I’m always inspired when someone writes anyway. When a writer keeps going through hard times, writes to find meaning, scribbles in a notebook...or publishes a book.
In spite of it all.
And today I’d like us all to celebrate a milestone for someone whose writing I’ve been reading for a long time: Elena Mutonono.
I’m really excited to help her celebrate her latest book:
Grounded Growth: Sustainable and Profitable Online Teaching Business On Your Own Terms.
For those of us who are language teachers and coaches, you’ll recognize Elena. And for those of us who are writers, well let me introduce you:
Elena Mutonono is a seasoned business coach who helps online language teachers move beyond 1:1 lessons and create a smarter system that lets you teach on your own terms and guarantees a stable income.
Elena is the author and co-author of several books, the creator of online courses, and the hostess in the Smart Teacher's Library -- a community for online language teachers and coaches.
She is one of the organizers of the Online Teacher Summit -- an annual online conference that brings together hundreds of online language teachers and coaches and inspires them to move toward working smarter.
This post is part of a series: What keeps you writing?
I hope we’ll all start a conversation around the words of wisdom of people who I think know how to step out of time for a little bit and grab the essence of life as they write.
The question for all of us is this:
How do we keep writing “even when” challenges come our way?
Whether you are publishing a book like Elena did in the midst of all of this, or whether you are writing tiny posts or poems on social media or simply keeping the craft alive by reading or writing for yourself. I hope you’ll read, be inspired, and join in the conversation!
Here are the questions I asked Elena about her writing journey so far, about working with a writing coach...and about publishing her latest book in these times we’re all navigating together.
Enjoy!
Tell us about your most recent writing project! How do you feel about finishing it? Why was it important to you to write this book?
I just finished working on Grounded Growth: Sustainable and Profitable Online Teaching Business on Your Own Terms. It's book #6 for me, and I developed, fleshed out, revised, and finished it during the pandemic and even the evacuation for hurricane Ida (I live in New Orleans). Completing a book feels like reaching a new milestone.
When I think of milestones, I imagine traveling through villages in rural Ukraine, watching rustic wooden black-and-white polls fly past your bus window, marking the journey, taking you to your destination. Though completing a book feels like seeing a new milestone, it doesn't ever "fly by" effortlessly. The milestone doesn't reach you. *You* have to walk towards it.
I was reminded of the Russian polymath Mikhail Lomonosov and his 3-week journey from a tiny Mishaninskaya village in the far north of Russia to a University in Moscow, allegedly barefoot. Reaching this milestone, writing this book during the pandemic and all other calamities definitely felt like walking barefoot on the snow, getting closer to that wooden poll no matter what.
The message of the book was really important to me. I wanted to write about money and how "just wanting" a certain amount or "setting a big hairy goal" (as big gurus might say) doesn't always work for online teachers, and what we can do to overcome it. This is something I learned the hard way in my own business, and it's something I wanted to share with other online language teachers so they don't feel bad about themselves when a "big goal" doesn't materialize fast. It has nothing to do with "not wanting it enough." There's a lot more work to be done, a lot of mindset shifts to make.
What challenges did you have to overcome to write your latest book?
This time I battled the challenges of little time, little inspiration, the despair and fear I saw in the world and people around me, the questions of "who cares" and such, dictated by the inner critic that never calms down. Trying to write when you have to homeschool your kids during the pandemic and then make sure you give them enough of your attention is draining.
In terms of our work together on this project, what was most helpful to you?
Revising the book is one of the biggest challenges for me. I knew it from the first book I published back in 2015. By the time I've written the first draft and shared everything I could, I'm emotionally spent. It's hard to look at what I wrote and make changes. I would rather publish it as is and not worry about it. Going back through the draft on my own is a torture, so your help is immense.
First of all, you are really positive in your feedback. It helps when someone is actually enjoying what you wrote in your first draft, it gives you hope that not all is so bad, as you tend to think after you've completed a big project that has depleted you.
Then, you take the time to polish my thoughts in such a way that they're smoother and more specific. When we write about something we're passionate about, it's easy to overlook what other people may not yet know. They call it "the curse of knowledge." We don't remember what it was like "not to know." Because of that, we tend to skip steps or be vague about things that will be most valuable to a new reader. I loved how you brought me back to that realization by encouraging me to clarify and rephrase.
Finally, you helped me polish up my writing style. It's hard to write in the same style consistently, especially on a larger scale. There were moments when I sounded too academic or used words and phrases that were too cold and standoffish. You took note of that and helped me rewrite by pointing out how a reader would feel if the tone switched from warm and friendly to academic and rigid.
How have you grown over time as a writer?
One of the things I've challenged myself to do is to be more focused with my writing, to be able to express my thoughts in fewer words, in shorter posts on social media or in a newsletter. In the beginning I couldn't imagine how I could write engaging content in shorter chunks. "Isn't it cheating when I don't elaborate on each point? When I don't add more meat to my ideas?"
But I've come to realize that as people struggle to make time for reading and processing what they've read (not to mention implementing!), learning to write less, to strip all the fat and get to the core faster is a must. It's important to create enough tension to keep the readers hooked till the end and then plant a new seedling of information in their brain so they cannot un-think it anymore.
You helped me write like that. You helped me by forcing me to go back, break one sentence into 3, to use words that are simple and clear. Judging from the feedback I've been receiving on my writing I believe I've improved in this area, and I'm really thankful to you for that.
What keeps you writing when it's not easy?
The biggest monster is "no time." I think an important question to ask is, "What am I willing to give up to complete this project?" It's when we struggle with wanting to do it all (which is actually impossible) that we cannot "find" the time for what's important, in this case -- writing.
Because writing is important to me, and a few years ago I've committed to writing 1 book a year, I usually cut down on Netflix time. I give myself 1 hour 2-3 times a week (which I think is realistic), from 8 to 9 PM after the kids go to bed. Some weeks I do better than others, but telling myself that I don't "have to" write every day makes my process much more enjoyable. It's like I choose certain days for writing, and the rest are for catching up on the latest Netflix show and maybe reading a bit more.
What advice do you have for people who want to start writing, keep writing...and grow over time?
It might be a cliche to quote Steve Jobs, but I will. He said, "Real artists ship." If you want to write or keep writing or improve your writing, ask yourself how will you "ship" what you write. How can you make sure your writing reaches its audience? Start a newsletter, an Instagram account, a blog or write a book. "Ship" what you write, get feedback and improve.
Having a writing coach has helped me feel better about what I "ship," it allowed me to turn blog posts into books that share my ideas and sell my products.
But you don't need to write a book to make an impact.
Micro-blogs on social media can be just as effective, if not more. So determine your goal -- who you want to reach with your writing and what change you seek to make. Then clear your calendar (decide what you're willing to give up), set up a schedule and start writing. As you get feedback, make improvements and as soon as you can, join a writing community or work with a coach.
Even short writing programs are effective to keep you enthusiastic about your work and to make sure you don't write "into your desk," as they say in Russian, but put it out there to make an impact, a tiny ripple that will change someone's life.