How I feel after writing an e-course

Today, this morning - about ten minutes ago in fact - something amazing happened to me.

I sent out the first lesson of my e-course.

To anyone else this will not feel like a big event. But I cannot tell you how delighted I am with myself and I want to take a moment to pause and reflect. 

It's not about the pounds. It's about completing something.

Something I created from a blank page. From nothing.

This e-course was an idea I initially conceived during the Christmas 2017 holidays. I was looking forward to a quiet Christmas. I needed a quiet Christmas. We had no family coming to stay with us and illness prior to the big day meant we all needed the chance to rest and recharge. 

Then, whilst in the shower, I got my idea. I've had ideas for an e-course before but nothing came from it. When this one popped into my head it just made so much sense to me. It felt right.

So I started making a few notes. I did some customer research i.e I asked two Instagram friends, my two lovely guinea pigs, what they were struggling with as they created their own blogs. I traded my answers and help for their questions.

Then I sat at my desk and wrote. Then wrote some more. Then I recorded some videos. Then wrote and wrote. You get the idea.

I was daunted by the selling side. Would anyone buy? How do I share the information with the course students? But research, patience (with myself) and perseverance all paid off and everything started to fall into place.

And now I have a four week e-course with actual real life students. People who are interested in what I have to teach.

The first lesson went out this morning and it felt like such a massive achievement. Because this is the first time in a long time that I've conceived a project, started it and saw it through, right until the end. 

For a long time I thought I was one of those people who didn't finish a project. I've had my novel hanging over my head for such a long time it has made me think I would never finish anything. I've had my blog, of course I have, but a blog is constantly evolving. It's a hungry beast and one that you have to keep feeding. 

But now I have this. And I've worked out a few things about myself as I wrote it:

• I am not one of those people who can have multiple projects on the go at the same time. 
• I don't work well to deadlines that I keep to myself. i.e I cannot write 1000 words a day that I quietly get on with.
• I can, however, work towards a realistic deadline if I have publicised it. 
• I love writing about blogging and the creative process.
• If I want to write a novel or memoir I have to write it in the same way as my e-course. As a project where I block off everything else and concentrate on that one thing.
• I like lists but then tend to forget about them and hold everything, frustratingly, in my head.
• I stop everything else going on in my life when I'm concentrating on a project. No getting my nails done, no dog walks with my friend, not coffees. I cannot organise things when my head is full.
• I know more than I think I do.
• I can do more than I think I can.
• Keep it simple should be my mantra for everything. And has kept me sane during this entire process.

I've still go a few loose ends to tie up. And I have a Facebook group for the course so will be supporting everyone as they go through the lessons. 

But now I'm wondering what to do next. Write another course? (I have an idea brewing.) Or something else. Which brings me to the final thing I've learnt:

• When one project is completed I have to fill my 'creative well' before starting a new one.

I didn't write this post to publicise my course, but if you are interested in joining it's not too late and you can find out more here.

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An honest post about my creative year & my ideas for 2018

Due to nobody's fault but my own 2017 didn't quite go to plan for me. 

It started off well. Then I hit 10k on Instagram and my focus evaporated. I got sidetracked by other things. I was like a social media magpie picking my way excitedly through the shiny online advice.

I created another brand, another website, I started a coaching business. Oh my goodness this took up a lot of time and effort. But I was missing using my own creativity. And subsequently lost my appetite for work. I was beginning to flounder and flail.

It wasn't until a summer holiday when my mind had the chance to breathe that I realised I'd become side-tracked. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't, metaphorically speaking, kick myself long and hard for losing focus. 

But, as I said when I was being interviewed for a podcast last week, this is my journey. Just as I haven't yet finished my novel, just as my blog posts and Instagram account has yet to go viral (insert wink emoji) there is, I think, a reason for many of the decisions I make. And, even if there isn't a reason and it is a stupid mistake, I can still learn from it.

And what I've learned this year, in a looong roundabout way, is that I really want to focus on storytelling. I want to create a beautiful body of work on my blog where I tell my seasonal stories all mixed in with the other blog posts I enjoy writing on books, Instagram, food, beauty, writing, chickens, ducks  - whatever takes my fancy.

And I know I love sharing my stories on Instagram, too, but I don't want to put all my chickens' eggs in one social media basket.

So, what come's next? Well, I'm going to have a proper think over the Christmas break but I do have a few ideas now.

Even though I won't be doing one-to-one coaching anymore I have been answering DMs and emails from people who've reached out to me and who are interested in setting up their own blog and sharing their own stories but don't know where to start.

So...

IDEA NUMBER ONE

With social media becoming harder to build a following I firmly believe that creating a blog is important if you want an online presence. A blog is your business card, it's your portfolio. It is also a place to be creative. To experiment with different ways of telling stories: film, photography or writing.

So, I thought it would make sense to put all my knowledge from the past few years into a course focusing on the practical side as well as the creative and storytelling side of building a beautiful blog. A course looking at how to build up to sharing your work and writing (which I know can be so daunting) in addition to finding places to share and promote it.

I know that being confused about the techie aspects of writing and sharing online can be a real stumbling block so I genuinely want to help cut through all the advice so creatives can set up their blog simply and effectively then concentrate on creating.

I've actually already started to write the course and love how it's coming together. If you're interested you can sign up on this page to receive more information  and I'll email you when I have a date and further information.

If you have any questions about the course do send me an email. I'd love to hear from you.

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IDEA NUMBER TWO

I'd love to create A Bookish Baker - the Book Club. A place to enjoy cosy reads. Whether this would be via newsletter, on a private area of this blog or on Facebook I'm not sure. What do you think? Is this something you'd be interested in?

IDEA NUMBER THREE

A podcast talking books and stories. Maybe chatting to authors but also chatting to bloggers and creatives to discover the behind-the-scenes stories. 

This seems like a lot of projects I'd like to do when you also consider I have this blog, a novel to write and my Instagram photos and mini-films. 

BUT now I have found the path I want to be on I realise I love doing all of this. All if it. And I am so ready for the next stage of challenges.