July's Seminar: 10 Steps to Building a Better Story"

Hi, this is Art.

I want to thank you for joining us in the Procrastination seminar a couple of weeks ago. We had a tremendous response  - over 300 in total - and I appreciate all your great comments. We shared some real techniques to get you through difficult times and I hope you’ll listen to that seminar whenever you feel yourself getting stuck.

But, today, let me ask you some questions:

• Do you lose interest in your stories half-way through?
• Do you have a collection of half-finished stories?
• Are you tired on not getting where you need to be in your writing?

Along the way, I’ve seen so many writers – perhaps like you - became frustrated with their lack of progress; first becoming excited over a new story idea only to become exasperated as they write.

So much talent.  So much frustration.

But you know, professionals face the same problem.  I have worked with professional writers – writers who have several sales under their belt – who face the same dilemma.

So, you’re absolutely not alone.

But here’s an eye-opening quote from Terry Russio, co-writer of such movies as Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin and National Treasure:

“All the great writing in the world cannot make a great story out of a weak idea.”

No truer words have ever been spoken.

I know myself that - the fact that I’m excited about a story idea doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a strong enough premise to carry me through the writing.  In so many cases,  I had found that the reason I and many others lost interest and got lost in the middle of the story we were writing is that it’s wasn't a good enough idea in the first place.

So . . . how can we tell the difference between a great idea and just a good one?

Last year, I created the Elements of Story tele-seminar series to share the techniques and tools of professional writers. This represents my years as a writing consultant  and I want to start this series in earnest with the most important thing every writer needs to know: 

That is, the steps it takes to develop a great story.

I’ve identified a series of steps that a story must go through to take it from being a good idea to a great one. 

• 10 steps that you can do today to eliminate 80% of the problems you will face in writing your story. 
• 10 steps that can make your story 10X easier to write.

The July seminar is called "The 10 Steps to Building a Great Story", I’ll show you how to quickly find:

• The best hero and villain for your story
• The most compelling conflict
• The best plot model
• The best aspects and the most dangerous problems you will face in the writing
• And your story’s emotional heart and soul

This audio seminar comes with its own workbook  - that you can use again and again on each new story you write - to get the absolute best out of your talent.   By just answering the questions in the workbook, you will come to know your story intimately. You’ll learn things about your idea that you never knew before. . .

You’ll be ready to hit the ground running every time you sit down to write.

The seminar and workbook – the entire study course -  is usually $79, but is now available to you - for just $37 for a limited time - if you act now.

To order, you can either:

(1)   Send $37 to PayPal (to account:  aholcomb07@gmail.com)

Or

(2)   Send a check for $37 to

Art Holcomb

3404 Donder Court

Riverside, CA 92507-4033

The seminar will be sent out on July 15th - and the special price of $37 is good until then.  After that, the price will return to $79.

BONUS OFFER: If you sign up now, I will send you four (4) of my best articles on writing.  These are materials I use in my private client training, and they are yours FREE just for enrolling in the July Seminar!

Imagine, having a tool you can use on each new story to make it better, deeper, and more compelling to your reader and prospective publisher.

A professional tool that can make a real difference in your career.

It’s time to supercharge your writing.

Won’t you join us?

All the best -and keep writing!

A Guest Post by a Powerhouse of Craft - Jennifer Blanchard

(This is Art: I'm delighted to bring you a guest post by Jen Blanchard, who everyday offers great advice and powerful motivation to her regulars and is here to do the same for you. She makes a wonderful offer to you at the end of the post - take advantage of it!)

Are You Thinking With A Pro Writer Mindset?

by Jennifer Blanchard

Actor and comedian, Jim Carrey once wrote himself a check for $10 million. He was living out of his car on the streets of Hollywood, dreaming the big dream and one day he got the idea to write a check to himself for the amount of money he wanted to be making from being an actor.

A few years later, he made $10 million for the movie, Dumb and Dumber.

This happened because he had the courage to believe and the pro mindset to back it up. Because a pro knows that hard times are temporary. A pro knows that you have to invest in yourself, even when you have nothing, and do whatever it takes, even when it’s easier to give up or quit.

Are you thinking like a pro?

That was a question I asked myself a few months ago when I started working with a mentor who has 47 published eBooks. Forty-six of which were Best Sellers on Amazon. And that inspired the hell out of me.

But when I looked at where I was at with my writing—five published books, including one novel—I felt like an underachiever. And that’s so not me. I’ve been an insanely productive, high-achiever my whole life.

Yet ever since I started my blog back in 2008, I felt like my writing life was moving in slow motion. I was getting stuff out there, but at a snail’s pace.

And when I met my mentor, it really hit me: I’m a pro, but I’ve been acting like an amateur.

I could’ve been writing and publishing multiple books a year, getting all of my ideas and stories out into the world. But instead I’d been playing small and not working at my true capacity.

I’d been slacking, procrastinating, not doing the work. And when faced with it, there was only one thing I could do.

So every day I started asking myself this one question: what would a pro writer do?

And then I let the answer inspire the actions I take during the day. I let it inspire how I think about my writing.

Today, only a few months later, I now have seven published eBooks—one of which hit #1 in multiple categories on Amazon—with several more in the works for this year. I’ve felt the calling for years, to step up and be the author I’ve dreamed of being, and I finally answered it.

When it comes to being a pro writer—aka: someone who makes money from their writing—it really all comes down to a few key things:

1. Thinking Like A Pro

A pro wouldn't skip his writing session. A pro would show up to the page even when she does’t feel like it. A pro doesn’t wait for inspiration.

And when you think like a pro, it changes everything.

No more excuses, no more letting life get in the way. You’re a pro, so you sit down and you get your writing done. Every day. No matter what.

Anytime you’re tempted to skip out or not do your writing, just ask yourself the big question: what would a pro do? And then do whatever your response is.

2. Acting From the Place of Already Having What You Want

This is a whole new way of looking at achieving your writing dreams, but it’s super powerful. When you act from a place of your writing dream already coming true, it makes you a whole lot more motivated to show up every day and do the work.

Jim Carrey was acting from the place of already having the entertainment career he dreamed of having, that’s why he wrote himself the $10 million check.

Yes, you can “pretend” your way into creating whatever it is you want for your writing life. But you can’t just pretend and make it happen. You have to pretend and also do the work required.

But you can use the mindset of thinking from and acting from the place of your dream already coming true, to help you achieve results faster. All you have to do is figure out how you’d act if you were already the writer and author you dream of being, and then instead of waiting, act that way now.

Most writers think they have to wait—’til they have the bestselling book, ’til they’ve achieved the success they dream of—before they can be the writer and author they dream of being. But the opposite is actually true.

You have to be the writer you dream of being now, and when you act from that place, your dream writing life has no other choice but to show up.

3. Being Intentional

Things really started to change in my writing life when I started being more intentional about what I was doing. Rather than just writing to write, I set specific deadline and short-term goals (and I admit, sometimes I set totally insane goals too).

That’s what pro writers do. They work on deadline, either set by an agent/editor/publisher or self-set. But pro writers have specific, timed goals they want to achieve.

This kind of intention is what writing careers are made of. If you’re not currently being intentional about your writing, it’s time to step up.

Pick a project, set a deadline and make it happen.

If you want to learn more about creating a pro writer mindset, be sure to check out my new eBook—The Pro Writer Mindset: What It Really Takes to Be A Bestselling Author, available now on Amazon.

What can you do right now, today, to step up and start thinking like a pro writer?

About the Author: Jennifer Blanchard is a best selling author, award-winning blogger, and success mindset coach for emerging novelists who want to create their dream writing lives. Grab her free inspirational one-page PDF: What It Really Takes to Be A Pro Writer, here.

Are you actually PROCRASTINATING about solving your procrastination problem?

Here's a truth of your life:  You are not anywhere near where you REALLY want to be with your writing.

You know it.

I know it.

You are not putting in the time you need to make your work exception - and it bothers you because you do not know why.

Ask yourself:

Am I getting my writing finished? Is there something that's keeping me from the keyboard? Do I feel guilty sometimes because I'm not making the headway that I know I should be making with my writing?

What's really holding me back?

You're not alone.  I work with professional writer every day in my private practice - and they can have the same problem: the real world is constantly intruding on our lives.  It's hard to find the time or the peace and quiet and sometimes getting the words out and on to the page is like pulling teeth. 

I've learned that truly everyone goes through this - and I mean EVERYONE - at some point in their life.  I work with professional writers everyday who have faced these same struggles - writer whose income and livelihood DEPEND on their ability to produce . It can be one of the most serious hurdles any writer can face.

But it doesn't have to be so hard.

There is a way out.  A way that can make writing easier again - the way it was in the beginning.

What you need is a new approach to the work, a new way of looking at your talent and skills that can give you the confidence to move forward.

My career is build around helping professional writers succeed and I've helped over 300 professional screenwriters and novelists over my career get back on track. People who make a good living as writers.  They can literally not afford to let fear and procrastination affect them - and neither can you. 

The same techniques they use can help you too.

I've put together a teleseminar on eliminating procrastination and the fears that writers face.  It's entitled: PROCRASTINATION - How to Defeat it Forever!

In it, we'll cover:

• The Journey that every writer makes through their career
• Every possible reason that you may have to procrastinate - and a way to break through each of them
• How to make sure you're able everyday to hit the ground running
• The truth about Writer's Block and how to eliminate if from your life forever.
• The three techniques professionals use to create quality work quickly
• The realityabout the fear you may be facing - what it really is and how you can turn it from problem to motivating asset

Procrastinations a real problem  And it's impossible to be a successful writer without facing this issue head on.  I have shown my working screenwriters and novelists how to eliminate it from their lives -  and I will show you how the very same techniques can work for you.

The seminar will be launched on June 20th and would normally be $79 - but for the next week, I'm making it available to you for just $47 - if you sign up by June 10th.

Here's what some of my clients have said about the seminar.

      "Art's techniques got me from dreading my writing to making it the greatest thing I do all day.  I finally got my novel finished and I'll be able to do my next one in half the time. - Peter R.

     "I was amazed!  By just facing some truths and learning more about who I am as a writer, I found my output increase three fold. - Sheila B

   

    "I didn't think anything would get me back to my writing, I just couldn't finish anything.  But Art showed me where I had strayed of coarse and now my writing is getting finished and I'm starting new projects.  Thanks so much, Art!" - Peter W.

The teleseminar can be available to you at anytime through your computer or phone - to listen to whenever you need the boost, And the special price of $47 means that you can get your writing back on track - you can feel the joy of writing once more - for less than the price of dinner out for two.

Signing up is easy - Just email me at aholcomb07@gmail.com that you want to join and I'll send you all the details.

It's a small price to pay to change the way you write forever.

Make a difference in your own life today.  Become the writer you know you can be.

Take this small step into a much bigger world.  Join us today.