“I’ve been working on this for two. fucking. years.”
👆that’s Ashlan, a brand strategist and *literal* professional marketer — as in, she has a degree in this shit — on the work she did in The Craft (Spring 2025 cohort). 🐈⬛
Writing for your own business and/or doing the work for yourself that you normally do so well for your clients is a real “cobbler’s kids” situation.
It’s much easier to do for others than for yourself.
It’s a slog.
It takes a frustratingly long time.
And none of that is a recipe for creating words that leap off the page and draw your reader toward you like the Pied Piper.
Wanna know how to get around all that?
Join a writing group. 😀
I’ve been listening lately to Good Hang with Amy Poehler (recommend!). Poehler talks a lot about her background in improv comedy, and how it cured her of any preciousness she might have about her ideas.
In an improv environment, ideas are constantly churning. Like a rolling boil, they bubble up to the surface; pop and vanish into vapor; tumble and roil and collide with one another in the depths.
There are no “good” ones or “bad” ones or “my idea was just as good as his.” Some just get a bigger laugh than others; there’s no way to predict which ones.
Improv rids you of the attachment you have to your ideas. It frees them (and you) from the pressure of “success.” And it negates the fear that you’ll ever run out of them.
That sounds like a dream to me.
What would you be able to create if you were utterly free, un-self conscious, and unafraid? If you had a troupe whose shared mission was to cultivate the best and most impactful ideas?
Well. A writing workshop may not be quite as freewheelin’ as an improv troupe… but it sure comes close.
It helps you loosen up — a LOT.
In a workshop, everyone’s there for the same reason: to put out the best possible work. Everyone feels ownership of the final product, not just the original writer.
And working through someone else’s writing —being trusted to be able to suss out what’s not clicking and how to potentially fix that — builds your confidence, too.
You start to develop your own critical eye and trust your own instincts about what a piece needs (or doesn’t need), and why.
Put simply, workshopping makes the writing process easier, smoother, and less fraught.
It nudges you to quit being so precious about your work.
And it also ensures that the final draft of whatever you’re working on will be the best possible version of itself — way better than what you’d be able to write in a vacuum.
Shana (spring 2025 cohort), a sound therapist / hair stylist / wellness coach (best hyphenate job description ever), showed up to every workshopping session even when she didn't have her own writing ready — and just being part of that process strengthened her entire body of work.
"Forever," she said. "I probably always need to be a part of a writing group."
Y'all.
THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING.
The 2026 cohort of The Craft is enrolling now, and it's $666 off (pay in full) today & tomorrow. Here's what you need to know:
- The 2026 cohort will start on January 5th.
- Calls will be Tues & Thurs, 1:30–3pm Eastern.
- Registration is closes Nov. 12th.
- If you enroll before Monday, you can save $666 off the pay in full price ($1800). Enter code THECRAFT666 at checkout.
- Living outside the US? I made you a special discount code to offset the exchange rate. You know, for world peace. 🌍
Email me (sam@indiecopystudio.com) and I’ll get that for you.