Episode 122: Share Your Story

[00:00:02] What You Want, When You Want It, Where You Want It, This Is The Mesh. And really help you understand why this might be a wonderful next step for you. And you're reading, journey, I'm so excited you're here and excited.

[00:00:41] Hello and welcome to another episode of The Written Compass. I am super excited today because we are going to continue and extend the conversation. I have talked before on this podcast about the power of collaborative books.

[00:00:58] And I have unveiled and shared that we have an official book series called Unveiling The Secrets. And we have a new process for authors to continuously submit to that and be considered for publication, become a part of our embodied writing community.

[00:01:14] But what makes this episode in discussion of the collaborative book even more exciting and special is. I have my team here who also happened to be published in all of our collaborative books so far. And in this unveiling The Secrets series, so hello team. Welcome, say hello. Hello.

[00:01:37] We're still learning. What podcast? I'll be able to. Oh, out loud. Say hello. How loud. Don't play that the camera. I love it. Oh my goodness. So I would love to know maybe we can start off of just talking from the writer perspective.

[00:01:58] What has it been like for you because everybody here is now published a couple of times in our collaborative books. What has that process been like for you? Let's start with you, Taylor. Yeah, I think the process has been amazing.

[00:02:15] I've found the writing days that we do to be super beneficial for me like just having that container of space and then just the reminder to get the words down and out.

[00:02:28] So I feel like with the pieces that I've published, it's really been y'all's voice in my head just saying get it out and we'll see what happens.

[00:02:37] And starting from that place, I've just like radical acceptance of whatever I want to say and then rolling that into what is like the finish final piece over the course of a couple of months. So that's been really exciting for me. I love that radical acceptance. Yeah.

[00:02:57] The radical acceptance just jumped out and made me think we need to post that somewhere because that's what it is. I'm a name for how I feel about our whole process for people who are interested in the collaborative process.

[00:03:17] So say what you're going to say, say it loud, say it proud and we're here for it. I do love that. I love how to and Taylor. I think you're a good example.

[00:03:31] I feel like sending it well. I'll clean myself to. I forgot that I kind of write this poetry in these things sometimes. That I don't mean to, but it just sort of comes out.

[00:03:42] But I think I'm inspired by Melissa who is actually a published poet and Taylor also who writes.

[00:03:49] I don't even think we can call them non-traditional anymore because I feel like there's just so much diversity in the genres that we include in these collaborative books that we're just making them the norm.

[00:03:59] But Taylor creates like internal conversations and helps guide the reader through these like meta narratives, so to speak. And I love that.

[00:04:09] And typically, Cindy and I write in more prose like Melissa does too, but you can't help in my opinion, but be poetic even if it is a quote traditional sentence because that just seems to be the way things come out of you. Do you relate to that?

[00:04:28] Yeah, it in all of my writing. There's a picture or a movie happening in my head and I'm just trying to describe it. The words come out a little, I don't want to say flowery. That's not the right word. A miracle. A miracle. A miracle.

[00:04:49] But not in like not unlike the sexual way, central way, sometimes the sexual way, but always central. Yeah, very textured and layered and whatnot.

[00:04:59] So Melissa, what has that process been like as you try to get that picture at your head and into words and doing it as a part of the collaborative books?

[00:05:10] Well, echo everything Taylor said and just emphasize how important that container of space is because I think as a writer one of the hardest things is making the time sitting your butt in the chair writing the damn thing.

[00:05:31] I think a lot of us go about our days writing in our heads and we think of it right line, but it's I can't stop right now. I'm doing this other thing.

[00:05:44] Having that accountability to meet with people on specific day, specific time that's blocked out on your calendar is so helpful.

[00:05:54] And then also being there with the community of people because during writing great people share, get to hear how their process is going. Sometimes it's going great sometimes it's just as messy as yours which is. Yeah, I appreciate it.

[00:06:13] So yeah, the community aspect and the accountability in making space all that has been very helpful. I do love the affirmation that people have in and I think it can get amplified when you are writing towards a common thing like you do in a and the collaborative book.

[00:06:31] It's this beautiful integration of writing individually and writing collectively all at the same time. I don't think people, you know there's this nice like have your head down and just writing your piece and trying to sort through and create space for that.

[00:06:48] And we perk up right as people are sharing on those writing days or we start to see what other people are writing and get a little glimmer and glimps into that.

[00:06:57] And there's this excitement at energy that kind of comes all together and then we can go back into you know burrowing into our piece whatever that wants to look like.

[00:07:09] Yeah, and I want to hear from Cindy because Cindy really holds the full space of our collaborative books. She's kind of taken that on as being a leader as our lead writing coach around that so talk to us about what it feels like for using to.

[00:07:24] I was thinking of what Melissa was saying about the importance of the writing group and I was going to tell a story real quick we had a writer say lead off her share by saying y'all tell me if this is too much.

[00:07:43] And before she even read the thing six people had written in the chat it's never too much. Yes, so she had that affirmation and then she told this story which I'm not going to tell because you don't have to buy her book to read it that just got it us all and I had to take a moment.

[00:08:08] And it needs so needs to be in the world. And she had the safety of that space and all that the other writers in the community to say yes please please please write this we're going to be unhappy if you don't.

[00:08:26] So not only is it not too much but you're going to be in big trouble if you don't put it out there.

[00:08:33] Yeah and every writer needs that affirmation that reminder that someone they didn't even sometimes we know the words we want and we just want to hear you know I and at the same time we also sometimes get that gut punch of like do they know me I didn't know I needed those words at the same time.

[00:08:48] Yeah, what were you going to share Melissa? I was going to ask if you can tell us who's book you're talking about and that we're waiting for anxiously. So you can tell us who's the second book. Second book. Yeah. Nice. Nice.

[00:09:04] As far as the collaborative process it is my deep pleasure and so much fun for me to read through from shitty first draft all the way to the end of these pieces and watch them come to be.

[00:09:22] What they turn out to be in the world and then I also get to revision is my favorite favorite favorite thing and I'll spare you the song that I have about it that I sing in my head when I'm doing it but.

[00:09:36] How the pieces organically fit together like I never know when we put out these calls for a collab book I never know what the thing is going to look like in the end which is a writer thing most of the time when you're writing a book.

[00:09:50] Fun fact you never know where it's going. You think you know, but you don't know. So we've asked that process. We we put our money where our mouth is and trust that process with the collaborative book it's a hey y'all want to write something.

[00:10:07] We put out the call people send us the somethings. I give some feedback on the shitty first draft if you have a question about it. I'll answer the question but mostly I'm just going to trust you that it's a first draft and you're still working on it.

[00:10:24] Then by the second draft, you send me questions. I answer them. I'll tell you if I'm missing a something I give you as a reader experience just for your individual piece is not even a hole for me yet. Until I get the final stop touching it draft.

[00:10:43] And then it all just starts to fall together into what this thing is going to be and I'm always surprised. I always have a moment of panic of how in the world is all of this good to fit together.

[00:10:58] So have my panic moment and then I tell the people and then I go from there. Yeah, it's an amazing process to work with and witness and be a part of all at the same time.

[00:11:17] And just to echo what Cindy was saying we now have two different ways for people to submit to the collaborative book and that's really exciting. We'll make sure we have the link in the show tonight's today is just shainaheartman.com slash author submissions with an S.

[00:11:35] So if you've got a piece or something you've worked on that's pretty polished, you can enter that submit that and we can kind of give you a year nay regardless you'll get professional level feedback from our team about your work regardless of whether accepted for publication or not.

[00:11:53] The other option is to simply submit an idea. Here's what I think might fit into the unveiling the secret series.

[00:11:59] We have lots of different themes that we share that you can explore on that link that I shared and then you can come into the community and receive the support the process like Cindy is kind of talking about.

[00:12:12] So I really love that we have kind of the way to meet people right where they are if there's someone who's got a system or a process or you know support already and they've been writing and they're used to submitting pieces and they can fall into that kind of initial category of just submitting their work.

[00:12:28] Or if this is a newer process or they're just getting started with this idea of submitting and publishing then they can just submit an idea and we're going to walk you through and support you along the way and you get an automatic, you know, you're going to be accepted for publication and we're going to work with you to get to that publication.

[00:12:45] I also love about the collaborative books is all of our clients who are working on their individual books always always have the option to submit for the collaborative book.

[00:12:55] So we really honor the idea that like Melissa was saying you're kind of always writing and you're always having ideas and the more we can flex that muscle and keep it going and whatnot, we really support people in that they are writers that really living that life.

[00:13:10] And I think the collaborative book is just another element and layer to all of that.

[00:13:16] And for a lot of people they start with the collaborative book because it's a way to receive all kind of the same reward as publishing being a published author with a lot less words and so if it's something that you're kind of wanting to dip your toe in, then I say come over to the collaborative book and let that be kind of a springboard jumping off point.

[00:13:39] You can hear the ways that we get affirmed in our words and our writing in the community and then you can let that lead you into your own individual book.

[00:13:48] We're super excited about this series like we're really just a rock and roll and keep checking along it was not expected that we were going to turn this into a series but after we published the first one last year or when this kind comes out this podcast episode, it was.

[00:14:06] We did the first unveiling the secrets book. We realized we had more things to say and more things we wanted to share and so very quickly and very clearly turned into a series and we thought we were going to do one a year.

[00:14:20] And then we very quickly realize yeah there's more things and we want to keep this going.

[00:14:25] So now we have this beautiful open submission process and we're just really open to seeing what wants to show up and who wants to show up and how that gets to continue to grow. And evolve from here on out.

[00:14:40] I want to highlight something you said a minute ago about this submission process that. You get feedback. Yeah, I don't know how many of your listeners are used to the submission process with various writing submission opportunities but you pay your fee.

[00:15:01] If you're selected to be published, you definitely hear back. If you're not, you may or may not hear anything back but you don't ever get writing coaching.

[00:15:13] You don't ever get a level of developmental editing and I think one of the things that Cindy is so great at is when she reads your work.

[00:15:25] She knows there's more of a story in certain places she and two it's there's more right here that that we need to know about and she asks questions or says tell me more about this.

[00:15:35] And often that's where the heart of the story is but you as the writer maybe weren't. Seeing that. You don't get that with other a lot of other submission for anthology opportunities. Yeah, I love that thank you for reminding us of that.

[00:15:54] We want to honor, you know if anyone's putting their words out to us or to the world or to be considered we want to honor that and the very least we can do is provide some you know feedback that's not just a famous to come up here or whatever like actual.

[00:16:11] Reader response level feedback here is how these words are landing here's what is working here is where I wanted to know more.

[00:16:19] Cindy and I both are very versed in that and it's just it's just how we have to respond there's just no way around it we wouldn't do it any other way and so I love that we have that level for people who have our in the experience of submitting and maybe we offer.

[00:16:40] That next level of support that people haven't had before and then you also have the option of receiving you know complete and full in depth support with the other level.

[00:16:50] So I'm so excited for our next collaborative book which will be coming out later this year in 2024 and more and more and more books to come we're just so excited about this being an accessible way for people to get.

[00:17:06] They're writing and their words out into the world to unveil. Their voice and secrets about all sorts of topics that we just want to.

[00:17:15] Pull back the curtain from and learn more about and hear each other's experiences because I think that's how I mean we're as humans were storytellers and we love hearing other people's stories and that's what connects us to each other.

[00:17:29] So as always thank you to my team for being here and for sharing about the collaborative book process we're so excited to see your work and as I said before you can head to shanaheartman.com slash author submissions with an S that'll be linked in the shenets for this episode and we can't wait to.

[00:17:48] So see your words and hopefully have you joined to be one of our authors in the unveiling the secrets book series. Thank you all for being here so so much enjoyed it and let's look at this.

[00:18:01] Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Written Compass. If you are enjoying this content do me a favor and go and review the podcast.

[00:18:11] This allows me to share and get these messages out to the people who really need them, who we want to read their books in the picture. You can also go and share your thoughts and tag me at the Shena Heartman UnderScore on Instagram.

[00:18:25] Again this is just a way for us to connect it and share the writing for the month. And if you know that you are ready to write the book that message that's been hurting inside of you for a long time,

[00:18:37] and I want to talk to you, my team and I want to talk to you. Head on over to Shena Heartman.com and click work with us. From there you'll see an application to explore and see if writing your book is your next best step.

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