Today is my turn to be the featured author and I’m giving away my entire collection of books and e-books—as well as a Writer Mama bumper sticker—to one lucky winner.
Introducing Christina Katz
Christina Katz, AKA The Writer Mama and The Prosperous Writer, is the author of three books from Writer’s Digest: The Writer’s Workout, Get Known Before the Book Deal, and Writer Mama. Her writing career tips and parenting advice appear regularly in national, regional, and online publications.
A “gentle taskmaster” over the past decade to over a thousand writers, Christina’s students go from unpublished to published, build professional writing career skills, and increase their creative confidence over time. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in English from Dartmouth College.
Known as a champion of mom writers, Christina is a popular speaker on creative career growth and writer prosperity. She keynotes for writing conferences, literary events, MFA writing programs, and libraries. She lives near Wilsonville, Oregon with her husband, her daughter, and far too many pets.
Learn about The Art Of Making Time For Yourself, Inspiration For Moms
This e-book makes a great gift for a mom-to-be or a new mom, for a mom who is choosing to stay home with her kids, or for a mom who is trying to juggle work and home life, for a WAHM, and even for a veteran mom with kids in school or leaving the nest.
Moms who read this book will gain:
- Inspired ideas for creating more you-time
- Multiple approaches to finding time no matter much time you have
- Enduring, encouraging advice about the benefits of taking better care of yourself
- A clear understanding of the meanings of self-love and deservingness
- Less admiration for self-martyrdom and more admiration for self-care
- A complete list of resources to inspire self-care
- A questionnaire to encourage you to take more time for you
Written expressly for moms, this e-book collection is written in short, inspirational selections.
Learn about Write For Regional Parenting Publications For Fun & Profit!
Writers who read this book will gain:
- An overview of how the process of writing for and earning from regional parenting publications works
- Complete how-to instructions for writing for and mass-submitting to regional parenting publications
- Insights into what sets successful RPP writers apart from those who don’t succeed
- A clear understanding of what it takes to create and maintain a writing business
- A better understanding of what professional writing looks like in day-to-day terms
- A whole new respect for hardworking parent writers
Written expressly for busy parents, this e-book guide is written in short, instructional chapters like a mini-workbook. Readers who follow the advice in this e-book will find themselves successfully writing and submitting articles to regional parenting publication editors in a professional manner.
Learn about The Writer’s Workout, 366 Tips, Tasks and Techniques From Your Writing Career Coach
The Writer’s Workout is like having a personal trainer for your brain every day of the year.
In the age of information overload, writers need the ability to focus and feel satisfied at the keyboard on a daily basis. The Writer’s Workout greets you each day of the year with fresh advice that helps writers coach themselves to produce an impressive body of published work, whether in print or online.
You’ll learn manageable, no-nonsense techniques for every aspect of your writing career from getting organized to connecting with your audience to relationship building.
The Writer’s Workout contains 366 tips for writers in every genre on how to:
- Make your writing as strong and powerful as possible.
- Pitch and sell your work at every opportunity.
- Overcome rejection to come back better than ever.
- Promote your work and build an audience.
- Learn how to balance your creative life with your daily life.
Veteran writing coach Christina Katz draws on her knowledge from more than a decade in the business.
With her no-more-excuses wisdom, you’ll find your stride and motivate yourself to career-long publishing success.
The Writer’s Workout gives you substantial suggestions every day to help you build a robust, unique writing career.
Learn about Discover Your Platform Potential, A Self-study Author Platform Workbook
An eight-chapter companion workbook for Get Known Before The Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform also by Christina Katz.
Learn the keys to:
- Uncovering your strengths
- Making you and your work visible
- Promoting your work authentically
- Connecting with readers
- Creating a lasting, profitable platform
- Finding your niche
- Understanding your unique platform dynamic
This workbook contains:
- Lessons that summarize key platform strategies
- Field trips to explore what others are doing
- Brainstorming exercises to help you consider your options
- Key considerations that will save you time and money
- Reading assignments
- Writing assignments
Finish the workbook in eight weeks, eight days, or eight hours! It’s up to you.
Learn about Author Mama, How I Became A Published Author & How You Can Too!
Have you ever considered writing a nonfiction book?
Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to become a published author?
What would the process be like?
What are the steps?
What do publishers do for authors?
How long would it take from start to finish?
Can you make any decent money?
Should you self-publish or traditionally publish?
Now you can find out the answers to these questions and more when you order my e-book, Author Mama, right here.
In Author Mama, I share my personal experience walking through the traditional book-deal process and book-writing experience and offer tips along the way, addressing common myths and challenging writers to get ready for the marathon that is writing a book.
Learn about Get Known Before The Book Deal, Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform
Before you can land a book deal—before you can even attract the interest of agents and editors—you need to be visible. How do you become visible? You develop a platform, or a way of reaching your readers. Everybody can develop a platform, and this book shows you how to do it while you’re still writing.
This book offers:
- A step-by-step approach to creating, growing, and nurturing a platform
- An economical approach to self-promotion (no need to spend thousands)
- A clear way to uncover your strengths and weaknesses as an author
- The strategies that are essential (or not) to online promotion
- A philosophy of authorship that leaves you confident, empowered, and equally partnered with agents, editors, and publishers (instead of waiting to be discovered)
- A diverse set of tools and methods for getting known (not just web-based tools or ideas for extroverts)
After you read this book, you’ll be able to answer the inevitable question: What’s your platform?” You’ll learn the hows and whys of becoming visible and how to cultivate visibility from scratch. Best of all, you won’t need any previous knowledge or experience to get started.
Growing a writing career isn’t just about landing one book deal and then scrambling like crazy. There is a more strategic and steady way to lay the groundwork so you can avoid scrambling altogether—and Get Known Before the Book Deal is the only comprehensive book that shows you how.
Learn about Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids
As a mom, you want to spend as much time with your children as possible. But you’d also like to make some money doing something you enjoy. How do you get the best of both worlds? Writer Mama by experienced freelancer Christina Katz tells you how. You can start a stay-at-home freelance writing career tailored to fit your family and lifestyle.
Writer Mama will answer all your questions about how to get started, in realistic, easy-to-follow steps. While conversational and easy-to-read, this book also does a lot of hard work for you. It gives you practical advice and exercises that help you get started in a matter of weeks. You’ll get tips on how to:
- begin with the easiest routes to publication for moms
- network with other writer mamas, editors, and agents
- write cover letters and queries
- choose your own writing specialty
- create a web presence
- set up a home office
- make time for yourself, your kids, and your writing
You’ll love the short chapters, sidebars, and exercises that let you get the information you need in small doses that fit into your busy schedule. Plus this book was written to grow with you. Once you master the skills of being an article writer, it teaches you how to pitch a nonfiction book idea and explore other areas of writing.
I asked myself three questions about our giveaway’s theme topic, self-expression:
1. Is self-expression an important part of your life today, why or why not?
Since I am the one who came up with these questions, I am sure it will surprise no one that self-expression IS important to me. I feel like self-expression is the central force in my life and my family’s life and my work life, although I can’t say that it has always come naturally or easily. Maybe this is why I feel like I never tire of the topic and maybe this is also why I chose self-expression as the theme topic of this month-long giveaway. Self-expression is where the joy is, for me.
2. What does self-expression mean to you and how do you do it in the world?
I believe that each person on this planet is brimming with wisdom for the collective, but our biggest challenge is getting that wisdom out and sharing it with each other. I feel like the best way to serve the whole is for each individual to find productive methods communicating. My primary form of self-expression is writing. I also enjoy teaching, pitching, coaching, blogging, publishing, and encouraging others.
Obviously there are many ways to express yourself. I find that restocking the creative pond is an important part of self-expression for me. So a lot of what you will find me doing when it doesn’t seem like I am doing anything in particular relates to connecting with my deepest instincts, unlearning whatever it is time to unlearn, and heading for the nearest hot-spring spa for a soak and a massage. For pleasure, I enjoy reading, singing, acting, decorating, antiquing, gardening, collaging, flower arranging, and hanging out with my family. I also like watching funny sitcoms and romantic comedies.
3. How does your self-expression impact the world—your family, your friends, your readers, and everyone else?
I have learned to stop caring so much about how others respond to me and to instead pay more attention to what wants to happen next. When I listen to myself, and trust my instincts, I feel like I can’t go wrong. I try to encourage others to follow their inner lead, as well, not just to follow my lead.
After all of these years teaching, I feel like I have some pretty good techniques up my sleeves, and when I do my best work, I feel like it works for all of us, and that includes me, too.
Like everyone, my story is constantly evolving and unfolding and I’m always making adjustments as I go along. I find that when I focus on making good things happen, they do. If I can free myself a little more each day, then I can help others do the same. And that’s good enough for me.
And Now, Your Turn…
You remember how this works right?
Please read the complete rules at least once!
I ask you a question.
You answer in the comments for your chance to win a book each day.
Please just respond once, even if you make a typo. 
Answer in the comments in 50-200 words (no less and no more to qualify to win one of today’s books).
Are you confidently creative? Why or why not? What would you create if you had no fear? What do you dare to do with your creativity? And who do you serve?
Ready, set, comment! I will hold the drawing tomorrow and post the results here in my blog.
Thanks for participating in the Writer Mama Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway!
And thanks for spreading the word. We will be giving away great books by wonderful women authors all month.
View the complete list of authors and books.
View the giveaway Pinterest board
Comments on this entry are closed.
For as much as I want to be confidently creative, I know
that I’m not.
Many things I read or want to read are creative, ingenious
even. My writing does not compare. I remain inspired by a variety of authors and readings. Even a simple article with a quick and approachable topic is inspiring. My favorite stories are true or based on truth stories that are told with creative point of view or approach to telling the story.
If I had no fear, I’d create a memoir about a life event that was pretty hard, but that I learned something valuable from. I’ve written
experiences in journals in a style that I believe is publishable. I have fear that no one would be interested or my stories are contrite. I do find writing to be soul finding and not a pure reliving of an event.
Most of the time I am confidently creative, however I don’t allow myself enough time to bring that creativity to fruition. When I am writing the words come fairly easily, but it’s finding the time that is difficult for me, being a full-teacher, wife, and mother makes for a very busy life. I also wonder sometimes if I can’t find the time to write, because I don’t really believe in myself. That makes me sad to think about, though.
If I could create without fear I would write my book series for young adults. As the project stands right now, I have a very rough draft (third rewrite) of one book. Additionally, I would get my short story collection edited and out to independent publishers.
I dare to give myself at least 30 minutes a day to write. That doesn’t seem like too much to ask of my day. And, during those 30 minutes, I will serve myself. The rest of the time, I’ll serve my family. I’m crossing my fingers that I can allow my creative confidence to emerge!
Oh, to be confident in my creations. There are moments when I glimpse confidence, but that confidence often recedes when self-doubt creeps in (“Is this unique?” “What is the benefit?”) or an editor requests revisions, especially when I understand the revisions make for a better piece. I try to maintain the perspective of learning from each article; but even one revision can be overwhelming if it sparks self-doubt. As a reader or editor, it’s easy to critique; however, as a writer (and reviser), that self-criticism can suffocate creativity and stymie self-confidence. For now, I still attribute this to being a rookie, a novice, a newbie lacking focus and, in the words of Christina Katz, a “platform.”
If I had no fear, I would write that memoir honoring my grandmother’s service as an Army nurse during World War II. But then, that would require no fear on her part, as well, as she dislikes reliving those days. Or back again, no fear on my part in approaching and perhaps insisting. Tick tock. Did you witness that pendulum swing?
I dare to believe that my words might help someone, might inspire another, might encourage someone else. Can I serve those someones, while simultaneously and ultimately serving myself? Or should I revise my “dare” to maintain focus on the author of the words? If I write, I’m a writer, right? I serve myself? (Question mark?) In that I find that I often will remove myself from writing until my brain and fingers just can’t take one more moment away from it; yes, I serve myself. Because when I do write, I do it with great purpose. In that I spend so much time away from writing, I serve my family first. But not for always, so I will enjoy this season of my life guiding my littles, and learn all I can as I go.
This is a critical topic for me because fear is one of my biggest stumbling blocks. I also find it interesting that my best writing is often produced while I am terrified. Every work of art I create is a dare, is me facing up to fear. If I cave into the fear, I serve no one but the fear. Facing my fear and exercising my voice serves me, serves my daughter (lead by example), and serves my readers as well.
I am confidently
creative because it’s in my genes. My grandmother was a seamstress and once
designed and sewed the garments for an entire wedding party – including the
tuxedos! My mother dabbled in oils, pastels and water colors. Plus she could
knit, crochet, and even taught herself to tatting (lacemaking). My oldest child
creates beautiful oil paintings and my youngest is a whiz with pen and ink. And
of course, we all write. Not to be left out, my middle child is socially
creative.
If I had no fear, I would be more creative physically. I’d tap and
belly dance without worrying about how untalented I am.
I dare to write
fiction and I serve my clients with my creativity. It’s the foundation of my PR
agency. I come up with the creative concepts and my art director creates the
graphics to make my words come to life. Creativity is what sets us apart.
I am confidently creative when I start to type this post and trust that words will come; will click through the keyboard and will magically appear on the screen before me. My confidence has grown each time I have messed up, yet somehow have landed on my feet. All the tiny adjustments that must be made through each day of living help to sharpen my creativity. Applying this cycle of confidence and creativity to my writing projects over the last couple of years has been exceptionally rewarding.
The surprise and wonder I feel when I discover something new about myself or what has been created through me in a piece of writing makes me want to write more and more. I feel closer to my calling…
If I had no fear, I would create multiple forums for my written work and I would speak as clearly as I write. I would say no to many more of those should do’s and re-focus my energy and attention toward some of my clearly or not so clearly defined goals.
With my creativity, I would continue to build and nurture a creative group of colleagues, friends, and family around me that would in turn nurture, feed, and strengthen my individual work.
Who do I serve? If I serve those who have gone before and those who are yet to come, perhaps I will be able to maintain a relevant perspective that moves me beyond myself without loosing myself….
I am confidently creative with words and writing, with foods and
cooking, with love and relationships, with plants and gardening. But what I’d really love to do is make physical art, more collages, bold masterpieces (even if only from MY perspective). I’m drawn to colors and textures and big splashes of paint. Yet I’ve never felt confident in creating art in that way. A 7th grade teacher squished any hopes I’d ever had of being that type of creative.
Instead, the more cerebral, brainiac part of me took over, and I became a wordsmith, then an editor and coach for writers. If I had no fear, I’d create a writing center where people can come to write, where they can drop in for quiet time, inspiration, coaching and instruction. I’d open this space with all my heart, and pour tons of energy and gratitude into serving those who’ve ever questioned their own abilities to create. We’d do it together here without fear.
I do feel a quiet confidence in my creativity. Not for every book, story or project but overall I draw confidence from the fact that I have been writing, steadily, for over 25 years. I don’t feel any fear or impediment to my creativity but occasionally feel there is not a enough time to do all that I would like. Whom do I serve? Myself first: I write because I have to. But I hope I serve others too and that my readers draw something–hope, delight, understanding, recognition–from reading my books.