What to do when your writing aspirations have to change.

Hey Writing Etc. Subscriber,

It’s funny how once I’ve figured out my writing career and where I want it to go, reality rears its head, blows me off track, and I find myself in territory I never imagined. Strange events indeed. I once read that “flexibility is the hallmark of mental health” and that platitude has been tested multiple times these past few years.

It all began when I started a project I tentatively titled, “Critical Thinking for the Metaphysical Practitioner.” Yeah. If you know where this is heading, you can quit laughing now.

As I began studying critical thinking it quickly became painfully evident that my two topics, critical thinking and metaphysics were truly incongruent elements: two distinct “things” that simply didn’t fit and no number of mental gymnastics on my part could change that. It was at this point that my project crumbled and I was left with a mountain of research and no place to put it.

Ah, but life seems to always work out.

Fast forward just a year or so and I discovered everything I researched is perfect for another project I’m currently working with. That’s what I love about writing: nothing is ever wasted, everything’s useful, every experience is fodder for the writing mill.

I have point to this story and it’s this: After a long, hard pull, after a very important writing project collapsed, after everything seemed dark and unworkable… life has, once again, worked its magic. And it’s with deep humbleness that I announce that I’ve been invited to be a member in the Skeptic Ink Network.

I’m humbled because this new network houses some very high powered writers, best sellers, skeptics, academics, attorneys, multiple degree holders, writers from around the globe, and… yeah… me. One of my favorite copywriters, John Carlton, once said something to the effect that great persuasion contains the juxtaposition of incongruent elements. It’s the act of “not fitting together” that jars “prospects” from their current trance state and makes them vulnerable to persuasion tactics.

So, it was with that in mind that my portion of the network is called, “Incongruent Elements” and I explore things that don’t exactly “fit.” It’s really a fun project, one that I’m honored and humbled to be a part.

We’re a good fit because I began my writing career as a reporter, one who asked a lot of questions. Throughout the years, this condition of asking questions hasn’t improved, in fact I regularly get into trouble because I not only wonder about everything, I have to dig until I find some sort of answer that makes sense.

To this day I love interviewing, asking tough questions, examining both sides of any given issue, and then ask more questions. This network will give me a platform to do this work that I soooooo enjoy, in fact I’ve got a number of exciting interviews (somewhat) scheduled already. It’s fun to work with a reputable, respected organization that more than tolerates my many questions and skeptical nature.

But I digress, back to the original question: What do you do when your writing career transforms? Answer: Go with the flow. You just may end up somewhere REALLY enjoyable.

I hope you’ll swing by often and take a peek at my new project and keep track of how things are humming along. Here’s the link: http://skepticink.com/incongruentelements/

Next week we’ll get down to business again and talk about marketing your writing. It’s an amazing topic that should be quite fun.

Enjoy!

Beth 🙂

P.S. Has your writing career taken you places you didn’t expect? This title will help you navigate unfamiliar terrain. We’re talking three volumes of hard core freelance information in one handy download. I’m humbled and appreciate your support for this project. 🙂

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Writing Etc./Filbert Publishing News – October 1, 2012

ISSN: 1545-5580

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Enjoy!

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