My Lesson Can Be Your Lesson & What's Next

Just about 3 years ago now, I started this blog and my path to helping other authors-to-be on their publishing journeys. Along the way, I have met so many awesome people and it's been fun to be able to see several of you grow in your writing, mission and in your ability to reach your audience. And I thank all of you for the opportunity to share my insights (and ramblings) with you here over the past few years.

All that being said, I've been feeling for a while that something was missing, that something wasn't quite right with where my business was (or wasn't) going. Couldn't quite put my finger on until recently when I took a big step and hired a business coach. As a quick aside, if you're stuck either with your writing or the business of writing, I highly recommend hiring a coach, whether it's me or someone else. Having that outside view, the view you'll likely never see because you're too close to the situation, is worth paying for even if you have to stretch out of your comfort zone just a little. That's the first lesson I hope you can learn from my experience.

The next lesson involves what I learned from the coach. One of the most important things was I realized I didn't have a solid grasp of who my audience really is. I needed to be much more specific regarding what kind of writer I can help the most and best work with. Even though it sounds counter-intuitive, my net was actually too broad. Many authors and business people fall into this and it causes a lot of floundering and un-focused effort.

What came out of that conversation for me was both a new plan for my business and a new website. While I'll still be talking about some of the how-to of publishing, I can now summarize what I do like this:

I help authors and entrepreneurs and other thought leaders create content with confidence. Whether you need to write a blog post, a book, or something in between, I can help you do it better, faster and with less stress.

Notice how it is more focused than "publishing answers"? While publishing how-to will absolutely still be a part of the mix, what I really want to dive into right now is the "stuff" that goes into a book, blog etc-to help people make it the best it can be. The ability to write strong, compelling content gets more important pretty much daily, and I'm really excited to be joining in that conversation.

If that sounds like something you want and need, I invite you to follow me over to my new space at CherylPickett.com You can also go to my new Facebook fanpage. If you're not sure, come by and take a look around and see if it strikes a chord. If it does, I look forward to being able to serve you. If it doesn't, no worries whatsoever. I wish you all the best in your publishing journey and am blessed to have crossed your path. Onward!!

Good Writing & God Bless,

Cheryl

Where Will Your Writing Come From This Year?

It's a new year and hopefully, for all or most of you, that means new writing projects. Maybe there will be lots of short things like articles, or maybe it's time to write that first or next book. Whatever it is, my question for you to kick things off is where will your writing come from?

When asked, many writers say their writing comes from their heart or their soul but it can be defined a bit further. What is driving those words to the outside from within? Do they come from the pure joy of writing about a subject or because you can't not write? Does your creativity well up to the point where it simply cannot be contained? Does it come from a place of prior suffering and survival? Do they come from a fire that's deep inside that burns indignant over injustice, the state of the world's oceans or someone else's pain? Likely, the answer changes from time to time and from season to season in your life. There's really no wrong answer, it's just useful to know what it is.

So, where will your writing come from in 2011?

Good Writing & God Bless,
Cheryl Pickett