Career & Life Coach for Writers · learn more about my services and background over at . Whether you’re a working freelance journalist, a successful professional in another field,

Marla Beck, M.F.A. Career & Life Coach for Writers

6 School Street Plaza, Suite #180 Fairfax, California 94930 | (415) 256-8130 [email protected] | http://www.coachmarla.com

FIRE IN THE BELLY

My name is Marla Beck and I want to welcome you to Fire in the Belly: the Key to Your Successful and Happy Writing Career. I know that many of you know me, and I want to let you know I’m very happy you’ve chosen to join me for today’s call. For those of you who are meeting me for the very first time, I’m so glad you’re here. As I mentioned, my name is Marla Beck and I’ve been a private career & life coach to writers since 2005. My specialty is helping writers like you to love your life, discover your passion and to bring your passion, voice and power into your writing life, your writing career, and – for some of you – into your writing business. You can learn more about my services and background over at www.CoachMarla.com. Whether you’re a working freelance journalist, a successful professional in another field, a burned-out writing coach or a talented creative writer who somehow “lost your way…” you’re in the right place, and I believe we’ve met for a reason. When you’re less than satisfied with your writing life and career, there are several key challenges that ALL talented writers face. I’m curious which of these is true for you:

You’ve created a successful career in professional writing or another field, but you’ve lost yourself –your passion, your creativity and your sense of fulfillment – along the way

You envy other writers who are getting published, earning more money freelancing or diversifying their writing businesses

You can’t seem to find the time you need to write, and when you do find the time you need to write…you waste it

You know that now’s the time – now IS the time -- to finish your book. Period.

If any of these describe you, there is one and only reason you’re not achieving what you want in your writing career. Fire In the Belly The key to a happy and successful writing career – a way of moving yourself forward that’s on-task, productive, sustainable and enjoyable over the long run -- is to cultivate FIRE IN THE BELLY. Without it, you can take all the writing classes -- or hire all the editors, accountability partners or writing coaches you want -- and you’re still not going to achieve your goals in a satisfying or sustainable way.

http://www.coachmarla.com/



Without Fire In the Belly, you risk:

Letting “life” continually sidetrack you and limit what you can accomplish in your writing career

Following the market’s lead too far….and losing your vitality, creativity and “aliveness” in your job or writing business because you forgot to integrate “you” into your career

Pursuing the wrong writing goals for the wrong reason, wasting your time, your energy and your talent

Happy, successful writers need to focus on three things in order to work smart, achieve their goals and reach their full potential in the writing craft and careers. Once you’ve learned these three principles, you can:

Finish writing your book. Create an achievable and deeply satisfying map for your writing life and

business – one that’s so compelling it pulls you forward, calling forth the best use of your time, talent and energy.

Map out a strategic, step-by-step career plan that’s just right for you – eliminating overwhelm and indecision.

Enjoy a consistent, productive and sustainable writing rhythm. Learn to balance writing, work and fun to keep yourself creatively refreshed

and resourced. Think for a moment what that means. When you have Fire in the Belly, you never have to fear:

Hating yourself for not keeping your promise to finish your manuscript – year after year after year

If you freelance, you never have to fear getting imprisoned by lucrative work that dulls your soul

Feeling “less than” who you truly are – passionate, talented, purposeful and productive - in your writing life or business.

So. Ready to know what these three things are and how to get started applying them? Let’s get started.



Key #1 – The Art of Perspective First and foremost, you need to cultivate the first element of Fire in the Belly – a crystal clear perspective. You need to understand with your heart and know in your bones exactly why NOW is the right time to pursue your writing. If you don’t have this crystal-clear perspective – this sense of urgency and inner knowing that, if you’re a writer, you must do your own writing to be happy – you’re going to let your writing take to second fiddle to every real or perceived need that comes along. You’re going to look at the calendar this time next year and you’re going to note – yet again – that nothing’s changed. The book’s still not done. The writing business is still running YOU. The desire to write’s still there, but it’s drowning under the weight of self-doubt, work demands or life “emergencies.” Instead, you need to know exactly how to:

Decide consciously what role or roles you want your writing to play in your life and career

Cultivated the feeling – in your bones – that NOW is the time to honor your talent and pursue your most treasured goals

Feel – in your bones – that you truly are a writer, and, given that truth, that you must write to be fully yourself – to be happy.

Let’s take an example. Meet my client Dee, who came to me as a successful but completely worn-out freelance writer. Technically she was “writing” – but oh man, was she exhausted! Her own creative writing took the back-burner, and she was always waiting until she felt on top of her paid assignments…until she felt permission to write what matters most. (Right there’s a very powerful tip for you: watch for signs you’re waiting for “permission” to write what matters most. It’s my experience in over 7 years of coaching writers that the magic Writing Fairy will never make an appearance & grant you permission to write. You have to claim time, and to do that you have to believe that you deserve to write…that your art and craft is a worthy pursuit, one that enriches your life and heart and mind. Without that belief, you’re going to be waiting passively for life to tell you yes. And I can tell you from my professional – and personal – experience, that this passive way of waiting? It never works.) Getting back to Dee.



Together we helped her find time to make herself happy in the midst of her busy life. She paid more attention to her body and resumed her workout schedule. We cut the fat from her workday. In just a month, she started writing creatively again on a consistent and regular basis. Her creative work started to take form and brought her much happiness and pleasure. She was also happier at work, so she got more done. Her relationship improved, too. The thing is…life doesn’t give us cues to sit up straight and stop wasting our time and talents. What does it take to cultivate “perspective?” Many people gain perspective from the outside-in. You might be approaching a milestone birthday or becoming newly and startlingly aware of the preciousness of life as you recover from illness or the death of a parent or sibling. You may be so unhappy and unfulfilled with your work that you’re considering switching fields or quitting altogether. You may realize suddenly that the paycheck isn’t worth it any longer – something’s got to give. If this is you, I invite you to take heart. I invite you to reframe your despair as an indisputable signal that what’ you’ve been doing is no longer working. I invite you to see your troubling situation as an opportunity – an opportunity to take action and get the help you need to create a happier, better situation for yourself. Speaking of taking heart, this seems like a good time to share with you a bit about my personal story, and how I recently learned the Art of Perspective for myself. How I Learned the Art of “Perspective” Not long ago I was doing well and feeling pretty happy. I had a thriving coaching practice. I enjoyed spending time with my husband and little preschool-aged daughter, and in my spare time I loved hiking the trails here in Marin County, California. Life was pretty darn good. But in Feburary 2012, all that changed. A relative was in crisis, and I’d traveled to be with family. During a particularly uncomfortable conversation, I found myself at odds with others at the table. I got up to take a walk and cool out. On my way to the bathroom my lungs filled with fluid and in a matter of seconds, I could not breathe well at all. I waved for help and someone walked me into the E.R.



I woke up in the intensive care unit the next morning. At 44, I had an episode of flash pulmonary and congestive heart failure brought on by effects from the radiation treatments I’d received back in the 90’s for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. (As someone who once trained to do a 100-mile fundraiser on my bike, this news came as a shock. “Who me…?” I thought. “But I’m healthy!”) My health stabilized and my doctors continued to learn more about my condition over the next month. They discovered that the radiation treatments I’d received in the 1990’s had scarred a coronary artery, and in response – poor thing! -- it blocked itself off completely. Over the past 10 years I learned, my heart responded by creating it’s own natural bypass: a delicate network of auxiliary “collaterals” to nourish and sustain my heart. As a poet and long-time meditation student, I tend to see experience as metaphor. And when I looked at the metaphor of my experience, a few insights struck me hard: I’d been functioning quite well. My heart had started working too hard to support me. Something was blocked. My body learned to adapt. With my own coach’s help, I began to take a deep and honest look at my life. Among other things, I saw that until last year:

o I’d hardly practiced music anymore (much less, performed). o I hadn’t written a song in over 8 years.

I was resilient and strong, yes. But in the midst of living a full and busy life, I realized that my true “heart” wasn’t thriving. Instead…I’d “adapted.” Metaphorically speaking, my creative artery was blocked. And in its place, I saw that I had developed resourceful excuses that went something like this:

o I’m writing for my business. That’s my creative outlet right now. o I have to wait to write until the time is right. (Like maybe in 10 years?) o I might upset someone by focusing on my creative work. o It’s really not all that important, is it?

I started to see that I’d “put away” parts of me, because owning my dreams and expressing myself fully was scary. (And inconvenient.) As a result, I’d blocked off access to my art and creativity -- a source of joy, fulfillment and wisdom. After five months, I had a procedure that restored my health and created normal blood flow to my heart again. (Whoo hoo!)



After I recovered, I decided to take action to restore the metaphoric “flow” of my own life and vitality. I hired a coach to keep me accountable. I started learning and practicing healing QiGong daily. I moved from a co-op office space to a private studio near my home where I’m able to work – and sing. And I invested in professional help (a voice teacher, occasional visits to a vocal coach) to help me structure my practice, set goals and develop my potential as an artist. Today, my creative practice is as much a part of my “work” as is coaching. I embraced my health challenge and used it as an opportunity to do what matters most. I realized that I had to use my time to practice my craft, honor my talent and get the support I needed if I wanted to be fully alive and truly happy. (And oh how I want to be fully alive and “truly happy!”) So since the summer of 2012, since I gained perspective and started paying myself first, I’ve seen big payoffs in my life and business. I’m happier and a better mother and wife. My coaching clients are getting better results due to my super-sharp clarity. (And feistiness.) And I’m finally gaining traction with an artistic form I’d put away for nearly a decade. But the best of all is this: I have integrity with myself. I am a singer and a songwriter, and singers sing….and writers write. I’m making my “art” a priority despite everything else life wants me to focus on. And I feel healthy, alive and whole again as a result. I hope my story offers you something of value. Life really is short. That’s the truth. Right now I encourage you to recall a time you knew this in your bones and if you haven’t yet had one of “those” experiences…I invite you to borrow this one from me! Mast the art of perspective and you’ll never again feel good putting your talents on the back burner. You’ll lay a necessary and rock-solid foundation for creating the happy, successful writing life and career you dream of. A Shortcut to Success And I want to be frank with you: this process is a lot easier, and a lot more fun, with the support and perspective of an objective, intuitive and supportive partner. If my words and energy are resonating for you, I encourage you to take action now and arrange to hop on the phone with me in person so we can look at your situation and



start getting you unstuck. Visit the Coaching page on my website (www.CoachMarla.com) to read about my Fire in the Belly strategy sessions and purchase yours today. Key #2 – The Art of Passion Let’s move on to Key #2 – Passion. It’s great to decide that NOW is the time to prioritize your writing again. But this insight – important as it is -- is useless for creating a happy and successful writing career, unless you consciously decide exactly where to train your attention and energy. The art of “Passion” is knowing…of all the possible writing career goals possible for you…exactly which ones to focus on, and which ones to focus on first. Mastering this skill of aligning yourself with your passions – this actually isn’t as easy as it may seem. All kinds of obstacles can arise when you embark on this path of being more “you” in your writing career, including:

Mistaking your “true self” for a set of expectations or ideas you took in from someone else

Convincing yourself that your best ideas won’t appeal to others or sell anyone (so…why bother write it, right?)

Deluding yourself into a false duality…forcing yourself to choose one of two options – when in reality, many, many possibilities exist for you to “be yourself” and sell your work or make money

Here’s an example of the Art of Passion from my coaching practice. Kay was a seasoned journalist with a novel-in-progress. She’d been away from full-time writing to raise her family, and she came to me for help. She wanted to figure out how to get back to earning money writing. And ideally, she said she wanted to finish her novel. Kay’s situation was similar to many writers’ circumstances: she had subject-matter expertise in an area that could earn her great money. Trouble was, she no longer cared about it. At all. Should she get a bread-and-butter gig in her old specialty so she could afford to write? Should she try more rewarding work and risk not having time to work on her novel? As is the case with many writers I work with, when we explored Kay’s passions this false duality disappeared. We looked at Kay’s interests, her preferences and her peeves. We dreamed big for awhile. And together we found a lucrative alternative




that used her favorite writing skills and afforded her time to finish her first novel and start a second. Kay found a high-paying writing gig that complemented her creative writing because she took time – and was wise enough to get support – looking at her passions and all the possibilities open to her. When she finally made a decision – and when she got out there and started to learn what would and wouldn’t work for her – she was consciously creating her writing life and career, deciding exactly what to pursue and in what order. Today she remains an accomplished freelancer who writes creatively on a regular basis, too. The Art of Possibility and practice of discovery helps creative writers, too. A longtime client of mine first came to me overwhelmed by creative projects. He was an essayist who wrote columns and non-fiction pieces. He desperately wanted to write a book. I led Pete through the same systematic process I used with Kay. Together we looked at his values and passions and interests. We looked for “through-lines” and creative obsessions. We cast a wide, wide net just for fun. And what we discovered was that – like many of you – he had a few creative niches. And to encompass all of his desires and interests, he needed a bigger vision—a compelling, bright picture of what he might want to accomplish in a few years’ time. From this discovery process – which typically takes just 3-4 weeks with my private clients – we found ways for Pete to prioritize his projects and his passions. While working with me, Pete grew his craft and broke into major publications. We worked together several years, and now he’s now pursuing an MFA, preparing for a career in university teaching career. Interesting thing is, he’s working on his degree while working at his professional job – a possibility he’d not considered when he was stuck in black-and-white, false duality thinking. It’s awfully common to break through black-and-white thinking to a world of color and possibility. If you know you need help stretching your sense of what’s possible for your writing career and life – and believe me, most of us do – I encourage you to get someone to help you with this process. Talk with a trusted friend. Better yet, work with a coach. As I mentioned before, I’d be happy to hop on the phone to help you break through to your passions and your purpose for writing. Visit the “Coaching” page on my website for more info. When you master the art of passion you learn to write what matters most. There are a few steps to this process, and each step enables you to feel freer and lighter and more empowered in your writing life and career. “Perspective” plus “Passion” creates an excellent foundation for a happy and successful writing career and a life you love.



Key #3 – The Art of Power Let’s recap: - The Art of Perspective helps you get back to your writing….now. - The Art of Passion helps you discern what to work on.

Now that you know when to write (now) and what to work on, it’s time to cultivate the third and final element of Fire in the Belly: the Art of Power. For many, many writers struggle with an abyss between their seeing their very real and rather urgent writing goals out in front of them…and feeling discouraged by their actual practice of writing. Writers in business for themselves often struggle with a discouraging gap between what they see possible for their work and talents…and the actuality of their day to day work. The Art of Power is simply the art of creating systems, strategies, structures and tools to help you turn your vision into practical, career-building actions. A few examples:

You have to learn to create productive writing routines that harness your natural disposition (vs. forcing yourself to conform to some outside-in ideas about what works when getting your writing done). Sure, you may experience some temporary successes with butt-in-chair, “NaNoWriMo” or the Pomodoro, but to create a sustainable and enjoyable writing practice over time, you need to be YOU as you write. (This bears repeating: you don’t have to become somebody else to get your writing done. You just need to learn to harness the power inherent in who you are and how you naturally tend to get your writing done. That’s it.)

If you freelance, you’re going to do much better with your work when you create simple, custom-fit systems to get new clients and market new services. (There’s no use doing someone else’s step-by-step structures if it doesn’t fit your personality. Introverts can learn to network. Unconfident “self-promoters” can learn to share their work in ways that feel right to them. You don’t have to become somebody else to learn to sell or market your writing services.)

To incorporate the Art of Power into your writing life and career, you just need to focus on two things:



Creating systems, repeatable structures and sequences to cut through

overwhelm and keep you organized, on-track and moving forward.

Creating systems, structures and sequences that integrate your personality and acknowledge the truth of who you are – what you love and what you resist; what you are eager to do and not so eager to do; what you love and what you fear.

In your writing practice, The Art of Power enables you to relax and remove unnecessary drains on your energy. (There’s nothing more draining than being someone you’re not.) In your writing business, The Art of Power enables you to relax and stop resisting marketing your work. In your writing career, The Art of Power enables you to relax and take new risks…in your own time, on your own terms….and with a purpose. The Art of Power is a beautiful marriage of strategy and self-knowing mixed with a bit of mindfulness and magic.

‘Cause there’s no better way to learn than by observing. (That’s the mindfulness piece.)

And there’s no better way to advance your writing career than to take

confident action in the right direction and watch for the synchronicities and surprises that seem to happen when we are aligning our passion with our way of being and taking action in the world. So, so much is possible!

Best of all, the Art of Power provides you with an opportunity to create

lightness and play in your writing life. To track your progress, yes – but to do it in a fun way that ends up spurring you forward.

Writers I work with who adapt this idea – of smart, custom-fit (and sometimes playful) systems and habits – find that they get better return on their writing time and efforts. They have more energy. They enjoy themselves, too! True power isn’t the ability to do what you’re told (and do it well). True “power” is the ability to work on the writing projects that matter most – with intellect and heart. With productive action and playfulness. With purpose and freedom.



Let me give you a get-started tip for this one. Take a look at your writing life and career. What systems, tools or structures do you use to guide yourself as you:

Sit down to write? Pitch stories, assignments or clients? Use social media and online marketing to build your writing business? Service clients (writing, editing, coaching, invoicing, following up, etc.)? Craft your website and other promo materials? Build your platform? Get speaking gigs? Stay creatively “hydrated” and engaged?

As you take a look at the systems you use in your writing life and career, choose one or two habits to look at. Brainstorm how you can honor your natural ways of working and being. (If you’re stumped for ideas, visit my blog at www.CoachMarla.com.) Bottom line, here? You’re wasting time and energy if you’re trying to write (or market or pitch or promote) “just as you’re told.” You’re going to get much better results – and feel much happier, as well -- when you figure out exactly how to be YOU as you write and as you work. Fire in the Belly – Why We Need It Now More Than Ever We’ve covered a lot of ground, here! If you’ve made it this far, that tells me you’re someone who’s probably already mastering that first Art – the Art of Perspective. You want your writing life and career to change. And you’re willing to invest time with me here to do just that. Congratulations! When I told my husband I was working on a talk about inner fire, he started to think out loud about fire. “In ancient times, people relied on the power of fire just to survive,” he said. I got to thinking about those cave men and women gathering around a fire. And know what? I realized how strongly I believe that these days – in our times, Fire in the Belly is just as important to one’s survival in this world as it was in ancient times. Not physically, so much. But creatively. Emotionally. Spiritually, even. Today we live in a fast-paced world and all around us we’re surrounded by an unprecedented number of things competing for our attention, time and creativity. Without inner direction – without a sense of perspective, passion and power -- we act habitually and fall into habits of doing:




what’s expected,

what’s profitable,

or simply, what’s next.

Think about those three ideas for a moment. In fact, I suggest you write them down: “What’s expected…” “What’s profitable…” “What’s next…” Use this prompt to journal or make a few lists for yourself. Think about what areas of your writing life and career you typically fall back on doing simply what’s expected, what’s profitable or what’s next. If you’re going to join me for a private Fire in the Belly strategy session, I want you to be sure you bring your responses to our call. This exercise is very illuminating. Our goal is to get you out of “automatic” ways of writing and pursuing your career goals. We want to shift you into high gear with perspective and passion and permission to explore ways to be exactly YOU as you write and work and grow in your career. Wrap Up To wrap up, I’d like you to take a second to write down 2 ideas you want to act on as a result of listening to this call. Which of the arts – perspective, passion or possibility – got your attention? Where did you feel most excited and hopeful as you listened to this call? How will you put into action what you’ve learned? Ready to explore working with a coach? If so, let’s get on the phone and explore working together. Best way to get started is to meet me for a Fire in the Belly strategy session. Everything you need to get started is at www.CoachMarla.com/coaching/. If meeting up feels right to you, I encourage you to take action today – don’t put it off. It was a real pleasure to spend this time with you today and I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the call. Come by my Facebook fan page – you can do a search on “Marla Beck – Life Coach for Writers” -- and leave me a note with your thoughts and questions about this call. I’ll look forward to hearing from you! Signing off – this is Marla Beck over at CoachMarla.com. Here’s to stepping forward towards a writing life you love. I wish you all the courage, clarity, conviction and skills you need to bring your brilliance forward!

http://www.coachmarla.com/coaching/



Now get out there and write. # # #

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Career & Life Coach for Writers · learn more about my services and background over at . Whether you’re a working freelance journalist, a successful professional in another field,