4.
I am a horse!
Neeeeeeeeehhhh! Sorry - we had to. But the horse loves to whinny as much as you love to work. That's right, we know all about your work schedule. You've got lots on your plate, but also, you're ready to stop dreaming about the damn book and start getting it done.Horses love to work. They can win races, carry a wagon filled with people and gold, jump tall fences, and still offer cuddles at the end of the day. But also, they're often so busy taking care of everyone else, they don't find time for themselves. And when they do, they promptly hide in the barn and eat hay. Ask any horse. It's true.But in order for a horse to be truly free, they need to give themselves the space to be their truest selves. And in order for you to finally start writing (or finish the damn book), you need to start creating the time for you to focus on your writing. We know it can be scary to take a chance on your creativity when you're responsible for so many other things, but also, you deserve to not just win the race, but receive the award. And some hay too!POETRY BREAKUS Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith writes like a horse loose on the plains, running free from anyone who might try to harness her words. One of the great tricks of writing is breaking out of the "corporate speak" that many of us have been trained to write in - by school and by work. And just let the words run free. In Tracy's poem "My God, It's Full of Stars," we see the beauty that such freedom promises:Perhaps the great error is believing we’re alone, That the others have come and gone—a momentary blip— When all along, space might be choc-full of traffic, Bursting at the seams with energy we neither feel Nor see, flush against us, living, dying, deciding, Setting solid feet down on planets everywhere, Bowing to the great stars that command, pitching stones At whatever are their moons. They live wondering If they are the only ones, knowing only the wish to know, And the great black distance they—we—flicker in. Maybe the dead know, their eyes widening at last, Seeing the high beams of a million galaxies flick on At twilight. Hearing the engines flare, the horns Not letting up, the frenzy of being. I want to be One notch below bedlam, like a radio without a dial. Wide open, so everything floods in at once. And sealed tight, so nothing escapes. Not even time, Which should curl in on itself and loop around like smoke. So that I might be sitting now beside my father As he raises a lit match to the bowl of his pipe For the first time in the winter of 1959.WRITING PROMPTIt's time to write free. By now, you know how to get the engines started. A blank page doesn't scare you. You see it as a wild field where your writing can run. Find any stanza in Tracy's poem and write your emotional response. Set your timer for five minutes and let the beauty of her words but also, the power of her storytelling set your own story free. Don't let Tracy's words be your boundary though. There are no fences here. It's time to let it flow - and see how wild and for how long you can run. If you blow past the five-minute mark, keep going. If you feel like creating a whole practice around this one poem, you can do that too. There are five stanzas all together. Can you begin to use them as part of a daily practice to start building more consistency? We think so.We often tell people there are two things that will make a writer consistent: a paycheck and a deadline. We can't help you with the paycheck (although our authors have received over $1 million in book advances from traditional publishing so we can do that too) but we can help you with the deadline. Through our private coaching program, we help writers focus on their book project, creating the book proposal or manuscript that they are tired of trying to find the time to write. And pushing them towards the finish line!TIME TO START WRITINGThe Rise Coaching program was developed for writers who are ready to finally write and sell their book - or book proposal. Through private coaching and editorial and writing support, Rise Coaching will walk you through the process of crafting, pitching, and ultimately, selling your book, either to a traditional publisher or through our hybrid-publishing services.Our amazing coaches walk you through the book proposal process - from overview to marketing, from chapter summaries to sample chapters - helping you to develop your content, coaching you through the writing process, and editing your final draft. Once you’re finished with your book proposal, we take it out to over 40 agents on your behalf, crafting a query letter and submissions strategy to help you sell your book - and supporting you along the path to publishing.And we also help if you're writing a full-length novel or memoir. From concept to outline, from first draft to final, we will provide ongoing feedback, developmental edits, and ultimately, line-edits and final polish. ABOUT RISE LITERARYRise Literary is an empowered creativity experience that helps emerging writers become celebrated authors through book coaching, public speaking, and hybrid publishing services. Authors are able to invest in their books wherever they might be in the process (or in life!) - whether through our group courses, private book coaching, in-person writing retreats, or our premier hybrid publishing company.We believe your credentials and creativity are powerful enough to create conversation and community, which is why Rise Literary is more than a book company. We work to create storytelling platforms for our writers, utilizing our industry contacts, speaking opportunities, and our own in-house media ventures. These include our weekly podcast Write the Good Fight and live events such as RiseLive (our new speakers' series) and Write the Good Fight Live, where our podcast takes the stage with Rise authors, bestselling writers, and other critically acclaimed creatives.With distribution from Simon & Schuster, Rise Literary helps authors find their path to publishing and experience the personal and professional acclaim their work and thoughts deserve. To learn more about Rise Literary, head to our website. If you're ready to write your book, schedule a consultation call to start your path to publishing.
