How to change the world through your keyboard

Me delivering the very first printed copy of my book to my writing mentor, my Dad.

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Arizona Book Awards, honoring local authors who had published great books with local publishers.

The focus of my talk was about my own journey as a writer, from passionate library patron and reader of children’s books to corporate communicator (and we all know that cannot, by definition, be considered real writing) to blogger to published author.

My life has been profoundly shaped by writing. And the interaction with readers of my writing has profoundly shaped me too.

So I was thrilled to be asked to teach in Pace and Kyeli’s World Changing Writing Workshop, an 8-week intensive program, taught by writers. Some of my favorite juicy authors are participating, including Patti Digh, Mark Silver, Ali Luke, Bindu Wiles and SARK.

I interviewed Pace and Kyeli, founders of the Connection Revolution and creators of the World Changing Writing Workshop, about their love of bringing about change through words.

1.    What drew both of you into wanting to work with writers?

Kyeli: I was drawn into working with writers because our audience is full of writers!  We asked them what they wanted and they wanted us to help them write better, bolder, more frequently, and more world-changingly.  So the World-Changing Writing Workshop was born.  I’ll admit, I was resistant at first because I myself didn’t identify as a writer.  But over the course of the Workshop last year, that slowly changed – and now I work with writers because I’m a writer myself!

Pace: My passion is changing the world. When I asked myself, “What has changed MY world?” the answer was: books. Three books (Ishmael, The Story of B, and The Paradigm Conspiracy) inspired me to go out and change the world. I want to honor that gift I received by passing it along to others. Because the Connection Revolution isn’t just about me and Kyeli changing the world.  It’s about YOU changing the world.

2.   How can writing change the world?

Writing changes the world by changing every person who reads it.  We all have a unique voice, we all have a story.  And for every story, there is someone, somewhere, who really needs to read it.  For that person, your story will be world-changing.  And the world is changed through a billion such steps.

3.    What blocks people from writing?

I’ve found that most writers block bottoms out in fear.  We call it various things, give it all kinds of power and names, but when it comes down to it, the responsibility to tell our stories is downright terrifying.

4.    Why is support so critical in the writing process?

Support is critical to help move us past that fear and back into writing.  When we get stuck, we can either roll around in our own heads and hope for the best, or we can reach out to others.  Unsurprisingly, I feel that reaching out to others, reaching for support, will unwind us and get us back into the flow of writing far faster than staying in our own heads.  And that brings us back to the world needing our stories – support helps our stories get written!  Another way writers can get stuck is if they’re writing their hearts out and nothing seems to be happening. This is usually either because their writing isn’t making an impact or because their words aren’t reaching the right audience — both of which are totally fixable!

5.    what can people look forward to when they attend the world-changing writing workshop?

In the World-Changing Writing Workshop, people can look forward to eight expert writers giving their best tips and tricks for writing more powerfully, more boldly, and more regularly.  We’ve got a community of writers in the Writers’ Guild, where we’re forming support groups and connections with other writers so that the loneliness of writing – and writing is a lonely thing – doesn’t get you down and stuck.  We’ve got volumes of information on how to write when you’re just starting, how to keep writing when you’ve been doing it far too long, how to keep it real and fresh, how to find your audience, and lots of information on creativity and authenticity.  And we’ve managed to give it all a new spin, so nothing gets rehashed over and over.

But most of all, we’ve got love.  Pace and I love this work, and we love our writing community.  We’ve poured our hearts and souls into this Workshop.  We’re going to get these people busy writing, and then help them get those powerful, unique stories out into the world.

You can find out more about the World Changing Writing Workshop here. It kicks off next week. I use my affiliate link with pride since I don’t think I have ever met people who express more true devotion and love to their mission of helping others than Pace and Kyeli.

May your words reach just the right person at just the right time.