I'm a Jordanian-American author and journalist with over two decades of experience. I have been published in the Washington Post, Nature, Elle, Esquire, among others. I'm also the recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award Literary Conference for my short story Ustaz Ali. I publish the weekly newsletter "The Writing Goldmine," in which I give tips on monetizing your writing and the content creation journey.
On taming the mind| The Storyteller's Quest Vol. 12
ππ» Hi friends,
It has been a while. What's my excuse? Maybe inertia got the best of me, but I have also been buried with client work and could hardly lift my head. Although it's a good problem to have, does that justify the lack of consistency on my part? Maybe.
So, while I was in the midst of client work, I fantasized about slow, quiet days where I would walk in the woods and focus on my creative projects, but now that I have some downtime, I'm fretting and wondering if I will ever get more work again. Vicious cycle.
The mind keeps playing tricks on us, and learning how to tame it is a superpower!
Amid all this excitement, I tried to stay creative, so I achieved the following:
β’ I launched my first digital product, an e-booklet titled "The art of pitching for writers," where I share my over twenty years of experience in freelance writing and tell you all my tips and tricks on how to write a winning pitch.
β’ I opened the application for my third cohort on "How to get published and monetize your writing," which will start on September 26.
Yes, I have been busy, especially as I continue to tame my mind and make it focus on the positive.
Do you immediately shut down that negative voice in your head or let it fester?
Keep creating!
Natasha
πΌοΈ Photo of the week
Last month, I played in a string quartet at a public park in the city of Kensington, Maryland. We played a piece by Beethoven and it was lovely. Iβm so grateful and happy that I got back to playing the violin after abandoning it for so many years. Iβm in my mid forties. Itβs never too late.
π€© Things that wowed me
πΉ YouTube: If you are looking for a thriller to read this summer, then make sure to check out BookTuber Haley Pham's video "I read 7 thriller books in 7 days".
𧡠Podcast: I enjoyed listening to Ali Abdaal's interview with Mo Gawdat, the happiness expert, who is on a mission to make 1 billion people happier.
π Quote: I love the following quote because it is a reminder to set a daily highlight:
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"The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities." - Greg McKeown, Essentialism.
π Book: I just finished The Lost Daughter, a brilliant short novel by the master storyteller Elena Ferrante. It is a raw, blunt view of motherhood that few dare to delve into. The story has themes similar to her Neapolitan novels that fans of Ferrante will easily recognize.
βπ» Newsletter: one of the newsletters I make sure I open every time I see it in my inbox is Charlie Bleecker's Transparent Tuesdays. She mostly discusses the ups and downs of parenting. The writing is good, oh so good!
βπ» Content creation
In the past few weeks, I published the following:
- A piece on the International Journalists Network (IJNet) titled Are you an independent journalist? Here are income streams to consider.
- An essay titled: The lamb story.
- An essay titled: I finally ate that fog and wrote this article: Takeaway from a bestseller.
Are you looking for a content writer for your company's blog or publication? Let's chat. Email me at: natasha@natashastynes.comβ
πΉ The YouTube experiment
Canadian author Sam Thiara who wrote the memoir Lost and Found, in which he traces his family's roots in India, believes everyone should write their autobiography.
Do you agree? Have you started working on your autobiography yet?
πΉ Watch my interview with Sam Thiara below ππ½
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πΉ Read and Write with Natasha Podcast
βHear the story of Sarah Humphreys who achieved what many writers struggle to do. She managed to find an agent and get a publishing deal when she was only 15 years old.
ππΌ Recommended by yours truly
- I have been using Hypefury to schedule and create tweets and it has been life-changing. They have tools to inspire you to write new tweets that resonate with your audience. I have already increased my followers by 100 in a few weeks. Highly recommended.β
β - The voice memo recording app Otter has been a game-changer for me. I use it every time a new idea strikes. When I'm walking, washing the dishes, folding laundry. I record thoughts, essay ideas, business ideas. It converts my thoughts into text that I can immediately save in my info capture system (Evernote, Notion, Apple Notes, etc) Highly recommended.β
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Do you need help with your digital media strategy? Are you trying to get published and looking for a book coach to guide you through the murky world of publishing?
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Let's chat!
Email me at natasha@natashastynes.comβ
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If you would like to show your support for The Storyteller's Quest, you can leave your tip here. β
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Natasha Tynes
I'm a Jordanian-American author and journalist with over two decades of experience. I have been published in the Washington Post, Nature, Elle, Esquire, among others. I'm also the recipient of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award at the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award Literary Conference for my short story Ustaz Ali. I publish the weekly newsletter "The Writing Goldmine," in which I give tips on monetizing your writing and the content creation journey.
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