Coach Marla Beck

Writers, How Do You Hide? (Here’s my story.)

  It was a cold D.C. morning, March 1993. “Look a’ her!  “Takin’ a pitcher o’ that ol’ broom…” I’d framed the shot carefully, and as I clicked the shutter, two street guys slowly trudged by. “Uhn-huh,” said his friend, shaking his head. I looked up. Although I’d been delighted by the moment, happily documenting […]

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2 Tips for More Fulfilling Writing

Given your writing abilities and potential, how can you enjoy your writing more today? My suggestions are simple. Find silence. Use your words for good. Find Silence “Go to where the silence is and say something.”  – Amy Goodman, journalist I love the sense of the sacred invoked by this quote. I also love its […]

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How to Discover What You Really Want to Write

As any writer who’s coached with me can tell you, setting crystal clear intentions for your writing is a critical step to creating a satisfying writing life. Let’s get you more clear about your true writing priorities.  Read below for a simple exercise. But First, a Story… The most glamorous job I could think of […]

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The Writers’ Guide to Moodling

Being a grownup writer can be fun, right? You can earn money in the marketplace with your writing, if you choose… You can help make the world a better place by volunteering or writing for organizations you care about… You’ve got the skills you need to develop interesting ideas, combine new elements, pursue new lines […]

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Ready to Truly Love Your Writing Career? (Case Study.)

  Meet my client, Janie. Janie wrote well, and had the writing confidence and the bylines to prove it. But despite a successful writing career, Janie didn’t love her work when we first started working together.  Janie couldn’t seem to make progress with her own writing projects.   She started wasting work time and losing her […]

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Coaching Tip for Writers: Pay Attention to WHERE You Write

If you want to write with relaxed, focused productivity, you’ve got to start paying attention to what makes you happy! For most writers of the writers I coach, environment is key. Click below for a few thoughts about the role your writing environment plays in fresh, energized writing.

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Your Unfinished Novel is Toxic: 3 Reasons Why

Clarity

Don’t let it fool you, dear writer. That unfinished novel may look like an innocent,  overstuffed file in your desk drawer, but you and I know better:  the manuscript you’ve been avoiding or putting off for months (or years) can be downright dangerous. Why? Unfinished novels sap your creative energy. Everything unfinished in a writer’s […]

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Acknowledge Your Wins: An Easy Way to Write (and Work) Smarter

Do you clean your desk at the end of your workweek or writing day? I do, and until a few months ago, I realized that the process of “wrapping up this day to prepare for the next”  really drained my energy. “Dang it.  I didn’t get to that, either?”  I’d think to myself as I […]

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Go Ahead and Procrastinate!

dishwashing

  We’ve all been there. Ever notice that there’s nothing like a looming deadline to get the dishes washed, the laundry folded and the hard drive organized? No matter your style, when you procrastinate, you’re busy focusing on anything but the writing. And that’s a bad thing, right? I don’t think so. I think typical […]

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The #1 Mistake of Unhappy Freelance Writers

Journalist

On the outside, Jennifer’s freelance writing seems to be going great:  she has a steady stream of assignments, her editors and clients like working with her, and she’s making the money she needs every month. So why is Jennifer so unhappy? If you ask our writer why she’s so unhappy these days, Jennifer will say […]

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Own your holidays…and WRITE!

  ‘Tis the season to be…overwhelmed? Holidays for anyone can be tough.  Holidays for writers can be especially challenging! – We want to enjoy the festivities and celebrate, give gifts and perhaps travel to be with our families… – We want to entertain friends and family without too much stress or resentment… – We want […]

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3 Reasons to Be Grateful You’re a Writer

Cheerful office worker

  It’s easy to focus on the tough stuff of writing — how much time it takes, how much faith it takes, how much personal “oomph” it takes to sit down and stick it out with our writing until words make sense on the page. We writers are some of the bravest people on the planet, persisting […]

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The REAL Reason You’re Not Productive

Time for some tough love, dear writer. Because writing coaches like me hear an awful lot of reasons why your writing isn’t getting done. And all of that suffering, exhaustion, frustration and disillusionment can be avoided, but to do so requires you to acknowledge a simple, profound truth. Truth – If you want to be […]

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Write What Matters Most: 3 Writing Super Powers

USE_THIS_-_sharpened_pencil

Meet Jenny. She’s a talented freelancer with more than a few big-name bylines to her name. She’s also interested in fiction, and she has part of a novel draft sitting on the corner of her desk. In January Jenny told herself that this is the year to finish her novel.  But now it’s almost November and Jenny’s hardly […]

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Honor Yourself: A Simple Fix for Stuck Writers

writing_your_way

  How I Like to Write  It’s 6:30am.  And after working out at the gym this morning, I’m cozy and ready to write here in my office — snuggled in my favorite cashmere hoodie, with my portable radiator nearby and a lit candle and a steaming cup of green tea on the desk. It’s early, […]

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