Why Are You Taking this Course?

I’m taking this course because my first traditionally published novel is due out this summer and I’m hoping to do well enough to use the momentum to help sell my second novel (which I hope to finish this July). I’m able to retire from teaching soon and the more writing cred I have, the sooner that can happen.

I also like the idea of being a part of a writing group. Years ago, I joined a writing group at the local library. Many members have moved away or are busy raising families (or both) and we no longer have regular meetings Being able to forge connections with other writers is perhaps the most valuable part of this experience for me.

I am taking this course to learn how to build a platform, meet fellow writers, and turn my writing into a career. Although I have been writing since I was young I didn’t start taking writing serious until this past fall.

All of the above. I’m taking this course because I intend to sharpen my skills and write stories that touch people’s hearts and provoke people’s thoughts. I intend to change lives. When I say that, it sounds like such a tall order. But words are powerful, and with them anything is possible. I will make a career of writing. I will become a better teacher, inspiring others to share their stories. I declare it here and now: I, Ebony Haywood, am growing into an amazing writer. Thank you for this opportunity. I am grateful. 🙂

I’m in the Story Cartel because I want to share my stories and change lives–especially my own.

I’ve only been writing for a couple of years, and in the beginning it was enough just to write, to feel the words flowing from my (own!) imagination. I’d never before thought creative writing was anything I could do.

As time went by, I started showing my work to friends, acquaintances, and anyone else who showed an interest. I was shocked at how much pleasure I got from sharing. So although writing a best seller would be nice, it’s not my reason for taking this course.

I need to learn how to develop a platform for my stories. I’m pretty new to social media, vaguely understand blogging, and have no clue about Twitter or any of its spinoffs. I want to learn to manage these new ways of reaching an audience.

More than that, I want to be part of a writing community. The Story Cartel is exactly what I need.

Thanks, Joe.

I’m taking this course for a variety of reasons, some mentioned above and others that aren’t.

The biggest two reasons are to get these stories out of my head (finally) and to have accountability to keep my momentum going to self-publish my own work. I’d also like to build a writing career that can help support my other creative and coaching endeavors.

Books climb and fall off the charts, but I’d like to write something that inspires others to become more fully themselves, take chances, and to pursue a career in writing if that is their dream.

I initially took this course to figure out how to find other writers and network with them. My previous attempts ended up with me Twitter-stalking a handful of people who most likely think I’m a nut. All I want to say to them is, “I just want to talk about writing, writer people! Why are you running? Come back! I have cookies!”

Writers have a completely foreign set of joys and tribulations than the average person. I’m pretty sure my friends stopped caring about my writer problems a few years back. Twitter friends don’t–and can’t possibly–know me in 140 characters or less unless they’re looking for that community, too.

So, this brought me to The Story Cartel last Fall, where I met the core of my Cartel. I’m always looking for more like-minded people to add to that Cartel. And I love talking to creative people about creating stories.

My personal goal, besides platform- and community-building, is to write as my profession. An international best-seller would be awesome, but I’m okay with having a few books out there making a decent showing. It’s a dream come true either way.

I’m writing for all of the above! I’ve always wanted to write something that would change something for someone. Whether it was a book they loved and held dear to them or it helped them through something. I want to be a traditional published author and if I could write full time. I know it is a difficult career to get into, but I’ve heard so many success stories from this course, that I hope it can lead me on the right track!

I’m just trying to get back in the writing saddle. I nearly lost a very dear friend last year and it shook me to the core. I haven’t been able to write since, and I have such a great idea for a story! So really I am just looking for…well maybe a kick up the ‘butt’??

Also I have made lots of mistakes in the past – shared stories with friends, and then got upset if they didn’t like it….I need to mature as a writer (at 42? It’s not too late, right?).

I’m taking this course to:
– give, receive, and grow within a community of writers
– become more accountable for finishing personal writing projects
– deepen my authenticity and voice
– intensify my courage in putting more of my Self into my writing

I write to touch people’s lives.

I’m taking them to write better stories, help make a difference

I’m really hoping to be a part of a community. I have photography friends and gardening friends and old friends and new friends and it would be fantastic to have writing friends. In addition, I’m stoked about platform building. As a natural introvert I tend to retreat into a shell, some guidance is going to make all the difference for me.

My writing dream is to nurture and grow a little career. I would like to blog music biography book reviews, and maybe contribute to a magazine or two. And dearest would be to write a series or several stand alone books about life and love and heartache and growth and being a teenager and making music.

I also have a historical series inside me but that’ll come later <3

I’m taking this course, because I’ve just published my first novel. And I need to know how to increase sales.

It’s got great reviews. I’ve been studying/teaching/writing fiction for the last forty years. I suppose I would maybe like to have something traditionally published, but given the current state of affairs, I don’t know if that would ever happen. So if I’m going the indie route, I want to make it as profitable as possible.

Also, it’s fun to be part of a group. And I’m looking forward to that.

I’m taking this course because I’m getting closer to publication and I would like to build a platform so that I can sell more than a handful of copies. The platform part of this course has only partly stuck with me, despite taking it more than once.

While I feel like I have my cartel, I’m with Jen: it could be bigger.

I would like to have a writing career, even if it isn’t full time, and I would like to touch people’s lives through rich and interesting stories. Mostly, though, I want to do soul-satisfying work, and that’s what writing is for me.

Hi all! My name is Nita Couch. I am a self-published author of five children’s books. Two of the five are for older children, youth. I am taking this course because I believe in what Joe Bunting stands for and that I can learn a lot from all of you. I took a class with Long Ridge Writing Group and completed it with three credits to add to my resume.
As part of my writing experience I am setting up classes that can teach children, or any age person how to write a book, illustrate, and have their own published work to let the world know their ideas. This has worked me into a proposition that has the potential to reach the world.
I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new friends and Cartelistas. God be with us all. Nita Couch

I am taking this course to get the “edge” to be a published writer. I am tired of people telling me that I am “almost” there. I know that a whole lot of thing go into that other than skill, but if skills are the only thing that are stopping me, I don’t want that to be an issue.

I am taking this course to get the “edge” to be a published writer. I am tired of people telling me that I am “almost” there. I know that a whole lot of thing go into that other than skill, but if skills are the only thing that are stopping me, I don’t want that to be an issue.

I also want to change lives with the way people see each other. So much of what I find myself writing are conversations that have changed people’s lives. If I can synthesize that for other to share, I’ve done my job as a writer.

I am taking this course so I can interact with people who are also passionate about writing, and be part of a writing community. I’ve been writing for myself for several years and it’s been a long time since I’ve let others see my work, so I’m a little rusty in that department. The exercises to publish our pieces and interact with the community will definitely take me out of my comfort zone, but I think I need that push to be more comfortable writing for someone other than myself.

I’m writing for a few reasons. Currently I want to finish and published my first book. Hopefully use that to transition into full time writer. Also I’ve always been told my ideas are great, so I want to get then out there. I don’t want to paint a Mona Lisa to hide in the closet.

Hi,

I’m taking this coure because I’ve always had the desire to write meaningful fiction, that could change the way people think or expand their horizons, and still be a page turner.

I’ve always wanted to combine literary and pop genres. To not be pigeonholed.

I feel that doing this makes it more difficult to be classified, so that makes it harder to be picked up by New York. I went through four years of approaching agents who said they loved my work, would keep it for six months, and then say that it wasn’t for them: they couldn’t classify it.

So now that my novel is published, I’m hoping to find ways to get a big enough following, so that when I put out it’s prequel (first draft about done), I might get approached by New York.

However, not sure if New York isn’t just a hang over dream from youth. Maybe I’d be completely happy as an Indie. Don’t know yet.

This rambled a bit. It’s probably because my brain is rambling around this whole topic.

Bottom line: I want to sell as many copies of my novel “The Consecration of Jacob Jordaens” as I can to supplement my fixed retirement income. Sorta 🙂

Michael

I’m taking this course because being part of the Story Cartel writing community is awesome. It’s the best place to meet like-minded people who are passionate about writing.

All I’ve ever wanted to do, is write. Since joining this course the first time I’ve been honing my skills at writing stories that move people. Right now, I’m working on a novel, and plan to publish eventually. I’m also looking at ways of getting into freelance writing.

I can see already what a vibrant community there is on this course, this time round. I’m glad I made the decision to rejoin!

I have had the experience of being part of a good writing group and wrote and published a children’s book (My Champion) and now an e-book (The Way Back) both based on my own experiences,and both with encouragement of a group. I have Blogs and am on Facebook and Twitter-sort of, So why this-why now?

Because I want to belong with other like minded people. I want to know how to write. I want feedback to get better at writing. I have great stories to tell and believe it is important to share them. I want to make a positive difference for people with my words and pictures (I am an artist too). I am 73 years old. It is time to share.
I think the people in this group are talented and trust worthy. What an opportunity this is! Thank you for all of you being here. I think all of you are here for a reason and-me too-for all the above reasons. Of course I want a platform for what I have written and for what I will write. I hope I can be a worthwhile contributor.

I took this course mainly because I just enjoy writing and talking to other writers. I desire to become a better writer and I think you need to knock around with other writers in order to do that.

Any of reasons listed would be great, and I sure would be happy enough to fall into any or all of the categories because I think that success forms a type of validation.

But the analogy that would probably describes best why I took this course is like that of playing in a college bar band. Outside you have real life responsibilities which must be dealt with on a day to day basis. However, you belong to a group of people, who share the same love of music, who get together regularly to practice and hangout, and every so often you might get to go out a play a gig.

No one is really there for the money although secretly if you all became big rock stars you would probably all be thrilled (you think). But mostly it just about trying to make good music, become a more competent musician, and hang out with people who enjoy the same things you do. That right there is success and that’s really why I enrolled.

J.L.S

Why am I taking this course. Well, any of those reasons listed would work. While I am self-published with two books, it would still be great if I could be traditionally published, but if not, that’s okay. Either way I need to build my platform. Because I’ve had many experiences in life I seem to have more than one area I can go in. And that isn’t helpful at times.

I have to write. And I’ve seen writers I know take this course and become better writers. That’s why I knew it would be good for me.

Hi,

I have always been a writer, I just don’t write for others to read. I’d like to, but I’ve been scared away by a few negative reactions. If they don’t like it, no problem! I won’t darken their doors with any more of my work!!

I couldn’t write when I was raising my kids. I tried, but I have the attention span of a ping pong ball, and I would always have to leave what I was writing. If it was written by hand, it was hard to go back and get into the place I was earlier. If it was on the computer, I would read it to get into the place I was earlier, but I would want to tweak this before I added any more to that thought. And I don’t like this sentence. Before long, a 5 page work would be reduced to one page. It was hard to get the word count up when I deleted more than I wrote!!

So when the daughter went to college, I started getting things in order in the house, and spent lots of time getting rid of a lot of STUFF, and giving the inside of the house a facelift. I both installed and refinished hardwood floors, and scraped popcorn off ceilings and that kind of thing. That’s done now, and I just need a functional kitchen (I’m a trained chef). The bottom line is that I have thrown about every obstacle into my path that I can, and gotten past them all, and now there is no excuse. I even sold my horse, born and raised here with the expectation of having him till he died, because I couldn’t work with him as well as get everything else done, and still have the wherewithal to write. I have been clearing my calendar because it is Time to write. Sometimes I think it’s not my decision, because some things have gone way too smoothly!!

So I want to make a good living at it, to give the hubs the same opportunity to stay home as he gave me. I need to get a move on, though, because I don’t think it counts if he retires first. “Oh, Sweetie, it’s the thought that counts, isn’t it?”

I finally wrote the first draft to a book that had been in me for over 20 years, percolating and aerating. I must rewrite it into a readable second draft, because parts of it were “spring became winter” and some of it was “she stepped out the door, feeling the young sun warm her cold, dry skin wherever it could find some…. ”

I want to say things so a lot of people can hear. The world is a challenging place, and I have some perspectives to share that could help some. Or invite comment, at the very least. Maybe some hate mail, but I hope not!!

I realized that I tell stories about people and things all the time. I watch people and make up stories about why they are doing what they are doing. I tend to have empathy, so I am not the one shouting “what’s WRONG with him?!??! Hey buddy, get a life!!” Instead, I decide that his mother is in the hospital and he is faced with losing her, his last friend in this life, and it’s all beCUZ HE’S SUCH AN IDIOT!!

I want to create a platform that works. I’m not good at making that kind of thing up as I go along. I tend to fall into the same patterns, and rather than create, I click and share. This will help me see more options, and give me some ideas about timing and wording and pictures vs vids, and whatever else you have to share with us, Joe.

So I’m grateful to be here, so glad that a big part of the point is to create a writers’ community. I need writers in my life. The hubs is a data wonk, so he spends his days categorizing numbers. He won’t read, cuz he spends his days focused on lines on a screen. I have some friends who tease and suggest that they would be interested in such things, but when the time comes around, they are unable to play.

I have a couple of blogs, but they have fallen by the wayside. I will gather their remains to flesh them out and bring them back up to speed as we move along here. I have a new one to start about all the weird decisions we are making as a society. I’m channeling my alien status (see my intro) for that one.

And Joe, after watching the webinar on Kickstarter, I realized that that would be a perfect way to start this website that I have been playing with in different versions in my head for 15 years. The tech has evolved, and now I think I can do what I have been wanting to do! So I will work up the details to see what needs to be done, and I will start on it! You gave me a kick! (get it? I’ll “start” it, and you gave me a “kick?” Don’t try to pretend you weren’t amused! In fact, please pretend that you were!)

By the way, this is how I always wish I could answer multiple choice questions. Are you going to count off for it? When will you give us our grades? Heh heh heh. Just regressing for a moment!

So thank you, Joe, for bring us here together. We are all so focused on being individuals that we forget, in these times, that we need community. Greetings to fellow Cartelistas! I’m happy to be here with you!

My objective is to provide the people I will be working with the ability to get their message out into the world. I also want to sell more of my books and to write more. I have two stories I am kicking around. One is the story of my step-father who a very unique preacher who was born in a sod house in Western Kansas and my own story of God’s love for me and what He has done for me.

I am taking this course because I need a kick up the backside, to achieve a goal that I have been nurturing for too many years but have not truly made an effort to realise.

I signed up for another online writing course nearly 13 years ago, it was going great and then a couple of weeks into it 9/11 happened. Although it didn’t affect my own family and friends directly, I was left numb and the mystery/thriller piece I was writing suddenly seemed so vacuous and superficial that I couldn’t stomach trying to finish it.

So. Fast forward a few years and a couple of kids and I have come to the conclusion that I have to write and what the hell am I waiting for? I am writing for reasons A, B, C, D and E as well as the simple reason that I need to leave some small impression on the world before I leave it.

Oh and the story of my maternal grandparents is so moving that I would love to write a novel based on it and show the world how incredible they were.

Hello,

My goal is to learn how you all do it! The stories and characters are so a part of my life but they have only this last year become books. Compared to the marketing and getting noticed, the writing now seems the easier task. Being published was such a thrill, being purchased was satisfying, but the reviews are gratifying. I need all the help in the world to be noticed. My hope is that a group of like individuals will reinvigorate me. A dream would be to offer the same to one of you!

Lennie

I’m here to try to see if this writing thing is real or if I’ve been believing some kind of lie all my life.

I’ve known since I was small that I wanted to write. Last fall I finally (40+ years later) decided to start thinking about actually writing.

Now I’ve progressed to the point where I’m willing to admit in public that I want to do it.

So far, I haven’t started yet.

Is there a 12-step program for people like me?

This is a tough question! Mostly, I do want to build a career and a faithful following. Would I love my book to be a best-seller, internationally or otherwise? Sure! But I’m not counting on that. 🙂 Mostly, I just want to get it OUT there. So far, when I get people’s attention, the response is mostly positive. It’s getting attention that’s the hardest part.

I have thought about taking an on line course for some time. Honestly, I didn’t think I would have the self discipline that was required to be an active participant. I have been taking courses at a school , but find that I am lacking in computer skills and reaching a bigger audience than a small class. Aside from prompts I have not engaged the short story genre. After reading Let’s Write A Short Story I thought this makes perfect sense. I have been working on a fiction story for some time. It is a complicated novel that spans over fifty years with many characters. I’m writing it in close third person and it is very challenging but that is the way the story/voice works for me , my gut tells me so.
This will really help me with accountability , structure and the craft . I had trouble posting my first story (only one so far) I was not able to format, like I wrote it on my word 2010. I am not wired for technology so this will force me to be in the present.
SJPage

I am taking this course because I want to understand how the publishing side of things works. I am working on a middle grade novel and it would be fun to publish someday so that others could enjoy it too. I am new to this craft however and want to learn as much as I can about it. This class is a way for me to get my feet wet in the writing world I guess 🙂

I’m taking this course to force me to write and share some fiction.
Without an audience, and a deadline, I tend to work and re-work – and never submit anything.
I need targets and deadlines to get results – this workshop is a way to force me to deliver.

I also want to start building a cartel and learn from others’ experiences of using social media. And, of course, I am always glad to make new writer friends! 🙂

As for what I want to get out of my writing, I have different goals for different forms of writing:

I want to publish poetry, take part in some poetry readings and publish at least one collection.

I want to *sell* at least one short story! Not a huge ambition – but given bad experiences early in my writing journey, this will be fun in its own right and help free me from one my own writing demons.

I want to write and sell at least one novel or novella.

I would like to get something (anything) at the top of at least one bestseller list – even if it is an obscure and small niche at Amazon.com.

I write creatively to grow as a writer and, therefore, as a person.

I think all of my writing goals have another common motivation: a desire for a sense of personal satisfaction, to be able to look back at a job which was (hopefully) well done.

I want to learn and improve my writing. I’ve been blogging for several years and want to create better content and write stories that change people’s lives. Plus, I love writing groups!

We want to unleash our imagination and write stories that people will enjoy. I suppose to write stories that change the readers’ perception of life, whilst reading our books would be our main objective. Hopefully our books will become used as a form of escapism and when the reader has finished the book, it is like stepping back to the real world.

Being famous is not what we want, but creating a character that is would be really exciting.

We hope that this course will be a great foundation for making even our wildest writing dreams happen.

It’s also great to be given the opportunity to make new writing friends, whom we can both help and learn from.

It was fascinating reading through the answers here. Why am I taking this course again? Because I think that there’s no end to the growth, and that each time we hear a lecture or take a course,even if we’ve heard it before, something new resonates within us and leaves its mark. I’ve also found the course to be a real gold mine for finding wonderful writers to learn from and help. My cartel is growing and is a wonderful source of support and encouragement. I can see myself growing as a writer, and it’s all thanks to Joe and all of you.

I find that writing is a wonderful release, for my thoughts and emotions. It makes me happy, and touches other people’s lives as well.

When I took the course the first time, I wanted to be a traditionally published author. Now I’m not so sure. But I do know that I do want to be published and get my work out there.

I am writing more than ever before, and even if it’s not full-time, from week to week the amount of time I spend writing continues to grow. My goal is not to publish an international best-seller–although I certainly won’t complain if that happens–but rather to touch lives and introduce people to new ideas and thoughts. I know that through my blog I manage to do that, although still on a small scale. Hopefully, this course–which got me to start my blog in the first place–will also help me strengthen my platform further.

I am taking this course because I want to make writing fiction a much bigger part of my life. I have always been an avid reader, but it never occurred to me to pursue creative writing as a career. Instead, I took the safe route and became a lawyer. (I know, I know, tiny violins). It was the right path at the time, but the times have changed.

I took up creative hobbies in the past to try to scratch an itch (see my tower of boxes of watercolor supplies), but I have never had the courage to quit my day job in pursuit of anything risky. I’m hoping writing will be that thing. Don’t tell my kids, but I’m at peak happiness while writing.

I write a lot of non-fiction for work (much of which reads like fiction, but, sadly, is not). I would like to some day spend that time on creative writing. If I can find some way to get paid for it, I may be able to do it without guilt.

I want to become a traditionally published author. I’ve always dreamed of that… I know it’s cliche. But cliches are cliche for a reason!
I want to change lives with my books and my niche is faith and helping others have the best life possible. So yeah, if I’m not changing lives then I should quit. I write a blog and am a speaker. So I’m a speaker then writer, not a writer then speaker.
And there is a difference.

If I’m not talking I am not breathing. I feel alive on a stage, but I’ve learned that if I want that stage one way to get there is to write a book. I am working on two books:
1. Alongside. A practical guide for loving people well through their trials.
2. “Becoming the Father’s Daughter” my personal journey of faith and finding God while growing up in a family of 14 kids.

looking forward to this class. But SO far behind.

Hey I know I am behind. But the reason I am taking this course is a combination of A, B and E. Most of all I would like to write stories that change lives. I would love to be in fulltime ministry with my writing and I would also love to be traditionally published. I am trying to obedient to God’s calling most all. Thanks. Brenda

Another post on this as I put together what’s been going on in my head since I had surgery.

Basically, writing is my means of spiritual development, and it is a means of supplementing my writing income. So I try to balance staying true to who I am and appealing to people who might want to pay for what I write.

All of the above? Actually, the primary reason I’m here is to get more comfortable with sharing. I’ve been writing for years, but other than the fact that I’m regularly sharing it with my father (who doesn’t count, since he’s co-writing with me), and have shared a very early draft of that work with some family members (who don’t exactly have the critical eye that’s needed), I’ve shared very little of what I’ve written.

Now partly, I’m just terrified to share, like most other writers. But it’s not so much the fear of feedback that I’m struggling with or that keeps me from sharing. Sure, I’ll bristle a bit (maybe even a lot, at times) when someone critiques what I’ve written, but I know that getting feedback from others is crucial to improving my writing. The problem for me is the distraction of sharing, especially at this point in my writing life. I’m committed to finishing this writing project and just finding the time to work on it proves to be challenging. When I decide to throw in things like this course, I get completely “off course” with that project. Over the long term, that project may be all the better for it, but in the short term I not only feel guilty for the time not spent working on it, but I also literally get behind on it (and this is a project that has already taken much longer than I ever expected – years, actually).

[You see, unfortunately for me, I’m a terribly slow writer. Writing Exercise 1—an assignment that some of you may have gotten down on the page in the one sitting recommended—took me hours. Literally. And we have two more exercises in this unit alone. Yikes!]

So when I look at all the ways in which I might share, I quickly become overwhelmed. I can’t imagine trying to sustain a blog. Just writing one good post a week would absorb the better part of what little writing time I have.

All that said, in the end, I know I need to share more (as the start of this course has made all the more apparent, so thank you for the interesting ideas around story, Joe!). I guess I’m hoping that by course end, I’ll have a plan in place for how I might share more, while still working towards finishing my core writing project.

Hi Gwen. I know what you mean about the distraction of sharing. I was also a bit concerned this course would take up a lot of writing time, as I am also a slow writer and I want to finish my project within my deadline. In the end though, I think it was the right decision to join this course, since the benefits outweigh any downside.

I’m taking this course because I want to learn how to build a wholesome and engaging platform for my writing where I can connect with people and share my work with them. I’ve always been on the sidelines, watching and wondering how professional creative writers in the Philippines are able to build their reputation and get their work published. This time, I want to take action and actually build my following while connecting with them on a one-to-one basis, if that’s possible.

On an emotional level, I want to inspire and touch people through my poetry, to share with them stories and perspectives based on how I see and feel the world around me. I’ve already tried gifting people poems, and the happiness I feel whenever they thank me for inspiring them through poetry is just priceless.

Of course, I want to make a living out of my work as a creative writer. So I hope SCC will be able to teach me how to strategically market and sell my work to my audience without feeling nervous or afraid of what may happen.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by  Stephanie Gonzaga. Reason: Just threw in a couple more ideas

• This reply was modified 9 years, 11 months ago by  Stephanie Gonzaga. Reason: Just threw in a couple more ideas

I love writing and I want to write full time and make my living sharing stories. If there’s an international best seller in me that would be amazing! But mostly, I just want to write page turning, I-can’t-put-this-book-down-even-though-I-have-to-get-up-for-work-in-three-hours science fiction stories. Science fiction changed my life and the world. Would we have thought to put a man on the moon or a rover on Mars if Edgar Rice Burroughs hadn’t written A Princess of Mars in 1912?

I guess you could say I’m taking this course for B, E and lowercase c 😉