A New Calling

Posted on 11. August 2020 by fmoebius

My dear writer friends,

once in a while, change doesn’t just creep in, it is consolidated through a decision. A decision that is the final result of shifts in mindset, life-style and sources of happiness.

I made such a decision a couple of weeks ago.

My calling changed – noticeably. My writing gave me more and more fun. The dragons, the aliens, the goblins and other creatures started to call me with an ever louder voice.

I finally listened to the call.

The next years will be filled with imaginary worlds and the tales that want to be told. I will write, growing my pen name (Hannah Steenbock), and gaining ever more knowledge about how to build a writer career.

And who knows, I might return to coaching eventually.

For now, however, the coaching has come to an end. My business has been dissolved by the end of July. I thank you for working with me, for your loyalty and for all the great joy that watching you grow has given me.

There will be no more newsletters. This website will go away in the next few months.

But if you want to follow me on that old, new journey as a story-teller, follow Hannah Steenbock, and her sidekick Ember, the little red dragon plushie.

Hannah and Ember - my new calling
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How to Finally Write your Book in 5 Simple Steps

Posted on 16. March 2020 by fmoebius

Do you finally want to write your book? I can help you get started in five simple steps.

Write your book

Are stories living in your head?
Do you have characters in your mind that won’t shut up?

But are you feeling blocked and have no idea why?
Are you sad because you’re never finding the time to write that book?
Are you frustrated because time is passing and there never seems to be the right moment to start?

It’s time to live your dream. It’s time to start writing – even if you feel blocked. By taking these five steps, you can finally get that book out of your head and onto paper.

Step 1 – Give yourself Permission to Write your Book

I know this sounds strange. But part of the block is that something inside you might believe you’re not allowed to write your book. There are many different reasons for that, and the details don’t even matter. What matters it that you need permission to do it anyway.

It may actually feel silly.

But what if you still feel blocked? Try giving yourself permission and really feel that. Maybe even write it down and sign it.

In my experience, that’s not silly at all. There are many dreams we are denying ourselves.

And just in case you find that you can’t do that, let me step in. As your coach for the duration of this blog article, I give you permission.

You now have permission to write your book.

Read that a second time. Read it slowly. Read it as often as you need to so you can feel it deep in your heart. You now have permission to write your book.

Ah.

And I can hear you say, thank you, that’s very nice, but I’m still feeling stuck. That’s okay. Just keep going.

Step 2 – Open a File Anyway

This is the “fake it until you make it” approach. And it works. Because our brain registers this as “doing the thing”, and that counts. It creates a habit that can carry you through rough days.

So just start to write your book. Set up a folder for your stories, create a file and write your name and title into it. Make it look nice. Start with the first sentence. Any sentence will do, because you can edit later.

Congratulations. You are a writer. 🙂

Alternatively, you can choose a beautiful notebook, pick up your favorite fountain pen and start writing. Just be aware that those words will have to be transferred into a computer file eventually.

Step 3 – Keep Writing Your Book

That’s the tricky part. You got a great start with Step 2, but now you have to repeat the action.

The best way to approach this is to write every day.

For now, the amount of words doesn’t matter. You’re trying to set up a habit to write your book which is how you’ll become a true writer.

So look at your day, figure out when you have ten minutes to half an hour of time you can allocate to writing and make that choice.

It may mean having to get up a little earlier.
It may mean making a clear choice for lunch break.
It may mean writing on your phone during your commute.
Or it may mean that you dictate it while Nordic Walking.

No matter what it takes, make that choice. Pick a time.

You can start with ten minutes a day, and then add to it. 30 minutes are a great slot for writing.

Step 4 – Write Every Day

Make the decision to write every day. That’s serious stuff.

Here’s why. This is my personal story: I’ve been writing for 20 years. I know exactly when and why I started, and I had an amazing four years of writing like crazy. And then it dried up. Writing got harder. I wrote only when I felt like it. Production went way down.

I turned that around with the decision I made on January 1st 2019:

Work on your book every day.

No matter what. My lowest word count was 11 words. It might have been two sentences. And for all practical purposes, it’s enough if you wrote just one single word.

But write every day. Pull up your file, point your mind to it, and put in a word. Or words.

I’m now on day 439, as I write this blog article. And there have been days when I wouldn’t have written except I didn’t want to break that series and I didn’t want to break that promise to myself. Once I got started, I often wrote several hundred words. And because of that, I finished three novels last year.

So write every day. Give yourself that element of success. That feeling of being a writer, by doing what a writer does: Write.

Step 5 – Measure What You Write

“What you measure, grows.”

One of my coaches used to say that. And it’s true.

I keep a word file, and I fill in my word count for the day religiously.

It’s my little confirmation of success – every single day before I shut down my computer.

Looking at those words and the totals that build up quickly is incredibly rewarding. After all, you are writing your book now!

Give yourself the experience of success every day.

With those five steps, you’re well on your way to writing your book and becoming an author with a finished and possibly published book.

Bonus Step 6 – Find Support While Writing Your Book

Now, writing is a lonely profession. You’re sitting at your desk and make things up, and that’s great fun. But sometimes, we want feedback on a scene, or talk ourselves out of a corner, or simply get some human interaction.

I run a Facebook group myself with a clear focus on writing every single day. I have a special offer right now: The Writing Companion 3 Months Sale.

I also work 1:1 with authors who run into problems with writing their book. I bring 20 years of experience as a writer, 7 years of self-publishing, and 10 years as a therapist and coach to the table. I know how it feels.

Wishing you all the best for your book!

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Create a Daily Writing Habit

Posted on 21. November 2019 by fmoebius
Use a Timer for your Daily Writing Habit

Most of us don’t write every day, especially if we’re still working in a day job and not making any or much money from our writing.

A daily writing habit is very important.

It helps you add words to your work consistently – and that’s the fundamental job for a writer. You are creating stories, you’re creating content. That is the core of your business as writer.

A little math… 100 days to 50,000 words… a novel.

Just a little math here, to convince you: If you write 500 words a day which is quite doable in half an hour to 45 minutes, it will take you 100 days to write 50,000 words. That’s a little over three months, or about four months if you take weekends off (which is actually a bad idea).

In fact, using touch typing, I get 1,000 words per 30 minutes. This takes practice, but you can get there. Believe me.

50,000 words is a novel. It may not be a really good novel, and maybe you won’t be done with your story, but this is only an example. At that amount of words you’re sitting on a novel.

Are you Ready for a Daily Writing Habit?

First, you need a story or book to work on. Well, duh, but that is what you’re doing. No story, no writing. So set up a file and get going with a story. Any story.

Personally, I have two or three that I’m working on at any given time. At least one of them is in editing, so I can rest my mind if I get stuck in a story or my mind is powered out on one. Editing counts as writing.

Use a Timer!

I’ve come to love working with a timer. It helps me to focus and really ignore distractions. Any old kitchen timer will work, but I found myself one in a color I love, and with a magnet to stick to my file cabinet (yes, the one in the image above). It’s a good idea to make it special. Of course, there are also lots of timer apps for your cell, or PC. Use what works for you, and invest the time to make it easy and comfortable to work with one.

There is a term for writing 30 minutes with a timer : Pomodoro.
The word means “tomato” in Italian. And it became a house-hold word for many authors because the Italian author Francesco Cirillo invented the system and named it after his kitchen timer – in the shape of a tomato. True story.
Check it out here: Pomodoro Technique

Start Building the Habit

Remember, you’re creating a habit. You’re becoming a writer by writing regularly. And you can start today.

Right now, I have two pomodori scheduled every day through my Mastermind. And yes, I model writing during those 30 minutes, and build my own stories. That gives me 2,000 words per day and has increased my productivity massively.

However, you’re just starting to build that habit, and maybe 30 minutes are too much for you at the moment. It pays to start small and build up your writing muscle. Even ten minutes are better than nothing. Which is what I am suggesting to start with if you are a busy person and want to add writing to your day.

Week One – 10 Minutes of Writing per Day

The goal for week One is to write every day – for 10 minutes straight. That’s what you need the timer for. 10 minutes of writing, nothing else. Not even a potty break. (Well, okay, if you must…) Definitely no Facebook. You’re allowed to add another ten minutes later in the day.

Celebrate your accomplishment. That’s very important. It may not seem much to you, especially if there was a time when you could write for hours – but those times are past and you have to train your writing muscle again.

Week Two – 15-20 Minutes of Writing per Day

Week Two, go for 15 or 20 minutes. Again, feel free to add another round later in the day, but make it your priority to write every day, rather than a lot one day and not at all the next day. This is about creating a regular habit.

Week Three – 30 Minutes of Writing per Day

Week Three, go for 30 minutes. And that’s as long as one sitting of writing should be. After 30 min (the classic Pomodoro is actually 25 min, with a 5 min break), stop, take a break – and celebrate. Really, celebrate each writing bout.

Week Four – 2x 30 Minutes of Writing per Day

Week Four, go for two sessions of 30 min each. If you’re a busy person with a day job and a family, this might be all you can do. And that’s fine. You’re now writing regularly, and you can keep doing it ad infinitum. And if you really want support, accountability and loving community, join my Mastermind, The Writing Companion.

Measure the Results of your Daily Writing Habit

It is extremely important to measure what you do. I keep a word-count file on my computer and I add to it every day. A simple Excel file is enough. (I offer a template in my Mastermind group.) Make sure you have the date in it and the number of words written per day and in total. You can get more sophisticated later, but this is enough to start.

Then watch the number of entries grow. Watch the total number of words grow. Celebate milestones.

Now you have a Daily Writing Habit.

Now, creating the habit and then keeping it up takes some determination and dedication. And knowing humans (and authors!) I’m certain you’ll feel doubt about this project.

I have some EFT-tapping suggestions for that, of course.

Bonus: Tapping Phrases

Even though it sounds like a joke to write just 10 minutes
with a timer, I'm a writer after all, and I now choose 
to develop a writing habit.
Even though this feels ridiculous, I am a writer, 
and I'd love to get back to writing every day.
Even though I really don't think I can do this, 
I'm a writer, after all, and I'm willing to give it a try.

Your Turn

How do you feel when you think about writing every day?
What’s stopping you from writing every day?
How do you feel after you have written?
And finally – what are you working on?
Write a comment and share the good stuff!

Image Source: F. Moebius

PS: Forming good habits is very important when you want to be creative. We can actually train ourselves to be creative regularly, and on time.
Don’t believe it? Well, that’s a limiting belief.
EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. If you want help with that, click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

PPS: My newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts, so you can start shifting your mindset. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers. If you’re on a mobile, you can sign up through this link: Newsletter Sign-up

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Is NaNoWriMo for you?

Posted on 10. October 2019 by fmoebius

If you have writing friends, you may have heard a fairly mysterious word in recent weeks. You may have heard about preparing for it, dreaming about it and fretting about it. That word is NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo. Or just NaNo.

No, it’s not about the unit of measurement in the metric system.

It’s short hand for National November Writing Month. And it is a writer-specific kind of madness.

The idea is to write a novel in the month of November. The only qualification the text must have is a length of 50,000 words. That’s it. No quality control, no spellcheck, no editing. Just a mad (or not so mad) group attempt at finally getting those words on the page. Editing is for December.

50,000 words in 30 days. Is that even possible?

It totally is. In fact, I have participated a few times and written some novels that way. They needed to be expanded and edited, of course – but the result was 50,000 words on the page. Written in 30 days. Or even in 25 days, once.

For the math people among my readers, this means writing 1,667 words per day. I actually created an excel file to record my progress and to know exactly where I stood every single day in November. On my best run, I finished on the 25th, because I wrote at least 2,000 words every day without exception.

Few people can write a publishable novel in that time.

Some are, because they are used to writing this fast, can plot well, and have the discipline to do it. But those people don’t need NaNo, because they are professional writers and do this practically every month of the year anyway.

No, NaNo is for those writers who have a hard time getting a novel together. It’s a fantastic way to create a daily writing habit, to getting used to just sitting down and writing, no matter what.

Yes, NaNoWriMo is for you!
It’s a fantastic way to create a daily writing habit.

So I want to encourage you to do this, especially if you’re struggling with motivation, with writing regularly, and with getting a novel out of your head.

Special NaNoWriMo Support for you

If you want a supportive on-ramp for NaNoWriMo, guided by me, look at the November Writing Challenge Days 2019.

You’ll become part of a dedicated Facebook group, with five days of daily coaching, daily co-writing times, and lots of support by me in person. It starts on November 1st.

November Writing Challenge Days 2019 (NaNoWriMo Support)

And if you’re a little scared of the whole idea, and afraid it is too much for you, well, we can tap on that. Because EFT-tapping does help.

The Tapping Phrases

Even though I don't believe I'll ever be able of writing
a novel in just a month, I'm okay the way I am, and I'm 
open to the possibility that this could be a fun experiment.
Even though this NaNo stuff sounds utterly crazy and I 
want to be a serious writer, I'm okay the way I am, and 
I'm open to the possibility that some crazy might actually 
help my writing.
Even though it feels daunting to write that much in a single
 month, I'm okay the way I am, and I'm open to the possibility 
that this challenge might be a good thing.

Your Turn

How do you feel about NaNoWriMo?
Can you imagine that it might be fun?
What happened while you were tapping?
And finally – what great story are you writing right now?
Write a comment!

PS: NaNo most definitely is a challenge. And in case you wondered, yes, November was chosen on purpose. It is meant to help you learn to write no matter what. Even Thanksgiving. I know that’s hard, but NaNoWriMo is about setting priorities and making your writing the number one. I can help you make that belief rock-firm and start your career as writer.

I’d love to do that for you. If that idea appeals to you and you want to learn more, click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

PPS: My newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts, so you can start getting results. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers. If you’re on a mobile, you can sign up through this link: Newsletter Sign-up.

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The Starting Barrier

Posted on 12. September 2019 by fmoebius
That awful first sentence in your writing time - and how to overcome that writing block.
That 1st Sentence

For some of us authors, getting started is the hardest thing.

And I don’t mean starting a new story. I mean sitting down and typing that first sentence of the day. Once I have that down, my writing tends to flow on most days.

And sometimes, I have to start over every two paragraphs, fighting the same old resistance. Then it’s like pulling teeth. I’m sure you know that feeling.

Here’s something important: It’s not you. It’s not laziness. And it’s most certainly not your fault.

This is a safety program at work.

It’s telling us that something isn’t right.

Distraction by other tasks

Your mind is probably still on other tasks, trying to remind you of things that need to get done. That can be everything from more marketing to doing your dishes to getting your files organized or calling your mom.

There are two ways of dealing with this.

  1. You can use willpower to force your focus. This will take time and energy, but it’s quite doable. I will show you some EFT below to make it easier.
  2. You can learn to deal with all those tasks in a structured way. This will take some time to set up, but it will clear the way to focused writing time whenever you plan to have it.

Get yourself organized

I’m reading a book right now that goes into a lot of detail to help you (and me) set up structures and systems to give us more time for focused work. Writing, in our case.

It’s called “Getting Things Done – the art of stress-free productivity” by David Allen.

The first task he’s setting us is to write out everything you “should” be doing. In order for this to be effective, we need a “capturing” tool. I’m using a notebook for writing down the things I’m thinking about, and I’m using Trello to keep track of it.

The next step is to simply sit down, look at one of those “shoulds” and decide which action is necessary for the next step. That’s all. Just the next step.

Of course, if you want to, you can break down something you “should do” into a bunch of little steps – and this is where Trello comes in as an awesome tool. I’ll probably post about that in an extra installment because it’s so helpful.

This is something you can’t just do before your next writing session, obviously.

And yet, maybe this is something to consider doing. Getting organized like this is certainly not a simple task, but it will give you better focused time in the future. It will calm down your brain and reduced all those reminders of stuff you need to do – because it all sits safely in Trello or in whichever system you decide to use.

What a relief!

Start that writing session anyway

Now, clearly you want to write now, and not next week after getting all this organizing done. And there’s this resistance which is frustrating and making you run to Facebook or play Solitaire, or even do your dishes.

We’re all familiar with that. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get books written, and that’s what we authors are about.

So the trick is to reduce that resistance, to reduce our mind’s clamor and find the focus to write anyway.

This is where EFT tapping comes in.

It’s the best way I know to calm down and to focus. It’s also a great way to get a handle on emotions and on resistance. There is material for you to learn how to use EFT on my website, under Free Stuff.

For today, I have some tapping phrases for you to get started on reducing that resistance.

Tapping phrases

Even though I feel such resistance to writing and it really makes it hard to get started, I am totally okay the way I am, and I know choose to calm my brain and focus on my writing.

Even though there so much resistance to sitting down and focusing on my writing, there’s so much to do and my brain is so cluttered with stuff, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to ignore that stuff for an hour or so while I write.

Even though I feel so much pressure to get so many things done that it’s hard to focus on my writing, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to focus on my writing for an hour, and attend to some of those things later.

Your Turn

Was this helpful?
Did you feel better after reading this?
Did you tap?
Or do you have more questions?

Share, ask, comment, send email – I am here to help you.

*image source F. Möbius

PPS: I can help you overcome old limiting beliefs, mindset blocks and emotions like resistance, fear, frustration or sadness. EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. Click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

PS: My monthly newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers.

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Family System Dynamics for Writers

Posted on 8. August 2019 by fmoebius

Family system as mobile

Family System

This post (and the series it belongs to) is about family systems and how they affect you as a writer.

The way I see it, knowing about family systems and their dynamics will help you be more successful by explaining and eliminating potential blocks and limits for your writing.

And on another level, employing your knowledge of family systems in character creation will make your stories more interesting and more believable.

Sound good? Here we go.

Family systems are everywhere.

We cannot escape being part of a family system, since we do have at least two biological parents, and usually grow up in a family. It doesn’t matter how small a family is, it forms a system.

That system also includes ancestors, that is, grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. So even if you say you don’t “have” a family, maybe because you’re living alone, it is more than likely that you are part of a family system.

In other words, everyone is part of a family system.

Including you. Continue reading →

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Perfectionism – the Archenemy of the Creative

Posted on 11. July 2019 by fmoebius
Teacher raising her hand as she explains the rules.
Follow the rules

Now, there are times when it is useful to strive for perfectionism. Doing taxes or bookkeeping, for example. Or installing electrical wires.

But those are not creative endeavors. These are tasks where you must get it right. And getting it right means to follow the rules exactly.

Following the rules, however, is a killer when it comes to writing, painting or any other creative task.

That’s because it forces our inner critic to take over and make sure we’re doing everything right. And you know yourself how disrupting this can be.

Why do we bring perfectionism to our writing?

Because that’s how we have been taught to approach every serious task. And quite often, we take our writing serious, as well.

Basically, that’s a misunderstanding created way back in our childhood. We’ve been taught in school to follow rules and not deviate from them. We learned how to write and spell – and yes, that does take quite a bit of perfectionism to get it right in English!

So we grew up striving to do everything right and in the correct way. Aiming to be perfect.

Yet creativity doesn’t work that way. It’s not a linear process, and it follows far fewer rules. In fact, knowing and then breaking the rules is a huge part of it. Creativity relies on surprising moments, happy accidents and thinking (and coloring!) outside of the box.

Stuff we’ve been trained to avoid as kids.

How do we get perfectionism out of our writing?

That is the big question and task for every author. Basically, we need to shift from “responsible mode” and trying to get everything right into “play mode”, where no rules and boundaries exist.

And we need to do this every time we settle down to actually add words to our project.

We also need to pull ourselves out of it once we start editing. Or while we’re working on the business aspect of our author life.

In other words, we need to practice switching our perfectionism on and off.

People do that all the time.

Really? I can see you stare in disbelief.

It’s true, however.

You switch off perfectionism when you go read a book. Because you want to dive into that story and not nitpick plot points and word choice.

You switch off perfectionism when you play a game. Children do it all the time, we all have that ability.

You may have to practice it for a while, since you focused on being in “serious mode” for most of your adult life.

Enter Play Mode

But you can enter “play mode” when you sit down to write. You actually should.

Maybe you need to plan the scene a little before you dive in. Maybe you need some lines for your game. And that’s fine. It’s your job to figure this out.

“Play mode” is just another word for being creative. Words flow much more easily in “play mode”.

Learning to switch it on will increase your productivity a lot. (And I can help you with that.) Doing so means letting go of old beliefs and limiting thought patterns.

EFT tapping is a great tool to release limiting beliefs around “play mode” and around who is allowed to enter it. So here are some suggestions.

Tapping phrases

Even though I learned that “play mode” is not something adults do, and certainly not something serious authors do, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to experiment with “play mode” during my writing.

Even though I still think that “play mode” has no place in serious writing and an author business, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to experiment with “play mode” during my writing time.

Even though I was taught that “play mode” has no place in serious business, and I am taking my writing seriously, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to release all those old rules and try out “play mode” for my creative time.

*image source F. Möbius

PS: My monthly newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers.

PPS: I can help you overcome old limiting beliefs, mindset blocks and emotions like resistance, fear, frustration or sadness. EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. Click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

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Author Superpowers: Imagination

Posted on 13. June 2019 by fmoebius
imagination A sketch of a happy face with a horse, a star, a rocket and a heart floating around it.
Imagination

Again, this is not really a surprise. I mean, we story tellers need some imagination to create characters, settings and an interesting plot line, right?

But there’s more to that than meets the eye.

Take Star Trek, for example. Look at the tech in the original show.

Then look around you. While flip phones are a thing of the past already, we had them. Earlier than they thought, obviously, but the imagination of those writers helped others create a “future” that became real in our life times.

Remember those sliding doors in the show?

Back then, they were low-tech. There was actually a person operating them in filming, that’s how low tech they were. Now these are everywhere, and we don’t bat an eyelid at them.

Because of imagination.

Because an author asked “what if?” Because they wanted to make something different from where they lived at the moment.

Now, the superpower of imagination doesn’t just apply to the future, obviously.

It works in every area of life. We authors can always turn into our imagination and ask ourselves what would happen if… ?

And they can tell stories about it. Stories that reach other minds with different superpowers.

I could go on and on with examples of how stories inspired science and how science in turn inspired stories. If you know some, share them in a comment.

So if you have a vivid imagination, and got told as a kid to throttle it … allow yourself to bring it back. It’s a good thing. It literally changes the world.

And I have a few tapping suggestions, if you need some help in bringing it back.

Tapping phrases

Even though I was told as a kid to get real and to stop imagining things, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to bring back my imagination and enjoy it.

Even though I was scolded for my daydreaming and my vivid imagination, and I learned to tune it way down, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I’m now open to the possibility that my imagination is a good thing.

Even though I was told to stop making things up as a kid, and being a good kid, I tried my best to stop it, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to know that my imagination is a superpower!

*image source F. Möbius

PS: My monthly newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers.

PPS: I can help you overcome old limiting beliefs, mindset blocks and emotions like resistance, fear, frustration or sadness. EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. Click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

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Author Superpowers: Teaching

Posted on 9. May 2019 by fmoebius
Role Model
Role Model

Duh, every non-fiction author aims to teach, right?

Sure.

But how about the fiction authors?

The ones who tell stories about dragons or knights, rocket ships or romance?

Well, we fiction authors are also teachers.

We can teach facts that we tuck away in our stories, and we can teach something even more important:

How to deal with problems.
How to deal with bad situations.
How to handle betrayal or lies.
How to face challenges.
How to build a partnership.
How to find happiness…

In short, stories can teach us a lot about human life – even when it’s about dragons – and about how to be a good person.

That’s part of what keeps me writing. And reading.

I love stories where characters grow and change. Because that’s what happens in life.

If we don’t grow and change, things will get hard.

Personal growth is the most challenging aspect of life – and stories can teach us about that.

If you look closely, most of our story-telling is about that kind of change.

And if you’re a writer, embrace that aspect of your stories.

Show us challenges, hard times and the growth that comes from that.

Be a teacher.

Help readers find that part in themselves.

Help them grow.

Eeeeek!

If that part scares you, I’ve got some tapping for you. Because that fear is simply rooted in a limiting belief. And the tapping can free you so you can write stories that are more satisfying for the reader.

Tapping phrases

Even though I don’t want to be a teacher, I just want to tell a story and have my readers enjoy it, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m open to the possibility that story-telling is always about teaching something.

Even though I’m not happy with the idea of teaching good behavior in my stories, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I’m open to the possibility that I want my mains to be good people, in a way.

Even though I never thought about teaching when I’m writing my tales, I’m still totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to see my characters as role models for my readers.

*image source F. Möbius

PS: My monthly newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers.

PPS: I can help you overcome mindset blocks and emotions like resistance, fear, frustration or sadness. EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. Click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

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Author Superpowers: Entertaining

Posted on 11. April 2019 by fmoebius
Entertainer
Enterntainer

Duh. Of course do authors entertain. That’s almost too dumb to write out.

But is it?

All of us need to step away from reality at times. We want to escape from daily pressures, stress, or even just from the same old routine.

And we do it by escaping into fiction.

We transport ourselves into another world – of any kind. There’s lots to choose from, in a multitude of genres. The purpose is always the same, though:

We want to be entertained.

We want our attention pulled into the story.

This is the first and foremost superpower authors need to discover and develop: Write tales that are riveting enough to keep the reader’s mind entertained.

So simple.

So hard.

And yes, this is the moment where self-doubt might hit you, dear author-reader.

Don’t let it.

The mere fact you’re actually willing to tell stories demonstrates that you are an entertainer. (Hint: Most of us are, actually.) So don’t fear, you already possess that superpower – you just have to train it.

Make your tales interesting and exciting.

Make them fascinating.

And do it your way. Do it how you know best, glean from all those stories you read for your own entertainment and weave your own tale from it.

You can do this.

And I’ll help you if you doubt it. (Just let me know.)

Here’s some tapping to lead you on the way.

Tapping phrases

Even if I don’t think I can be an entertainer, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to write exciting and riveting stories.

Even though I feel scared of creating stories with a lot of tension in them, after all, I’m a quiet and peaceful person, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now choose to make my stories exciting and riveting anyway.

Even though I don’t lead an exciting life, I’m totally okay the way I am, and I now give myself permission to use my imagination to create the kind of story my readers want to disappear in.

*image source F. Möbius

PS: My monthly newsletter contains a full tapping round to go with my blog posts. Sign up through the form on the upper right hand corner, and receive that tapping round plus occasional special offers.

PPS: I can help you overcome mindset blocks and emotions like resistance, fear, frustration or sadness. EFT is the fastest way I know to shift limiting beliefs, old thought habits and other kinds of blocks. Click HERE and send me an email. Together, we’ll figure out how I can support you best.

Posted in Mindset, story telling | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment