Coach Marla Beck

writing

This Thanksgiving, I gave my 11-year-old daughter a gift I’ve been dreaming of giving her for years. I didn’t give a pony, a fancy trip or a camera. I gave her a song. After studying a songwriter I admire, I composed a bit of new music at the piano one day.  I liked it, and […]

write

I still remember the first time I saw my husband on a skateboard. Years ago, he was still my boyfriend, and one day I drove towards the road he lived on for a visit. As I rolled up to a two-way stop sign in his neighborhood, I saw Jon speed by in front of me […]

write

Today is the day. Whether you’re bracing yourself against icy winds or basking in the early sunshine of spring, today is the perfect time to stand back and take a big-picture perspective on your writing.  Looking for a writing prompt to open your vision? Try asking yourself this: Why do I write?   Write down your […]

Are you a midlife writer?  Have you been struggling to put your writing first, when there are so many other responsibilities competing for your time, your attention and your focus? You are not alone.  One of the biggest challenges busy, midlife writers share with me is this:  they know how to hit their deadlines for […]

Freelance

My client’s voice lit up brightly today as she recalled how fun pitching stories used to be when she was just starting out as a freelance writer. “I used to be so excited about finding ideas,” she said.  “I loved it.  I’d think, ‘Ooh,  I see an idea in the world — I can develop that and bring […]

Publish

Imagine, for a moment. Just 3 months have passed, and today it’s January 3, 2018. You are sitting at your writing desk, which is tidy and organized. You are feeling good – more energized, on-point and happy with your writing career than you’ve felt in years. Why do you feel so amazing? The answer is sitting […]

write

I pulled an empty notebook off the shelf last week to give to my husband, who wanted to take some notes at an evening meeting.  When my ten-year-old saw the notebook’s black-and-white cardboard cover, she yelled out with excitement:  “That’s a COMPOSITION BOOK.  We have the same notebooks in our desks at school!” (It seems […]

Focus

Today, a story about a freelance writer I’ll call “Rebecca.” Rebecca, a freelance journalist and content marketer, has a stable, successful writing career.  After a few focused years of freelancing, she’s got a full assignment load, a good writing income and a couple of bylines she’s really proud of. Like any good independent business owner, […]

Comfortable

Were you lucky enough to see the solar eclipse yesterday? Here in California, we experienced a partial (78%) solar eclipse, and much of the U.S experienced much more.  Perhaps you were lucky enough to be in the path of totality!  If so, I envy you. To honor the event, yesterday morning, just as the eclipse […]

wrong

Is there something wrong with you? I’m amazed at how many writers secretly ask themselves this very question. By all conventional markers of success, these ambitious, smart men and women are on the right track: They’ve received accolades and maybe even a few awards from work well done.  Maybe they’re known for hitting all their […]

Book

A few weeks ago, my family and I camped on the South Dakota prairie for 3 days. Imagine sleeping and waking in such stillness! Seeing so much “nothing” was startling, refreshing and energizing.  A tree became a sculpture, and the historic covered wagon in the field almost ached with poignancy.  In the stillness of that […]

Today is the perfect day to reflect on what “independence” really means: “independent” (adj.) free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority Think about it for a moment.  How free are you with your writing? Have you been feeling stuck or unproductive? Is your creativity limited by judgments, criticisms or fears? Have you given your power […]

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