was making submissions for fall publications, I started to realize that my writing had changed. It had become more personal, more passionate, more in line with topics I care deeply about.

Apparently I had things I needed to say and the 21 Moments Writing challenge was going to help me say them, only more eloquently than they might have come tumbling out otherwise, and certainly more clearly than what I wrote wrote hurriedly during the challenge.

As writers, we sometimes forget the transformative power of writing explicitly for ourselves. This is easy to do and understandable to feel with all the pressures and distractions of modern life.

And yet, in just 21 days of practicing my own challenge–the one that I created–I took my writing to a whole new level. And now I am seeing the results and I am pleased.

This is how I know that the challenge not only works, but is powerful and satisfaction-deepening. I’m so glad I took it and I can’t wait to take it again. There is no doubt that it also took me to a new level of permission with the three e-books I am currently launching.

In the meantime, here are more ways to use the challenge in the words of those who have already taken it. See if any of these ways appeals to your creative itch, and then scratch it, quick! Because this is the last round until January 1st.

• As inspiration to write better during the first 21 days of NaNoWriMo.
• To help you remember why they call it “great literature.”
• To motivate a young adult who aspires to become an author some day or just likes to write.
• To get your creating writing groove back.
• To discover all the possibilities for writing opportunities in your daily life.
• To write more because you are inspired, not because of stress or pressure.
• To feel like a real writer for 21 days.
• To be in the company of other real writers, and all be working on your own stuff.
• To write whatever you want to write for a change.
• To write cathartically, if this is what you feel you need to do this month.
• To help your imagination come alive.
• As a substitute for the “Morning Pages” you used to write.
• To break out of a writing slump.
• To tackle the short forms of writing that make up the long forms of writing.
• To reign in your wandering mind and focus.
• To find a present in your inbox every morning.
• To play around with genres or at least not care about them temporarily.
• To fill your journal with potent writing starts.
• To get the ideas in your head down on the page.
• To help get your through a longer writing project.
• To re-vivify your writing voice.
• To do the real writing, not just the warm-up.
• To find and hit your writing stride.
• To remember all the things you want to write about some day.
• To painlessly establish a daily writing routine.
• To recapture the sheer joy and pleasure of writing again.

Register For Your Next Round, In Order:

One of the reasons I love writing for regional parenting publications so much is that I enjoy writing seasonal pieces that are based on real-life experiences.

In other words, I take the fodder from my life and I turn it into parenting articles that earn me money year after year.

Pay for regional parenting articles is on the low side, but the business is consistent, so if you can play a long-term game instead of only being focused on short-term profits, you can do well.

And nothing beats the feeling of making the most of your personal experience and unique point of view and putting it all in service of like-minded others.

If this sounds like fun to you, please check out my latest e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit, which is now available in every digital format under the sun!

Here are some of my latest articles for my parent readers:

More Magic & Few Meltdowns: Tips For Trick-Or-Treating Parents Neapolitan Family LINK

Not Too Scary Halloween Movies The Whole Family Can Watch Together Metro Parent LINK

13 Reasons Our Tween Does Not Have A Cell Phone Yet in Western New York Family LINK

Give Dance A Chance: 21 Reasons To Try Consistent Classes Volusia Parent LINK

Relax More, Mom: Portable Hobbies For A Happier You in Calgary’s Child LINK

Bonding Time: Ten Easy Ways To Bring Your Family Back Together Montgomery Parent LINK

Ready to pen your own parenting articles?

Check out Write For Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit and learn how.

The skills in this e-book will build up your professionalism and your portfolio and help you get ready for higher paying gigs in the future.

Everyone has to start somewhere, and I highly recommend writing for regional parenting magazines as a way to get some good writing practice and break into writing for publication.

For more support, check out my class, Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff. I’ll be offering a scholarship in December for the January class. Stick around, the learning is fine!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that not every writer relishes the idea of platform development. Until now…

Platform Bingo allows any writer to analyze, assess, and assemble the platform of his or her making in just 24 days.

If you have ever had questions about platform…what it is, do you have one, and how much is enough to get started? You will know the score by the time you complete Platform Bingo Level One with Christina Katz.

What a fun, easy  way to see where you are with your writing and platform!  ~ Erika G.

My shelf sags under the weight of 100+ writing books, but time doesn’t allow me to plunge in wholeheartedly. Some days are so busy, there are only moments to spare for writing. Desiring to grow and be intentional as a writer, I was looking for  a quick and easy daily prompt. Platform Bingo fit the bill perfectly.  ~ Christa S.

Platform Bingo, Level One helped me objectively assess the work I’ve done on my platform and very quickly made it obvious where I need to put in more time and effort. The class lessons are short, to-the-point and very effective for anyone wishing to enhance their writing career.  ~ Virginia W.

Platform Bingo definitely makes you think about your writing, but it also makes you examine your life. Less expensive than an appointment with your therapist, and just as valuable!  ~ Lauren B.

Platform Bingo helped me think of my whole writing career, not just the things I do on a day to day basis. This expansion has helped me see other opportunities to grow and expand in ways consistent with doing what I love the most.  ~ Cindy H.

Platform Bingo, Level One is a simple and effective way to develop my writer’s platform. I’m looking forward to future levels and the platform I create with Christina’s coaching.  ~ Anne V.
I loved finding out that I was doing things right. I loved finding out how to refocus that things I was not doing right. And I loved having it all in bite-sized daily portions.  ~ Heather D.

Platform Bingo, Level One broke my mindset that a platform is a blog. My platform is everything I do to get my words and voice off my computer and into the world.  ~ Kim R.

Platform Bingo is really for everyone – from newbie to hardened platform junkie. I am somewhere in the middle of those two and I got so much out of really revisiting some areas that I haven’t addressed for ages – bio, accomplishments, articles, ideas I had previously generated. I feel that now I know what I need to tackle next. I am sure that somebody has already said this – but if you want to do it right platform development really is a marathon, and not a sprint!  ~ Krysty K.

I loved the simplicity of the assignments and was quite surprised by the ‘whole’ of what I had completed in the end.  ~ Tina G.

The first level of Platform Bingo has been great for enabling me to get a bird’s-eye view of my writing career. The breadth of questions asked and the amount of information I have gathered about my work and its impact on the world is stunning. Within the 24 days of Platform Bingo I’ve learned much about what is going well (and better than I’d imagined) and where my platform is weak. It has been an empowering process. Now I know where better to focus my platform building efforts.  ~ Lara K.

Thanks to Platform Bingo, I came away with a better appreciation for where I am at in my writing career.  ~ Kim T.

Register here for the next round of Platform Bingo with Christina Katz.

First of all, you are not alone. Everyone goes through tough times, and writers are no exception to this reality.

So, rather than expecting that you will never go through tough times and then getting upset because you do, look at like this: you will go through tough times just like everyone else and you are strong and resourceful and you can get through it.

My advice on getting through tough times may be a little different than most. See what you think.

Practice acceptance. If you are in any kind of denial, remember that acceptance comes first. This IS happening, whether you like it or not. You don’t have to be happy about it. But you have to accept it as reality. Resistance to reality, or denial, is more common than you think. Don’t beat yourself up for resisting the truth.

Rest & regroup. Once you accept what is actually going on, you might need a chance to process it. Here are some good ways to do this. Sleep more. Walk more. Take more showers or baths. Eat healthy and regularly. Just doing all of these things will make your difficult experience much more manageable.

Do nothing drastic. Maybe you are losing your best friend. Maybe you are losing a parent or grandparent. Maybe the fate of something or someone is hanging in the balance. Do not panic. This is life. Birth happens, death happens, and we are powerless to change this. The most important thing is to not panic and stay grounded. You may have others in your life who depend on your to show up and take care of things. This can actually be helpful. It can help to make a master list but then just focus on the single next most important thing you need to do. And take breaks for the things I just mentioned in between tasks.

Grieve and/or get help. Some people are better at processing emotions than others. This likely has more to do with childhood conditioning than anything else, so don’t feel bad about your emotional flexibility. If grieving comes easily to you, go ahead and open the floodgates. Grieving is a necessary and healthy part of life. If you struggle to grieve or if grieving makes you want to act out, tune out, or hurt yourself, get some support for the process. And never be ashamed of needing or asking for help, you are only human, after all.

Let loss be a process. New grief may trigger old grief. If something happens in the present and it triggers old grief, the process may be more challenging for you than most. Don’t minimize either the new or the old losses. Human beings typically experience loss as pain, sadness, and fear. None of these feelings are much fun. And loss is not nothing. Loss is real.

Turn inward & find your strength. Many folks will suggest turning outward during times of loss. And, yes, if you are not safe to be alone for any reason, do seek others who can support you and assist you. But I have always found that the fastest and most integrated way to process loss is to face it and feel it. I can’t say that I love doing this or that I can always fully embrace all of the feelings in the moment. But I also recognize that through is the only way out.

Tap into your extended or social networks. Our immediate family and close circle of friends may not always have as much support on hand as we need in the moment. This is why I suggest reaching out to wider circles for support. Try sending out an e-mail to extended family and friends letting them know that you are going through a tough time. Be sure to include only those on the list who you think will be kind and supportive. Leave off anyone who tends to be resentful or negative. Ditto steer clear of people who keep score. If you have cultivated a supportive online network reach out to those folks with an explicit request like for prayers or good wishes.

If you are going through tough times that involve pain, sadness, or fear, trust yourself. You can take it. You are flexible, resilient, and whole. And you will come out the other side of the grief tunnel stronger, wiser, more in touch with your feelings.

And then you will be better able to show up fully for your life and your writing once again.

I know why.

Or maybe I should say, I could name a whole bunch of reasons why.

But let’s name one for now.

The publishing industry is broken because according to it, you are either an over-night success or you are inconsequential to the industry.

Guess who loses in this equation? Almost every writer you know.

Any sensible creative person, who is used to being methodical and process-oriented, can and should remember that real life success is cyclical, not instantaneous.

Remember that none of this overnight success stuff was your idea. You are a sensible, process-oriented person, and that’s a lot healthier and more sane.

Naturally writers doubt ourselves when everything that we have mastered no longer serves us when it comes to marketing and book promotion. But we can be smarter than this. We can take a longer view and distance ourselves from some of the insanity of industry pressures.

I spoke at length about this topic in my most recent traditionally published book, The Writer’s Workout.

What it says in there is that time is your ally, writers, not your enemy…but only if you are the one in charge of your career.

If you give your power away to others, you will always be subject to the whims and follies of absurd or insane schedules.

Take your power back, writers. Grab a copy of The Writer’s Workout and read it yourself or with your writing group.

Stop participating in something old that does not work for most writers any longer (and indeed, never did, it was actually a mechanism to sort the wheat–bestsellers–from the chafe–everyone else). And start participating in something new that’s also very old.

I will help show you how in my forthcoming e-book that launches in early November.

In the meantime, you will find comfort, inspiration, and renewed self-confidence, I hope, in The Writer’s Workout.

Thanks for reading, getting in touch with me, and letting me know if it helps.

A common question writers often have is: now what?

I think that the answers can certainly vary writer to writer, but I also have some general advice that might be helpful:

Consider the big picture…but not for too long!
I wrote The Writer’s Workout to help writers take a long view of their writing careers. But, of course, I never wanted readers to take a permanent long view. Read this book in sections or a page a day, but don’t neglect to invest daily in the real work of your writing career.

Always Be Beginning — Write Every Day
I created the 21 Moments Writing Challenge to help writers create fresh content every day. But we don’t just want to write for the sake of writing, we want to write better as we go along. This writing challenge is specifically designed to help you accomplish this goal for a very low cost.

Create & Update Your Platform As You Grow
A writers platform is not static. Yours likely grows in fits and starts. It’s often hard to know when and how to update. But I do recommend that active, successful writers update at least once a year. And I designed Platform Bingo to be a fun, helpful job to break the task down and get the job done. If you prefer to use a workbook to tackle platform on your own time, I suggest you try my Discover Your Platform Potential workbook. Or if you just want to read about platform development and jot down notes as you read, try my book, Get Known Before The Book Deal.

Start With Nonfiction & Get Published Faster
I often suggest that writers with something to say begin seeking publication by writing nonfiction. Opportunities for nonfiction work abound with new markets emerging every day. Specifically, I have always worked with mom writers via my book, Writer Mama, my class Writing & Publishing The Short Stuff and my Dream Teams for former students. Moms who want specific suggestions getting started writing nonfiction should check out my latest e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit.

Apply My Philosophy & Techniques To All Writing
What if you are a poet or a script writer or a fiction writer or a memoirist, and you would still like to work with me? Of course you can via my phone coaching. Phone coaching can happen once in a blue moon, once a month, once a week, or however often you choose. The schedule is always up to the client and I offer a discount for returning students. Need to talk to someone about what makes the most sense for you next? I am just a phone call away.

What Should I Do If I Feel Like I Need A Break?
Sometimes the solution for writers is hard work where there hasn’t been much or enough. Other times, when you have been working long and hard or have been dealt a steady stream of life challenges, the key to increased productivity is to make time for yourself. And I’m sure you are not surprised to hear that I wrote an e-book on this topic, as well. It’s actually a compilation of my articles on the topic and it’s written expressly for moms.

Yes, sometimes writers need a break, especially after monotonous work. But more often we just need to hunker down and focus.

I’ve seen it again and again: the non-productive writer is not blocked, as she may have thought, she is simply not focused and determined enough.

Get focused and determined and the outcome will change accordingly. I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times.

What’s stopping you?

Impatience?

Unrealistic expectations?

Frustration?

Just put all that aside and do a little bit today.

Slow and steady gets every job done.

~ Photo by Andrea_44 on Flckr

Correction: I have a date change for the next round of Platform Bingo. Next rounds for levels one and two begin November 1st, level three starts January 1st.

I was starting Platform Bingo mid-month and 21 Moments at the beginning of the month. But this is changing for good!

Levels one, two, three, and four of the 21 Moments Writing Challenge will start November 1st. LINK

And levels one and two of Platform Bingo will run again starting November 1st alongside the 21 Moments Writing Challenge. LINK

21 Moments runs for 21 days and Platform Bingo runs for 24 days. And from here on out, they will happen at the same time.

Then, on January 1, 2014, a new round of Platform Bingo will begin for a total of three levels.

And a new round of the 21 Moments Writing Challenge will begin for a total of five levels.

That’s eight levels total of writers working on improving their writing and platform development skills starting in 2014! (Go, us!)

All of this hard work is because I am committed to helping as many writers as possible improve their writing skills and launch solid, lasting professional writing platforms that will carry them into the New Year and beyond.

And the best part is, these challenges fit into your already busy life.

So if you are too busy to take a more intensive, six-week class with me, sign up for a writing or platform challenge.

You’ll be so glad you did!

Sign up for an November 1st Round of Platform Bingo today. There are two levels to take thus far.

Or sign up for a November 1st Round of the 21 Moments Writing Challenge. There are four levels now being offered.

Not sure where to start?

Begin with level one and then work your way up the ranks for both challenges.

These are great gift to yourself to improve your writing and platform-building abilities!

Click on the badge below to sign up for the appropriate round.

Platform Bingo

Level One:

Level Two:

The 21 Moments Writing Challenge

Level One

Level Two

Level Three

Level Four

My family sat down with Lara Krupicka’s Family Bucket Lists this summer and made our individual bucket lists. And we had a blast!

In fact, the lists are still hanging on the refrigerator, where I can see what’s on them often. And they always remind me of one important thing…

We are all individuals. We may be members of the same tiny tribe, but we are each unique with distinct hopes and dreams. And this is always a good thing for parents to remember, right?

As the world gets scarier and more unpredictable, it’s easy to revert to safe spaces and homogeneity and cling to what seems most secure.

But I  believe that the world is being shaken up so we can all wake up and realize how much potential we each can bring to the table — today and in the future.

I would like to see a world where there is less clinging to the past and what is known and more daring to express and more moving forward.

I think that the future is going to be much more communally expressive than the world that we parents have inherited. I think the future belongs to strong, grounded, creative types, who are not afraid of sharing what they feel and sense.

I think the leaders of the future will think and behave more genuinely, like children. They will be bold, brave, and undaunted and they will make choices based on what is positive, playful, and constructive instead of imitating the ways some of our leaders make choices today.

I think it’s an important part of my job as a parent to encourage my daughter’s self-expression and keep encouraging it as she grows up, while also continuing to express myself and grow.

All of these are reasons why I believe that Family Bucket Lists by Lara Krupicka is more important than you might assume at a glance.

A lot of folks think that a “bucket list” is a bunch of fun, seasonal things to do, but that’s actually not the true definition of bucket list.

Read on to learn more about what bucket lists actually are and how they can become a powerful bonding tool for your family.

I think creating family bucket list is a profound exercise in exploring who and what we are and in encouraging our kids to do the same. And I think it’s important to bond with kids based on who they say they are and not just who we would like them to be.

Making these lists is one small step towards creating a beautiful future and throwing off the bridles of the past that no longer work for any of us.

I hope you will join me in spreading the word about Lara Krupicka’s new e-book, Family Bucket Lists, and begin your own families bucket list adventure together soon.

I also highly recommend downloading Lara’s free inspirational poster, The Bucket List Life Manifesto here.

What is a family bucket list? Are there a variety of types of family bucket lists?

A family bucket list is an inventory of how a family wants to spend their time together, typically during the childhood years. It’s about where they want to go, traditions they want to observe, events they want to attend and so much more. One family could certainly have multiple bucket lists. I encourage my readers to think through four types of lists while they are brainstorming. But all these could be combined into a family bucket list, too.

Why should families and family members work on bucket lists? What was your goal in writing this e-book?

Family bucket lists offer a playful format for living the childhood years more intentionally. My goal for families was to give them a whimsical way to explore their hopes and longings and not only share these with each other, but enjoy living their lists out together. So many moms tell me how busy and exhausted they are with trying to keep up with daily life. I would never want to add to that busyness. But I had noticed that some of our best times together as a family were when we rallied together to accomplish a goal one (or all) of us had.

How are family bucket lists different than other types of bucket lists?

The traditionally defined bucket list relates to the lifetime goals of an individual – what a person wants to do or see before they die. Family bucket lists are less morbid. They reflect a shorter scope of time and are a collective effort. In other words, what a family puts on their list may intersect with the bucket lists of individuals in the family, but contains goals for what the family will do as a whole before the kids are grown and gone.

I have seen a tendency toward showmanship in some bucket lists, where it appears the whole goal of the list is to impress others. I don’t think this competitive attitude serves families, though. I hope Family Bucket Lists readers will create is a personal list that is meaningful to each individual. Because the more invested we are in our own lists, the more likely we will be to accomplish our goals (and feel fulfilled while achieving them).

How have family bucket lists impacted your family members?

Our whole family has embraced a sense of adventure and a willingness to try new things since we created our lists. This summer we visited Sleeping Bear Dunes (among National Geographic’s 100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life), which we wouldn’t have done if we hadn’t compiled a list of places we want to see using our Family Bucket List. While we were there, my husband took the initiative to book us a kayaking trip (something none of us had ever done before). It was a lot of fun and generated much less complaining than our previous attempts at exploring.

Have family bucket lists changed the way you parent?

I’m learning to be more hands-off. My girls’ bucket lists are their own. I’ll facilitate them accomplishing their goals, but I don’t push. My oldest daughter has dreams of being a world-class sprinter and she shows a lot of promise. But she’s also currently dealing with an injury and I have had to hold back from using that goal as an incentive to get her to work harder on recovery. It’s up to her to decide whether it’s worth pushing herself or not.

Families are so busy these days, how much time does it take to work on family bucket lists?

Getting a family bucket list going doesn’t have to take much time at all. In the book I suggest a few ways to work on the list, one of them being to schedule a family fun night where you spend part of the time answering the family bucket list questions. Depending on your crew, you might not get through all the questions in one sitting. And that’s okay. But I think it is important for families to work through all of the questions at some point so they have a variety of goals to anticipate and plan. Just because a family is busy, doesn’t mean the opportunities to talk about shared aspirations aren’t available.

A bucket list is an organic document. It should grow and flex with your family as all the members grow. One bucket list experience may give rise to another. Keep adding to your list!

If I am a parent who has never done bucket lists before, what kind of immediate benefits can I expect my family to experience? And are there any long-term benefits of using family bucket lists?

The list-making process can be a great period of insight and bonding. Taking the time to listen to what your family members say excites them is an investment in your relationship (and their answers may surprise you). When a child expresses a desire to tackle a new venture, you have the opportunity to offer support and encouragement. What we’ve seen in our family is that the support becomes reciprocal. My kids love it when my husband or I get to experience one of our bucket list dreams.

When football season started at the high school (my eldest is a freshman this year), they balked at going to the first football game. I found myself explaining to my girls that The Krupicka family supports our high school by attending sporting events. My husband agreed. We have always used the phrase “the Krupicka family does/doesn’t…” but our family bucket list helps define what else this phrase might include. I realized that attending high school games is something new we needed to add to our family’s bucket list. In the long run, our shared bucket list has helped clarify who we are as a family. It’s much easier to communicate expectations about certain things when you have that document to refer back to.

From family to family there will be a great variety in what each bucket list looks like. You can learn a lot about a family by looking at what they hope to experience and accomplish together.

Thanks to Lara Krupicka for her time and excellent work on Family Bucket Lists!

Your turn: Have you ever created a personal bucket list? Have you tried bucket list making with your kids or family? Tell us about it in the comments!