Write Well Me

Ready, Set, Write From Your Soul - From Blank Page to Powerful Marketing

In the five-part Soulful Creative Marketing Series that ended a couple of days ago, we talked about the four hurdles that get in the way of writing from your soul as well as four different strategies that you can use to unlock what your soul has to say.

Imagine.... you need to write a sales page, or an ezine article, or a response to an email, or a proposal for a chapter in a collaborative book.

And it's a blank page.

And it stays blank.

And stays blank.

And stays blank.

What you need are strategies and tools to move from a blank page to your powerful message from your soul.

The five-week class, Ready, Set, Write From Your Soul, gives you access to more than 50 strategies like the ones I covered in the Soulful Creative Marketing Series. In this class, you'll explore your custom style, creativity, and get hands-on experience with creative strategies in each class.

During these five weeks, you'll

• Discover how you process information. More importantly, you'll learn how to use that information to help you be more productive and creative
• Learn the importance of creativity and managing your to-do energy, as well as your creative energy
• See several strategies in action during our interactive class sessions
• Practice using the strategies on your own writing projects with hands-on exercises
• Get feedback on your writing projects

Never be scared of the blank page again!

 

Find out more information and to register for Ready, Set, Write From Your Soul.

 

The class starts next Tuesday, February 28, and there are only 6 more spots available. Registration ends this Friday, February 24, so don't miss out on making writing for your business easy, creative, fun, and impactful.

Here's to bringing passion, creativity, and soulful work together!

Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series Day 5

I hope you have been enjoying the free Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series where your soul, creativity, passion, and business come together to really make an impact! (If you need to, catch up with Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4.)

Today, Day 5, we'll dive into the Mandala and 4 Gateways Strategy, and you'll get to see in action how I use this strategy to really tap into my soul and what I want to say to my target market.

I hope you'll join me! Just click on the image below, watch the video, and maybe change the way you think about business and marketing.

Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series Day 4

I hope you have been enjoying the free Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series where your soul, creativity, passion, and business come together to really make an impact! (If you need to, catch up with Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.)

Today, Day 4, we'll dive into the Question Strategy, and you'll get to see in action how I use this strategy in breaking down a big concept into manageable pieces for a blog post.

I hope you'll join me! Just click on the image below, watch the video, and maybe change the way you think about business and marketing.

Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series Day 2

I hope you enjoyed Day 1 of the free Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series. (If you missed Day 1, you can catch it here.)

Today, Day 2, we'll dive into one of my favorite strategies, Power Words, and you'll get to see in action how I use this strategy in my business.

I hope you'll join me! Just click on the image below, watch the video, and maybe change the way you think about business and marketing.

Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series Day 1

As a business owner, I do a lot of writing. Yes, my business centers around writing, but even if it didn't, I'd have a lot of writing to do!

I want what you want... to stay connected with your market. To let your community know of the valuable services and products you offer. To give them great information. To be seen as an expert in your field.

So... you write.

Sometimes it's easy; sometimes it's not. And many times, you're so busy and in such a hurry, you might just dash something off to get it done and off the to-do list.

Is that really connecting to your market? Is that making a powerful impact?

Probably not.

So how do you take time, tap into that inner place, and connect powerfully with your potential clients and customers?

You do that by writing from your soul. And by getting rid of the hurdles that are in the way. And by letting your passion and creativity out.

That's what my FREE Soulful Creative Marketing Video Series will do for you! Starting today, we'll talk about writing from your soul, why that's important in business, and the four hurdles that get in the way. Then, days 2-5, I'll share with you, in real-time, strategies that I use all the time to tap into my soul and write from that place.

I hope you'll join me! Just click on the image below, watch the video, and maybe change the way you think about business and marketing.

Go Deep. Let Go. Then Write.

When I created my Writing From Your Soul process, what came to mind was a spiral. Not just as a symbol for what we're doing when we try to connect with our community (go deeper, deeper, deeper, and deeper still), but the process itself fits within that spiral.


(This is a photo of my Writing From Your Soul process in graphic and symbolic form. I'm working on a better, possibly even more visual graphic.)

Because I'm very much into symbols (you can take the girl out of the English teacher, but you can't take the English teacher out of the girl. Or something like that), I looked up "spiral" in The Element Encyclopedia of Secret Signs and Symbols.

Immediately, I could see how this symbol, which I had just intuitively glommed onto, truly fit the writing process I had created.

(Download your free Writing From Your Soul system and get the complete, detailed, 13-step process, if you don't already have it.)

Below, I've noted what the Encyclopedia had to say about the spiral symbol, and then I've applied that to the concept of writing from your soul.

• The origin of the Universe. As far as writing from your soul, I interpret this as that place inside us that is a part of the Universe. Our gifts. Our purpose. Our calling. We, as part of the bigger whole, carry that Universe inside us, and so we need to share and continue to be part of the whole.
• The seed of potential energy. Wow. Imagine... your soul yearns to connect. You have a passion, which is what caused you to start your business in the first place. You take that passion and its message, and connect it to the world. You've planted a seed that will grow, expand, develop.
• Tremendous energy, like a whirlwind. I know I've experienced this. Once I hit on my soul purpose of helping others write from their souls, it was as if the floodgates opened. I'm still in awe as I look back over the last few months at what I've created and the new ideas in front of me, inches away, waiting with baited breath for me to step into them. It's intoxicating, and I love that whirlwind energy! (Although I'll say for the record that there needs to be a downtime to that high-energy cycle.)
• Full of possibilities. Gee, ya think? Once you go deep into what your soul wants to say, it opens up the world. The spiral is never-ending, and the deeper you go, the more the possibilities grow.
• Journey. You don't stay in one place when you're traveling along the spiral. You're going on a journey. It can be scary, yes, but it's well worth the risk.
• Cyclical phase of evolution. Think about it... DNA is a double helix, two spirals together. Nothing in the world is static. When you dig deep into what your soul wants to say, you'll say it, and then go on to the next thing. You will evolve. Your customers and clients will evolve. Your business will evolve.
• Curiosity about what's coming next. This has been the most fun part of my own journey into writing from my soul. The possibilities have unfolded, and what could come next is so exciting. "Ooooh, I could do this! And I could do that! And I wonder what would happen if I did this and that...."

The trick is to go deep, listen, and then let go. Yes, it's hard. We so want to be perfect, great, have impact.... But those wants stop us in our tracks. It's as if we have to embrace one part of the path (what our soul wants to say) and let go of another part of the path (attachment to results and outcomes).

So what would happen to you, your business, your clients and customers, your products, if you took a step on that first path and really listened to what your soul wanted to say?

And then you said it?

Start the Year Right - And Write! (And Save 20%)

(Sorry, I couldn't help the play on words. Call me a word geek.)

While I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, I do believe in putting into place tools and strategies that help us do what we want to do.

• Do you want to write?
• Do you have lots to write for your business? (Think sales pages, blog posts, ezine articles, speaker sheets...)
• Would you like to have an organized plan to help you achieve your business goals?
• How about some really cool (and fun) strategies to get your creative juices flowing?
• And of course, there's always working on your writing and becoming a more confident writer.

In the spirit of helping you achieve your business (and personal) goals this year, I'm offering a 20% discount on every program I'm offering for the first six months of 2012. (Sorry - I don't have the last six months planned out!)

If it's on the calendar, and it's a program I offer, you can get 20% off (including the big, honking, 24-week Writing Essentials Program).

The 20% off sale only lasts today and tomorrow, so you'll want to take advantage of this great deal right away.

Here is a snapshot of the programs I offer (and that you can save 20% on).

(By the way, there is no limit to how many programs you sign up for and use the 20% discount... Sign up for one, two, three, all... and save 20% across the board. Just use coupon JAN20.)

 

Create Your Writing Plan for Your Business Teleclass - 90-minute teleclass that will help you create a writing and marketing plan for your business. Comes with a cool, 30-page tool that you can use all year 'round.

 

Just Write! Virtual Workshops - monthly (and sometimes more often), we spend four hours writing. The accountability and support (and the time to write) are priceless.

 

Ready, Set, Write From Your Soul - In this five-week, interactive class, we cover creativity, how you process information, 50 strategies to get creativity flowing, and how you can use that knowledge to write.

 

15-Minutes-A-Day Writing Challenge - brand-new, 15-day program where we get together and write for 15 minutes a day. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done!

 

Writing Essentials Program - While the Writing Essentials Program covers grammar, structure, and style in writing, what it really does is immerse you in writing. You come out the other end a stronger, more confident writer who isn't afraid of anything. It's 24 weeks and starts in June (but don't forget that you can save a whopping 20% off the program cost!)

 

Use coupon code JAN20 to save 20% on all the programs above.

Here's to a successful 2012! May all your dreams come true!

5 Common Pitfalls That Keep You From Getting Started Writing

It's time to sit down and write your article, and you can't seem to write a thing. You stare at your paper or screen, twirl your pen, tap the keys, get up and get a glass of water, sit back down, get up and go to the bathroom, sit back down, check Facebook/Twitter/Google+, twirl your pen some more...

And nothing gets written.

It's not because you don't have anything worthy to say - you do. You absolutely do. You are in business because you know something; you have a unique perspective on a problem and how to solve it. You have experience, client stories, case studies, maybe even research.

You have plenty to write about.

But nothing gets written.

You're probably suffering from one of the five common pitfalls that keep you from getting started.

1. You get stuck in the "What's the best way to say this?" You know you need to speak directly to the reader. You know your writing will be more powerful if your reader (i.e. potential client or customer) can see herself in your words.

While this is VERY important, don't let yourself be stalled at this point. Write what you can, and then start answering the following questions:

• How does this apply to the reader?
• Why does she need to know this?
• How has she struggled with this particular issue (whatever your article is about) before?
• How can you solve her problem?

Answer those questions, and you're much closer to talking directly to your potential client. And you'll have created some great fodder for your article to boot.

2. You think you need a formula or magic bullet. There are many article templates (and other templates for other kinds of business writing - sales pages, bios, speaker sheets, press releases...), and they can be helpful. However, if you spend too much time searching for the perfect formula and then following it exactly to the letter, that's exactly what your writing will look like: formulaic and just like everyone else's who follows that formula.

Don't forget to put YOU in your writing. What is it that makes you special and unique? What is your distinctive take on your niche? Who is that quirky person behind the words? (We're all quirky, more or less, to some extent.) Let the reader see YOU.

3. You don't think you're a good writer. Yes, some people are better writers than others, but the more of YOU you put in your writing, the more the reader can excuse some lapses in grammar and mechanics.

Write passionately about what you do, and the writing will reflect that. Then the words themselves actually become secondary.

4. You don't know how to start, and you can't move from there. You might think that every person who writes starts with the first sentence and writes chronologically until the last sentence. Not so. Think about movie making. Do you know that directors usually shoot scenes out of order, based on lighting, sets, actor availability, location, weather? It's only the final product that is in chronological order.

If you don't know how to start, but you know what you need to write, start there. Then, come back to the beginning. It may be that you don't know enough to write the beginning until you've written the rest. For example, for this article, I wrote the five ways you have trouble getting started and then the end before I wrote the first six paragraphs. (And, actually, I discarded the original end and did something different - but it helped me get the whole idea down in the first place.)

5. You don't think you have anything good to say (write), so why bother? If you started a business, then you have something good to say. You want to help people, so write about what you do. If you don't think you do anything good, then quit your business.

Yes, that's harsh, but one goes with the other. If you believe passionately in what you do, then you have something good to say.

So say it.

It comes down to just getting started and getting rid of those pitfalls that get in the way. Write what you can. Immerse yourself in the concept. Play with your ideas. And write what comes out.

Something will get written - something more powerful and compelling than you might believe right now.

Beauty Is Necessary

I've been struggling for a few years with  my idea of a writing divination deck.  I had a great idea combining the principles of feng shui with writing.  And I just about finished the deck (52 cards) and its accompanying guidebook.  I've only lacked 7 cards.

And it's been in that state for at least a year.  I've struggled with those last 7 cards as well as an idea for a design.  While I've entertained lots of ideas and concepts, nothing grabs me.

Recently, I figured out why this project has stalled, in all actuality, stagnating.

It's not the deck my soul cries out to create.

I need to be inspired from the design of something to how it reaches me deep inside.  What's come up for me is a different deck, Writing From Your Soul Divination Deck.  I've come up with 100 words, started the guidebook, and already  have an idea - that thrills my soul - for a design.

All in about ten minutes.  Really.

THAT is what has been missing... the inspiration of beauty, of words, of really reaching into my soul (and hopefully the souls of people who will use this deck).

And even though the words are important, and the heart and soul of the deck, they have to be beautiful.  I have to love holding them, feeling them, turning them over and over in my hands and loving what I see.  I have to want to gaze upon them and just feel soul-filled when I do, almost with an ache of "Could something truly be this beautiful?"

Here's to beauty that makes our souls ache.

Be Bold. Be Brazen. Be You.

You have a product or service that solves a problem and that people need, and you want to share that.

But then it comes down to communicating with your target market… that's where you get stuck. You have to write blog posts, ezine articles, sales pages, campaign emails, affiliate materials… the list goes on. You have trouble taking that concept of your valuable product or service and confidently and powerfully communicating it.

You feel like you are not connecting with your market. (And you're not.)

You don't feel like anything you have to say is worth reading. (It's not UNworthy; it just needs more of you.)

You doubt that anyone cares, will buy, will sign up…. (And you will have fewer sales and sign-ups to your list-because they won't feel compelled. They won't believe. Because you don't.)

And so you stay small. Which gets you nowhere.

Sure, there are models and templates to help you with the technical aspects of what you need to write. But here's one thing they don't do: they don't have room for your soul.

THAT - the soul piece - is what's going to allow you to connect, reach more people, make a difference.

To really write from your soul, you have to claim the bigness of who you are and what you do in your business.

Because if there's any part of you that's playing small, wanting to hide, afraid of rejection and what people think, you can't very well write from that place.

So, what if you believed wholeheartedly in yourself?

What if you truly accepted that you and your business are needed in the world?

What if you stood up, shoulders back, chest out, arms open wide and yelled, "I need to be here! The world needs me! Watch out! Here I come!"

What if you chose to give all yourself and put it all out there?

What would your writing look like then?

People will be attracted to you. They'll mimic the woman in When Harry Met Sally: "I want what she's having." They'll watch you. They'll pay attention. They'll take you seriously. They'll notice what you're doing.

So, how do you go from being small to stepping into your bigness?

Be bold. Be brazen. Be you.

Breathe the following statements your body. Let your heart believe them. Act from them.

• I am confident in expressing who I am.
• I am different from all the others - boldly so.
• I am confident in my uniqueness, not ashamed.
• I am proud to express that uniqueness, to claim it.
• I claim the beauty in me and in what I do.
• I am bold. I am brazen. I am me.

When you write from that place, the world is going to stand up and take notice. So feel that, feel that bigness, feel that uniqueness, feel that youness… revel in it.

Do whatever you need to do to be in that place. Journal. Create a soul map. Call your voice mail and record a lovely message about how wonderful you are. Phone a girlfriend and say, "Okay, tell me about my bigness. Tell me what I need to do to be bold, be brazen, be me."

Whatever you need to do to claim how big you are… do that. And then, when you are in that place, write from your soul.

Writing From Your Soul Map in Draft Version

I've been working on an amazing thirteen-step process for Writing From Your Soul.  The process in a spiral has been calling to me, and I have a lovely (although somewhat plain) process drawn on paper.

Seeing some of the lovely artistic and creative brainstorming from some awesome business women (Laura West and Camille Gaines), I decided to try my hand at it.

Armed with big paper and sharpies, this is the second draft...

(It's a work still in progress, but I'm happy enough with it to share. Look for bigger and better soon!)

Creating Your Sacred Writing Bubble

"Writing time? Sure! I have a ton of stuff to write! Blog posts, Tuesday's ezine article, promotional copy for my upcoming program.... I could just write and write and write... But I'll get to it after these client calls. Oh, and preparing for my workshop. And let's not forget checking email and responding. Must respond right away, you know!"

So how much writing do you think gets done? Not much.

What I know from working with business owners with the amazing amount of STUFF to write is that they feel great when they write. They feel positive and successful. They wrote!

But getting them to that place where they write? It's like herding cats (or children).

What I've learned is that writing happens best when you create a sacred bubble around it. Writing doesn't just "happen." You have to plan for it.

• When are you going to write? Schedule that time and put it into your calendar. It's nonnegotiable. Do not give that time away. If something comes up - a client needs to talk with you, for example - treat your scheduled writing time as you would any other appointment. It's not a space of time that can be eaten into.
• Where are you going to write? Can you do this kind of writing in your office, or do you need a different environment and different energy? Plan for that and go to that place. Set yourself up for success from the very beginning.
• Structure your writing. Know for how long you're going to write. Just "until I'm done" might not be sufficient, and you might be setting yourself up for failure. "Gee, I planned on writing 80 chapters, and I didn't get it done. I suck." Personally, I like time limits as opposed to project limits. I write for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, whatever is appropriate for the day and/or the project ... I set that up ahead of time, and use a timer. I'm done writing when the timer goes off, and that's my benchmark of success.
• Turn off the phone ringer and close your email. If you have a cell phone (and who doesn’t?), turn it off or put it on silent. Put it in another room if you need to. (I speak from experience about this!)
• As part of that sacred bubble, create the sacred environment that works for you. Light candles or incense. Play inspiring music. Pull a card from your favorite divination deck. Watch a video to get into the mood. I find what works for me is to create a ritual that I tap into each time I’m going to write from the soul. It’s like Pavlov’s dog... my brain, heart, and soul know what’s coming.
• Have an ending ritual. You want to bring some sort of closure to your writing time. Otherwise, it feels anticlimactic. Blow out the candle, turn off the music, log how many words you wrote, give a silent blessing to the Universe for the words you wrote. Honor the sacred bubble.

How are you going to create your own sacred bubble of writing? Look through the points above, create your sacred bubble plan, and send it to me at dawn@writewellu.com. You might be surprised at the writing that actually gets done.

Writing From Your Soul in the Real World

So you've decided that you'll set aside time to write every day, and maybe you've even scheduled a particular time to write.

You know you want to write from your soul.... it's the only way to truly to connect to your tribe and get your message across.... Your deep message, the one that's so all-fired important that you have to get it out in the world.

So you figure you'll just fit it in between dropping the kids off at school and your first client phone call at 9:00am.

Easy-peasy.... drop off the kids, walk in the door, grab your computer, sit down, and start writing from your soul...

And write powerful, impactful blog posts, articles, sales pages, and marketing emails.

And be done by 9:00am.

Of course, your mind doesn't stop. "I have to get such and such done before my 9:00am call." "I have to remember to respond to that email." "My assistant is waiting on that response from me." "I should call the three prospects for my new program." "Soccer practice is at 7:00."

Maybe not so easy after all.

Yes, you have a busy life. Yes, you have many commitments. Yes, you're trying to do it all.


But you can't force writing from your soul.

Now, that doesn't mean that if you're not feeling it, you just give up (and give in) and go answer those emails and do those tasks.

There's a process to writing from your soul. You have to figure out exactly what works for you, but here's a start.

1. Set a time to write. This can be every day or a specific time that you need to work on a project. Schedule it in your calendar. Don't let yourself give that time away; no exceptions. Turn off your phone (or put it in another room). Close out of your email programs.

2. Pay attention to your environment. Can you do this kind of writing in your office, or do you need a different environment and different energy? Plan for that and go to that place. Set yourself up for success from the very beginning.

3. Sit quietly for a few moments. You're going to have mind chatter; just accept that. Give yourself a few moments to hear all the crap that's going on in your head. Then, thank your mind for sharing, and turn your thoughts to your project.

4. Tap into your purpose and your audience. What is it that you want to write? Why? Who is going to read it? What do they need to hear? Why is what you have to say so important? What is it that you're going to share with the world? Connect to that deep place inside, and just BE from there.

5. Just write. Forget perfect. The most important thing is to get those core feelings, the essence of your soul, out into words. You're capturing the pain of your readers and the relief of your solution. You will come back to it later to polish it up.

You can write from your soul. You just have to give it a little help.

What I Want For You

I want you to feel confident in expressing who you are.

I want you to be different from all the others - boldly.

I want you to be confident in your uniqueness, not ashamed.

I want you to be proud to express that uniqueness, to claim it.

I want to help you find the beauty in you and in what you do - and to help you express it.

I want to help you write from your soul.

Writing from Your Soul - What do you do when your soul is quiet?

Part of my process of writing from my soul is to give myself space, be quiet, and truly listen deeply to what my soul wants to say.

Sometimes my soul has quite a bit to say!  Then, my job is to express that, channel it through in words, to let my soul speak.

Great!  That's how it's supposed to work.

But then there are times when my soul is just... quiet. 

What I realize is that the quietness doesn't mean that my soul has nothing to say.  It means that I'm integrating all that has been going on.

I notice this integration almost always comes after a period of high processing, perhaps some stress.  In other words, when a lot is going on.

My mind, body, and soul need a chance to integrate all that has happened in the past few days.  To let it sit.  To figure out where to put all this stuff.  To let things sink in.  To absorb it.

I find - for me - that this is usually about a day.  Then, when I check in with my soul the next day, her voice is loud and clear.

Swirling

Swirling, swirling, swirling.
It won't stop.
A spinning spiral.
Emotions, thoughts, events.
Spinning, swirling,
Swirling, spinning.

Quiet.
Space.
Release.
Opening up.

The swirling has nowhere to go.
It slows.
Stops.
Dissolves.

What is left?
Blessed emptiness.
Relief.
Breath.

Writing From Your Soul - Why Even Bother?

When you write from your soul, you're connected.  You're connected to the message you want - need - to convey to the world.  And then when you write from that place.... you actively connect to your audience, the people who need to hear your message.

Think of it as creating this energetic cord from you to someone else.  That cord is your message, the thing you MUST convey.  That cord can be weak or strong, and the strength of that connection is directly related to how connected, how in touch, *you* are with your message, your deeper why.

"Of course I'm connected with my message!" you exclaim.  "It's my business. The thing I've been pouring my lifeblood into for years.  How can I not be connected to it?"

You have a message and purpose - the whole reason you started your business.  You want to get that out into the world.  You believe you can make the world a better place, that you can make people's lives better and easier. 

In the business world, we call these people potential clients.  The practical view of what you're doing in your business on a daily basis is that you want to have those potential clients buy from you. 

The deeper why goes back to your message and purpose and doesn't necessarily show up in MBA course material.  Sure, YOU want to make money and build your business, but you do that by helping others with your service or product.  It’s why you’re doing what you’re doing instead of working in a factory making widgets. 

(Because you could do that, you know.)

That all makes sense, I'm sure, so where does the problem lie?

The problem is that inner gremlin that is NOT tied into your deeper message and purpose.  He says things like

•    "What about your bottom line?”
•    “How much money have you spent this month?”
•    “How many people bought from you?”
•    “What if no one buys from you?” 
•    “What if you have this all wrong?”
•    “What if you're a failure?"

And, suddenly (or not so suddenly), you're no longer connected to why you started your business in the first place.

And so of course you can't write from your soul when you're there.

Writing from your soul requires that you get back in touch with that deeper purpose of why you're here on the planet doing what you're doing.

When you do that, that cord is strong, and the energy flows like wildfire from you to the other end. 
Writing from a more shallow, "because I have to" place, weakens and could even break that cord.

So, connect to your deeper purpose – write your message – connect to your tribe. 

They’re waiting.