Welcome to The Coherent Writer
A newsletter that helps you craft a purposeful path to creative success, in writing, and life!
In October 2021, I published my book, Rewriting My Happily Ever After - a memoir of divorce and discovery. Although I had been writing personal essays, memoir pieces and op-eds for several years, the journey from ‘writer’ to ‘author’ left me confused and exhausted.
Writing, it turned out, was the easy part. The difficult part was the learning, decision making and effort involved in bringing the book to life and into the hands of readers.
Whether you publish one-off pieces (as I once did) or are working on a magnum opus, the life of a writer requires much more than single-minded devotion to the muse, practised in silence and solitude.
On a daily basis, you need to choose between attending to your art or business or craft and try to fit it into the many demands on your time and energy.
In my case, I tried to do everything simultaneously and ended up with a severe case of burnout.
Through this newsletter, I plan to share the lessons from my journey to guide you towards a more sustainable, coherent and fulfilling life as a creative writer.
Why Coherent?
In the book “Designing Your Life”, authors Bill Burnett and Tom Evans define a coherent life as “one lived in such a way that you can clearly connect the dots between three things - who you are, what you believe, and what you are doing.”
When I revisited my tryst with burnout, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that it wasn’t the stress of writing and publishing a book but the distress caused by not being able to connect the dots between these three very important facets of myself as being responsible for my condition.
Whether you are an aspiring (or experienced) writer, traditionally published (or considering being an independent author), you need a companion, not just a guidebook, as you craft a path to creative success that is uniquely and perfectly suited to you.
Hence, the Coherent Writer newsletter! Get weekly essays, insights and resources about the Art, Business and Craft of writing as you navigate the rocky roads of creative life. Stay tuned and please forward this to your friends so they can sign up!!