The Story Learning Gap for Authors & Business Artists

 

For a long time, I’ve been listening to what business artists and writers need to write their books, and I’ve been surveying what events they can attend.

I’m seeing a gap that may implicitly hold them back. It’s a gap that may create subtle fear in people wanting to write and publish their books. Seeing this gap drove me to create a very different kind of writer’s and author’s event.

Here’s what I mean.

Entrepreneurs and business artists might find outlets to learn about how to market with story and how to bring story to the stage. But we know that trade nonfiction books that stand out from the herd and captivate us build one key element of the guiding idea.

Story.

There’s no reliable place where entrepreneurs and business artists can gather to learn how to bring their trade nonfiction book’s story from the stage to the page.

People writing memoirs, personal growth books, and novels can find big, bold, downloadable programs that outline best-seller proposals and put the marketing cart before the story horse.

But there’s no reliable place they can go to feel comfortable bringing out their innate story-making talents so they are assured their book truly will captivate and elevate their readers, and from that solid base then pitch their book with integrity.

Literary writers of memoir, fiction, and creative nonfiction have told me they’ve graduated from Master’s of Fine Arts programs, dropped $30 K, gone to big-name writer’s conferences and learned about voice and style and exquisite syntax and sub-text.

But the inner workings of Story? Not so much.

Authors of fiction and professors of creative writing have told me that Story Architecture wasn’t on their curriculum because they admittedly missed or avoided that course, so to speak, during the anti-Story, pro-literary theory 1980s and ‘90s.

There’s a Story Learning Gap in what’s offered to anyone wanting to write a book that matters.

It’s assumed you either know it and have it. Or you don’t. And when you don’t, you fear. It’s natural to fear what you don’t know.

That’s not fair.

Story is innate to us. We are, as Jonathan Goetschell notes in the title of his book, The Storytelling Animal. We are, as Lisa Cron notes in the title of her book, Wired for Story.

Successful authors of trade nonfiction, memoir, and fiction know this. And they’ve learned and honed what you should know:

The Art of Story and of Story Architecture.

Every one of these books has a Story Arc and a Story Architecture:

These authors didn’t learn this art by chance. They learned it through studying other books, messy trial-and-error, and drawing upon their well-honed skills.

This art is not a formula. It’s part of the inner workings of story on the page that I’ve devoted years of study to in helping myself and countless other writers create and publish books that matter.

Courage often comes from knowing in your bones what you can do.

You deserve to know in your bones this Art of Story for your book.

And you deserve to let it sink in at a live event that is “total” and holistic in its approach.

That’s why I’ve created and designed Your Brave New Story, a five-day live author’s intensive.

I’ve made it live because I’ve been facilitating groups on campuses and at centers around the world for over 20 years.

I know the value of educational design that brings people together, allows for safe collaboration and lateral learning, and stokes needed change.

Your Brave New Story is intimate. It’s safe. It cracks open your heart and your mind. It emboldens you with self knowledge, craft knowledge, industry knowledge, and universal knowledge that you will carry with you for the rest of your quest.

It happens at one of the most inspiring and gorgeous geographical spots in the United States that has inspired creatives, innovators, and spiritual leaders for 200 years.

And it fills the Story Learning Gap and more.

First-time authors have finished their books with more confidence and courage. Established authors have grown wiser and more confident. Brave new books are on their way out into the world.

Don’t take my word for it.  Check out this page. You’ll find video accounts from brave authors, first-timers and best-sellers.

This one might be for you. And this might be the time.

We’ve opened registration, and the Super Early Brave Author Discount ends soon – if spots last that long.

Check it out. And keep showing up for what matters.

 Be well, and thanks for running with me,

Jeffrey