WritingSpirit Articles

Where Writing and Spirituality Meet

by Julie Isaac
Founder of www.WritingSpiritResources.com

I was at a bookstore, the other day, looking for a cookbook that would help me learn how to use my new crockpot. While I was there, I decided to check out the writing section just for fun. I was delighted to find some spiritually based writing books, The Journey From the Center to the Page: Yoga Philosophies and Practices as Muse for Authentic Writing, by Jeff Davis, The I Ching for Writers by Sarah Jane Sloane, and that evergreen classic, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. These authors have mapped out how their spiritual practices--yoga, the I Ching, and Zen meditation-- directly relate to the art and craft of writing.

How does your spiritual practice inform your writing practice?

When I think about how this question relates to my own writing, the first thing that pops into mind is that spirituality is often the subject of my writing. But as these books are about applying one’s spiritual values and practices to the art and craft of writing, I know I need to dig a little deeper. When I do, I see that my North Star is, and always has been, Truth. It’s my guiding principle and I couldn’t separate it from my writing if I tried.

This makes me wonder, how else am I (or could I be) applying my spirituality more directly to my writing?

Here are some questions to ponder:

What qualities does your religion or spiritual philosophy value?
Such as…

• Love
• Presence
• Peace
• Faith
• Simplicity
• Oneness

How do you (or could you) apply your spiritual values to your writing life?
To you as a writer, to your reader, and to the work?

Some possibilities. You could:

• Be more loving to yourself by not listening to your inner critic when it’s being harsh.
• Have faith in yourself and your abilities.
• Trust the process of writing to take you to your best work.
• Treat your reader with respect.
• Tell the truth.
• Strive to understand your reader’s needs, and fill them.
• Listen to the voice of spirit as you write.

What spiritual practices do you participate in?
Such as…

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Acceptance
• Forgiveness
• Bringing yourself back to the heart center when the mind starts to wander or spin.

How do you (or could you) apply your spiritual practices to your writing life?

Some possibilities. You could:

• Turn your writing space into a meditative environment (quiet; uncluttered; containing inspiring pictures, objects, and quotes).
• Bring writing questions or projects into your meditation.
• Begin your writing session with prayer.
• Edit with an eye to making your writing more heart-centered.

The flip side of this is, in what ways is your writing a spiritual teacher?

What has creativity and inspiration taught you?
Perhaps to:

• Let go of preconceptions.
• Be open and receptive.
• Be in the moment.
• Be at ease and follow the flow.

What has the process of editing taught you?
Perhaps to:

• Value details--they matter.
• Do your best at all times.
• Value both the giving and receiving sides of communication. Be aware, not only of what you are saying and doing, but of how it is being received by others.
• Become more aware of, and sensitive to, the motivations beneath your own actions, and the actions of others.

Spirituality and writing are intimately connected. How are they connected in your life? And how can you deepen that connection?

Lessons and Luggage at the BEA

by Julie Isaac
Founder of www.WritingSpiritResources.com

I'd heard about Book Expo America, but never considered attending this yearly convention until it magically appeared in my own backyard (Los Angeles) in 2003. Since I didn't have to worry about airfare or a hotel bill, I figured I might as well check it out. It turned out to be a fun, informative and productive experience. Here's a little of what I learned there.

First, The Facts

Book Expo America (BEA) is an annual industry event for publishers, booksellers, librarians, rights professionals, authors, and anyone else involved in the buying and selling of books and related products (over 29,000 "industry professionals" attended the BEA in 2004). The four day bookfest includes educational programs, business meetings, autographing sessions, dozens of special events, and over 2000 exhibitors.

The BEA Badge

It's a bit disconcerting when everyone greets you by staring at your chest. No, my buttons hadn't popped open. The object that so many found fascinating was my BEA badge. At a networking event, it seems that people want to quickly establish who you are, who you work for, and what, if anything, you can do for them. I learned not to take it personally if someone glanced at my badge and then quickly moved on without comment. But that didn't happen too often, as my badge had a way of arousing people's curiosity.

When I registered for the Book Expo, one of the fields I was required to fill in was "company." Since I'm self-employed, I didn't know what to put there, so I put WritingSpirit. I had no idea they would print that--in big blazing letters--on my badge (other writers knew to put "author" in that field). It turned out to be a blessing, however, because people would look at my badge and ask me, "What's WritingSpirit?" I had inadvertently found a way to promote my work without being either pushy or intrusive. I also realized that someone who sees WritingSpirit, becomes curious, and then asks me about it, is more likely to remember it than someone who simply hears me talking about it.

Be Ready to Pitch

At the BEA, while publishers are busy promoting this year's books to booksellers, authors are busy pitching next year's books to publishers. At one publisher's booth, I met a first time author autographing a book that she had successfully pitched to that publisher at the previous year's BEA.

As I'm essentially a shy person (as many authors are), it took me a while to work up the nerve to pitch my book idea. I started out by talking to publishers about WritingSpirit, asking if they accepted unsolicited queries and if I could give their information to my readers. After several publishers assumed that I was pitching to them and gave me submission information for "my book," I realized that they expected authors to pitch book ideas to them, and even welcomed it. So I set aside my shyness and started seriously pitching my book. It didn't take me long to realize that like anything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Most of the publisher's representatives I talked to were from their company's marketing and publicity departments, but they all had writer's guidelines or editorial information available to give to authors who wanted to submit queries or proposals. Most of those I pitched my book to felt it wouldn't be a good fit with their company, but two encouraged me to submit a proposal.

What's Your Platform?

Luckily, I'd been introduced to the term, "author's platform," a week before attending the BEA, because while there, I heard it referred to over and over and over and over again. At the seminar on "Writing, Publishing, Marketing and Selling Spiritual Titles," we were told that "publishers don't just buy a book, they buy an author." It's not enough that a book be well written, publishers are looking for authors who are active in the community:

• Giving lectures
• Leading seminars and workshops
• Running a web site
• Publishing in magazines or on spiritual web sites such as beliefnet.com
• Growing a fan base

One editor said that if he had a choice between two books on happiness, one written by an office worker in Ohio and the other by the Dalai Lama, he'd go with the author who had the biggest platform.

Now, you don't have to be the Dalai Lama to write or sell a spiritual book, but publishers are increasingly relying on authors to play a larger role in the marketing of their own books. Having a platform not only helps the book's sales through name recognition, but provides ongoing promotional opportunities.

What About the Luggage?

One of the perks of going to the BEA is that a lot of free books are given away. I saw many people pulling small luggage carts behind them through the exhibition halls. Even though I had brought a good-sized tote bag with me, I still ended up having to make several trips to the car in order to unload all of the books and catalogs I'd collected.

At The End of the Day

So, what does this all boil down to?

• If you’ve ever thought about going to the BEA, I would highly recommend it, especially if you've got a book to pitch. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen's book proposal was rejected by 34 publishers before they attended the BEA and pitched their unwanted anthology to another 90 publishers. Because of their efforts at the BEA, after 123 rejections, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" was finally accepted for publication by Health Communications.

• Wherever you are in the life of your book, whether at the writing stage, trying to get your book published, or promoting it to the public, if you want your book to fly, remember: YOU are its wings.

This year’s BEA is being held in Washington D.C. from May 18 - May 21, 2006.

http://www.bookexpoamerica.com

2006 - Right Out of the Box

By Julie Isaac
Founder of www.WritingSpiritResources.com

There's a lot of gift giving during the holidays, and the biggest gift that we receive is a new year--full of new opportunities to move forward and live our dreams.

What are you going to do with your gift?

I just got off the phone with one of my dearest friends. I called to cancel our brainstorming date, so that I could finish updating at least one of my blogs this weekend. So what happened? We brainstormed for two hours on the phone!

What amazed me about our conversation was how open she is to the infinite possibilities of what she has to share. She's taught the Sedona Method and Vision Improvement for over fifteen years and originally wanted to learn about internet marketing to find new ways to promote and deliver her writing and classes.

On the phone today, however, she talked about her new online travel business, and finding fun ways to help women lose weight and get in shape. She talked about wanting to have more fun in her life, and how she would like to share that with others.

As we were talking, I realized that she's completely out of the box! She's moved beyond any label, or compartmentalized thinking, about who she is or what she does for a living. Because of this, she experiences every day as full of creativity, possibility, and wonder.

Although I've been pushing back my boundaries for some time, she made me want to push them back every further. I came up with some clustering exercises to stimulate my own out of the box thinking and I'd like to share them with you.

As you do these exercises, think beyond the act of writing. Think beyond the subjects you usually share, teach, or write about.

To create a cluster, place a word, phrase, or question in a circle in the middle of a blank, unlined page. Then let go and begin to flow with any thoughts or connections that come to you. Write these down as fast as you can, each in a new circle, radiating  outward from the center in any direction they want to go. Draw a line between a new word or phrase, and the word or phrase that inspired it. When a chain of ideas naturally comes to an end. Go back to the beginning word, phrase, or question, and see where else it wants to take you.

Cluster #1     What do I love doing?

What do you love to do? Write? Cook? Meditate? Do yoga? Throw theme parties? Let go of weekday stress by creating weekend holidays, both at home and away? Network with other pet owners? Find fun things to do with your kids?

Really let loose on this one. What turns you on? What lights you up? Is there anything that you love that you’re not doing? What does your heart long for?

If the voices of doubt and fear, or even practicality, start to intrude, making you hesitate to write down what you truly love, give yourself permission to ignore those voices--to put them on hold for awhile--and keep writing. To break out of the box, to practice unlimited thinking, you have to give free rein to your creativity, to your dreams, and to telling the truth about what you feel and what you want. 

Cluster #2     What do I know?

What do you know how to do, make, or build? On the computer? At home? At the office? As a writer? On vacation? In the kitchen? On the exercise mat? At a party?

Something that's very easy for you to do, may be a complete mystery to someone else. What do you know how to do that you could teach to others?

Cluster #3     What do I want to learn or do?

What are your new year's resolutions? To write more? To lose weight? To work less? To have more fun? To tackle all the clutter in your house or garage? What have you always wanted to learn?

“Write what you know,” is quoted so often that we forget it's okay to “write to learn.” What new learning adventure can you share with others.

Now take a few minutes and go over your previous clusters. What ideas or subjects stand out for you? Pick 3 or 4 of them (what you love, know, or want to learn about) and make a list. Now choose the one that really lights you up. Put it in a circle in the center of a new page, and begin a new cluster. If it's a general subject, like “dogs,” then go to cluster # 4. If it's already very specific, like “pruning roses for greater growth,” then go to cluster #5.

Cluster #4    Clustering titles

Take a subject and run with it. Using the “dogs” example: What can you teach people “how to” do? How to groom your dog like a professional? How to choose the right vet? Can you give them training tips? Vacation ideas that include their dogs? Can you teach them what not to do, by sharing your hard-won lessons?

Doing this cluster, don't force yourself to stick to the subject at hand. Brainstorming is meant to open up your creativity and lead you to completely new places. So, if clustering dog titles opens your mind to unrelated, scathingly brilliant ideas, by all means, invite them in.

Cluster #5    Clustering methods of presentation

What are the different ways you can present your material? Using the “pruning roses for greater growth” example: You could write an ebook. You could photograph your process and present the photos on a web page with audio explanations. You could videotape what you’re doing, add audio narration and create a DVD product. You could explain the ins and outs of rose pruning on an audio CD. You could give a one-night rose pruning class at a nursery, the Learning Annex, or the local college’s extension program. You could become a rose coach.

There are many ways to share the same information, and you can still be a writer, first and foremost, while teaching in many different ways. In fact, creating audio and video products help people go even deeper into the subject you've written about. And, if you're not already a full-time author, then these other info-products could bring you enough money to quit your day job and become a full-time infopreneur.

So.. how will you embrace out of the box thinking in 2006?