Afleveringen

  • Author Mea Smith discusses her journey through determining her worth and shares epiphanies about how it connects to creativity in this special QWERTY interview with a creative. Joy E. Rancatore asks Mea foundational and process questions and prompts her to share a special QWERTY challenge with listeners.

    Tune in to be inspired, enlightened and uplifted.

    Check out the episode about Mea’s poetry book referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 2, Episode 47: “A Poetic Arc: The Birth of a Poetry Book”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/a-poetic-arc-the-birth-of-a-poetry-book/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

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    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith dispel negative emotions toward motivation in the creative life for Episode 15 in Season 5 of QWERTY Writing Life.

    They present a QWERTY theory about the aspects of motivation and two QWERTY-identified types of motivation. Personal examples from their recent creative lives show how they arrived at this candid chat. And, they end with ten observations about motivation and a practical implementation that flows into the QWERTY Challenge.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Mea’s poetry book, Grief Like a River: https://storyswell.net/books

    Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

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  • Recently, authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith met with a group of writers on a college campus. One of the students asked a question that has spurred ongoing conversation between Mea and Joy 
 and this episode!

    “What is your motivation to publish? What keeps your butt in the chair to finish a project and get it out there?”

    Listen in as Joy and Mea share specific answers to how they achieved publication of some of their books as well as more general reasons behind why they choose to share in the first place.

    They close out with a short but deep QWERTY Challenge that can help you answer these questions in your creative life.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Mea’s poetry book, Grief Like a River: https://storyswell.net/books

    Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Joy’s book Any Good Thing: https://joyerancatore.com/any-good-thing/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 12, “Balancing Vulnerability and Memories in Art”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/balancing-vulnerability-and-memories-in-art/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith highlight five benefits of writing across formats and genres in this episode of QWERTY Writing Life. They pull from their work and life experiences to exemplify each point and challenge listeners to add to the conversation.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Joy’s Summer Reading Challenge: https://joyerancatore.com/summer-reading/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 3, Episode 17, “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/

    Mea’s poetry book, Grief Like a River: https://storyswell.net/books

    Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith approach a challenging topic in Season 5, Episode 12 of QWERTY Writing Life—how to balance vulnerability and memories in art. They offer five tips to avoid unhealthy bleeding out of emotions in public art while still seizing the opportunity to heal through creativity.

    In addition to practical tips creatives can implement, Joy and Mea share personal examples from their own books to show how they’ve used or are using their tips to share emotional pieces with readers.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Marching North hat tutorial on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GcXlu6eLz-U?si=r1urP90_FO_dVHOl

    Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    QWERTY Writing Life Season 5, Episode 9, “What Is the Great Conversation?” https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/what-is-the-great-conversation/

    QWERTY Writing Life Season 5, Episode 10, “Why Care About the Great Conversation?” https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/why-should-we-care-about-the-great-conversation/

    QWERTY Writing Life Season 5, Episode 11, “How Do We Add to the Great Conversation?” https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/how-do-we-add-to-the-great-conversation/

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Dan Blank on Creative Place & Purpose podcast episode: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/interview-with-a-creative-dan-blank-on-creative-place-purpose/

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Dan Blank on Creative Place & Purpose podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hIvSma0YZXk

    Grief Like a River by Mea Smith: https://storyswell.net/books

    This Good Thing by Joy E. Rancatore: https://joyerancatore.com/this-good-thing/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • In Season 5, Episode 11 of QWERTY Writing Life, authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith answer the question, “How do we add to the Great Conversation?” To do that, they came up with four thoughts on the how of it all to round out this mini series on the Great Conversation.

    Check out the episodes and books referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Dan Blank on Creative Place & Purpose podcast episode: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/interview-with-a-creative-dan-blank-on-creative-place-purpose/

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Dan Blank on Creative Place & Purpose podcast episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hIvSma0YZXk

    The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings by Philip and Carol Zaleski: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23526522-the-fellowship

    The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29008738-the-bird-and-the-sword

    The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11337.The_Bluest_Eye

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith dive deeper into the topic of the Great Conversation as they answer the question, “Why Care About the Great Conversation?” They share three primary “whys” and then go further in regards specifically to literature with seven benefits to that creative medium.

    Check out the book referenced in the show:

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith begin a few thoughts about the Great Conversation. In Episode 9 of Season 5’s QWERTY Writing Life, they seek to answer the question “What is the Great Conversation?”

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Joy’s 12 Days of Reading

    https://www.facebook.com/groups/twelvedaysofreading

    Simon Schama, The Power of Art https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19797.The_Power_of_Art

    Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/588138.The_Hero_With_a_Thousand_Faces

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith encourage creatives to play this holiday season and jumpstart their creativity with prompts. In this episode of QWERTY Writing Life, they give five types of prompts for creatives and then share examples from their lives of how each can be used.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    Blog Battle: https://bbprompt.com/

    Tales of the Faerie Shepherds (stories by Joy, many inspired by Blog Battle prompts): https://joyerancatore.com/my-writings/tales-of-the-faerie-shepherds/

    Reedsy has a weekly writing prompt contest you can have fun with: https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/contests/

    FOR A BONUS PROMPT AND IMPROMPTU EXAMPLES OF HOW IT’S USED BY BOTH JOY AND MEA:

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith continue season five’s extra candid format in an episode about sacrifice. They discuss people’s natural aversion to the word as well as the importance of it and how it ties into a creative’s life and art.

    As with many other introspective topics, asking “What will you sacrifice for your art?” requires a balancing act. Joy and Mea share a few of their tendencies to tip to one extreme or another and some practical steps they have taken or are taking to avoid such imbalance.

    Throughout the discussion, the authors weave in ways creatives can prepare themselves to answer the question, “What will you sacrifice for your art?”

    Check out this link referenced in the show:

    We Can Do Hard Things Podcast with Dr. BrenĂ© Brown, Episode 48, “How to Know Ourselves and Be Known by Our People”: https://shows.cadence13.com/podcast/wcdht/episodes/e77b5152-0180-4a59-8540-d8aa59e73c94

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith present perhaps their most candid QWERTY Writing Life episode yet. They don’t have any earth-shattering answers for the questions they pose on the topic of redefining self care. What they do have are honest reflections from their own lives and examples of how to redefine self care, specifically for the creative life.

    As shared in the show, this is the QWERTY Definition of Self-Care:

    How we care for ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (all the ways that make us human beings) that enables us to pour into the people in our lives and into the responsibilities and opportunities we’ve accepted, without sacrificing personal peace (our own wholeness).

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 5, Episode 5, Interview with a Creative: Creative Place & Purpose with Dan Blank: https://youtu.be/hIvSma0YZXk

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Dan Blank, founder of WeGrowMedia, visits QWERTY Writing Life and chats with authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith about Creative Place and Purpose.

    He gives practical tips on how to take overwhelming aspects of the creative life—marketing, author platform, author purpose and mission statements, collaborations and audience—and make them manageable, approachable and even fun.

    Dan also explains his "human-centered approach to marketing" and shows how it plays out in the lives of authors through real-life examples.

    Learn more from Dan at these links:

    Subscribe at Substack for his weekly newsletter that is always packed with inspiration and practical steps you can take to improve your creative life: https://danblank.substack.com/

    Visit his website for more on his “human-centered approach to marketing” and his consultations for authors: https://wegrowmedia.com/

    Follow him on Instagram or X for daily encouragement: https://www.instagram.com/danblank and https://twitter.com/DanBlank

    And, of course, get your own copy of his creative life-altering book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience: https://bookshop.org/a/95576/9780998645216

    (Note: This is Joy’s affiliate link for the book on bookshop.org. Thank you for supporting Dan, Joy and independent bookstores!)

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • In Season 5, Episode 4 of QWERTY Writing Life, Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith bring back a previous question, with a twist.

    Where Is Your Art’s Place in the Creative World?

    Answering where an artist fits in the creative world is one challenge that comes with easy to follow questions. Placing art, though, can be more complicated. Joy and Mea share three perspectives to ease the task and guide fellow creatives.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 3: “Authors & Readers: Let’s Get Together!”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/authors-and-readers-let-s-get-together/

    Joanna Penn’s interview with John Truby on The Creative Penn Podcast: https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2022/11/28/anatomy-of-genre/

    The Anatomy of Genres: How Story Forms Explain the Way the World Works, by John Truby: https://bookshop.org/a/95576/9780374539221 (This is Joy’s affiliate link for the book on bookshop.org, a fantastic online bookseller that gives back to independent bookstores.)

    More on Carolina’s Legacy Collection—”Southern fiction with Christian roots”—by Joy: https://joyerancatore.com/my-writings/carolinas-legacy-collection/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 2: “Where Is Your Place in the Creative World?”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/where-is-your-place-in-the-creative-world/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith tackle a huge topic in this episode of QWERTY Writing Life: bringing Authors and Readers together.

    They seek to reduce the overwhelm of the topic, though, through a set of six lessons they’ve learned over their years as Creatives.

    Check out the links referenced in the show as well as a few suggestions for fellow authors seeking to identify their ideal readers:

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 1, “Calibrate Your Creative Purpose”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/calibrate-your-creative-purpose/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 2: “Where Is Your Place in the Creative World?”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/where-is-your-place-in-the-creative-world/

    Suggested Resources for Identifying an Ideal Reader:

    Dan Blank’s book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/

    Dan Blank, We Grow Media consulting: https://wegrowmedia.com/work-with-us/

    Belinda Griffin, Smart Authors Lab: https://smartauthorslab.com/about-smartauthorslab/

    Kimberley Grabas, Your Writer Platform: https://yourwriterplatform.com/about/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Since childhood, people ask that loaded question: “Where Do I Fit In?” Creatives still ask that question, but with a twist:

    “Where Is My Place in the Creative World?”

    Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have asked the same question, and they’ve developed a three-tiered approach to help Creatives answer where they belong.

    In this episode, Joy and Mea provide Creatives with 11 questions to answer. These prompts cover the first two tiers of finding your place in the creative world. The third tier—connecting with the right creative audience—will be covered more thoroughly in Episode 3 of Season 5.

    To answer Where Is Your Place in the Creative World, decide who you are and what you want as a creative by answering these six questions:

    #1: What are your fundamental standards? What is your code of conduct or the set of standards that guide what and how you create?

    #2: Why do you have to create?

    #3: What do you want to create?

    #4: What are your goals for what you create?

    #5: What do you want to make people feel?

    #6: Envision yourself as a successful artist. Who’s around you? Where are you? How are you holding that success—are you headlining conferences as a keynote speaker or touring bookstores and libraries across the country or traveling while you create?

    Next, look outside yourself to who you want beside you on your creative journey, by answering these five questions:

    Question #1: Who do you want to support?

    Question #2: What do you want to promote?

    Question #3: What support would you like?

    Question #4: How can you help fellow creatives? How are you willing to do this?

    Question #5: What safeguards can you put in place to make sure you engage wisely in ways that are best for you and them?

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 3, Episode 17, “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 5, Episode 1, “Calibrate Your Creative Purpose”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/calibrate-your-creative-purpose/

    Dan Blank’s book, Be the Gateway: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/

    “Writing with Maggie Stiefvater” digital writing course: https://www.etsy.com/listing/806360184/writing-with-maggie-stiefvater-8-hour

    Learn more about their book on writing critique partners, Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Writer Moms Inc. Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Writermomsinc/

    Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi): https://allianceindependentauthors.org/?affid=7767

    Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA): https://www.ibpa-online.org/

    Rom-Com Author Sharon Peterson: https://sharonmpeterson.com/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith have been prepping for a life-changing literary submission. As part of that, they must submit an Artist’s Statement. Neither of them was sure what that was, but after a bit of research, they discovered they’ve been crafting theirs for the past several years.

    Listen in as they take this discovery and share how their statements have developed organically over their time as evolving creatives. In reference to their creative purposes, Joy and Mea explain how those important foundational details have adapted over time as they’ve grown as authors.

    You will hear four practical steps to intentionally calibrate your creative purpose. The QWERTYs look forward to hearing about your implementation of these tips.

    Check out the links referenced in the show:

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 1, Episode 35, “Goal Planning with 2020 Vision, Part 1”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/goal-planning-with-2020-vision-part-i-template-for-goal-setting/

    QWERTY Writing Life Podcast, Season 3, Episode 17, “Fundamental Standards for Creatives”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/fundamental-standards-for-creatives/

    Dan Blank’s book, Be the Gateway: https://wegrowmedia.com/bethegateway/

    Subscribe to Dan Blank’s weekly newsletter, packed with great information and encouragement for creatives: https://wegrowmedia.com/contact-us/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith reflect on the fourth season of QWERTY Writing Life and celebrate the highlights while announcing plans for the future. Tune in for opportunities to weigh in on upcoming creative opportunities and a challenge to help you plan your next steps.

    Check out the book and the previous episodes referenced in the show:

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 4, Episode 7, “Artist as a Work in Progress”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/artist-as-a-work-in-progress/

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 4, Episodes 11 and 12: “Creativity: Are You Sitting or Steeping?”

    https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/creativity-are-you-sitting-or-steeping-part-1/

    https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/creativity-are-you-sitting-or-steeping-part-2/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Season Four of QWERTY Writing Life has been full of productivity, surprises and lessons learned. Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith reflect on the season and the projects they have managed along the way.

    Tune in for thoughts on embracing the finiteness of time and the depth we add to our creative selves when we simply live life and much more. The QWERTY Challenge is geared toward helping you celebrate your creative accomplishments.

    Check out the book and the previous episodes referenced in the show:

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 4, Episode 13, “When Your Pivot Needs to Pivot”:

    https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/when-your-pivot-needs-to-pivot/

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 4, Episode 14, “Creatively Redeeming a Time Gap”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/creatively-redeeming-a-time-gap/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith got together in person to complete the project they’ve been working on throughout Season Four. Tune in to hear how it went and what else the duo accomplished while they were together.

    As usual, the QWERTYs have insights and tips to share through this candid chat from their creative lives.

    Check out these links mentioned in the show:

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    QWERTY Writing Life, Season 4, Episode 14, “Creatively Redeeming a Time Gap”: https://qwertywritinglife.podbean.com/e/creatively-redeeming-a-time-gap/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.

  • Authors Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith understand what it’s like to feel stuck or uncertain in the creative process. They propose we all approach our creative endeavors from a new perspective, every now and then.

    Tune in for six distinct creative perspectives, complete with examples from various mediums. Accept the QWERTY Challenge to share your own examples, as well as other perspectives you’ve utilized.

    Check out these links mentioned in the show:

    Finders Keepers: A Practical Approach to Find and Keep Your Writing Critique Partner: https://www.logosandmythospress.com/finders-keepers

    Mea’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/measmithwrites/

    Every Good Thing by Joy: https://joyerancatore.com/every-good-thing/

    Subscribe to the QWERTY’s monthly newsletter (be sure to click the box next to “opt in to receive news and updates” and check your spam for the confirmation email): https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/z9f1z5

    Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qwertywritinglife

    Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qwertywritinglife/

    Intro music created and performed by Brent Smith.

    Continue this week’s chat via email at qwertywritinglife [at] gmail [dot] com. For more information about the QWERTYs, the show and their writing craft book series, head over to https://qwertywritinglife.com. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see their grinning faces, ring the bell on their YouTube channel. Please share our podcast with your friends, too! For more about Mea and her writing, visit storyswell.net. Joy and her details can be found at joyerancatore.com.