My Writing Journey

For years it’s been my experience – and one I’ve shared with my coaching clients – that the writing you are engaged in reveals your own process. As you know from my last newsletter, I am currently working on a book for the PBS show, The Quest for Success: The Hero’s Journey. My experience with this project has solidified that insight for me. The journey of writing follows the same path as the content of the book: being called to adventure, facing my fears, finding the magician within, becoming a hero to myself, being of service to others, and ultimately attaining success.

The call to write is that inspiration I feel within that I am meant to share my knowledge, experience, and learning. It’s my heart-brain wanting to express itself through the written word. It comes in the form of an inkling, an “aha” moment, or a lesson I learned. Consciousness forms around the message that wants to come forth, and I begin. This is my call to adventure. And what an adventure it is.

In writing about fears, I’ve been facing them all. Whether it’s, “What will people think about what I write?” “Am I an authority on the topic?” “Is the writing good enough?” or “Can I meet deadlines and length requirements?”, I’ve experienced them all the past two months. The good news is that the second piece of advice I give my clients has also held true: When you keep writing, you will be able to face and overcome those fears and grow from them. This has most definitely been the case for me.

Another insight I’ve had validated is that the learning you gain in the process of writing will help you evolve in both your writing and your life. Oh my, has this been happening. As I’ve researched the contributors to the show and book, read their books, and listened to their transcripts, I’ve seen my conversations change, my beliefs shift, and my passions revealed more deeply than ever before. Even if another person never reads the words I write, I have reaped untold wealth from writing them. That is the beauty of writing. It is as healing – sometimes more – to the writer as it is to the reader.

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by the work it takes to be an author, remember that you are not alone. I’ve been in this business for 25 years, and I’m still experiencing emotions that I thought I had long ago moved past. Being reminded of this fact keeps me humble. It’s scary at times. And only when I am willing to alter my perspective from a view of disaster to one of humor am I able to keep moving steadily forward.

There is still a long way to go on this journey, and I’ll continue to share what I’ve experienced, because my educated guess is that you are having a similar experience – even if you are a seasoned writer, too. We’re all in good company.

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Dear Friends,

Clarity of Vision is committed to providing you with the tools and resources you need to see your world with new perspectives and an expanded vision. Begin your journey by subscribing to our monthly ezine, designed to support you in taking action to improve the quality of your writing and your life. This newsletter is for people who are committed to living high quality lives, and that are ready to share their learning with others.

To support this vision, each newsletter will be filled with tips, tools, and insights on the write path, plus a listing of upcoming events from Clarity of Vision. So please subscribe, and feel free to invite your family, friends and colleagues too!

When you subscribe by clicking on the link below, make sure that you include our email address (marilyn@clarityofvision.com) in your "approved folder" so the newsletter doesn't get filtered into a spam folder.

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Warmly,
Marilyn

How I Work With My Writing Clients

My coaching, like the writing process, is dynamic and spontaneous. Whether my client is a seasoned author looking to polish their manuscript, or a new writer just dipping their toes in the literary world for the first time, I help bring the pieces of his or her creation together in an articulate, honest, and effective form.

What I help my writing clients do is to uncover their brilliance. I guide them to use their creative abilities, with the specific tool of writing, to shape the lives of their readers. My coaching is really igniting their creative intelligence to craft not only words, but also new life perspectives for them and their audience.

In addition to the creative aspect of writing, I coach my clients in how to more effectively use their writing to gain market visibility and generate multiple streams of writing revenue. Using my extensive knowledge of technology, the Internet, and the different types of media available, I guide my writers through the maze of e-commerce and physical distribution channels available in today's market.

Writers are unique, and their coaching process will be as well. I suggest that we have a telephone interview to discuss where you feel you are as a writer, what your goals are, and what you are committed to attaining in the coaching and writing process. We can then design a plan that will best suit your intentions.

I offer different coaching plans designed to help guide you in the writing process, product creation, and marketing both online and off. The different options are meant to help the beginning writer build a foundation, the seasoned writer to become prolific, and all writers become more savvy marketers. You can upgrade at any time.

To contact me about the possible coaching plans available to you, email marilyn@clarityofvision.com or call me at 503-460-0014. I look forward to hearing from you!

My Promise to You As Your Coach

As your writing coach, I will guide you on the write path, from concept to the marketplace. I will help you get to the heart of what you are driven to say, and to do it with clarity and authenticity. Here are the principles that I promise to bring to our time together:

A spirited and insightful conversation regarding writing and the topic you are bringing to life. Respectful and supportive comments, with praise when deserved and with nurturing guidance when needed. Clear direction as we build a foundation for taking creative risks essential for successful writing.

I provide two editing views of your writing:
1. That what you’ve written is what you want to say
2. From the observation of a new reader, including editors, agents, or publishers, to see what works in your writing, and what might be missing.

Why Work With Me?

My one-on-one work over the past four years with the 125 authors of the 10-book Guide to Getting It Life and Business Coaching series has given me incredible insights on the writing process and how it can be used to help in your readers' and your own personal, spiritual, and business life. Through my writing coaching and work with coaches, I have discovered a wealth of healing and growth available by using the creative process of writing.

My passion and strength as a writing coach is guiding writers to discover their true selves through their stories. I write from my own experience. I encourage my authors to write from theirs. I have found that there is tremendous growth and discovery as you write your own story, even though your intended audience is another reader. In the end, the greatest reward is that both you and the reader are transformed.

About Marilyn

As a Writing and Life Coach, I use humor, compassion, and a strong sense of a writer’s abilities to support and motivate my clients to become published authors. I have found that my purpose in life is to give a voice to subjects that benefit others. My mission is to provide truthful, clear, and motivating information to those who passionately desire more in their writing. My vision is to use my two passions—coaching and storytelling—to convey this information to as many people as possible.

I graduated from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Technical Journalism with emphasis in Business Management. After working for several years as a technical writer contracting to high tech companies in the United States and Pacific Rim countries, I veered from the writing path and started my first business, M’s Tea & Coffee House, in Corvallis.

In 1998 I enrolled in Coach University and started Clarity of Vision, Inc., a Business and Life Coaching practice. The law of attraction soon worked its magic, and my experience in writing soon began drawing writing clients to my business.

Looking for a way to combine my coaching and writing experience, I decided to create a book series that would be written by coaches and that highlighted principles and ideas supported in the coaching process.

Thus, the Guide to Getting It Life and Business Coaching book series was born. There are now nine titles published in the series, with tenth available soon!

Writing From Soul Writer's Retreat, June 18th - 21st on the coast of Oregon!

Imagine resting from your regular routine, seeing beauty in nature, and accessing your deepest connection to your self, then writing for hours on end! If you are ready for 4 days of simple, profound, and motivational advice from a published author in a beautiful setting, where you will learn to create compelling, transformational writing, join me June 18th - 21st on the rugged and beautiful Oregon coast for my next Writing From Soul Writer's Retreat. To learn more, go to www.clarityofvision.com/retreats.html

Upcoming Webinar

The ABC’s of Social Media Marketing Success: How to Make Writing Online Easy, Fun, and Phenomenally Effective!

It's six months from now. You've increased your visitor traffic month after month, added new people to your prospect list, and established yourself as an authority in your niche. You're on the first page of Google for numerous search terms and you're an online celebrity. All of that without spending a fortune on marketing and search engine optimization!

Interested?

Then you'll want to invest the next 4 minutes with us as we reveal exactly how and why you need to be leveraging the power of Web 2.0 to establish yourself as an authority on the Internet.

Web 2.0 or Social Media is the essential new skill set necessary for navigating the connected marketplace. Leading marketers are using this incredible viral networking tool to increase their lists and to become known as experts in their niche. Once you know how to set up the system and get connected, you will start to see results almost immediately.

Learning how to leverage the power of social media, you will:

• Become an authority in your niche almost instantly
• Create stronger relationships with your prospects and clients
• Attract highly targeted traffic to your website or blog
• Fill your pipeline with a continuous stream of motivated prospects
• Convert more prospects into highly-paying clients
• Increase your profits dramatically
• Increase your referral rate
• Increase your client retention rate

How do you learn the secrets and tips to get started? Join us, Ted Prodromou from NetBizExpert.com and Marilyn Schwader from Clarity of Vistion, as we present a four-part teleseries on The ABC's of Social Media Marketing Success: How to Make Writing Online Easy, Fun, and Phenomenally Effective! Using live webinar video tools, we will show you the step-by-step process to get massive traffic to your blog or website quickly. At the end of the four weeks your blog or website will be rising in the search engines and you'll be building your list of new connections!

Here's just some of what you'll learn:

• How to quickly and easily build a successful blog
• How to become an expert in your niche by creating compelling conversations on the Internet
• How to find the right blogs and websites to start those compelling conversations
• How to tap your creative energy at any time to write with no effort
• How to easily write compelling and provocative blog content while having fun
• How to use keywords in your writing to attract traffic like crazy
• How to leverage your writing and electronic media to generate multiple streams of income

We'll also cover how to use popular social media websites and techniques:

• Microblogging websites like Twitter, Pownce & Jaiku
• Blogging platforms like Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad
• Podcasting - how to create podcasts and where to submit them for maximum exposure
• Social networking websites like Ryze, LinkedIn, MySpace, Facebook
• Social bookmarking websites like StumpleUpon, Digg, del.icio.us
• Photo sharing websites like Flickr and Bubbleshare
• Video sharing websites like Blip.tv, YouTube, Revver

To register for our April 2nd free preview webinar, go to http://socialmediasuccessnow.com/abcs.ag.php