About Leigh Shulman

What does having a writing life mean to you?

To me, it means writing what I want to write, spending time with my family and connecting with my online writing community.

How can I help you create yours?

Getting past fear is easier said than done. I know it feels safer to let the rest of life and your responsibilities take precedence, but if you sit around waiting for the ‘perfect’ time to start writing, it’s never going to happen. Just. Simple. Facts.

I know it sucks to hear that, it sucks to tell you that, but it’s just so true.

I can actually remember the very first time I sat down to write.

I was about 12, flooded with raging hormones and super pissed at my parents (basically like most twelve-year-olds) but instead of acting out, I pulled out a pen and paper and put my feelings on the page.

I was hooked!

In college, I discovered that I loved teaching creative writing, almost as much as I loved the writing itself. I went on to earn my MA in Creative Writing and Education from the City College of NY. I dreamed of spending my days writing, teaching, and exploring the world.

But then I got distracted by life.

I got married, moved into an apartment in Brooklyn and started my first real job as a web producer for MTV Online. While I loved what I did, it was an insanely stressful job and I found it nearly IMPOSSIBLE to find the time to write. Then, when my first daughter Lila was born, my writing ground to a halt.

I was tired, irritable, and super distracted, not exactly fertile ground for inspiration. Plus, I worried that no one wanted to hear what I had to say anymore. I hated the question “What do you do?” and watching people’s eyes glaze over the second I uttered the words “I’m a stay-at-home-mom.” I felt like no one wanted ot hear what my stories and every area of my life took priority over my writing. As I lost sight of my goals and passion, my confidence nearly disappeared.

I wrote this in my journal when Lila was one year old:

If I keep going the way I’ve been going, I will never do the things I want to do. I will never travel. I will never write. I will never create what I want in my life.

#TOUGHLOVE

I had plenty stories to tell, just like you do!
I just had to stop worrying and let go of doubt to find them.

What have I been doing since my tough love moment?

JUNE 2007

We sold everything we owned and left Brooklyn to travel with no specific destination in mind. It’s not easy leaving everything you know, and yes, I was scared. Where would we end up? What would we do? What happens next? I had no idea!

For two years, we traveled through Europe, the United States, Canada, Panama and Costa Rica. I started blogging, upped my photography game and connected with the one travel blogging and writing communities. All of these connections laid the foundation for my writing, too.

JANUARY 2009

I love this photo of me and Lila in Buenos Aires. She’s so tiny! When the photo was taken, I had no idea that we’d one day call this beautiful country home.

My writing bloomed. I became editor of Matador Travel Network’s Life section and ran a team of 5 writers all living location independently. I pitched articles to magazines and was thrilled to have bylines in Washington Post, Vox, Longreads, Roads & Kingdoms and more. So exciting!

JANUARY 2011

We fell in love with the spectacular landscapes and tranquilo life in Salta and decided to stay. Meanwhile. I launched The Writer’s Process, an early version of The Inspired Writer Community, my creative writing mentorship program. What a thrill to watch as TWP members set goals to write and published and blasted through them faster than they imagined. I began thinking of ways to create a larger, more expansive community with more support and more resources.

JUNE 2014

What a year!! Charlie was born, AND I launched the first Creative Revolution Writing Retreat in Costa Rica. The retreat sold out completely. Charlie started crawling that same week! Now he’s running. And the women who joined me for my retreat? They’re finishing what they started that lovely week in the jungle and creating newer, bigger, hairier goals!

2017

Creative Revolution Retreats expanded from Costa Rica to Panama and Nicaragua. When Lila celebrated her bat mitzvah in Israel, we stopped in Spain on the way back. I immediately fell in love with the beauty, art and food in Barcelona and Seville and began planning new retreats.

2020

The pandemic hit, and I had to rethink everything. All travel and group retreats stopped. The world slowed down and so did I. I spent lots of time with my family, cooking, and walking in the mountains behind our house. A puppy and kitten showed up at our house one day, and we took them in, too.

During those months of quarantine, my writing became a place where I could escape the anxiety of the post-COVID world. I loved being able to write the world I wanted to envision into existence. I wrote two books during this time. One is a YA sci-fi book and the other, The Rejection Handbook, is a guide managing rejection and making it work for you. Keep an eye out for The Rejection Handbook on bookshelves soon!

I read extensively during this time — about human behavior, neuroscience, and how we shift our psychology and mindset. Self-care became a central focus in my life, too.

2022

As the pandemic subsided, Create Revolution Retreats shifted to become private writing retreats in Salta where I work with new authors and established writers. I’ve worked with people on memoirs, science books, novels, and non-fiction, too.

Everything I learned during this time became the basis for new writing workshops, too.

PRESENT DAY

Now, I coach women in the Inspired Writer Community, one-on-one, and at international writing retreats, helping them complete their masterpieces and build successful writing careers!

I’m proud to share that my website and writing retreats have been listed in their Top writing resources for women by The Write Life. My book The Writer’s Roadmap became a #1 Writing How-to, and my current work-in-progress has been shortlisted for a novel prize by Uncharted Magazine. I’ve received grants from the Burning Man Foundation and the Adobe Foundation. My writing and other work have appeared in prominent publications like The Washington Post, NY Times, WIRED, and Business Insider.

Everything I’ve learned, written, and published fuels my passion for supporting writers like you as you create a plan for your writing life and turn it into your reality.

Ready to take the first step to your ideal writing life?

Click the button below, and I’ll send you lesson one of my four-part course to help you create a plan for your writing life so you can make it happen.

I'M READY!

YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE THAT FIRST STEP!

Fear happens, but you’ll get past it. I want to tell you, without a doubt, you are strong, wonderful and creative. I want to show you why you can write and absolutely must share what you have to say with the world!

BUY MY BOOK

My book, The Writer’s Roadmap is based on 20 years of working with writers looking for their ideal writing lives. I walk you through four simple steps to create a plan for your writing life. Buy it now!

JOIN THE INSPIRED WRITER COMMUNITY

The Inspired Writer Community is my private online women writers network where you’ll find everything you need to support your writing dreams. Over the course of the year, we’ll post new monthly resources to help you feel more confident to plot your writing roadmap and speed your way to a fulfilling and fun writing career. Find out more and join us!

PLAN YOUR WRITING LIFE

Take this four-part course to create a clear plan for your writing life so you can make your plan a reality. GET THE FIRST LESSON FREE!