A Writer’s Manifesto: Who You Are, What You Value, and Why It Matters

Next Monday, April 20, from 6:00-7:30pm Mountain Time, I’m leading an online webinar. It’s free to members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is $15 for non-members. Here’s the scoop:

There’s plenty of advice out there for authors who want to set writing and career goals, but virtually nothing for those who want to thoughtfully plan how to live in the midst of the inevitable changes publication can bring. In this session, participants will explore the reasons they write, will create their own sustainable definition of success, will examine how they respond to public feedback, comparison, and envy, and will begin their own Writer’s Manifestos to both guide and encourage their future work.

Almost all of this workshop started with blog posts long-time readers might remember. In 2012, the year May B. came out, I wrote a series of posts called Navigating a Debut Year that ultimately led to my Writer’s Manifesto. A few years later, while trying to determine my own sustainable definition of success, I asked a number of writing friends to share theirs, too. And sometime in the middle of it all, I blogged about the reasons I write in the first place — a north star I can hold to when things don’t go as planned.

Though the discussion will be geared toward the already or soon-to-be published, I think it would benefit anyone who hopes to turn writing into a career. If you’re interested in joining in, you can sign up here.