The Prosperous Author: How to Make a Living With Your Writing. Word By Word: Some Thoughts on Writing, Love, and Life: Prosperity for Authors, #3

By Cassandra Gaisford

Master The Art of Creative Unblocking

Prolific bestselling author, award-winning artist, holistic therapist, and creativity expert Cassandra Gaisford (BCA, Dip Psych) provides a glimpse into her creative process. In Word By Word: Some Thoughts on Writing, Love, and Life Gaisford reveals dozens of practical and inspirational strategies based on her professional achievements, including how to break through writer's block, beat procrastination and finish your book to phenomenal success.

 

Word by Word is a fun, poignant and candid memoir that will help you fuel your desire, empower your vision, slay obstacles, master your subconscious mind, maintain optimum health, empower your relationships, make a commitment to turn pro and create the ultimate mindset.

If you'd love to find a way to create a living from your writing, if you suffer from procrastination, fear of failure, self-doubt, or disorganisation, if you're a perfectionist or find the challenges of creative life overwhelming…then Word by Word: Some Thoughts on Writing, Love, and Life is the right book for you.

If you're short on time, but high on motivation Word by Word will cheerlead, support, encourage and inspire you to move toward success.

BONUS! Mindset meditation and chapters from Book Two: Productivity Hacks: Do Less & Make More

READER REVIEWS
 

"Cassandra never fails to deliver on providing a fast paced, full-to-the brim work that is both informative and inspirational. And after reading Word by Word I will also add motivational." 

 

"As a newbie writer it was good to gain insight into how an experienced writer manages things like distractions, getting started, blocks and procrastination. I love the way Cassandra packs a diverse array of tips and techniques between the covers, seemingly covering every aspect of preparing for writing, much like an athlete prepares for a race."

 

"What I really enjoyed about this book was how Cassandra drew me into her own writing journey and shared how she overcomes things like getting started, staying focused, managing interruptions, making time to write, and finishing. I felt some magic alchemy in here, it was as if by reading her personal experience, I gained insight which made me realise I wasn't alone in the experience, was just under-resourced in the solution."

 

"This book covered strategies from neuroscience, nutrition, mindset, tips from addiction science, and stories of staying true to self. And true to Cassandra's passion for passion, this subject is captured as well."

 

"I love Cassandra's writing style, which is fast and fresh, infused with a hint of sensuality. This book packs in a lot of subject matter. Every writer looking for a source of tips and tools to stay the course and get their book finished would benefit from a read."

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Gaisford
• Release date: Oct 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781991054036

Cassandra Gaisford

Cassandra Gaisford, is a holistic psychologist, award-winning artist, and #1 bestselling author. A corporate escapee, she now lives and works from her idyllic lifestyle property overlooking the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. Cassandra is best known for the passionate call to redefine what it means to be successful in today’s world. She is a well-known expert in the area of success, passion, purpose and transformational business, career and life change, and is regularly sought after as a keynote speaker, and by media seeking an expert opinion on career and personal development issues.  Cassandra has also contributed to international publications and been interviewed on national radio and television in New Zealand and America.  She has a proven-track record of success helping people find savvy ways to boost their finances, change careers, build a business or become a solopreneur—on a shoestring. Cassandra’s unique blend of business experience and qualifications (BCA, Dip Pych.), creative skills, and well-ness and holistic training (Dip Counselling, Reiki Master Teacher) blends pragmatism and commercial savvy with rare and unique insight and out-of-the-box-thinking for anyone wanting to achieve an extraordinary life. ​

Book preview

The Prosperous Author: How to Make a Living With Your Writing

THE PROSPEROUS AUTHOR: HOW TO MAKE A LIVING WITH YOUR WRITING

WORD BY WORD: SOME THOUGHTS ON WRITING, LOVE, AND LIFE

CASSANDRA GAISFORD

Blue Giraffe Publishing

CONTENTS

Word by Word: Some Thoughts on Writing, Love, and Life

Write every day

Acknowledgments

Praise for Word by Word

Introduction

I. PART ONE: WRITING

1. Discipline. Focus. Positive Energy.

2. Word By Word

3. The Joy of Finishing

4. Look To The Stars

5. Little By Little

6. Crappy First, Second, and Third Drafts

7. Pooh to Perfectionism

8. Invoke Your Muse with Prayer

9. Princesses and Toads

10. Breakfasts

11. Photography

II. PART TWO: MINDSET

FREE GUIDED MEDITATION

12. Shifting Self-Limiting Beliefs

13. Looking in the Review Mirror

14. Knock the Bugger Off

15. Stay Drunk on Writing

16. Swatting Flies

17. Believe!

18. Magic Mornings

19. The Power Of Passion

20. Find Your Purpose

21. Pain Full

22. Feel the action and do it anyway

23. Writing Inspiration

24. Peaceful Patience

III. EASY EDITING

25. Kill Your Darlings

26. Give Yourself a Sense of Progress

27. Go backwards to go forwards

28. Show Me. Don’t Tell Me

29. Shock Me

Afterword

The Prosperous Author

Introduction

1. A Vision of Victory

2. Imagine Better

3. Dream Big

4. See the True Value

5. Plan for Success—Set and Achieve Goals

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WORD BY WORD: SOME THOUGHTS ON WRITING, LOVE, AND LIFE

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Cassandra Gaisford, BCA, Dip Psych

WRITE EVERY DAY

Write every day, line by line, page by page, hour by hour. Do this despite fear. For above all else, beyond imagination and skill, what the world asks of you is courage, courage to risk rejection, ridicule and failure. As you follow the quest for stories told with meaning and beauty, study thoughtfully but write boldly. Then, like the hero of the fable, your dance will dazzle the world.

~ Robert McKee

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary gratitude I owe to the writers who have encouraged, emboldened and inspired me over the years: Isabel Allende, Sarah Dunant, Danielle Steel, James Patterson, Aaron Sorkin, Julia Cameron, Viktor Frankl, Colette Baron-Reid, Pam Gregory, Carl Jung, Nora Roberts, Heather Morris and Anne Lamott, who inspired this book.

Thank you for sharing so many wise words about writing.

PRAISE FOR WORD BY WORD

"Cassandra never fails to deliver on providing a fast paced, full-to-the brim work that is both informative and inspirational. And after reading Word by Word I will also add motivational."

As a newbie writer it was good to gain insight into how an experienced writer manages things like distractions, getting started, blocks and procrastination. I love the way Cassandra packs a diverse array of tips and techniques between the covers, seemingly covering every aspect of preparing for writing, much like an athlete prepares for a race.

What I really enjoyed about this book was how Cassandra drew me into her own writing journey and shared how she overcomes things like getting started, staying focused, managing interruptions, making time to write, and finishing. I felt some magic alchemy in here, it was as if by reading her personal experience, I gained insight which made me realise I wasn't alone in the experience, was just under-resourced in the solution.

This book covered strategies from neuroscience, nutrition, mindset, tips from addiction science, and stories of staying true to self. And true to Cassandra’s passion for passion, this subject is captured as well.

I love Cassandra’s writing style, which is fast and fresh, and at times infused with a hint of sensuality. This book packs in a lot of subject matter. Every writer looking for a source of tips and tools to stay the course and get their book finished would benefit from a read.

INTRODUCTION

I grew up in a family who valued art and creativity—as a hobby, but most definitely not a career.

Despite natural gifts for creativity and all its guises, like many of those born in the 60s or before, I was actively discouraged from making a career in anything remotely creative. Not as a writer. Not as an artist. Not as any truest to my vocation.

I began my career in banking, then studied economics and accounting at University until a lecture changed my thinking. The class was called Lifespan Development, and in the lecture, I learned that when people reach midlife, they suddenly have a crisis. Seething with regret and loss, they look back and think, ‘Why aren't I doing what I really want?’

I thought, Why wait until I am fifty? Why not change careers now, before it's too late? Then, in my thirties and a few years into a toxic career, I decided to go back to school, more specifically to Victoria University's School of Architecture. I put everything in place to ensure my success but needed to abandon my studies mid-way through my degree after my personal life suffered a brutal crisis.

I was supporting my daughter as a single mother and did what I needed to do to provide for us. I went back to work as a salary slave.

But I always returned to my creativity, and for many years, it was just a hobby. I look back now and think of some of the truly horrid work experiences I had, and I'm grateful for the way that they have shaped me and the work that I’ve gone on to do. Including writing a column for New Zealand’s largest newspaper that continued for four years, offering inspiration and career advice for unhappy people stuck in toxic jobs. I collated the column into a series of books entitled Midlife Career Rescue.

More recently, I’ve been creating books on creativity and self-empowerment books with a focus on helping people who feel stressed and disempowered follow their passion and purpose.

But the seeds of my race for freedom, autonomy and outspokenness were sown early. My father was always self-employed. The idea of working for anyone else would have killed him. He was a singularly, independent, freethinking man who, in his later years turned his formidable intellect toward innovative and pioneering ways to heal others of arthritis and aid holistic health. My father also introduced to New Zealand a successful way to treat severe burns. He was a forerunner in the field of apitherapy and health products produced from honey (Bee Healthy) and a passionate beekeeper, amongst other things.

My mother, born in the 50s, was a stay-at-home mum for many years as my father would not allow her to go to work. But when their marriage ended, go to work she did. Firstly, by restoring furniture and selling antiques from home. Later, she trained as a legal conveyancer until she woke up one day and thought, What am I doing? This just isn't me. She pursued her passion and natural talent for interior design, employed herself and opened a successful interior design business.

From my parents, I learned that eclectic interests and passions, hard work, discipline, the ability to bounce back after setbacks and get on with life were skills to cultivate. That’s not to say that my relationship with my parents wasn’t fraught. It was. But as I share in many of my self-empowerment books and children’s books like Why Doesn’t Mummy Love Me? my experiences were creative fodder.

I grew up in a family which valued education—whether this was required formally or independently, what was most important, particularly for my father, was to seek wisdom and to speak the truth. My father read a lot and researched a lot and liked to acquire his own knowledge. My mother’s ‘motivational’ message to me was, If you don’t go to University, all you’ll ever be is a checkout operator. Three degrees later and not one of my academic qualifications is in the arts. No matter!

I grew up surrounded by books and beautiful paintings. And when misfortune befell my father, he taught me one could live very beautifully on less. He converted a hay barn in a rural location far away from the distractions of humankind. One does not really need a lot in life to be happy. What was most important was one’s freedom to go one's own way and to say what one truly thinks and feels. Frank Sinatra sings it tremendously when he croons, What is a man if not himself? and reminds me of the importance of doing things our way.

However, as a child, the my way was my father's way. He was a firm believer in the English dogma that children should be seen and not heard. But there was magic in that. My earliest recollections of writing and creating were as a way to express my feelings and comfort myself.

I can’t recall how it came to play that I had my poems and short stories and drawings published, but I was a young child, perhaps eight or nine years old, and I remember the delight of seeing my creations in print in the children’s section of the national Sunday newspaper. It was a great joy for me, although I do recall I never received any positive feedback from my own family. I had to learn to be self-sustaining, and that has helped me in good stead in the often fickle and cruel world of art and publishing—and life in general.

The first poem I wrote that got any attention was sparked by anger and grief after my beloved Siamese cat, Iwani, was killed by a car. This was followed by the publication of a cartoon of a little lion, which later resurfaced many years later during my college years, much to my humiliation when I was a sensitive teenager.

The drawing was in sheets of newsprint used to wrap up fish and chips, which my teachers discovered when they went to lunch. They promptly pasted 'Cassie's Little Lion' all over the school, and everyone teased me. For a while, this experience threatened to derail the joy of my hobby. But I later used my pen to write stories in the school magazine and had my cartoons published on the front page.

What I have learned is that you really can’t stop being yourself—even when it hurts. Screenwriters call this transformation from your learned identity (pleasing and conforming to others’ wishes) to living your true essence.

Although there have been many attempts to steer me away from my natural inclination, including dissuading me from using my natural preference to use my left hand with raps on the knuckle until I learned to use my right hand, I always come back to the power and comfort of doing what comes instinctively and creative expression.

Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing buzz. I haven’t really figured out why. Perhaps it is the courage and tenacity you know it takes to share your art. It validates you. You’ve created something tangible that lives and breathes and exists out there in the world.