Hello, and amazed here to give you the start of Lesson 9 from this lockdown course, Write Yourself Calm, which I’ve been making. Thanks so much to those of you who’ve commented and got in touch via Udemy, or elsewhere. You’ve helped focus and creativity here, and it is most appreciated.

In this lesson, amongst other elements, we investigate your motivation in terms of your existence/survival needs, relatedness and growth.

( Psychology lovers: this is ERG theory by Clayton Alderfer).

Those of you who’ve taken the Complete Freelance Writing Course will have investigated why you want to write. In this lesson we take this a bit further.

I’d like you to picture yourself talking about what you’ve written and imagining the audience. Who are they demographically? What excites them about your writing? What questions do they ask about your work? Why does it interest them?

So for instance, I like to write fiction for very local audiences, and can picture myself talking to mostly female local groups on occasions like International Women’s Day. In contrast, my academic friend who is a poet, would picture himself speaking to other poets and poetry lovers with academic leanings, at more highbrow literary events.

This is an exciting exercise, as it can give your work clear vision – and also help you identify who exactly your work will appeal to.

A second element in this lesson is to consider: how your writing will help you grow?

What will you investigate? What will you learn about as your write? How will you get totally immersed in your subject matter? And how will your writing help others grow?  I find this an exciting excercise too: because it involves identifying what will give you a lifelong path as a writer. It is big picture motivation.

Again, you know the form now, if you’d like to send your responses over to me on Udemy, you are most welcome to do so.

As I’ve written a book on motivation in the past, there will be more to do in the full lesson.

After this week, I’ll make a top and tail video for this course, and start uploading it to Udemy. Writing tips videos will continue, to keep those fingers moving…

Now a couple of helpful links before we finish, from two sources I think are terrific and most writers could benefit from. Jane Friedman’s Electric Speed newsletter recommended a Writer’s Guild webinar, on using book clubs to get readers, by Amy Stewart. Joanne Penn, the Creative Penn, collaborated with Orna Ross of Allied Indpendent Authors, to create a best tools for independent authors post.

Wherever you are in the world, I do hope your situation feels more in control and safer. Remember, you can always lose yourself in cooking and devouring words… See you next week.