This October I challenge you to 10x an area of your business! - sales - page reads - pre-orders - subscribers - word count - followers - whatever you want! Post your goal in the comments! If you're not sure, post an idea and we'll help you workshop it. It's okay if the goal is a big scary--we'll cheerlead you! Shoot for the moon and land among the stars. We have a kick-off call October 1st! Let's do this!

I'm not sure if this will be allowed (and if it's not, I'll remove), but this has changed the entire way I create characters, so I thought I'd pass along the juicy info, and there's some fab news too (scroll to the bottom to skip all the blah-de-blah for just the good news)! TL;DR: Claire Taylor did a Kickstarter last summer for building characters using the Enneagram personality psychology system, and it changed my writing game. She's doing another one for relationship building that closes in 3 days. And now, I gush about it for several paragraphs. Skip to the *** if you don't care about that. Claire Taylor, Enneagram author coach extraordinaire, ran a Kickstarter last summer for a book called Write Iconic Characters. In it, she spelled out the 9 Enneagram Types and how to apply those details to character creation. Y'all. Y'ALL. This book changed the entire way I map character creation. I know our book beloveds come to us in highly personal and individual ways—I'm probably the biggest diva about character building because if I lose their voice, I can't write them at all. I used to use a highly detailed character background worksheet, complete with a picture of visual inspiration, even for secondary characters. The more detailed I could make it, the better I felt I knew them. What their fave drinks/colors/movies/cars/phrases were, accents, mannerisms, background stories, clothing style, pets, nicknames, tics, even health challenges. I wrote it ALL down. My Scrivener projects were ... messy. But I would still struggle, and often. When it came to putting MCs and side characters into friction-filled situations—whether that involved an argument or physical danger—I wasn't always clear how the character would react to the events. When it came to them reacting to others' behavior, it was worse. I'd get so stuck. Sometimes for weeks at a time. My poor spouse got stuck with sooo many conversations where I'd try to pick and pick and pick at what was wrong with a scene to get myself unstuck.

We'll be scripting our dream lives... inserting future goals into a familiar setting. ;D I'll explain more Sunday. There's a lot of research around journaling and how this sort of scripting can help you get clear on what you actually want and give your unconscious clear instructions on what to go for. Your brain is a predictive machine, so give it clear instructions on where to go and it will get you there. :D Come and use your affiliate code to invite a friend! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gw-PXgnn6foGvPJmgJSjBLytkjfliyJOTvJxF-A-vf4/edit?usp=sharing

I've been rereading the Big Leap and he talks about how we all have an upper limit, the high end of our comfort zone where we might sabotage ourselves before ascending it. I'm curious if you've noticed this in your own life. I definitely hit one in 2022. Some of it was burn out--I didn't allow myself enough rest and fun to recooperate. And I once left a room of very successful authors, telling myself I did belong (even though I did!). And I see how I avoid being more visible on social media--there's some visibility I allow but I tend to control it. Denise DT talks about how some people get sick before launches, or don't allow themselves to launch at all! Or spend their money as fast as they make it, or give their money away or feel guilty about saving it. Or avoid doing the things that would make them successful, like marketing (I've done this too!). Think of a time you had some break out success or momentum and notice how you behaved. Did you celebrate? Allow yourself to rest? Or did you go out and wreck your car (I had an entrepreneurial ex-boyfriend who did this every time business went well)? No judgement, just notice! How do you sabotage yourself when reaching your upper limit?

If you're on the premium level, you should see all the dates on the calendar! If you are only in the community, you can upgrade by clicking purchase on the full Book Marketing bootcamp in the classroom. Make sure you go through the mini bootcamp first! it's included in your membership. Use those classes to grow your income--the rest of the bootcamp will be there when you need. :) Tomorrow: Golden Angel on Money Matters for Authors Tuesday: Golden Angel on Author Budget Wednesday: Work sprints with moi--we'll focus on our marketing plan and getting a solid sales funnel-- and The Click Problem: Writing Emails That Actually Drive Sales with Holly Darling Thursday Work sprints with moi and Newsletter Strategies with Tammi Labreque Friday: Ad walkthrough and sprint with Stasia Black, then ads Q/A with Malorie Cooper of the writing wives! Bring all your ad questions, please. :D Let me know if you have any questions. 🌈💃🦄📚