Submission Time Okay team, I'm ready. If you have a book you are working on, now is a great time to join the community. It's limited to ten writers and we're at six now. If you're ready to follow through and finish your book, sign up, and this weekend, I'll ask you to send in 20 pages. Add 3-5 specific questions you'd like me to address. I'll also highlight words and phrases and images that strike me and linger in me as a reader. - Send all manuscripts as Word document (.doc/.docx) - Font: Times Roman, Arial, or Courier, 12 point - Margins: 1 inch on all sides - Paragraph indentation: 0.5 inches - Left justification; one space between sentences - First page: your name and contact information in the top left corner - Manuscript evaluation: double-spaced Then next week, I'll email you my responses and notations on the Word doc. I'll use one or two of your questions or topics in the community chat here - but still respect your privacy so don't worry. I will ask you to sit with my email a while before replying. Mid month, so, around Sept 15th, each one of you will be able to sign up for a 45 minute live Zoom call to talk about the book and/or next steps or other writerly things that are on your mind. The last two weeks of each month, you (we) post questions to the group, share ideas, help each other, offer tips and work on our own stories. And repeat the first weekend in October. Submit. Reply. Meeting. Practice.

Y'all showed up in a BIG way for Back to Basics last weekend pulling in 944 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨. That's insane and awesome all in one! This community definitely knows how to play: show up, give feedback, help each other level up. So we're doing it again... I mean, it's the weekend, y'all expect it at this point. 😉 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆: Drop below what you're working on... one-liner, graphic, CTA, whatever you want eyes on. 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 — 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗮 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗽! Then go give feedback on a few others using the light system: 🔴 Needs work — vague, doesn't land, missing the hook, etc. 🟡 Getting there — good bones, but something's holding it back 🟢 GREEN LIGHT — this is clear and ready to go ... I would click this! Give feedback before you ask for it. As alwasys, the best rounds are the ones where everyone's playing both sides. 🏆 Shoutout to our last weekend winner! @Jennifer Rassbach! She doesn't even know it yet, but she showed up in a huge way, giving thoughtful feedback to 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙙𝙤𝙯𝙚𝙣 different members. And that, my friends, is what being a team player is all about 💥 Every week we have a winner! Jennifer claimed last week and whoever gives the most valuable feedback this round earns a 24-hour pinned post too! Let's see if we can beat 944. Who's getting the green light this weekend?! 🚦

In Reaction to the Synthesizer's Webinar yesterday... I've created a parallel group to my creative community, this is more focused on writing, a one to one mentorship program. I've set it to only $49 for the first five then it goes up to a manageable price - any suggestions for what it should be set? Aiming for that higher MMR sweet spot and using my professional background to get there. Here's the blurb: Finish Your Book! "You started the book. Now you’re stuck. Get personal, professional edits and weekly feedback to develop & finish your manuscript. (Limit 10 writers.)" Feedback anyone? Suggestions? Help? Encouragement? All of the above? Thanks team!

I've set up a new focused group for those writers who need help finishing a draft of a novel, memoir, or short story collection. skool.com/finish-your-book-1908 "You started the book. Now you’re stuck. Get personal help, weekly feedback, tools, edits, develop your ideas and finally finish your manuscript." It's going to be limited to 8 members for one to one work with me, a published author, developmental editor, and creative writing teacher.

I’ve been thinking about how strange it is that being creative changes how we relate to ourselves, other people we meet, how we assess our days, as good, bad, boring, fun etc. When I’m painting or writing regularly, I notice a difference in how I move through the rest of my day. I pay more attention. I have more ideas. I’m more curious. Even when what I’m making isn’t particularly good, the act of making seems to open something up. It's the noticing, the paying attention that is key I think. And I think that’s one of the things we forget about creativity. We get so focused on the finished thing — the painting, the book, the photograph, the thing we can show someone — that we forget how much happens to us while we’re making it. That's why I'm all about getting folks excited to start that picture, the sketches, the stories, take the photos. It's not about being a specific label or identity, drop that confining box, and I'd suggest you just doodle one evening as you watch the Box (what we called tv in England...) I’m curious about whether you find the labels stop you from playing, being creative? Do you notice a difference in yourself when you’re making things regularly? What does being creative actually do for you?