A resource book to help writers, artists, and other creatives make more art with less burnout.
The Book: Structuring Life to Support Creativity
Structuring Life to Support Creativity is a resource book to help creative people make more space and time in their lives for the creative work they want to do. This self-help book is arranged as chapters of information with activities to help people think about their life and spaces in new ways. All of it is written to be accessible no matter what stage of creative progress you’re at, from early learner to career-path expert.
In writing this book Sandra Tayler has distilled thirty years of experience in doing creative work while also running a small business, participating in communities, raising a family, and maintaining friendships. She has been teaching these principles at conventions and events for years, but has finally collected those thoughts into a format that you can read in the comfort of your home and at your own pace. The book also includes guided activities that can help you untangle your creative challenges and find ways to move forward.
Help make this book happen!
Creating a book produced to a professional level requires hiring skilled people. In order to create this book, funds are needed to pay for
Cover design
Developmental editing
Copy editing
Layout
Printing
That is where you can help. Your pledge to this project at any level will help make it possible to produce this book!
What’s in the book?
The table of contents for this book includes:
- On Creativity
- Know Your Goals and Priorities
- Pillars of Your Life
- Your Support Network
- Curating Your Commitments
- Ebbs and Flows of Energy Levels
- Managing Mental Load
- Your Physical Space
- Fragmentation of Creative Time
- Stopping and Starting
- Replenishment and Depletion
- The Motivation Problem
- Your Access Needs
- Implementation is Everything
- Disaster Clean Up
- Emotional Processing and Grief
- Closing Thoughts
The book is 50,000 words and will be about 200 pages when finished. Sample chapters and sneak peeks at activities will be posted as updates to this project.
The timeline
The book is fully written and just needs an editing pass from a professional editor and a copy edit pass from a skilled proofreader. Both of these passes should be complete by the end of September. Then the printing of the book should be 6-8 weeks. The goal is to have this book in your hands before mid November.
Production timelines on a project like this are always estimates and it is very possible that the project will hit snags or delays. Fortunately I have years of experience in stepping up and conquering exactly those sorts of challenges. No matter what comes up, I will always be clear in communicating with you about the status of the project. I believe in responsive customer service and will answer any questions you have quickly.
A note about shipping
The Backerkit platform does not collect the shipping cost for your package at the time of funding. Instead your shipping will be calculated at the time you fill out your survey and provide your address so that the cost of shipping can be accurately calculated based on your location. If you have concerns about the shipping cost at that time, I’ll be happy to work with you and find a solution.
Our guess is that US packages of a single book will cost less than $10 to ship. International packages will cost $25-30 USD. (I wish I could make those international prices cheaper, but sadly we can’t.)
About Sandra Tayler
If you’re unfamiliar with Sandra Tayler, she is a writer, editor, and publisher with credits in over thirty different titles. She is a consistently successful crowdfunder, and has spent the last three decades creating books, managing a household, raising four kids, and running several small businesses. Leveraging all of that experience, Sandra has written this book designed to help writers, artists, and other creatives make more art with less burnout.
But you don’t have to take Sandra’s word for it. Here are the words of people who have taken classes from Sandra in the past, the exact classes that this book was created from.
When I was at a period of major transition in my life, just a short conversation with her helped crystallize for me my identity as a writer and how I was going to get through that change with hope and self-knowledge. That was truly incredible and meant the world to me. –Erica Birrell
When Sandra Tayler is the instructor, I leave with actionable steps that feel achievable and wrapped in a hug. Sandra is a compassionate, astute instructor who has invaluable insights while never losing sight of the human being behind the stories. –Marie Parks
Sandra has a knack for cutting to the core of a problem. Her insights into the creative process are unparalleled. –Cedan Bourne
Sandra is able to break down the business of writing, crowdfunding, networking, and several other areas of interest to writers and artists, both experienced and just beginning. By way of her experience, she provides lessons that are both practical and encouraging. –Brian Buhl
Sandra’s advice applies to anyone looking for a creative outlet. I have shared her work with everyone from physicians at my workplace to parents on my children’s sports teams. –Jennifer Chu
Thank you so much for stopping by to take a look at this project! I hope you’ll jump on board and help me make this book a reality!