Ah, the New Year. At its launch, we make our best stab at
ditching old habits and acquiring new, better habits that—with any luck—will
propel us toward our goals. For writers, that means taking our writing to the
next level—the “breakout” story, essay, or book.
Ah, but the fail rate. By the calendar, we’re still in the
honeymoon phase—research shows that the during first two weeks of the year, we’re
all in with our resolve. By February, we’re starting to slip. By December, most
of us are back where we started, or even further behind.
It doesn’t have to be that way. “Making resolutions work is
essentially changing behaviors,” says Ray Williams, writing for Psychology
Today. “In order to do that, you
have to change your thinking and ‘rewire’ your brain,” a process that involves
the creation of new neural pathways through new ways of thinking. If you want
to succeed with your resolutions. Williams advises setting specific goals,
taking small steps, having accountability buddies, engaging new thought
patterns, and celebrating your success between milestones.
Easy enough, but also easier said than done. Structure,
guidance, and coaching make the difference between the best of intentions and
actually getting the job done—that is, taking your writing to the next level.
With this in mind, I’m offering a three-week online writing
workshop, Craft Intensive: Masterful
Writing, through 49 Writers, where
I’m proud to be part of the 98% instructional excellence rating. Together, we’ll
work on developing new thought patterns to propel your writing to the next level.
After determining what that next level means for you, you’ll implement
strategies for honing your craft, and as part of the process, you’ll undertake
a guided study of the techniques used by the writers you most admire.
After a long hiatus from distance learning—it was one of my
specialties when I taught fulltime at the University of Alaska—I’m excited to
be involved in it again. I especially enjoying designing workshops that
integrate online learning with low-tech interactions, using ye olde phone lines
for sharing inspiration and ideas. And there’s this ulterior motive—while I’ve
happily relocated to the Oregon coast, I’m eager to stay engaged with writers
in Alaska and to meet new ones from around the country.
Together, let’s bust the Resolution Odds, building new patterns
to take our writing to the next level. The three-week online workshop begins January 26. Discussions by conference
call will take place on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 8 pm AST; recordings will be
available for those who miss the live events.
Co-founder of 49 Writers and founder of the
independent authors cooperative Running Fox Books, Deb
Vanasse has authored sixteen
books. Her most recent are Write
Your Best Book, a practical guide to writing books that rise above the
rest; What
Every Author Should Know, a comprehensive guide to book publishing and
promotion; and Cold
Spell, a novel that “captures the harsh beauty of the terrain as well as
the strain of self-doubt and complicated family bonds,” according to Booklist.
Her next book, Wealth Woman: Kate Carmack
and the Klondike Race for Gold, comes out in April, 2016. She is also a staff writer for the
IBPA Independent.