Alissa Lukara
Free
Writing Coach/Author/Writing Workshop Leader/Editor/Speaker Expert
Alissa Lukara Quick Facts
- Main Areas
- Memoir, Non-fiction, Fiction, Writing Workshops, Writing Coaching, Editing, Speaking
- Career Focus
- Author/speaker/workshop leader
- Affiliation
- Transformational Writers
Alissa Lukara is passionate about supporting writers, self growth experts and authors to write books that touch people's hearts and souls and catalyze their transformation. She is just as committed to her own call to write fiction and nonfiction books that make a difference. That's why she guides online and in person writing workshops, eCourses and retreats for both fiction and nonfiction writers and why she is a writing coach, developmental editor, and speaker. She's been called a "book whisperer."
A professional writer for 25 years, Alissa Lukara has been widely published (hundreds of articles, a memoir and nonfiction book with a small and large publisher, poetry) and is the author of the memoir, Riding Grace: A Triumph of the Soul (Silver Light Publications, 2007). She has given presentations to thousands and has been interviewed on radio and TV across the country.
For 11 years, Alissa was also creator, president and editor for Lifechallenges.org, an 800-page website that offered self-help tools and inspirational, transformational articles and stories for millions of people facing adversity in 110 countries. She hosted the award-winning community television program, "Transcending Life Challenges."
As a former PR executive, Alissa implemented national publicity campaigns for companies and individuals and now uses that expertise to guide transformational writers on how to build an impressive following for their nonfiction books, memoirs, novels and blogs - a must to get published in today's market - and to prepare them for media interviews.
Alissa is currently writing a novel, entitled Secrets of the Trees. She is also completing a nonfiction book on the transformational journey of writing.
Alissa makes her home in Ashland, Oregon with her life partner, Jonah Blue, also a writer, and their cat, Charlie.
Articles by this expert
SelfGrowth articles and saved writing connected to this expert.
Article
Four Key Steps to Begin Your Writing Day
Each day as I sit down to write, I renew my “yes” to writing and to serve love in my writing. To support this choice to have my writing make a positive difference, I make four conscious choices. These allow me to begin my writing in alignment with all I have learned on a path of transformation, spiritual evolution, and healing mind, body and spirit. They integrate the lessons and gifts I have received in all my life odysseys and from spiritual teachers and now apply to my writing, too. Here are the four key steps I take to begin each writing day:
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The Secret to Shifting Writing Overwhelm into Writing Ease
When you sit down to start writing a book, are you able to jump right in and catch the stream or words or does the whole task feel daunting? Or, let’s say you’ve already written part of the book and need to reengage with it after a hiatus from writing. Does the prospect bring joy or do you find yourself avoiding it? In either case, do you feel overwhelmed or downright panicky about beginning (again), doubting you can complete what you have begun? Most writers have probably felt at least some combination of those extremes.
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Three Ways to Answer the Call to Write a Book
If you are at all called to write a book, you may be surprised to learn that whether you have writing experience or not, think you have talent or not, know how to write in a particular form or genre or not, consider your idea is of interest to anyone or not, feel blocked or not does not matter. Whether or not you feel terrified at the prospect of writing a book about your deepest thoughts, vulnerabilities or your greatest strengths does not matter.
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Does Writing a Book Take Courage?
While writing a book about my own journey to heal childhood abuse issues and chronic illness, I attended a talk by Dorothy Allison, author of the powerful novel, Bastard out of Carolina, based on her own childhood of abuse. Afterward, I asked, "How did you find the courage to write that novel?" "I didn't," she answered, grinning widely. "It wasn't courage that helped me write the novel. It was stubbornness - and persistence. " Then, she wished me luck with my writing.
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The Key to Writing a Transformational Book
Have you ever wanted to write a book? Have you ever thought - or said: "I have a book in me." Or, "If I could just write a book about the life events that transformed my life, I believe it could change a lot of other people's lives, too." Or, “I have gained so much knowledge about transformation that I want to write a book to share it to help others.” Or, “I know that to take my professional life as a coach or speaker or healing practitioner to the next level, I need to write a book about the transformational subject matter that is my expertise.”
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5 Easy Writing Fixes: The Beauty of Search and Replace for Writing a Book
You have finished a rough draft of a chapter or written your book, filled with bursts of inspiration. You have done some rewriting for your book. You wonder, What can I do next to make this book manuscript shine? Check out these easy fixes for writing a book - all of which you can access with the straightforward search and replace feature of your word processor. They appear simple, yet in my experience, they stand as guaranteed writing enhancers that charge up your book manuscript's rhythm and momentum. I put them on my revisio "must dos" for every book or article I write.
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Write a Book. Read It Out Loud. Discover 3 Gifts.
Written words read out loud have a special power for you - whether you read for yourself in the quiet of an empty room or for others in a group. Not just poetry, which we all love and often prefer to hear read out loud. But also prose - fiction and nonfiction. And not just finished, polished pieces, but drafts of books, too, writing of all types that needs revision.
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How Long Does it Take To Write A Book? The Lure of the Book in a Week (or Month) Club
Okay, I have listened to one too many webinars of late about how you can write a book in a weekend. Or two weeks. Or, if you need to tackle, write and polish a book on a deep subject, you will need to take a "really long time" to write that book- 3 months - "part time" of course in between your actual career and life. Being a good writer, these proselytizers of the faith of speed writing, insist, does not matter. Any editor, coach or ghost writer can clean it up for you. It's the attitude this implies. Yuck. Like writing is the necessary mess the housekeeping staff can clean up.r
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Three Quick Creative Tools to Transform Self Doubt to Confidence to Write Your Book
Self-doubt. Most writers - even established authors - face it at some point as they write a book - then repeat visit it throughout their writing jou eys. You know this voice. It may whisper or rant words like: -That is too vulnerable or difficult for me to write. -My writing is not good enough to complete a book. Not universal enough. No one is interested in my perspective, in my teeny-tiny story. My story is too ordinary. Too extraordinary. Too shallow. Too challenging. Too controversial. Not controversial enough. No one will believe it.
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How to Beat the Fear of Writing a Book: 8 Simple Steps to Writing Joy
Has fear ever stopped your writing - or publishing a book you want to write- or sucked the joy from your writing day? It has for me - temporarily. You name the book writing fear. I - and most writers and authors I know have experienced it at one time or another.
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The Secret to Creating Time To Write A Book
Are you not writing your book because you cannot find the time? Or do you insist you need a longer amount of time than you have to give your subject matter the attention it needs. "I can't write a book unless I have two or three hours a day, five days a week to devote to it." Right. That's a surefire road to book writing failure. Would you force yourself to run a two hour marathon when you haven't even jogged 1/2 a mile yet? Setting writing expectations that are too high is the same kind of recipe for disaster.
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Three Easy Steps to Authentic, Fearless Writing for Your Book
You do not have to wait for the muse to inspire authentic, fearless writing in your book. Coax it into being with three quick steps: 1. Release judgment. In writing the draft of your book, consider all ideas acceptable. To be a fearless writer, do not censor your writing or ponder whether or not what you have to write is "important enough" or "deep enough." If your "self-editor" has its say too soon, you limit your book's potential.
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