Social media, SEO, marketing and writingAn Extraordinary Author with a Vision: Joyce Schwarz
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing someone I have known for over 15 years– author and marketer, Joyce Schwarz. She shared some insights into the making of her latest book, The Vision Board: The Secret to an Extraordinary Life.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for a book about vision boards?
A: The Vision Board concept evolved from more than 50,000 hours of personal coaching I’ve done with more than 4000 people. It includes such exercises as creating your “Vision Statement” (chapter 2), Visioning –cross between brainstorming, meditation and improv (chapter 1) and the famous Pre-board experience to find out where you are NOW. Specifically though I was watching Oprah in February, 2007 (just a week after getting out of the hospital for a brief stay for a stress-related illness) and I realized I wanted to change my own life — too much pressure! And to go back to what I really love: speaking and writing. So when I saw the Law of Attraction show on Oprah –just days after watching THE SECRET for the first time I realized how complementary this was to my own system of GRABS (explained later) and my work in guiding people to live extraordinary lives.
Q: Explain to the uninitiated what a vision board is and what it consists of?
A: A vision board is a visual map of your life’s dreams. It is a collage that enables you to use defining images to depict what’s ahead for you. It’s a way of empowering people to make positive choices in their own lives/work/family.
Q: How long does it take to assemble a typical vision board? What are some common creative elements?
A: The common elements include: A) pictures/images, photos along with B) power words such as FREEDOM, Abundance, Prosperity along with C) positive affirmations D) inspiring quotes and e) Momentos that represent 1) what your grateful for 2) what you release from the past 3) what you intend to receive 4) acknowledging who you are 5) asking for your best possible life (or something better that the universe intends for you and S= sharing — basically the GRABS formula which is a spin-off of the Law of Attraction that has been taught in the past as simply ask/believe/receive and does not focus on the areas I realize are crucial — gratitude, receiving, acknowledgment and inspired action.
Q: Why do you feel so many people feel compelled to create their own vision boards?
A: We live in the time of screenagers– those of us weaned on Sesame Street, raised on MTV and connected to some kind of screen a majority of our day (computer, laptop, TV, or mobile phone). We are leaving behind the left brain generation of analytical, methodical and looking at combining with the right brain options of inquisitive and innovative etc. So that the vision boards provides an option for using both sides of our brain to plan our lives/work/family. No long lists, no extensive time schedules. No spread sheets– but Visuals that are defining images for our path to our future.
Q: Explain how you sold your book concept to Collins Design, a division of Harper Collins Publishing
A: I got the idea for the book when I was just out of the hospital for a brief stay as I mentioned, I sent out two emails to another publisher and got an immediate invite to go visit them. While there being wined and dined — I realized I needed an agent to negotiate this BIG book. I was ‘too involved’. So I asked a pal of mine who is an author who her agent was/is. My previous agent is off on another part of his own life. And she referred me to my agent in NYC. I called her from the hotel I was at after a meeting with the other publisher and I HIRED HER on the spot long distance. She urged me on to prepare a more formal book proposal and several months later it sold to Collins Design which is the prestigious coffee table division of Harper Collins Publishing (the second largest publisher in the world) owned by News Corps.
Q: How did you get Bob Proctor and Jack Canfield involved with your book?
A: I had been following Bob Proctor and Jack Canfield for years. In fact I was one of the first meeting planners nationwide to book Jack to speak on CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL after it was published in 1993 at the FIRST LA COMPUTER/ONLINE Conference. So when it came time to include names for a foreword and afterword they were my first choice. I’m grateful for both of them for lending their names to the book and glad they are both so pleased with how awesome the book is. As you may know the book is now #1 Spiritual best-seller on Amazon.com in its category — only 10 days after publication on 10/28/08.
Q: How did you approach writing this book?
A: Originally I was supposed to have 9 months to write the book from time of the sale of the book in September. But as the world turns, I got my formal contract in December, my first check from the six figure deal in December (they divide it into several parts). And then an editor was not assigned until Feb 15. They massaged the book outline and made some recommendations and I redid that and then we were off to the races. They suddenly decided they wanted it by May –for early fall publication. BUT as it turned out we ended up finishing writing and design in early August and the publisher was thank heavens able to find a USA printer to make the deadline so it is PRINTED IN THE USA something I’m VERY proud of.
And what really makes it different I had more than 75 wisdom leaders contribute quotes and tips on the chapters via podcast or personal interviews. PLUS I also included vision boards, wisdom collages and defining images (all variations on the same theme from more than 100 artists from 38 cities and 9 countries. The challenge was getting that down from more than 600 who submitted artwork and getting the ‘coffeetable’ high resolution quality that Collins Design demanded!
So basically I used social networking and what’s called crowdsourcing–Flickr, facebook and at the end Twitter.com and, my own blog www.visionboard.info and even MEETUP.com where I organized a f2f group that met at Jerry’s Deli in Marina Del Rey to get input from real people from all backgrounds and lifestyles.
Q: Where did you write the majority of this book?
A: Well, I’m very grateful I have a lovely office in my condo–it looks out at the Marina with all the yachts in Marina Del Rey– it is gorgeous! I can send a pix if you want. My agent gave me lots of great input. I had several pals who read chapters and gave great input.
Q: How did you stay focused/motivated?
A: Well, I tried to find inspiration instead of motivation. Inspiration comes from the inside and is part of the visioning process. I did a group visioning to jumpstart the writing process - described in chapter 1 and that was invaluable. I read more than 50 inspirational books including current bestsellers. I blogged, which helped clarify my own vision. And I trudged up the mountain kick step, kick step — which is how a mountain climber does it. Making sure my footing was secure before taking the next step forward.
Q: Did you ever find yourself facing writer’s block – and if so, how did you overcome it?
A: One of the great things about my own GRABS formula is when the writing stopped or was paused for any reason ie requests for edits that I did not agree with, deadlines that were moved up by the publisher despite previous agreements and my own personal challenges (illness in the family, suicide attempt by an extended family member, cancer diagnosis for a daughter of my personal assistant) I turned to being grateful. And I don’t really get blocked, I might get mad or frustrated but then I turn to being grateful and get OPM — other people’s minds involved like the MEETUP group — that evolved from a long week of frustration when I thought the publisher was just NOT getting how much the economy was changing and that we needed to look at multiple income streams not just full time jobs for chapter 7…and the Meetup group with real people (15 showed up that Sunday night) gave me power to move forward with what I believed was authentic and literally made the block ahead dissolve!
Q: What role did you play in gather various media, such as sample vision boards, for the making of this book?
A: I did hire an artist so that we could create vision boards for those people who were not a) satisfied with their current vision boards and b) show some sample boards ie: birthday, graduation, next20 years and Annie Kaycora did a beautiful job of working with me to create templates to inspire people to create their own boards. We also worked with several of the VIP’s and celebrities to create their new boards to meet the deadline we were on.
Q: Do you personally believe in vision boards? How many different boards have you created for yourself? How do you know they help people fulfill their personal aspirations?
A: I do believe. I also believe in the concept of visioning your life/work/family/relationships so that you’re coming from the inside out/versus the outside in as visualization is. I believe that each of us knows our true direction for our lives we just have to tap into it and grab destiny by the hand and lead it forward with our own visions!
How do I know? Take a look at the more than 75 case histories in the book for families, relationships, prosperity, health, fitness etc– they’ll convince you — I don’t have to say anything else!
Q: I heard that gymnast, Nastia Liukin, recently attributed her gold medal success at the recent Olympic Games, in part, to a vision board she created for herself – can you comment on this?
A: RIGHT isn’t that fun? In fact The Chicago Tribune actually said that Nastia was inspired by seeing Joyce Schwarz on the Oprah Show — with her book THE VISION BOARD: The secret to an extraordinary life — can you believe it. Alas I have not been on OPRAH yet, the writer of that article must have found my book online and thought that was what Nastia was thinking about. But in turn his article inspired a full column on my book and me as the author on FOXBUSINESS NEWS.
In my book I have stories of Jim Carrey and his ‘defining image’, and Aras Baskaskas, $1 million winner of SURVIVOR EXILE ISLAND and NBC’s DEAL OR NO DEAL briefcase model #16 who use visioning and vision boards to reach their own success. PLUS MANY MORE as I say 75 wisdom leaders, VIP’s and corporate leaders and entrepreneurs including mommy bloggers and homeschooling parents who tell why the vision boards work for them!
Contact Information
Joyce Schwarz
14004 Palawan Way, Penthouse 6
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292,
310-822-3119 (office phone)
310-822-6139 (24/7 fax)
www.joycecom.com
