Twice monthly stories for humans seeking depth and meaning.

I'm Janelle Hardy and at some point you signed up for this twice-monthly (ish) newsletter on memoir-writing, somatic (body) healing and stories. If you'd like to unsubscribe, just click the unsubscribe link at the bottom.

Free workshop: How to Write Award-Worthy Essays (even if you only have 30 minutes a day) with Nicole Breit

In the creative arts, there's a fairly straightforward strategy and ladder to climb if you want to be 'successful'.

First, you generally have to do excellent creative work.

But excellent creative work will not, in itself (and yes, we all know someone who was an 'overnight success' and was 'discovered' but they are truly the lottery-win-exceptions to the rule) bring you success in your field, or a livelihood that pays the bills.

Because, in order to achieve creative success, which, usually, but not always, means attention and acclaim, peer recognition and enough money to pay the bills, there are a few skills that you also need to cultivate.

And these skills and steps are fairly consistent across the board (I've applied them to varying degrees of success in dance, visual and literary arts).

If you want to get an agent and publishing deal (or gigs, or art shows, or...), and/or qualify for arts grants, and/or make money, and/or be recognized by your peers, you also need to learn and practice the arts of:

• research (what's the best venue for my work, does my work fit with their mandate and vision, where will my work be seen by tastemakers, people of influence and peer gatekeepers...)
• self-promotion (being willing to talk about yourself and your work as well as have media kits and bios) in order to submit your work to professional venues (literary journals and magazines, art shows, festivals, etc) and make the administrators' jobs (who are trying their very best to support the growth of your work and career, usually with little time or money - be NICE to them!) easier
• pitching and submissions (persuasion, succinct communication and cold calls)
• networking and first impressions, making an ask, offering support (knowing where to go, who to connect with, how to show up with memorable personal style (for you and within that community) in order to eventually ask things like 'can you introduce me to so-and-so' and 'I'd love to write for/create for/work for...' as well as support others by saying 'I know just who you should talk to, let me connect you', etcetera)
• how to harness attention (with your work, with what you share (or don't share) on your website, in your newsletter/blog/podcast and whatever social media your genre uses to communicate)
• grow a thick skin, because the rejections are plentiful (most of us creatives are sensitive types that take things too personally - so you can view this as a spiritual personal growth assignment)

Now, some of this will come easy to you. And some of it won't. I've definitely learned these the hard way. With the exception of creating and research, it was ALL challenging for me to learn and put into practice.

But all of it, combined together, will support the growth of your creative ambitions.

These skills are the same skills I employ to build my self-employed Art of Personal Mythmaking business. They're very transferable.

Interestingly enough, while I qualify to apply for arts grants at the Canada Council for the Arts in dance and the visual arts, I do not qualify to apply for arts grants as a literary artist, even though I've probably done more writing than I've done dance or visual arts.

The reason is this: the categories we place our creative work in matter when we want to grow our careers.

When I was professionally writing up a storm in my mid 20s to early 30s, I was in great need of money and I was juggling multiple gigs. So I didn't submit my writing to literary magazines or contests (they pay little to nothing in money, but plenty in prestige). Instead, I submitted to magazines and anthologies that paid. I needed money. And I sure got good at writing 500 word articles in a 2-hour timeframe (including the interviews), because I only got $50 an article!

Absolutely none of those writing bylines (except my story in a single mother's anthology) counts towards 'literary artist'.

There are many ways to fulfill our need and desire to be creative and also make money, and there's no 'better' way.

However, if you want to get published, it's a very smart thing to direct your writing and submissions towards the kinds of literary journals and magazines and anthologies that give you access to great editors, peers and a readership that includes agents and publishers.

It takes time, but it's doable. AND, I have a writer/teacher friend who has plenty of experience going from unknown writer to award-winning author…

She's also teaching an excellent workshop with the same title (I've taken it, it's good). In fact, she's even figured out the art of entering and winning writing contests (the prize usually include a publication in the host journal), which most of us skip.

Let me introduce you to my friend, Nicole Breit, poet, essayist, and creator of the Spark Your Story Lab.

Here's some of her story:

In late 2015, Nicole’s dream was to one day publish a memoir or essay collection. She had just started experimenting with creative nonfiction and hired a mentor to help her navigate the literary market. Nicole’s mentor urged her to start entering her work in writing contests.
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Nicole never dreamed she’d actually win a literary award. She was an unknown writer who squeezed in personal writing time around her young children’s schedules and had received her fair share of rejection emails. Her hope was to eventually land on a longlist to give her author bio a boost.

Then, in the Spring of 2016 Nicole won three awards for her creative nonfiction (CNF). It felt like overnight everything changed!

She was invited to the Banff Centre for the Arts to accept her first award at a banquet. Her second award-winning essay was published in a print journal – a first! She was invited to read at festivals and speak on panels. She found herself welcomed into a warm community of writers whose books she loved.

Nicole felt called to share what she knew about writing CNF and launched her first course in 2017 - something she wouldn’t have had the confidence to do without the validation of her awards. To her amazement, a celebrated author whose memoir was on Nicole’s bookshelf signed up for her course and they became friends.

One afternoon Nicole found herself sitting at a Vancouver Starbucks with her new author friend who not only encouraged Nicole to write her book … but offered the names of three publishers she should send her manuscript to when it was ready.
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One door after another opened for Nicole when she took her mentor’s advice and entered her work in contests. I know for many writers, taking those first steps to share your work is huge. It can be scary! But it’s taking those big, scary steps that gets you closer to your dreams.

So, on July 21st, Nicole’s offering a FREE training, “How to write award-worthy essays (even if you only have 30 minutes a day)”.

She'll show you why contests should be part of your professional strategy for achieving your writing goals. She’s also going to share three creative strategies to help you write your best, most brilliant work so you can get started producing the kinds of essays contest judges are looking for.

At this free session you’ll learn:

• How Nicole went from unknown writer to multi-award winning author in 15 months
• The ONE thing contest judges are looking for that most writers don’t think about
• Little known industry facts that will convince you to submit to CNF contests
• 3 shortcuts to draft submission-worthy essays that will save you hours of time
• Details about the Spark Your Story Lab, a program that teaches Nicole’s step-by-step process for crafting submission-worthy creative non-fiction

​Register here for her free training.

In fact, many of the writers Nicole has worked with in her online programs have gone on to get published and win awards.

I know I learn from Nicole - I've already taken the workshop.

I'm also happy to be sharing Nicole's workshop and work with you because, as many of you know, my focus isn't on teaching the craft of writing, revisions and submissions.

I prefer to linger in the expansive, generative and healing realms of 1st draft memoir writing, with a heavy emphasis on the embodied healing process. And then, when my students want those next steps, I send them/you on to folks like Nicole :-)

xoxo,

Janelle