OCTOBER - Nothing to be afraid of with the Creative Academy by your side
Sep 29, 2022 2:55 pm
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” ~Mark Twain
Hello ,
Ah, Halloween. Is there anything better than an excuse to dress up, mini-candy bars everywhere, and a good scary book or movie? We think not.
Fear is a strange emotion. It can motivate us to do amazing things (from outrunning zombies to standing up for what is right) and it can also freeze us in place (leaving us very vulnerable to both zombies and rolling over for a bully.)
Avoiding feeling fear likely means that you aren’t taking enough risks.
Remind yourself that fear is okay. It can be mastered. If you are choosing a creative life, fear is part of the package. Fear of how others will see your work, fear you aren’t good enough, fear of success, fear that you will be made fun of- or even worse ignored.
Do not let that fear stop you and silence what you have to say. You may discover that just like a movie monster, what you’ve been afraid of really isn’t so bad.
We have all sorts of things to help you take on your creative fears this month.
Crafty Critique Club
We want to highlight the Crafty Critique Club (CCC). Here’s your chance to put your work out there. Each month the CCC group chooses a craft topic. Members can submit pages for feedback provided that they’re also giving feedback to others. It’s a great chance to drill down and really focus on a specific area of the craft of writing.
October's topic is action. Eileen's Happy Hour discussion will be on October 5. Scene posting will begin on October 7 and run until November 7. Our writer/critiquer discussion will be on Saturday, October 29.
For more information, DM Jenny Graham Lang or Bonnie Jacoby.
Highlights from September
12-week year—Autumn 2022
It's not too late to set your writing and publishing intentions for the next quarter! Join Crystal in this highly interactive workshop. The replay has a list of all the questions and agenda items she worked with members to clarify.
Coming up in October
Query/synopsis workshop (with Bonnie Jacoby)
For this workshop, a query is 250-350 words, and a one page synopsis is approximately 500 words. You can only pick one to work on during the workshop. Pieces will be posted inside the Crafty Critique Club. The schedule and instructions are in the comments and in the TOPIC lesson.
If you're not a member of the private community, DM Bonnie Jacoby for details and access. If you are a member, add your name to the list right here.
Reading as a writer book club (with Elissa McColl)
On October 18th, we'll discuss The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore.
The glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she’s forcibly quarantined at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on little-known history, this timely book will strike a chord with readers of Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, and Marie Benedict.
We will meet on zoom to discuss the book from a writer's perspective. What worked in this book? What didn't work? What did we learn about the craft from reading this book? What could have been improved?
Everyone is welcome to join in the discussion, even if you haven't read the book, but it's more fun if you have.
Your drop-in Q&A (with Steph Candiago)
Tue 4—Drop-in Q&A Publishing Tools & Tech
Tue 18—Scrivener demo with Randy Lyman
Tue 25—Drop-in Q&A Publishing Tools & Tech
Your author biz (with Crystal Hunt)
Wed 5—Divi theme Wordpress websites
Wed 12—Crafty masterclass: Multibook plot arcs
Wed 26—Just One Thing: Changing your mind
Your story craft (with Eileen Cook)
Wed 5—Happy Hour: Action (this month's focus for the Crafty Critique Club)
Wed 12—Happy Hour: Pitch perfect and other conference prep
Wed 19—Happy Hour: Internal conflict
Wed 26—Happy Hour: Internal conflict in action (with Tracy Thillmann)
Fri 29—Crafty Critique conversation about action (with Bonnie Jacoby & Jenny Graman Lang)
Your hot seat (with Donna Barker & members)
Thu 6—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind
Tue 4—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind (facilitated by Lynette)
Thu 13—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind
Tue 11—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind (facilitated by Janee)
Thu 20—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind
Tue 18—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind (facilitated by Lynette)
Thu 27—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind
Tue 25—Motivation & Accountability Mastermind (facilitated by Janee)
Genre meet-ups & open mics
If you're new around these parts and haven't found all your genre peers yet, find your people by joining the communities that match your interests!
See all the communities you can join right here:
And then meet up with them at these events.
Wed 5—Children's & Middle Grade Writers Hangout (with Janee)
Wed 12—Children's & Middle Grade Writers Hangout (with Janee)
Wed 19—Children's & Middle Grade Writers Hangout (with Janee)
Wed 26—Children's & Middle Grade Writers Hangout (with Janee)
Sun 2—Memoir Community Meet Up & Open Mic (with Vig)
Sun 16—Memoir Community Meet Up & Open Mic (with Vig)
Tue 11—Historical Fiction Meet Up (with Jenny)
Tue 25—Historical Fiction Meet Up (with Jenny)
Thu 13—Young Adult fiction Writers Meeting (with Bonnie J)
Sat 15—Romance Writers Rendezvous (with Crystal)
Sat 29—Mystery Thriller Meet Up (with Eileen)
Writing sprints
The writing room is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are several times every day when you can be pretty sure to find at least one other person in the room to keep you company. No matter where you are in the world, we’ve got you covered! Check out all the times here:
We'd love to see you in one of our events this coming month.
Happy writing,
Stephanie, Eileen, Crystal and Donna
