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Hello Writer,

Welcome to The Live/Write Balance. This is a newsletter from me, a writing and creativity coach, to you, a writer-creative seeking healthy, natural, life-affirming ways to balance the act of living with the act of writing and creating.

We’ve all heard of work/life balance. You’ve probably had your fill of that phrase. But what is live/write balance, and why will you never get sick of hearing about it?

Live/write balance is the state of grace where you get to live a full life, with all of its interruptions and obligations and celebrations, and have enough time and space to write what you need to in order to feel satisfied, productive, and fulfilled.

Live/write balance is where writing becomes and remains a part of your living identity – not something back in the past or sometime in the future, but right now. Instead of waiting for perfect timing, you can discover how powerful the when and where of good-enough timing can be, and how to make the most of it.

Fortunately, live/write balance is within reach. It’s right here. Now it’s there. Oh wait, now it’s over there! It’s constantly moving. But it is always within reach, in some form or another. You need the tips and tools to catch, hold, release on your terms. Fortunately, I have a bunch of said tips and tools up my sleeve and ready to shake out all over your laptop.

My name is Bronwyn Emery and I am a writing + creativity coach, which is a fast way to say I’m a habit coach who focuses on providing inspiration, motivation, and accountability to writers and creatives. I have been coaching officially for 5 years, running the To Live And Write community just shy of 10 years, and mentoring writers on and off for more than 20 years.

My life has been a pretty wild ride on the great teeter-totter of living and writing. I’m a mother and grandmother (gasp!). I split my week evenly between my mother’s house and my partner’s house. I run a coaching business and a writing community, and I run a 5-year-old around town several times a week. I travel, herd cats and introverts, and go to more concerts than I ever did in my 20s. Adventures are my favorite!

The great teeter-totter of living and writing ruled my highs and lows for decades. Now, I’m in charge of my choices and things swing my way. I can show you how to take charge of this piece of equipment, too. It all comes down to where you place your energy, and when. But we can talk about that later.

I have learned many things about write/life balance the hard way (trial and error), even more things the easy way (hiring my own coaches, taking courses, gathering certifications), and the very most things the easiest and hardest way of all (working with hundreds of writers from different walks of life who shoulder a lot of the same issues).

I founded the To Live And Write community in 2014. Currently, we host in-person writing events and activities in the San Francisco Bay Area and writing retreats across Northern California and into Nevada. But we gather online from just about anywhere. In 2023, we’re expanding our in-person event and activity locations to include Sacramento, Singapore, Mexico, and (fingers crossed) Scotland.

To help support the process of claiming and constantly recalibrating for the balance between living and writing, To Live And Write events and activities include online and in-person writing sessions 5-7 times per week, online reading sessions, monthly writing challenges, storytelling games, lit nights, open mics, and more.

If this makes sense to you, welcome! You’re one of us!

If this makes sense but you’re not sure how to get to the writing part yet, stick with me – I have ideas for you!

Like I said, I have copious tips and tools up my sleeve to get you writing and keep you writing, all created over the years to inspire, motivate, and celebrate you, your life, and your writing. Every prompt, game, exercise, challenge, and invitation to participate has been designed to support you as you establish and develop your creative identity.

Why? Because I know what it feels like to be out of live/write balance and I know what it feels like to be in live/write balance. There’s a world of hurt in the first and a world of pleasure in the second. That’s what I call a world of difference.

I’m here to share what works for me and what has worked for clients who are not me and are nothing like me. They have their own challenges to deal with when life gets lifey. I have always enjoyed designing tips and tools for them to use to stay on track. My hope is that they work for you as well, and that this newsletter enhances your live/write balance in extraordinary ways.

For those of you with solid years of writing experience under your belt, you already know that life gets lifey at the best of times and at the worst of times (and way too many times in between). Come here to unblock yourself when you need a poke in the right direction.

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