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May 14th, 2013
 Hi Aspiring & Published Authors!
May is one of my favourite months of the year. The brown winter landscape gradually transforms into a rich tapestry of multiple shades of green, as if the natural world is being painted with the colour of new life as it emerges from sleeping buds.
Encouraged by this natural surge of creative energy, this week I’m raising the bar to the next level with the book I am writing.
Having danced with a few creative daemons and demons in the last couple of weeks, I’m now heading more deeply into the conscious uncertainty that is the hallmark of this stage of the Conscious Writing process.
Staying balanced between focus and flow, showing up regularly, and remaining open to all possibilities, I’ll be interested to see where this journey into the Mystery eventually leads!
Inspiring Interviews
Alongside all of this, one of the aspects of my work that I love is speaking with the genuinely inspiring authors and international experts who contribute their time freely for our monthly Events.
Each year we create a compilation of the six best interviews of the year in an audio CD set which forms part of the Welcome Pack that FULL Members receive. Now it is time to make the Best of 2012 Interviews available for everyone to benefit from.
We are delighted to offer an introductory price until Friday 31 May so if you’d like to know The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, The Power of Storytelling to Find Your Voice, the Four Noble Truths for Writers, how you can Create Time to Write, and Develop a Book Marketing Plan, read more here.
Date for Your Diary
Looking ahead, if you missed the Live in London Conscious Writing workshop last month and would like to experience this deep approach to writing in the company of other Conscious Writers, you have another opportunity on Saturday 15 June at the Isbourne Holistic Centre in Cheltenham. For more details and to book your place, click here
Finally, we have a fabulous guest article from one of our IACCW Experts Eric Maisel this month on Confident Creating. Enjoy reading it here and taking action on Eric’s suggestions. I’ll look forward to catching up with you again next month.
To you conscious & creative success!
PS This “Welcome” note is reproduced from the latest issue of the monthly IACCW Journal. If you’re not receiving our newsletter regularly, register with your name and email address in the Start Here box at the top of this page.
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May 13th, 2013
 I am delighted to introduce this guest article from IACCW Expert Eric Maisel. Enjoy!
If you want to live a creative life and make your mark in some competitive art field like writing, film-making, the visual arts, or music, and if at the same time you want to live an emotionally healthy life full of love and satisfaction, you need an intimate understanding of certain key ideas and how they relate to the creative process.
One key idea is that you must act confidently whether or not you feel confident. You need to manifest confidence in every stage of the creative process if you want to get your creative work accomplished. Here’s what confidence looks like throughout the creative process.
Stage 1. Wishing
‘Wishing’ is a pre-contemplation stage where you haven’t really decided that you intend to create. You dabble at making art, you don’t find your efforts very satisfying, and you don’t feel that you go deep all that often. The confidence that you need to manifest during this stage of the process is the confidence that you are equal to the rigors of creating. If you don’t confidently accept the reality of process and the reality of difficulty you may never really get started. › Continue Reading
Tags: confidence, confident, conscious creativity, creative, creative cycle, creative process, creative soul, creative spirit, Creativity, ideas, resistance, Writing
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May 2nd, 2013
Julia McCutchen interviews Rosanne Bane 
Most writers wonder at times what the heck is going on inside their heads when they want to write, but can’t. Why do we make progress with our writing for while, then – for no reason we can discern – sabotage our own best efforts?
When we understand what’s happening inside our brain, we can learn to overcome resistance in the moment and rewire our brain in the long term to develop productive, sustainable writing habits.
In this session you will:
- Learn about your brain in easy-to-understand, layperson’s terms
- Understand why a limbic system takeover trumps your writing commitment and creativity
- Discover what you can do to reverse those limbic system takeovers and put your creative cortex back in the driver’s seat
- Recognize why habits are far more valuable and reliable than discipline or will power
- Identify the three habits that support the writing life
- Decide which habits you’re ready to adopt and design your commitment plan to build those habits
- Gain appreciation for your own efforts so far, and be reassured that you can be the writer you want to be and the world needs you to be.
Rosanne Bane, M.A. is a creativity coach, teaching artist, speaker and author of Around the Writer’s Block: Using Brain Science to Solve Writer’s Resistance and Dancing in the Dragon’s Den: Rekindling the Creative Fire in Your Shadow. A veteran teaching artist of more than 20 years, Rosanne specializes in helping creative people understand why it’s so hard (at times) to do the very thing they love to do. She has helped thousands of writers, artists and creative people of all sorts achieve their professional goals and make their creative dreams reality. See www.RosanneBane.com and www.BaneOfYourResistance.com
Date: Thursday 9th May Time: 16:00 BST / 11:00 EST
Want to listen to this teleseminar interview for free but not yet an IACCW member?
Find out about how to do so and discover the other benefits of becoming a FREE or FULL member of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) by clicking here
Tags: conscious, conscious creativity, creative, creative process, creative spirit, inspiration, Rosanne Bane, writer, writer's block, Writing
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April 23rd, 2013
“How do we discover what we really have to say,
that which arises from our true nature?
The key is to … live in the light of inquiry,
not seeking immediate answers and
simply allowing the process to unfold.
The ability to embrace mystery, to stand bravely
in front of the unknown, and to encourage
the process of discovery is a key requirement …”
David Ulrich
Conscious Writers look within and feel the resonance of truth,
then follow their inner impulse in whatever direction it takes.
To your conscious & creative success!
 PS Please take a moment to add your comments below here
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April 9th, 2013
 Hi Aspiring & Published Authors!
The prolonged cold weather may have delayed the start of spring but the seeds for our creative work can be planted and nurtured by the warmth of our inspiration at any moment we choose.
The seeds for my new book have already germinated, and I am very much looking forward to sharing the principles and guiding participants through the process of Conscious Writing at the one day workshop on Sunday 21 April. Read more here.
A couple of weeks ago I spent an enjoyable half day in a recording studio and created a Conscious Writing audio program which was a new experience for me. Adding some original music to the spoken word content was great fun, and we’ll be making this audio available on 21 April ahead of its general release when the book is finally published.
Conscious Writing Scholarship
In the meantime, I am delighted to announce the results of the Conscious Writing Scholarship, and many congratulations go to Shelley Hawkins (1st place), Priya Mahtani (2nd place) and Jeanine Hanneman (3rd place).
We had a large number of applications and the quality of submissions was very high so thank you to everyone who took part. It has been such a positive experience that we plan to offer the Scholarship again next year so you might like to make a note in your diary to have your submission ready!
Two New Full Member Benefits
Supporting Conscious Writers is an important part of our work here at the IACCW and this month we have added two new Full Member Benefits for extra support:
(i) Guest Articles – Full Members now have the opportunity to have a guest article published in the IACCW Journal and posted to the IACCW blog. Our first Full Member to take advantage of this new Benefit is Lynda Monk and you can read her article here.
(ii) Published Works - we are also in the process of creating a new page for the IACCW website on which we will feature published works from Full Members and coaching clients.
These can be books, e-books, audio CDs or any other work that has been self or traditionally published as long as it is for sale on Amazon. If you would like to submit your published work, email us on info@iaccw.com and we’ll send you more information.
Finally, I discovered when I was writing this month’s article on silence that Wednesday 24 April is International Noise Awareness Day.
I am delighted to discover that the benefits of silence are becoming so widely documented that they have led to days like this for promoting awareness. Enjoy reading the article and benefitting from incorporating more silence into your conscious & creative living.
Have a wonderfully conscious & creative month!
This “Welcome” note is reproduced from the latest issue of the monthly IACCW Journal. If you’re not receiving our newsletter regularly, register with your name and email address in the Start Here box at the top of this page.
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April 8th, 2013
 “Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Silence is one of the most significant components of the creative writing process. It is the alpha and omega of Conscious Writing, and invites readers into the essence of the stories you are telling and the ideas you are sharing.
Writing with silence leads to active participation from your readers who use their imagination to complete the picture your words are painting in the most meaningful way for them as individuals.
Powerful writing is punctuated with silence that creates space for your readers to experience the living reality beyond and through your words. As a result, your writing has immense depth and a memorable impact.
“He who does not understand your silence will probably not understand your words.” Elbert Hubbard
› Continue Reading
Tags: authentic voice, connection, conscious writing, creative soul, creative writing, ideas, insight, inspiration, intuition, readers, silence, stories
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March 28th, 2013
Julia McCutchen interviews Suze Casey 
Suze Casey explains that she “writes because she cannot not write”. Yet, moving from writer to widely published author took more courage than she knew she could muster. She had to face all the vulnerabilities, doubts and fears she had developed from the responses and feedback she had ever received. She had to come to know and value herself in a stronger and more committed way.
In this interview, you will discover:
- how to enter into – and out of – your creative space with ease
- an effective and efficient way to move through writer’s block or any other form of doubt or fear
- how to effectively acknowledge what has been in the way and give yourself permission to speak openly from the heart
- a simple decision-making process that will open the doors to new ways of writing
- how to recognize your authentic voice and have it become your way of being – in all areas of your life.
The developer of the Belief Re-patterning® technique, Suze Casey has always been fascinated with the mysteries of the human mind. She spent twenty years as an educator, and since 1999 has completely followed her passion – supporting others to learn, grow and embrace their potential. She is the author of Belief Re-patterning: The Amazing Technique for “Flipping the Switch” to Positive Thoughts (Hay House) and travels extensively offering workshops, seminars and conference keynotes as well as maintaining a vital international coaching practice. See www.suzecasey.com and www.beliefrepatterning.com
Date: Thursday 4th April Time: 16:00 BST / 11:00 EST
Want to listen to this teleseminar interview for free but not yet an IACCW member?
Find out about how to do so and discover the other benefits of becoming a FREE or FULL member of the International Association of Conscious & Creative Writers (IACCW) by clicking here
Tags: authentic, author, conscious, creative, creative spirit, inspiration, publisher, Publishing, suze casey, writer, Writing
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March 25th, 2013
“The Zen way …
is to write in the most straightforward, simple way
as if you were a beginner,
not trying to make something skilful or beautiful,
but simply writing with full attention
as if you were discovering what you were writing
for the first time; then your full nature will be in your writing.”
Shunryu Suzuki
Conscious Writers approach writing with a Beginner’s Mind.
To your conscious & creative success!
PS Please take a moment to add your comments below.
PPS Our next IACCW FREE & FULL Member event is on
How Conscious Writers Can Flip the Switch
from Inner Critic to Inner Coach
with Suze Casey on THURSDAY 4 APRIL
Read more here.
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March 12th, 2013
 Hi Aspiring & Published Authors!
The arrival of March always feels full of potential as the promise of spring inspires us to plant new seeds and nurture the creative projects we are drawn to make a commitment to.
This year, I am following a strong inner impulse to write my next book, and one week after sharing the news with my social media friends, I am happy to say that it’s off to a good start!
It feels like eons ago that I wrote the last one so I am approaching this book with a beginner’s mind and setting a clear intention to honour the writing time I schedule in my diary as sacred. The book is called Conscious Writing and I am very much looking forward to sharing it with you later this year.
In the meantime, Conscious Writing lies at the core of all that we teach and guide writers to experience here at the IACCW as it is a sacred and powerful approach to creative writing.
Our belief in the transformative impact of conscious writing is such that we have created a Scholarship which is an extension of the Conscious Writing Mentor Program as a new level of contribution to aspiring and established writers.
As a courtesy reminder, the deadline for submitting an application for the Conscious Writing Scholarship is this Friday 15 March. Read more here.
We also have a Conscious Writing Live in London one day workshop coming up on Sunday 21 April when you will have the chance to work with me and your fellow conscious writers in person to experience the process and results for yourself. Read more and book your place here.
Finally, today is Nyepi, the Balinese New Year, and I love the fact that this day is celebrated by observing a day of silent reflection by the 4.5 million people who live on the island. It is a beautiful tradition and I would love to encourage you to enjoy the restorative power of silence by taking at least 15 minutes today for your own silent reflection.
Have a wonderfully conscious & creative month!
PS A new photo for a new era!
PPS This “Welcome” note is reproduced from the latest issue of the monthly IACCW Journal. If you’re not receiving our newsletter regularly, register with your name and email address in the Start Here box at the top of this page.
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March 11th, 2013
 I am delighted to introduce this guest post on mindful writing by Satya Robyn from “Writing Our Way Home”. Enjoy.
“Go to the pine if you want to learn about the pine, or to the bamboo if you want to learn about the bamboo. And in doing so, you must leave your subjective preoccupation with yourself. Otherwise you impose yourself on the object and you do not learn.” ~ Basho
As writers, one of our most important tasks is to accurately record the truth – whether this be the literal truth, if we are writing factually, or the complex psychological truth which can be revealed through the medium of fiction. I think mindful writing can help us to do this, and in this article I’ll tell you how you can use mindfulness to become more truthful in your own writing.
There are many different definitions of mindfulness. For me, the essence of mindfulness is paying a particular kind of attention to the world – attention which is as unfiltered by our own selves as we can manage.
Everything we see and everything we experience is coloured by our sense of our self. Three people walking into the same garden will see three completely different gardens. The first, a proud experienced gardener, might notice the rare plants. The second, a child, might see the mud and want to squelch about in it. The third, a perfectionist, might notice the untidy corners and the clematis which needs pruning. › Continue Reading
Tags: mindful, mindfulness, practice, write, writer, Writing, writing process
Posted in Writing | No Comments »
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Hi Aspiring & Published Authors!
