Sometimes we hear that the key to writing success is “just write.”

Sure writing is the first step, and unless you can write productively and write well, it’s pretty hard to grow a writing career.

I’m sorry to say that “just write” will only get you so far as a creative person.

Writers with an eye on professional success need to steer clear of anyone who says this job is “easy money” and “anyone can do it.”

If anyone could do it, don’t you think everyone would be doing it?

Of course, they would. But the truth is that it takes specific type of skill sets to succeed as a professional writer. And when you skip steps, guess what? You don’t build skill sets.

My best students are hard-working, always looking to grow their skill sets, willing to take input and critiques, open to new ways of thinking, and eager-yet-patient to expand their earnings. And this poise pays off big time.

As I discuss in thorough detail in The Writer’s Workout, successful writers and authors are like marathon runners. If you show up on the day of the race to watch, you won’t see all that the runners did in order to cross the finish line, you will only see the results. And if you want to go the distance like that, then you have to train that hard, as well. Really, really hard. And consistently.

Nobody is going to hand you writing career success. And anyone who promises to hand you any kind of secrets, short-cuts, or ways to skip steps is someone to steer clear of, not to embrace. Because congratulations, they just taught them how to not work. That’s going to get you pretty far.

Not.

I offer my students fun, engaging, structured ways to grow a career from wherever it is to the next level. My writing and platform challenges are perfect for folks who cannot afford a big time commitment but want to keep their skills growing and improving, while my classes are for writers who are ready to say, “I’m ready to do this. Game on!”

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Confidence doesn’t come from wishing you had someone else’s results. Confidence comes from creating your own results, step by step, and skill by skill.

I’d be happy to work with you if you are ready to work. Because you’d be amazed how working steadily over time accumulates impressive results.

And even if you don’t, I’m happy so long as we are all celebrating the truth which is this:

Writing professionally is not easy; it’s challenging.

Pro writing is not for everyone; but for some of us, it’s incredibly satisfying. And goodness knows I sure love it.

I am flourishing. And you can learn to flourish too.

It isn’t about who you are or how much money you have at the outset of the journey. It’s about how determined you are to be taken seriously as a professional.

And when you learn how to behave like a total pro in your career, it improves the quality of your whole life.

You take yourself more seriously. Your self-esteem goes up. You start to dwell, as Emily Dickinson so famously said, in possibility, and this is a pretty awesome place to dwell.

I often encounter moms who admire what I do.

And I don’t blame them. I have the best career ever.

And it’s only taken me fourteen years to get here. 🙂

But what may not be immediately apparent to moms who want to work at home is that I did not get to where I am today by coveting what others had.

Okay, maybe I started that way. Maybe we all start that way.

But we should not act from envy. We should simply acknowledge that if we experience envy, then maybe we are not taking ourselves as seriously as we should.

Envy is not a signal that is telling you to copy or imitate what someone else is doing. It’s an inner voice that is shouting to be heard.

So let your envy help you turn inward and listen more closely as you build your skills that help you take yourself more seriously.

As for me, years ago before I was known, I would read freelance books by successful freelancers such as Linda Formichelli, Diana Burrell, and Kelly James Enger and then I would feel disappointed with myself.

These women seemed so much more driven than I was. They seemed to operate at a pace I would never be capable of achieving, never mind emulating.

Initially I erroneously believed that there was only one way to achieve success and that they all knew what it was and that I would never be able to compete.

And I was right. Because it wasn’t until I stopped trying to compete and imitate and emulate that I began to become more genuinely successful.

Once I stopped imagining that others had everything all figured out and embraced what I could learn and express for myself, then I started to experience my own momentum.

And once I started to experience my own momentum, then I started to become unstoppable and irrepressible…just like them. But also nothing like them and completely like me.

So in the long run, my career trajectory doesn’t look like those of the folks I initially looked up to, and if you look up to me, then maybe this is important for you to hear.

And when I look at my most prolific and profitable students, I can see that I have been successful in teaching them how to be themselves, not to imitate me. The more they are like them and not like me, the more successful they are.

I am here to teach writers to challenge themselves so they can learn new career skills and grow. I am not here to create a bunch of mini-me groupies. And I am most proud of my students when their work is a natural expression of everything they are.

So don’t go become a groupie, because we are all here to be ourselves in the world, not an imitation of someone else. The day you feel like an equal with the people you formerly placed on a pedestal is a day to celebrate.

We are all just people and success is equally available to all. Just make sure you are seeking your success and don’t try to take a ride on someone else’s bandwagon.

If you have not heard about my new-this-year writing challenge, The 21 Moments Writing Challenge, listen up, because the new season is about to start.

I created 21 moments so writers could benefit from working with me and see an improvement in their writing in a short time without having to pay high fees.

The reason 21 Moments works is because I offer a whole new way to look at and learn from excellent quality writing.

I encourage writers not to analyze excellent writing but to let it prompt them to create excellent writing of their own.

Check out how 21 Moments works here. I hope you can join us on September first for one of four rounds of the 21 Moments Writing Challenge. You will be so glad you did. You will learn a ton about creating quality writing by example. And it’s only $21.

Register here or click on the appropriate button at the bottom of the page. Here’s what past participants had to say about the challenge:

The 21 Moments Writing Challenge was the launching point for my daily writing, and as a result I felt more creative and had more ideas to pursue during the rest of the day. ~ Cindy H.

21 Moments taught me that it is quite possible to write every day, regardless of a job, other commitments or distractions. Anything can be turned into a moment to write about. The possibilities are surprising and endless! Thanks, Christina! I am recommending 21 Moments to others! ~ Ruth Ann A.

The challenge was just what I needed to get my writing going again, and to make writing a priority in my life again in a stress-free way. ~ Ellen S.

I’ve been “stalking” Christina (in a non-scary way, of course…) online for years. Watching her classes, watching her celebrate her students and wishing from afar I could participate. When a friend suggested that I really needed to get serious about my writing I decided I’d jump on this challenge as a way to motivate myself and learn a little from Christina. Best decision ever! It was just right for me! And the nudge to write a moment every day has led me to produce some great writing that I would not have otherwise attempted. Thank you! ~ Christy M.

21 Moments was a perfect challenge to boost my writing slump. I felt no pressure to meet deadlines or write to a specific prompt. I loved the flexibility without being monitored. The price is so-o-o reasonable. I plan to increase my personal commitment on Round 2. Let’s get started! ~ Illene S.

I got deep thinking, deep writing, and a sense of accomplishment. The writings I produced were all about me – it felt good to loosen up and just write. ~ Krysty K.

Christina’s’ writing challenge makes limp brain cells come alive to push words across the page. ~ Lila J.

I had ideas for stories I’ve been wanting to write, but I decided to just enjoy the pieces Christina gave us to read each day and see what transpired. Sometimes the pieces gave me moments related to what I wanted to write, sometimes not. What they DID do is give me the motivation to write. Every. Single. Day!  An additional benefit of the challenge, even though we don’t interact with others: I came to feel part of a group. I looked forward to checking my inbox each morning and the commitment I’d made to writing for 21 days. I used to do morning pages, but for me, I didn’t have the discipline to get it done. This works for me! ~ Mandy S.

I love Christina Katz’s versatility as a teacher. She is always looking for new and creative ways to motivate her students to write. She has done it with the 21 Moments Challenge. Short and sweet, easy to keep up with and an excellent value. ~ Kristin W.

Every month I am published in regional parenting publications all over North America. I have been writing for regional parenting magazines for many years, and every year I enjoy it more than the year before.

I have always enjoyed writing for regional parenting publications, since I started writing for them many moons ago, and I am sure I always will.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Because it’s fun!

2. Because it’s not easy but it’s manageable for busy moms.

3. Because it’s a great way to learn about writing for professional publications.

4. Because you can write about inspiration, challenges, and aha moments from your own life.

5. Because you gain writing and editing skills through practice.

6. Because you learn how to interact with editors and publishers as you succeed.

7. Because you want to expand, deepen, or supplement writing skills you already have.

8. Because it makes a great part-time, stay-at-home business for moms craving intellectual stimulation and connection with intelligent others.

9. Because regional publications continue to thrive even as larger publications flounder.

10. Because it only gets more fun the more you do it and the larger body of work you build up.

Some writers approach writing for regional parenting publications as if it were just another way to make a buck. But this is a big mistake because these are real people producing these publications, and more than anything they care about their communities and their readers.

If you want to be a successful regional parenting writer, you need to proceed in a thoughtful manner and submit like a pro. Accept no shortcuts because nothing less than professionalism will serve you and your career in the long run.

You can see your byline in ink, right next to journalists who have been writing for publication for decades, and feel all the gratification that comes with knowing that your work was selected from a spectrum of submissions.

There are many ways you can learn about writing for regional parenting publications from me, if you do not already know how or if you wish to take your skills to the next level.

I am the author of Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit.

I also teach two popular video courses on short article writing in my online school:

The Art Of Short Article Writing For Nonfiction Writers

Become An Article Idea Factory & Prosper Professionally

The Art Of Selling Articles Like A Seasoned Pro

I offer a monthly goal-setting program called Become Your Own Writing Coach & Multiply Your Productivity x 10 for writers who are finding their writing and submitting grooves.

I hope we will have a chance to work together soon. In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck in your professional writing pursuits!

So much inspiration, so much time! Please subscribe to the Create, Share, Prosper blog and sign up for The Prosperous Creative ezine for exclusive discounts you won’t find elsewhere. Click on the Enter School tab above to put your creativity to prosperous use right now. Join my monthly pep talk video series because all the other prosperous writers are doing it. Like words? Check out my Etsy shop. And you haven’t seen anything, if you haven’t seen all the helpful offerings in my online shop. Thanks for reading and thanks for sharing this post with fellow creatives!

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This post is dedicated to all the writer mamas out there…

August is a funny in-between month for me, as a mom, writer and writing coach.

On the one hand, August is the lead up to the first day of school, for my daughter as a student, for my husband as a teacher, and for me as a teacher and perpetual student.

One the other hand, it’s still summer! I’m not ready to let it go yet. The result, as you might imagine, is a little like a teeter-totter.

Quick, work, work, work! Then, play as long as you can.

Work, play, work, play, work, work, play, play…until the first day of school arrives and we settle into some cooler-weather sanity.

There’s still a lot of fun things we want to do this summer as a family. Beach trips, musical theater, movies, flea markets and antique shows…how about you?

Before we start the inevitable back-to-school parenting article roundups, here’s some of my best writing on how to squeeze the most fun out of summer—until the very last day:

First let’s cover the basics. Here’s 36 ways to have tons of fun without ever leaving the backyard from my article in Fredericksburg Parent.

Tight budget this summer? Checkout out my article 50 Ways To Save Money This Summer Without Sacrificing Summer Fun also from Fredericksburg Parent.

Pets are an expense but they are so worth it. Are you sure you don’t want to add another member to your family before school begins again? Check out my article, So Happy To See You, Why Pet Ownership Is Ultimately Good For Kids in Sacramento Parent magazine.

Did you get a new puppy this summer? Then you might then need my article, Ten Ways To Set Yourself Up For New Puppy Success in Oregon Family magazine. I wish I had read an article like this after we adopted our two crazy mutts!

Concerned about your child falling behind in school next year? Check out my article, 20 Ways For Kids To Avoid The Summer Slide in Valley Parent magazine.

Got creativity to spare at your house? Then check out my article, 9 Ways To Amp Up The Creative Family Fun in Calgary’s Child magazine.

Squeeze every drop of fun out of summer before summer comes to an end. Here’s 20 Things To Do Before Summer Ends from Atlanta Parent magazine.

Have you created your family buckets lists yet? Each member of our family created a bucket list this summer. Check out this great e-book, Family Bucket Lists, Bring More Fun, Adventure and Camaraderie Into Every Day by Lara Krupicka for tips.

And don’t forget about the Writer Mama Giveaway Summer Reading List. There are only so many beach days left!

There is one more month of summer left for those of us who start back to school after Labor Day. Enjoy every day, even if your kids are already preparing to head back!

And if you’d like to learn how to write and sell articles to regional parenting publications like this once they do, pick up a copy of my e-book, Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit.

My long-time students are total pros. They polish their work until it shines and then they polish it some more and sell it again. Writers who work with me understand professional grace under pressure and they practice it until they master it.

My students get paid to write nonfiction and they work their way up the published ranks. They eventually publish e-books and build their own publishing imprints. Some go on to get traditional book deals. Many of these women also self-publish and establish their name as a known brand of quality.

I also offer inexpensive learning opportunities for writers of every stripe that produce big career results. Two easy-learning opportunities I have launched so far include the 21 Moments Writing Challenge and Platform Bingo.

In the meantime, I write books, e-books, articles, columns, blog posts, and build my name as my own quality brand. In other words, I practice what I preach. I write, I coach, and I teach.

This is my writing life. The kind of work that combines creativity with care, skills with service, and endurance with consistency. If you are looking for these qualities (or even if you didn’t know you were looking for them), I would love to work with you to help you build solid career skills that will help you prosper in our rapidly changing economy.

Here are my August 2013 offerings:

Updated & Improved Dream Teams Begin August 1st For Five Months

Updated & Improved Classes Begin August 21st-23rd For Six Weeks

NEW! Platform Bingo Begins August 15th

Now With Four Levels! 21 Moments Writing Challenge Begins September 1st

I recognize that you have a choice in who you work with as a writing coach and I want you to know that I am committed to total professionalism and steady, lasting career growth every step of the way.

Whether you choose work with me or not, I hope you won’t settle for anything less than an instructor or coach who is invested in your personal success.

I hope to work with you starting in August!

One of the common refrains I am hearing this summer from my extremely productive students is, “Oh no, I’m not getting nearly as much writing done this summer as I did all year.”

Since many of my students are moms, and kids (and sometimes spouses) are home for the summer, this is not surprising.

I think they expect me to come at them, as I often do, with productivity tips. But instead I’m more inclined to say, “Let it go and enjoy the change of pace.”

Writing career growth is a spiral, not a sprint. And if you don’t allow yourself some time for your fields to run fallow, if you are always a slave to your to-do list, your nervous system is not going to reset itself in preparation for more growth.

The trick to growing your career is to learn new habits and apply them, while still applying the habits that you already have in your toolbox. But you don’t want your writing career to turn into slavish monotony.

So go ahead and read that trashy novel this summer. Buy fluffy magazines and flip through them on the beach. (You might be able to pick up lightly used magazines at your local book reseller for next to nothing.) If you usually read a lot of nonfiction, read some fiction. If you usually read fiction, read some nonfiction.

If you are always online, get offline. Take a break from compulsive social networking and rework your goals and dreams for the upcoming year. Remember who is in charge of your writing career success, and refine your vision of your hopes and dreams for your writing.

Summer is a great time to celebrate all that you have already accomplished, organize it, display it, and prepare for a whole new cycle of creative career growth.

But you won’t benefit from a break if you don’t take it.

Of course there is nothing wrong with working in the summer. Most successful entrepreneurs do not take the entire summer off. In fact, most successful entrepreneurs work more than folks with jobs.

However, recognize that summer is the time when you are supposed to take a step back and evaluate your progress thus far. Not the time to obsess and worry about all the ways you are not keeping up the intense pace from the rest of the year.

Working too much can become an addiction. You don’t want your creative work to become a compulsion and it’s not good for your career if it does. People who overwork are prone to illness. They also have trouble thinking for themselves because they don’t unplug from the group mind, which is more powerful than you may realize.

I support writing career success, but I also support work-family balance and individual happiness.

So, listen up—it’s summer. Step back a bit and smell the flowers. Take that walk on the beach. Try doing nothing. Cut back on your work schedule if you can and see what you notice when you do work.

I bet you will miss writing and that’s a good thing. I bet you will have fresh ideas you might not have had. I bet your long-term goals will start to come into focus in a way they might not have if you didn’t take a break.

Summer is not endless, it’s fleeting. Enjoy it. And come back to the keyboard refreshed.

If you like what you’ve read here, be sure to sign up for The Prosperous Writer ezine to claim your free gift and qualify for exclusive discounts on Christina Katz products.

Platform Bingo is an idea I have been developing for a long time, and I am thrilled that it is finally time to launch it.

You know how writers know they need to develop platform skills but the whole concept can seem so complex and overwhelming that it makes it hard to even take the first step?

Well, Platform Bingo With Christina Katz makes platform development fun, expansive, and educational again.

Because platform development is not just about what others see when they look at your work, it is also about what you feel when you look back at your work thus far and what you get excited about when you think about next steps.

After all, if your work in the world is not personally enriching to you, then what’s the point?

And you can’t learn about platform by following somebody else’s formula. If you do, your work is going to feel rote and seem trite to you and to others.

So if you know you should work on your online platform, but you feel intimidated, uninspired, or stuck, stop making it such a big job. Platform Bingo will get you unstuck and on track.

This brand-new 24-day platform challenge will help any writer prepare for, create, and sustain a clear, recognizable online presence twenty-four short lessons at a time. You are allowed to take time to work on your platform. In fact, nothing will happen until you make the time.

The challenge is broken down into monthly levels. The first challenge is for those who are either just getting started with their first platform or for those who need to update the platform content they already have.

Either way, Platform Bingo With Christina Katz will help you get the job done happily and with personal satisfaction. And unlike other platform programs that cost a fortune and  cover so much material that you could never even make a dent in all that work in the allotted time, Platform Bingo is designed to give you a challenge a day that you can actually finish in one day’s time. Just work at each challenge a little bit here and there throughout your day, and you’ll get the job done.

Sign up for the beta launch of Platform Bingo and put the last month of summer to constructive, inspiring use. I guarantee, if you do all 24 platform exercises, you’ll fall in love with your writing career all over again—regardless of what anyone else is doing (or not doing) out there.

By tackling manageable platform challenges one day at a time, you can get the work done that goes into the creation of a successful, sustainable writer platform. And you will get better quality work done thanks to experienced guidance from Christina Katz. All for only $24 per challenge.

So, what are you waiting for?

Put your most-up-to-date platform forward. Sign up today for the August 15^th launch of Platform Bingo With Christina Katz: Level One!

Why pay more for platform instruction? Register Now for the August 15th launch and you’ll get instructional e-mails delivered straight to your inbox for 24 days in a row starting on August 15th.

And if you miss a day here or there, you can always catch up. None of the assignments are so difficult that you could not do a few all in one day, as needed.

Questions? See the FAQs below.

FAQs:

I already do the 21 Moments Writing Challenges and I was excited to move up to the next level in September. Can I do both challenges?

Yes, you can. Both challenges are designed to be small enough to fit into an already busy day. Therefore, you could conceivably tackle one challenge in the early part of the day and the other in the later part of the day. And it’s good practice to work on both at the same time, too, since this is what most published authors do all the time.

Can I skip level one and sign up for level two the next month?

Nope. You must take Level One to proceed to Level Two, just like the 21 Moments Writing Challenge. Each level builds on the skills learned in the level before, in this case.

But I already read Get Know, Discover Your Platform Potential, and took Discover Your Specialty & Launch Your Platform. Do I still need to start at Level One?

Yup. And you won’t be sorry. Platform development is an evolution that lasts as long as your writing career does. You are not the writer you were yesterday. Let’s get your platform refreshed and up to date. Since it’s so inexpensive to take the challenge, you may as well.

And if you’ve never read any of my work on platform development, that’s fine too. The challenge includes everything you need to know and offers daily assignments.

What if I just want to write and I don’t want to work on a platform?

Well, you’ll be invisible to the millions of folks who spend considerable time online and you will miss out on the important lessons to be gained from the process of working on your platform. Platform building creates a feedback loop. It encourages you to connect and network with others who can assist you in reaching your goals. And even writers who are shy in real life can perform platform work gradually over time and gain confidence and connections from doing it.

I’m in a writing group and we are always saying we should work on our platforms together. Can we use this challenge as a group?

Sure you can. All I ask is that each member of the group sign up individually. You are then free to share your journey with each other and troubleshoot and consult amongst yourselves.

More questions?

Feel free to e-mail me at christina at christina katz dot com.

I hope you can join us for the fun and expansive writing career boot camp!