Well, well! When did it become the final week of January 2013?
I don’t know about you but January has flown by for me, holed up here in snowy and cold Rhode Island.
But I’m very excited and grateful because the next six or seven months hold a lot of awesome things: from upcoming personal travels to business travel abroad, two of my best friends getting married this summer, some new speaking opportunities opening up and much more.
As you know, I’ve been working hard all month (and the previous few months before that) on my mainstay project these days, the Literati writers’ group.
After retaining over 83% of beta members from last summer, the Literati has grown by 115% this January.
We’ve ushered in 22 writers from five countries including England, Ireland, a Bangladeshi expat living in Australia and an American expat living in Italy.
And with the end of January in sight, that means there’s only three days left to join the Literati before this current membership window closes.
We won’t reopen until May 2013 when membership prices are likely to increase — and we’re also likely to switch into a “by-applicable-only” membership process to maintain healthy growth with the ideal members who fit our culture and values. However, whenever you join the Literati, your membership price remains your price for life.
And the value for your dollar is ridiculously high, and getting better and better as we grow:
The Literati is evolving into a biz-idea incubator for writers and creatives who are determined to create freedom in their lives and change in the world.
It’s truly a magical space, and I’d love for you to become a part of it.
With that in mind, today I want to offer you eight points on why the Literati works well for our members — and how you can better tell if the Literati is the right for you. Of course, you can email me at any time with specific questions you have.
I’d love to answer them for you — and to connect with you personally!
Reason #1) Why Writing Prompts Work
Writing prompts work because every writer could use personal reminders to keep writing: insightful, original queues that arrive in your inbox to prompt you to make the time and space to create.
As a Literati member, you receive writing prompts in your inbox, twice every week. These writing prompts not only remind you to write but combine a 500-2,000 word lesson to help you grow as a human being and creative, too.
Prompts combine a practical skill like a unique writing exercise with a personal, reflective or exploration-based angle that invites inner growth.
Writing prompts are the core curriculum of the Literati learning experience. They serve as catalysts for personal learning and self-awareness while subtly instilling confidence-building and positive habits that remind a writer to continually choose him/herself.
Having goals and dreams isn’t enough. We need to choose them, repeatedly. Daily. Weekly. Yearly. Choose your goals, choose your dreams, choose to write — and continually commit your presence, attention and intentions to engage in the creative practice every single week.
What kinds of things might I find in a prompt?
- Methods to Reinvent “Old Ideas” to Make Them New Again
- How to Discover Your Ideal Reader (Reader Avatar, i.e. Customer/Client Profile)
- Why Story Matters, and How to Tell Yours Like You’ve Never Told It Before
- How to Discover Your Personal Values (and Use Them to Reclaim Your Voice)
- What Makes Your Writing Worth Reading + How to Distinguish Yours
- Self-Publishing 101: How to Choose Your Publishing Journey
- Emotional Writing and How to Connect with the Humanity of Your Readers
You’ll also find fun exercises in our prompts like:
– The Three Coins Exercise: A Literati-favorite, a unique writer’s meditation for finding stillness to reveal clarity on our three greatest personal goals
– The 100 Word-Bio Exercise: A recurring quarterly exercise for all members to measure personal growth and hone in on new business goals
– The Inspiration Exercise: Channel inspiration from one of three motivating quotes from popular writers, thinkers and revolutionaries into “creative action” on paper — because inspiration isn’t enough; it needs to be acted upon.
Reason #2) Why Accountability Works
Accountability works because every writer needs to be held responsible to their personal goals and long-term aspirations — while still providing for their own short-term, basic needs.
As a Literati member, you’ll be held accountable — without force, peer-pressure, or judgment.
Our amazingly supportive and encouraging community keeps you accountable by keeping your eyes on the true goals at hand: for your freedom, for your love of communication, for the change you wish to inspire in the world (and in yourself!).
In the Literati, you’ll share some personal goals and our community will keep you focused on them through honest encouragement, idea-generation and transparent personal support.
Literati members believe in one another and want you to keep up some “healthy pressure” to push your own comfort zones and extend beyond those self-imposed boundaries and perceived limitations that we’re all guilty falling under.
As you develop as a writer, you’ll gradually come to understand how necessary different structures and confines (otherwise called “creative constraint”) become for your creative process.
It’s your own chosen accountability that obligates you to continually show up, to commit yourself to the craft you love, to engage deeper and deeper in the creative process while continually extending yourself to reach outside of your comfort zones.
Reason #3) Why Discussion Works
Discussion works because meaningful conversations about the topics that you care about will automatically help you discover clarity, direction and understanding about those subjects—even when you’re not looking for it.
As a Literati member, you will engage fellow members in meaningful conversations on our private Facebook group on topics, questions and ideas you truly care about and want to learn.
And from the simple process of writing about your ideas, sharing questions, and digging deep into your own opinions — all in conversation form — you engage in the incredibly process of cultivating order and understanding.
Those seemingly ordinary conversations are actually a part of the artful process of sorting your ideas and opinions into coherence by organizing and sharing your own perspectives, personal narrative, stories, ideas and emotions.
In the Literati, discussion works — even with something that seems as silly or commonplace as a private Facebook group — because it helps you find clarity and understanding, even when you don’t expect it.
Reason #4) Why Workshops Work
Workshops work because one-hour group conference calls with structured exercises and deeper explorations into writing topics that matter will help you learn and grow as a writer.
As a Literati member, you’ll participate in two live workshops every single month: live, interactive phone calls that are instructive in nature and combine open conversation with fellow members and community-style Q+A’s to deeply explore important topics on writing. All of these calls are recorded and transcribed for you to download and keep forever.
There are two different kinds of workshops that you’ll experience as a member:
Workshop #1.) Interactive Workshops that are I personally host in the first week of every month, offering intentions, insight and ideas — along with actionable, applicable strategies and exercises — that open up our community’s monthly exploration of the month’s designated writing topic. These workshops are hosted live and feature fun community-based discussion with fellow members and a live Q+A at the end of the call.
Workshop #2) 1:1 Writing Workshops are pre-recorded and strategy-specific workshops hosted by me and a special guest lecturer who shares insights, tips, strategies and methods.
Workshops work because they personally-resonate with individual members with applicable, actionable teachings on writing and self-exploration — while inspiring practical skill-building to help a writer improve at his or her craft.
Reason #5) Why Author Interviews Work
Live Author Interviews work because every writer could use a regular dose of inspiration to pick us up and keep our feet moving — and, just as much, a dose of reality that proves that “successful people” have struggled, stumbled, failed often and are no different than you and me.
As a Literati member, you’ll call in and participate on live author interviews with talented writers, authors, entrepreneurs and bloggers from around the world who join us to share their personal stories, struggles, insights and recommendations to help you succeed in your goals.
Best of all, you get to ask questions of our amazing interviewees, live on the call.
Live Author Interviews will help you realize that “succeeding” is not an elusive goal that gets conquered by “masters” and “experts” — it’s a continual, never-ending process that human beings reach from risking, trying, endeavoring and even failing.
Success reflects our own personal definitions of what we want most from our creative journeys and what we earnestly desire from our lives.
Last quarter we interviewed author and life-coach Jenny Blake, author and blogger Nacie Carson and author and branding guru Rhiannon Llewellyn. This January, we spoke with author and inventor Adam King. In February, we are planning to speak with author and business storyteller, Bernadette Jiwa.
Reason #6) Why Community Support Works
Community support works because every human being naturally desires (and flourishes within) a communal atmosphere that supports his or her personal endeavors and creates a deep sense of shared experience throughout our personal journeys.
It’s no different for the writer, artist, creative, web designer, photographer or freelancer.
As a Literati member, you’ll be welcomed with open arms in a community of like-minded peers who are spread out across the globe but share your personal values for experience, artistry, freedom and good ol’ fashioned fun.
In our communal environment, you’ll have the safe space to experience a diverse array of ideas and alternative perspectives to help you see yourself, your writing and your projects in new lights and make them better — all amongst an explicitly supportive and encouraging culture that you can rely upon for objective insights without harsh criticism or unfair judgment.
Reason #7) Why Peer-Reviewing Works
Peer-Reviewing works because your writing becomes better, stronger, more honed and focused when you incorporate trusted peers into your creative process to offer constructive ideas, insights, advice, recommendations and experiences.
As a Literati member, you receive your own personal Google Drive folder (formerly Google Docs) where you can upload and share current projects, ideas and works-in-progress.
Fellow Literati members are trusted, reliable peers in this writers’ community who will offer you their own constructive input and alternative perspectives you might be overlooking and new ideas to make your projects better.
Why do Literati members offer help, for free? It’s all about reciprocation.
Peer Reviewing in the Literati is totally optional but an incredible way to strengthen your writing style, voice and projects with the help of fellow writers whom you know and trust — all in a supportive, encouraging and positive light that builds you up and doesn’t try to break you down, as other writers’ groups might.
Reason #8) Why 1-on-1 Support Works
One-on-one support works because as a lifelong writer and a multi-published author with four years of experience in working for myself and a long, diverse resume of entrepreneurial failures and successes, I will help you get where you need to go — far faster and with fewer setbacks than it ordinarily requires when you “go it alone.”
I consider every member of the Literati to be a personal client of mine — I have a vested interest in seeing you succeed, brilliantly: in perfect alignment with your personal goals, your values, your artistic standards as well as your basic needs and financial requirements.
That’s why I spend every week working…
- to teach you everything that I know from all of my experiences
- to personally coach you up and help you through any and every struggle
- to deliver higher and higher quality content in our Literati curriculum
- to make good on my global connections to entrepreneurs, writers, authors and bloggers to get really great interviewees and workshop co-teachers to share insights with you
- to incubate your business ideas to help you make more money and break free from lifestyles or working environments that aren’t doing your soul justice
- to connect you with the ideas, resources and people who can help you along your journey
- to be a true friend to you — flat out, simple and honest.
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Does this seem like it’s something you want to be a part of?
If so, you need to do one of two things right now:
One, click here to head to LiteratiWriters.com and to join the Literati for just $97/quarter — a rolling quarterly membership for about a dollar per day that you you can cancel at any time.
Or, two, click here to email me if there are any specifics I can help clarify for you. I’m also happy to chat on the phone with you for a half hour this week to get a sense for your personal goals and explain why the Literati might help you, or, honestly, if it won’t be a good fit at this point.
My goal isn’t to “sell you,” it’s to see if this is a great fit or not. This group is certainly not for everyone and I’m not going to try to convince you that it is if it isn’t :)
Anyway, that’s all from me today.
Once we turn the calendar into February and the Literati’s membership window closes, I’ll be leaving all of the marketing madness behind and we’ll dive back into our usual explorations and some new ones here on subjects like artistry, writing, personal leadership, holistic business and more.
Until next time,
Flickr photo credit: jjpacres