Tag: poetry

7 alternative business models that every writer should consider

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Writer's creative bites

Tim_O'Reilly

Once you have written your book, promoted and eventually got some satisfactory sales – is not the place where job around your book is finished. No, no 🙂 actually, this is an opening opportunity for you further to establish and build a credible business around your book. You might also think that this is applicable only to non-fiction authors, but it doesn’t have to be. Even as a fiction writer, there is a lot you can share with people and teach what you know. And you can translate that in multiple revenues of income. Mostly this falls into category of product-service-system business models, where around the product you offer, your clients/customers can enjoy  variety of related services.

Here is the list of interesting business model variations that I think every published author should consider:

  1. Speaking opportunities. Published book in your area of interest gives you the opportunity to position yourself as an expert in the given field. Through established and growing relationships, networks and community you can gain speaking opportunities and expand your writing business.
  2. Coaching. Are you good at your writing? Or you published a book about something else you are good at? Well there are other people who could benefit from your knowledge. This is an excellent way of starting an online coaching business – you can easily and effectively do your coaching using skype (facetime, ext.) and help people from all around the world.
  3. Online courses, webinars, training sessions. This is quite similar to  coaching, but you have a bit larger audience: you can use your book as the foundation for an online training session or workshop. This is an excellent opportunity to virtually deliver educational programs and gain international clients.
  4. Subscription/membership program. Your book can be a foundation for a membership program where you offer additional exclusive content only to subscribers (on a monthly basis for example). Being your content “in the how to” category or short stories series, this is an excellent chance to secure steady stream of passive income.
  5. Information products. Every book can be easily upgraded/transformed in a workbook, mobile app, podcast..
  6. Certification. If you have developed your own techniques and methodologies that are effective in some way, you can offer certification programs to consultants/writers/coaches who want to teach your methods. In a way they are becoming your ambassadors, promoting further your business and brand.
  7. Online portal/journal. If you like to couple your love of writing with research you can start your own portal or journal, related to topics you are interested in. It is seen as an excellent opportunity to engage with other writers and generate valuable and interesting content. It can vary from poetry to retail or politics. Nevertheless, depending on the traffic your site generates you can ‘sell’ space on your website to interested third parties for advertisements.

Each of these models is a way that writer can deeper explore real entrepreneurial possibilities. Each of them require further time and investment. Yet the purpose of this article is to emphasize that inclination and affection for writing doesn’t have to end there: it can further fuel our creativity and combined with other talents (being that ours or other’s people) can lead to results with much broader impact.

Play with words (creativity exercise)

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Write, create, innovate: exercises

confucius

I’ve always been criticized by my family members and friends, that I’m at times childish and how everything I want to turn into a game. Well, in my opinion life can be dull enough and by adding some playfulness into it – is my way of getting a sun shine in my dark days: which of course doesn’t mean that I take life lightheartedly and that I’m not serious when situation requires. On the contrary! I just think that through gamification and playfulness we can learn with ease, soften the tension when some problems arise and is actually a great tool for brainstorming (about which I will write in some of my future posts).

But for today’s exercise let’s just play with words. I will suggest couple of ways  – you can add your own or alter this suggestions according to your preference. Below are written couple of words:

sky                               table                         spice                                  medicine

hope                             flesh                        doing                                 escape

inevitable                   immense                minuscule                       golden-brown

chew                            pull                           face                                   inhale

in between                 cryptic                      soft                                      people

Now these are random words I picked and we can use them in variety of ways in different brainstorming sessions.

Version 1:

You can circle and chose around 5 words from the list above and write your poem including those words. But here’s the catch: you also have to include 5 key words related to your project you are working on and incorporate them in the poem too. Now, don’t get bothered with the logic and form, just write your poem – no matter how silly it may sound: the purpose is to get your creativity pumping.

For example:

My words from the list: medicine, cryptic, inhale, flesh, chew.

My key words: business, entrepreneurship, art, creativity, purpose

This medicine is a cryptic business.

As I inhale stagnant air

I chew with purpose

while creativity floods my flesh;

I’m the captain of my entrepreneur-ship:

It’s an art and courage to sail alone

so far and deep.

This poem turned out to be quite funny, but this unexpected relation between unpairable verbs and nouns can spark unexpected views on problem and reveal hidden solutions. This poem, produced in the form of free writing, no matter how funny, does speak of courage and risks I need to take; that I’m in charge of the outcome and for me is quite empowering. Just let your inner being play – it already knows what you need.

Version 2:

Write three haikus or very short poems, using in each poem one noun and one adjective from the list above. Also include your own key words: Let’s say:

1.

Immense sky  covered in blue.

A joy spread with purpose.

2.

Minuscule face enters home.

Love, a life’s art.

3.

Wind gives wings to golden-brown spice.

Split second of nature’s creativity.

If I would go in deep analysis of every and each of these sentences – what do they have in common (as how I interpret them ) is that I always first have to look at nature as it is the inexhaustible source of inspiration where I will find new ideas and solutions.

Version 3:

Take one key word and all the verbs in the list. Make a poem out if it.

I inhale and breath as my business goes so well!

With joy and smile I chew this small chocolate

as I pull this feeling deep inside, hoping never to escape.

Now this example turned almost into an affirmation and self-encouragement; being present in the moment; taking one step at the time and enjoying life’s little things.

This is fun and interesting way for us to stimulate our subconsciousness and it’s like having a conversation with our true self. Language and words are that wonderful tool (every time available to us) that can help us move from stagnant thoughts in the direction of creativity, inspiration and hope.

So what do you think, ready to play with words? 🙂

 

Discarded grief

by Maja Todorovic, posted in My personal rhyme - from time to time

Look at this leaf.

Where did it come from?

Stuck in a mud, like a

discarded grief from a weeping willow.

I like its shape.

Follows my hand. Pair it

in two and you can make a glove

or a puppet doll that says “I love you!”

It’s full of wavy hurdles,

a catepillar’s slalom track.

Can be frozen, curled or wet,

wears all season’s colors like a traffic light.

Enjoys to float, especially in waters of Hoogvliet

rushes to meet other leaves,

while gives a ride to marsh fleas.

Once it went disguised,

I couldn’t recognize it.

Dressed in the lost feathers of

floating white hearts and undived “quack, quack”

pretends to be a Sioux Holy Man.

It may come in different sounds too.

Like a bandmaster, it orchestrates winter winds in dramatic

symphonies.

Or, when a thickening fog occupies city parks

still dark and tainted from night,

you hear a crunchy, cranky sound as it get’s

crushed under lover’s heels or

sporadic brave joggers,

in short sleeves.

Dissipated in the air

it’ll wait for its turn,

to blossom proudly again and stare

how spring Sun in the west burns.

Hey little leaf

you would like to crawl into my pocket

like a sneaky thief?

I’m lonely too,

keep me company

in my autumn view.

Maja S. Todorovic

Mark Strand and his take on creative action

by Maja Todorovic, posted in Write, create, innovate!

MarkStrand

Mark Strand was one of the most celebrated American poets. He had a very dynamic career, where besides writing poetry, he was accomplished editor, translator, and prose writer.

With very distinctive style in most of his work he dwells on the position of human consciousness, exploring the ideas of the self and life purpose in general.

In 1990 he was named the U.S. Poet Laureate, and along his career he won numerous prizes like  In 1999 he was awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection Blizzard of One.

During his 5 decades long career he worked as a Professor at many Universities, encouraging young generations to take the leap and find their career in creative writing and poetry. (source: poetryfoundation.org)

But what’s mostly interesting about Strand are his responses in an interview he had with with psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who during the 1990s interviewed 91 people dedicated to intellectual pursuits about their take on the creative process. Strand believed that creativity is an expression of consciousness itself; that speaks and communicates through human spirit and search for the most exquisite ways to be delivered and brought to daily light. In each and every act of creation Universe is mirroring and proving its own existence:

We’re only here for a short while. And I think it’s such a lucky accident, having been born, that we’re almost obliged to pay attention. In some ways, this is getting far afield. I mean, we are — as far as we know —the only part of the universe that’s self-conscious. We could even be the universe’s form of consciousness. We might have come along so that the universe could look at itself. I don’t know that, but we’re made of the same stuff that stars are made of, or that floats around in space. But we’re combined in such a way that we can describe what it’s like to be alive, to be witnesses. Most of our experience is that of being a witness. We see and hear and smell other things. I think being alive is responding.

[When] you’re right in the work, you lose your sense of time, you’re completely enraptured, you’re completely caught up in what you’re doing, and you’re sort of swayed by the possibilities you see in this work. The idea is to be so… so saturated with it that there’s no future or past, it’s just an extended present in which you’re, uh, making meaning. And dismantling meaning, and remaking it. (source: brainpickings.org)

Here Strand’s offers us a different view on the act of creation and that  aligning ourselves with who we truly are, is the only way to find our place in the world – where we can express our full potential. There is no wrong or right, good or bad – we only need to be fully aware of who we are and that moment creation speaks and lives through us.

Keeping Things Whole

by Mark Strand

In a field

I am the absence

of field.

This is

always the case.

Wherever I am

I am what is missing.

When I walk

I part the air

and always

the air moves in   

to fill the spaces

where my body’s been.

We all have reasons

for moving.

I move

to keep things whole.