Without Breaking Your Heart or Losing Your Mind

I’m so glad you’re here!

We have a lot in common…

We’re committed to the craft.

We’re serious about our writing.

We’re passionate about KidLit.

You might recognize me fromJon Bard’s Disruptor podcast.

First, a little about me…

Founder of DIY MFA the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master’s in writing.

Books are my passion and I love all genres (except literary fiction).

New Yorker, born, raised and still live there. (I know, I’m a unicorn!)

Theme parks are my nerdy obsession.

Please participate!

Type questionsinto the Q&A box.

Click “raise hand” to ask questions live.

We’ll have Q&Aat the end.

One day, I woke up and thought:

I’ve got it!

I know the secret formula

for being a writer.

Step 1: Jump Through Hoop

Step 2: *Magic*

Step 3: Become Writer

Myths

You’re a writer if you’re published.

Many people ascribe to the Field of Dreams approach to writing and publishing: “If you write it, they will buy it.”

But we can’t wait for someone else to say we’re writers. We have to own it ourselves.

Take-home message: Even successful authorsstruggle with impostor syndrome.

Myth #1

Myth #2You’re a writer if you get a degree.

The sky does not part and beams of light do not shine down on graduation day, anointing you “writer.”

This myth also assumes that what you learn in school is all you need to be a writer…

…Or that learning can’t happen in any other context.

Take-home message: You don’t need a degreeto be a “real writer.” You already are one.

Myth #3You’re a writer if you write a lot and read a lot.

Just because Stephen King said so, doesn’t make it true.

Writing and reading can be good for you.

It can also make you spin your wheels. A lot.

Take-home message: The key is focus and direction.The only “best practice” is what works best for you.

Remember:

There are two sides to writing,your mind and your heart.

To feed your writing mindyou need one thing…

Iteration

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter.

Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

Samuel Beckett

Failing Better is VITAL

= choose a variable to track.

= collect information or data.

= set a tripwire or deadline.

= evaluate or analyze your results.

= learn and decide what’s next.

V

I

T

A

L

The Iteration

Cycle

V is for Variable

Choose a variable.

Make sure it is concrete and easy to measure.

In writing, time or word count often works best.

Pro Tip: When a goal starts to feel easy, add

10% to it, to give it that extra bit of challenge.

I is for Information

Gather information.

Practice working toward your goal.

Collect data and see what happens.

Don’t judge, just observe.

Pro Tip: It usually takes at least 10

data points to see a pattern.

T is for Tripwire

Set a tripwire.

Practice does not necessarily make perfect, but

it does make things permanent.

Set a deadline for how long you will practice

before you evaluate and make adjustments.

Pro Tip: It takes between 2-3 weeks to create a

new habit. Set your tripwire before then.

A is for AnalysisAnalyze your results.

Are you getting productive or destructive results?

Is your practice helping or hindering your writing?

Don’t make value judgments. Instead ask:

What’s working? What can I improve?

Pro Tip: Beware of getting too bogged down here.

Focus on the overall picture.

L is for LearningLearn and decide what’s next.

If it’s working, keep it up.

If it’s not working, pivot.

Pivot can mean small adjustments, or

going “back to the drawing board.”

Pro Tip: Adjust one variable at a time so

you can see cause-and-effect.

What about goal-setting?

Climbing the Mountain

Step 1: Figure out which mountain to climb.

Step 2: Map out where to set up camp along

the way.

Step 3: Reverse-engineer your action steps

so you can reach each milestone.

How It Works

What’s your big vision or

big goal?

What milestones do you

need to hit along the way?

Now, work backwards and

fill out the action steps.

Questions to Consider

Are you climbing the right mountain?

How will you know when you’ve reached the peak? (i.e. plant your flag)

Are your milestones, the right ones for you?

Are your action steps effective?

It all comes down to adopting a

meta mindsetand being objective in your process.

What about the heart stuff?

Mindfulness

Mindfulness Manifesto

Honor your reality.

Don’t compound failure with guilt.

Resistance is your compass.

Don’t panic. Just ask “How?”

“The Wall” does not exist.

Honor Your RealityLife is part of your reality.

Writing is also part of your reality.

You need to make room for both.

This is not an excuse to be lazy.

Be honest with yourself. You’ll know the difference.

Failure vs. GuiltIn mindfulness terms it’s like Pain vs. Suffering.

Suffering (i.e. guilt) is counterproductive.

Pain is objective. Suffering is subjective and only compounds the pain.

In other words...

Feeling guilty when you fail to meet a goal will not make words magically appear on the page.

Angst JarHonor the angst/guilt.

Then channel it by putting it in the jar.

Redirect your thoughts (sometimes multiple times each day).

Don’t ignore the angst; but you needto get it out of your way.

Resistance Is Your CompassResistance exists for a reason.

It is a powerful tool, like a compass.

Resistance usually stems from fear.

It flags topics or projects that are “dangerous” or important, ones that have meaning.

When you feel resistance, pause and dig deep. Figure out where this resistance is coming from.

Ask “How?”Panic is suffering, and it’s counterproductive. Turn panic-driven thoughts into questions.

Don’t say: “I can’t…,”Say: “How can I…?”

This may seem like semantics, but there’s a subtle—and important—difference.

A statement implies there is no answer. A question suggests that the answer is there, you just haven’t found it yet.

Which brings me to…

“The Wall”

is open for Enrollment

!

DIY MFA boils down to this formula:

How Does It Work?

(Creative

Output)

(Creative Input) (Creative

Exchange)

Module 1: Orientation

Module 2: Character

Module 3: Story

Module 4: Narration

Module 5: Scenes

Module 6: Reading

Module 7: Expertise

Module 8: Colleagues

Module 9: Platform

Module 10: Publishing

The DIY MFA Approach is…

Personalized: Choose what works for you.

Empowering: You can focus on what you need.

Sustainable: Fits around your busy life.

Supportive: Helps you find a community.

Plus, it grows with you over time!

Traditional vs. DIY MFA2 years & location specific

Workshop with peers

Literature seminar

Professors & pomp

Literary fiction emphasis

No access after graduation

Tuition: > $50,000

10 weeks & online

Laser-focused critique

Reading with purpose

Platform & publishing

You can write anything!

Continued access

Tuition: $499(or 3 payments of $199)

To register for the course go to:

DIYMFA101.com

Claim yourbonus critique!

Sign up before 11:59pm ET on Friday, October 18

DIY MFA 101

Plus, a limited-time Bonus!

First-PageCritique Call

Sign up by 11:59pm ET on Friday, Oct 18

Plus, ANOTHER limited-time Bonus!

30-minute Marketing &Promotion Consultation

with Jon Bard!

Sign up by 11:59pm ET FRIDAY, October 18!

Before DIY MFA 101, I barely managed to write. Now I

fit in writing sessions three times a week, sometimes

every day.

This course is packed with great information and

comes with access to a great teacher in Gabriela, not

to mention a wonderful community of word nerds.

The course is well worth the investment of your

money and time.

Sara Farmer

Jane Alcala

Gabriela and her program freed me from countless

misconceptions and transformed my relationship

with writing.

I couldn't believe how much I accomplished in three

months. Gabriela's infectious enthusiasm and

targeted solutions make this course stand out.

The value of the course—and the ability to continue

with the program and other participants indefinitely—

far exceeds the cost.

Richelle Aschenbrenner

Gabriela is a fantastic teacher and advisor, and I was

blown away by the quality of her DIYMFA 101 Course.

The tools from the 101 Course are priceless, and I

continue to use them as part of my daily writing practice.

Also, I highly recommend signing up for the 101 Course

early enough to be eligible for the critique sessions that

Gabriela hosts at the end of the course. They are worth

the price of admission all by themselves!

Before joining the course I felt isolated, too old. Now I am

part of a community of writers of all ages, from around

the world, at every level in their writing career.

If you have never taken an on-line course, this is a great

one to start with. The pace of the releases will keep you

on track. The energy of the videos is inspiring.

This was not my first on-line writing course, but it was

one of the best I have participated in.

Brenda Rech

As a pantser, I found the structure that DIYMFA

provided extremely helpful. It did not stifle my

process, instead it allowed me to dive deeper into

the craft.

Every time I revisit a module, I go a little deeper

and refine my process.

I’m so grateful to have DIY MFA as a resource.

Gabriela always goes above and beyond in

inspiring and supporting her word nerds.

Dina Isola

Kathleen Duncan

Thanks to DIY MFA I am no longer spinning my wheels

on a rough draft. My novel has an outline with structure

and scenes. Having the modules available after the class

concludes is priceless. I can review the modules as

needed when working specifically on characters or point of

view in a particular scene or chapter.

The best part of the course for me is the community.

A wonderful group of people including Gabriela

continuously in discussion over modules and sharing

excerpts for feedback. Priceless!

10 weeks

Online classroom

Continued access

Critique bonusExpires Friday, Oct 18 at 11:59pm ET

DIYMFA101.com

DIY MFA 101