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.
Prepping for a new project| The Storyteller's Quest Vol. 6
ππ» Hi friends,
The past week was quiet, mostly hunkering down due to freezing weather conditions and the fact that everyone around us has COVID. Who would have thought we would still be in this situation in 2022?
On the creation front, I got one pitch accepted and sent tons more to potential clients. Here is hoping.
I'm also taking Ship 30 for 30 writing course for the second time and still enjoying it as much as the first time. I have an affiliate link here if you are interested in signing up.
Also this week, I started the Maven Accelerator program that will prep me to be an instructor for a cohort-based course.
I'm really invigorated and already setting things in motion to launch my cohort in March on how to pitch to publications and businesses and get paid for your writing.
Please hit me up if you want to be included.
I hope you enjoy this week's installment of the Storyteller's Quest.
Best,
Natasha
πΌοΈ Photo of the week
We have been having one snowstorm after the other here in Maryland during the past two weeks. The scenery is pretty but it is making it really hard for me to take my daily walks with icy and slippery sidewalks.
π€© Things that wowed me
As usual, there are so many good things out there, and it's so hard to keep up. Here are some of my favorites:
ποΈ Creator Economy: Prolific YouTuber Ali Abdal made four million dollars from his channel and other projects. He deserves it. Ali had a huge impact on me. β
πΉ YouTube: I liked this video from creator David Perell on How to Take Notes like Kendrick Lamar.
𧡠Thread: I loved this Twitter thread from CEO of ConverKit Nathan Barry that has tips on kickstarting your creator journey. I particularly liked "Set a Daily 'Make Something' Goal".
π Books: I recently finished a fantastic novel in Arabic called Christmas in Mecca by Iraqi author Ahmed Khairi Al-Omari. It's a wonderful story about identify, family and what it means to be an Arab and a Muslim in a Western country. I hope it gets translated into English.
π° Article: I enjoyed reading this article titled Incubation. The concept behind incubation is that it allows our ideas to sit with us for some time, allowing them to mature.
βπ» Content creation
I'm grateful that I have been quite busy with client work during the past month.
I have also published the following on Medium:
- βTools to unleash and capture creativity while walkingβ
- βIf you are a creator of any kind, Elizabethβs Gilbertβs Big Magic is a must-readβ
Are you looking for a writer for your company's blog or publication? Let's chat. Email me at: natasha@natashastynes.comβ
πΉ The YouTube experiment
I had a great discussion with Rayyan Al Shawaf, author of the novel When all Else Fails. This interview is part of the "The Author spotlight" feature on my YouTube channel.β
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We discussed the following:
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β‘οΈ The Arab-Christian identify and how the majority of Christians in the Middle East consider themselves Arabs while a number of Iraqi Christian groups like the Assyrians and Chaldeans donβt see themselves as ethnically Arabs.
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β‘οΈ How virtue by association can sometimes be the only way to get our tormentors off our backs.
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β‘οΈ When representation in literature is seen as cultural appropriation.
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β‘οΈ Controversy over sexually explicit scenes and the objectification of women in these scenes.
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β‘οΈ Writing habits and the publishing journey.
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You can watch this whole fascinating discussion below. Feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notified when new interviews are up.
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βπ» Ship 30 for 30 writing course
If youβre thinking about joining the online writing course Ship 30 for 30, I have an affiliate link.
I took Ship 30 for 30 last month and it was an amazing experience. I learned a lot, joined new communities and increased my Twitter followers. I enjoyed it that much, that I'm taking it for a second time.
I highly recommend it.
Are you looking for a writer for your company's blog or publication?
Do you need help with your digital media strategy?
Let's chat!
Email me at natasha@natashastynes.comβ
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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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