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How to Move Past Obstacles – 022

November 5, 2015 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com Leave a Comment

Another week, another bunch of obstacles. I recorded the last episode dealing with obstacles because I had a bunch: sick kids, busyness, and MORE. This week? More of the same. I’ve got a super short episode for you where I get personal and talk about what I do to handle those obstacles. To illustrate the personal nature of this episode, I used one of my own pictures for my image. Adult inside tiny car = obstacle.

how to move past obstacles

Listen to Create If Writing – Episode 022

Here is my biggest conflict right now:

Man vs. Time 

I have a backlog of projects that keeps backing up behind me plus new things I want to work on. Plus I’m trying to get through #NaNoWriMo (the National Novel Writing Month) which means an extra 2000 words a day. Here are some of the fun things that I’m working on that you can look forward to:

-A live training November 12 with Matt from ConvertKit all about that email service provider
-A free email course
-Some other great courses through ConvertKit
-A mini course on branding your writing voice
-This novel I’m working on for NaNo

 

I’m tired just looking at the list. Plus I have two back-logged podcast episodes for Business 2 Blogger, an email audit for a friend, a brand audit for another blogger, and then things like, you know: DISHES. Cleaning my house. Taking a shower. Feeding children.

Here is my tip if you find yourself stuck in the pit of Too Many Things, Too Little Time:

  • Make a visual list. Then you can actually SEE the things on your to-do list and see when you get to mark them off.
  • Remove unnecessary items. Go into shipwreck mode! Ships used to toss off anything they didn’t need when in storms to stay afloat. Don’t ask me why that worked, but if it worked for pirates, it should work for us. Or…something. Whether that analogy works or not, get rid of what clutters up your list.
  • Don’t get distracted. SQUIRREL! We all know that feeling, right? You are working on one thing and the shiny object of something else takes you off course. If it’s not on the main list, don’t do it. Make another list that shows those things you want to come back to once your main list is DONE.
  • One thing at a time. This is the one I hate the most. I love to read eight books at a time. I love to have six tabs open. (Compared to some people, I know that’s a low number!) But if I want to get things done, it needs to be one. at. a. time. That’s how you finish. And that’s why I’m so BAD at finishing.

 

How do you get through your conflicts? What are your big tips to get through an overwhelming list? Let me know in the comments or join the discussion in the Facebook group!

Filed Under: Inspiration, Show Notes, Writing

The Seven Conflicts That Keep You from Your Work – 021

October 28, 2015 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 5 Comments

Lately we have had a lot of obstacles in my household. Namely: stomach flu and then pneumonia and vacation (which was fantastic and is only an obstacle in terms of work productivity). These got me thinking about the four literary conflicts we all learned in school and how those might translate into the modern world and our modern work. Before I dive into the seven conflicts that keep us from our work, a few quick things.

1. Sign up for the Quick Fix if you haven’t already! I have a sweet giveaway coming up that you don’t want to miss.

2. Subscribe to my live training because I have an AWESOME one coming up. Two words: special guest & bundle.

3. If you haven’t listened to the last five episodes, I have had STELLAR guests. Here are some quick links to those.

how to cultivate your perfect audience Facebook

introverts-and-writing-facebook

is-blogging-dead-facebook

list-building Facebook

leverage Facebook groups featured

Now, let’s talk obstacles and conflict!

Listen to Create If Writing – Episode 021

My Publishing Journey 

The long and short of my story is that I went to graduate school and got my MFA in Fiction, left with a mostly completed novel. Got an agent who loved the manuscript and sent it to publishers who loved the manuscript…and then they didn’t buy it. This is basically the death toll for a manuscript in terms of traditional publishing, but the publishers did want to see more from me.

My first agent got pregnant and passed me off to a second agent who also got pregnant and retired and convinced her husband (also an agent) to read my work. Which…I still haven’t sent him. He is still out there, waiting, and I touch base with him every so often. But because of two obstacles, I haven’t worked on my newest manuscript, which is 80% done. Those obstacles? Kids and the mental space they take away from my ability to really write fiction and FEAR. I’ve already gotten so far in publishing and had all these things line up only to fall apart. It makes me a little gun-shy.

This got me thinking about conflicts and obstacles. It brought back memories of the literary conflicts—you know the ones! Man vs nature, man vs society, man vs man, and man vs self. Some of the conflicts I thought of fit into those categories, but I decided to make my own that are a little more specific to our modern life.

So many obstacles can keep you from your creative work! See this list of 7 conflicts that interrupt the creative process.

The Seven Conflicts that Keep You from Your Work

1. Man vs Relationships. For me, this is my kids. I DO have enough time to work, but it’s more that I really dive down deep when I write fiction and it’s hard for me to surface and be a decent person and mom. This could be friends, a spouse, or some other relationship that cuts down on your work productivity.

2. Man vs Distractions. For me, this is Facebook. I open my computer and if I even glance at Facebook, I snap back to attention two hours later, unsure of who I am, where I’ve been, and what’s happening in my life. I also get sucked into trying to watch TV and work at night. Not REAL writing, but scheduling things and photo editing. I can do those things while watching the Vampire Diaries, but I am not nearly as effective or fast.

3. Man vs Technology. Though both distractions I mentioned were technically technological, I mean here things like your computer crashing, your phone screen breaking, or programs failing to work correctly. I feel sometimes like all my tech conspires against me.

4. Man vs Ability. Often I run into something I want to do online, but CAN’T. Then I’m faced with the choice to either hire someone or learn it myself. An example of this is launching the podcast. I literally launched from conception to first three episodes in two weeks. (Read how HERE.) But every time I edited and produced, I ran into issues that I couldn’t fix. So I went from YouTube videos to hiring an editor to taking a session with Meron Bareket that solved all my problems. But it took TIME. Sometimes we dream and just don’t have the ability to achieve our dreams. Just ask all those tone-deaf American Idol hopefuls.

5. Man vs Busyness. Do I need to explain this one? We are busy people. The end.

6. Man vs the Bank. Sometimes we have the flexibility to work undeterred by the need to pay bills. I am in a great position in that I don’t HAVE to do the work I do. I would LIKE to make a full-time income, but for the moment, I can work in the off hours while my hubby brings the bacon. And the eggs. And the coffee. No, we don’t have a huge budget, but we have enough. This can be a big issue for people who are side-hustling while working a full-time job. We have to eat. And live places. So the bank matters and can be a legit conflict.

7. Man vs Self. This is the big one. Some of the others we cannot change. We can’t control if our computer crashes. We cannot choose when or how our kids get pneumonia. We will always need to pay bills. But we DON’T always have to be subject to our own fears or our self-doubt. Even though we do have control here, I think this is sometimes the BIGGEST conflict or obstacle to our creative work.

 

YOUR TURN! What are the conflicts that keep you from your creative work? Which of these seven is your main conflict with getting your creative work done?

Related Links

Claudia Emerson’s Late Wife
Michael Parker’s If You Want Me to Stay
Craig Nova’s The Good Son
The NaNoWriMo Site
Danny Nguyen Photography

Filed Under: Inspiration, Show Notes, Writing

Introverts and Online Writing with Demian Farnworth of CopyBlogger -019

October 14, 2015 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 6 Comments

In episode 18 I got to talk with Darren Rowse of Problogger and this week I’m talking with Demain Farnworth of Copyblogger. I loved this conversation where we talk about being introverts, what unique things we can bring to the table when there ISN’T anything really new, and what drives us crazy about the world we’re in right now. You can find Demian at the Rough Draft podcast, The Lede podcast, writing on Copyblogger, writing on his blog The Copybot, and on Twitter.Demian Farnworth of Copyblogger

Here are some of my favorite posts/episodes from Demian:

Shakespeare’s 5 Rules for Making Up Words to Get Attention
The Perfect Anatomy of a Modern Web Writer
A Creative Email Trick for Becoming a Plain Spoken Writer

Listen to Create If Writing – Episode 019

To listen to the podcast on iTunes, find it HERE and if you are not an iOS user, then you can listen via the Stitcher Radio app (which is free!).

Quotable

“I think the internet is particularly built for introverts.” <- AGREE!!

Big Ideas

  • The internet is particularly built for introverts because it requires less of the draining in-person connection and it also easier to send an email and face that possible rejection than an in-person one.
  • The hedgehog idea is what is your passion, what is economically viable, and can you get better at doing that passion. You want to find something you love to do and can improve.
  • Damian does a lot of experimenting, asking “I wonder if?” about his content. He tries things to see what traction he can get.
  • You have to adapt and see what works and where you go organically and find what works for YOUR audience. No two audiences are the same.
  • My goal is to find and deepen the relationship with people who want to follow me and go all the places I go.
  • You probably aren’t going to bring anything new to the table except for YOU and your voice.
  • The only thing that really changes over time is the filter: we take information and themes and express them through our voice and our perspective.
  • It’s getting easier and easier to be publishers of content, which is an exciting thing. It’s easier to create and to consume content. There are so many tools for us to do that in unique ways.
  • Trying some of the new formats like Periscope or Blab or podcasting is all about finding a new audience and connecting in a new way.
  • The downside  internet can really bring out the worst in people. People read 1/10th of something and respond as though they know.

Relevant Links

Quiet by Susan Cain
How to Move Your Audience from Infatuation to Love – The Lede Podcast
Why Introverts Make Good Writers

What I Want to Know from YOU: 

Are you an introvert or extrovert? How does that impact (or does it?) your creativity and your work?

Are you an introvert? Read how this may affect your writing and the way that you utilize the internet.

 

*This post contains affiliate links! These give me essentially a referral fee for purchases you might make after clicking through a link at NO extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting my work!

Filed Under: Inspiration, Platform, Show Notes, Writing

Marc Martel on Finding Your Good Kind of Weird -013

August 14, 2015 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 2 Comments

“If everyone else is doing it, what’s the point?”

This is the quote that stuck with me from this delightful, weird, rambly conversation with Marc Martel. Let me introduce you to Marc, in case you don’t know him already.

Or, maybe I should have given you this one first: an imagining of how Pavarotti and Freddie Mercury would have done a duet.

Incredible, right? Marc and I have known one another for fifteen years, back when we were both graduating college. He was playing with the band Downhere, who had just been signed to a major Christian label. I was working in a church doing youth ministry. Now he is pulling double-duty with his first solo album, Impersonator (it’s SO GOOD) and being the frontman for the Queen Extravaganza, which means he channels Freddie Mercury for half the year. Exciting life, right?

marc martel

Marc has navigated the music industry in the new, digital age, which set the stage for changes in the book world as we have moved to digital there as well. I loved talking to him about promotion, his passion, and….the Backstreet Boys. No, really. We talk about the Backstreet Boys.

Listen to Create If Writing – Episode 013

I hope you love this interview and feel inspired to find your weird way of embracing your passion. I think we all dream of making our passions a working reality, and that’s just what Marc has done and is doing.

This is the video he made with his wife, Krystal Martel. (Check out Krystal’s photography site!)

For more on Marc, please check out his site for tour dates, and you can also snag his album Impersonator from iTunes!

And if you LOVE the new music on the podcast as much as I do, you can check out more about her and her music on her site. Jasmine Commerce

Filed Under: Inspiration, Show Notes

Kevin Kaiser on the Work Behind Art – 011

July 29, 2015 by kirstenoliphant@gmail.com 2 Comments

Kevin Kaiser is hard to describe. People always say that behind every great man there is a great woman (which is a phrase I actually hate- a much longer discussion), but I think Kevin is proof that behind every great success, there are other hidden people and work that you may never see. Kevin is one of those people, a true creative and also marketing strategist who has been a ghostwriter and a person behind the people. He truly lives in that place where creativity and business intersect.

Listen to Create If Writing – Episode 011

kevin kaiser

Some great posts from Kevin:
Get Low (about Wu Wei, which he talks about in the interview)
5 Things Star Wars Taught Me about Creativity and Life 
3 Essentials to Building Influence

You can find Kevin on Twitter, Facebook, or on his site.

At a Glance

  • Kevin defines creativity as the ability to connect the dots.
  • If you want an audience, you can’t JUST write.
  • In today’s landscape, you are competing against everybody and nobody. There are so many choices. Your only limitation is your imagination.
  • Relationship is the premium, the thing that is the most valuable.
  • How do you get attention when there are so many messages? Confidence and trust of an audience.
  • If you have a short-run view of things, success a voting machine. You work for the likes and the shares, but it’s a veneer and doesn’t last. If you are looking at the long-run of things, success is a weighing machine. What has substance and resonates will LAST.
  • Keeping a job while you do your art can be a competitive advantage. You don’t have the stress of people waiting on you for food.
  • Let go of the need to be validated. That’s when things will loosen up. Let the work be what it will be.
  • Creativity doesn’t depend on us. Be an antenna for the inspiration that is all around us. The most necessary thing is to be open and present.
  • We should think about life in terms of apps verse operating system. Apps come and go, but an operating system helps us make sense of the world in a clear way.
  • The number of relationships you need to make a living is smaller than you think. 10,000 followers (thinking email list) shows a real connection. Consider that 1/2 to 2% will BUY.
  • Think of platform as building trust and gathering people.
  • Viral posts are shared because people like sharing things that validate something in themselves. There is a psychology to sharing.
  • You can’t fake authenticity. If you try to fake it, you will lose trust. Since relationship is the underlying factor, you will lose the most important thing.

 

My Big Takeaway

“The artist’s primary responsibility is to be the champion for the work.” <- THIS. I feel like that quote sums up the whole of platform-building and some of the audience growth.

“Writer’s block doesn’t really exist. Writer’s block is a story we tell ourselves when we are afraid.” Mind=blown.

Behind every beautiful song, painting, or book, you will always find a lot of invisible work. How artists can balance the creative process with the creative outcome.

Relevant Links

StorySellerU (will be opening again in the fall)
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Advice for Starting Your Own Mastermind Group  from Cliff Ravenscraft of the Podcast Answerman
Transcending Fear in the Creative Process from Atlantic Monthly

One of the things Kevin said that I loved was that to aim really low. Aim to get 10 new followers this week, not 100. Be methodical and work for a slow build. Overnight successes don’t last. True successes have done the hidden work that other people don’t see.

What I Want to Know from YOU

Kevin and I talked about deadlines and stress. For some (like me), a deadline can make you totally freeze. For other people, that stress gives a hyper focused flow. How do YOU react to deadlines?

Filed Under: Inspiration, Show Notes, Writing

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An epic course for fiction authors with practical strategies to create a six-figure income.

Hey, I'm Kirsten!

(Rhymes with BEER-sten.) I am the author of Email Lists Made Easy for Writers and Bloggers and the host of the Create If Writing podcast. My goal is to help writers, bloggers, and creatives like YOU turn readers into raving fans and learn to make a living doing what you love...without being smarmy. Questions? kirsten at kirstenoliphant.com

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