Hi, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host fellow Oregonian Bonni Goldberg and her new book, “The Write Balance: How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a uniquely tailored prize directly from the author!! One lucky winner will be able to choose from a 30-minute coaching call, a Q&A Zoom with their group, OR feedback on 3 double spaced pages of their work (via email). In addition, a free eBook about balancing writing & marketing will be given to everyone who enters the giveaway!! Also, come back daily to interact with Bonni and to increase your chances of winning!!
Plus, Bonni is offering her readers a FREE eBook copy of her book, “Writing & Marketing: 8 Authors Reveal Their Secrets,” available now on Bookfunnel!! See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
The Write Balance:
How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public
by Bonni Goldberg
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GENRE: Non-Fiction, Writing Advice
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BLURB:
In The Write Balance, the companion book to the beloved bestseller, Room to Write, Bonni Goldberg demonstrates how to find fulfillment as a writer by embracing three key aspects of writing: 1) Percolation: what takes place before a first draft is written; 2) Revision: the writer's role after the initial draft; and 3) Going Public: the writer's mission once the writing is done. Filled with tools, examples and exercises, Bonni’s guide offers motives, choices, and encouragement for writers to appreciate and to be creative in the phases before and beyond a first draft. Whether you’re new to writing or a pro, become more passionate and balanced in your writing life.
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EXCERPT THREE:
The public aspect of writing is the third and final practice you must take part in to nourish your Writing Self. You may think of going public as a writer as publishing, but it’s much larger than that. When you make writing, you enter a new relationship to the written word that includes passing it on to others. Going public is doing your part to bring the written word to the rest of the world. The words you offer can be your own or someone else’s. You can give them to a large group of strangers or to a few people you are close to. But to fulfill yourself and your role as a writer, you must complete the writing cycle by being public somehow. We get convoluted messages about going public that are tangled up in perceptions about publishing companies and best-seller lists because we don’t talk enough about the bigger picture. Writers often can’t see past the publish-with-a-big-traditional-publisher-or-perish perspective because the value of other options—sometimes even the options themselves— aren’t clear. Indifferent agents, editors, and publishers aren’t what frustrate your attempts to go public. Your frustration is caused by a set of internal limitations that may include your particular definition of success as a writer, misconceptions about the purpose of going public, a fear of rejection, and misunderstanding your role as a writer. We’ll deal with these frustrations and others throughout this section, beginning here by reviving the idea of “sharing,” an overlooked definition of going public.
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GUEST POST:
Manage Rejection, Improve Accountability & Overcome Writing Obstacles: A Guide for New and Seasoned Writers
**(Full disclosure: Ally gave me a reasonable list of individual topics that included each of the topics in the title. With choices like this, I suffer serious FOMO. That’s why I settled on a mash-up. Ally and I live in the same city, so I hope she’ll give a hometown gal a pass.)**
Whether you’re new to writing or you’ve been at it for decades, rejection, accountability and writing obstacles are issues you keep having to deal with. Why? They never go away. And even your reliable strategies sometimes stop working and you need to try something else.
Rejection: Turn It Around
100 Rejections are a Good Thing is a real Facebook group. Join. A community is one antidote for any undeserved shame or loss of confidence you might experience from rejections. Rejections are inevitable. Make them into a goal instead of proof that your project isn’t good enough. My debut picture book is forthcoming in 2023 because a writing friend of mine tasked me with submitting it to 29 publishers. What she said was, I don’t want to hear you whine or complain about getting this published until you’ve sent it to 29 publishers (29 isn’t even a high number). I received 27 rejections. Later I asked her what if they’d all been rejections? Can you guess? “I would have sent you to get 29 more.” I would have done it too. And if I still had no takers, I would have indie published it. My point is not to confuse rejection with a loss of your personal power. When a publisher or an agent passes, your expectations and hopes are dashed, not your ability to share your writing with others. You confuse your power to create and control plots and worlds and outcomes in your writing with the realm of publishing. You’re not the author of your publishing narrative; you’re the main character on a journey.
Accountability: Get Help and Treats
When I’m on a contracted book deadline, I become an organized, responsible version of myself. A doppelgänger. When I’ve met the deadline, that version of me disappears. The squirrelly social media browsing overwhelmed me is back in charge. Then I use an elaborate system to stay on track. I belong to a writer’s accountability group. We begin the one-hour session with our success from the previous week, support a few members who are struggling, and end with our goals for the coming week. Reporting back to others motivates me. I don’t like to disappoint. When I face a daunting task, I search out an individual accountability buddy. For a set amount of time, I email this person every day with what I’ve done and what’s next. All they have to do is email back now and then cheering me on. I also have a stash of rewards for completing specific tasks. When I finish all the guest blog posts and interviews for this tour, there’s one waiting for me… If you use other methods, please share them in the comments.
Writing Obstacles: 3 Words
Lower your standards. That’s it. Almost all writing obstacles arise out of unrealistic expectations of yourself, often combined with an unwillingness (fear) of experimentation. Writing is an ebb and flow creative process. You learn the most by doing it. If you keep doing it, no matter how poorly, you will get better. Not inside of a vacuum, of course. Read (in and outside of your genre, how-tos, and advice books on the topic making you feel stuck). Take a few writing courses. Get feedback from other writers you trust. Enjoy some nourishing fun. And your writing will improve. You will write yourself out of the hole you’re in (sometimes by working on something else for a while), and you won’t be staring at a blank screen. Of course, you get afraid and stuck. Of course, you believe you should quit. And if you think you can just quit, go ahead and try. But if you can’t—and I mean this is the most supportive way—lower your standards and get back to work.
I hope you find something useful here. There’s more in The Write Balance. Thank you, Ally. I hope to see you in Rose City someday.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Bonni Goldberg is the author of The Write Balance: How to Embrace Percolation, Revision & Going Public, the companion book to the best-seller Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer’s Life. Bonni is an award-winning poet and writer. She is the creator of the 2 Minute Journals™ series. Both traditionally and indie published, her books include non-fiction for adults and fiction and non-fiction for young readers. Her essays and blog posts can be found in numerous print and online publications.
Bonni teaches creative writing at colleges and leads writing workshops internationally for all ages. She knows everyone is creative, and she supports people to discover and share their authentic, meaningful and imaginative experiences through words.
Whether through her writings or through teaching, her methods and perspectives continue to empower thousands of adults, families, and children.
Bonni is also a Jewish educator. She speaks, writes, and leads workshops on Jewish topics such as Jewish identity, rituals and antisemitism at Jewish women’s events, JCCs, and conferences.
Bonni Goldberg lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner in life, and some creative projects, artist Geo Kendall.
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CONNECT WITH BONNI:
Website:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/bonnigoldbergbooks
Twitter:
https://www.twitter.com/bonnigoldberg
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/goldbergbonni
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/627067.Bonni_Goldberg
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59917360-the-write-balance
Amazon Author Page:
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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Write-Balance-Embrace-Percolation-Revision-ebook/dp/B09P1ZVVS3
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Write-Balance-Embrace-Percolation-Revision/dp/1737198819
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BONUS!!! FREE EBOOK:
Bonni is offering her readers a FREE eBook copy of her book, “The Write Balance: Writing & Marketing: 8 Authors Reveal Their Secrets,” via Bookfunnel!!!
Grab Your FREE eBook Copy Here:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Bonni will be awarding a prize to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour, the winner can choose between a 30-minute coaching call, a Q&A Zoom with their group, or feedback on 3 double spaced pages of their work (via email). In addition, a free eBook about balancing writing & marketing will be given to everyone who enters the raffle.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
