How to Get Unstuck And All About Revising Your Novel
No matter when or where it happens, the STUCK sucks for writers. Sometimes we feel like we’re doing it wrong, we’ll never come up with the right solution, that all this work is pointless, and on and on with narratives that are totally normal, but equally unhelpful.
Revision can be a beast—especially the first time. Even if it’s not your first time, it can still feel overwhelming, and it’s often hard to know where to begin. One of the first things I ask my writers (and myself) to consider is this: What kind of relationship do you want to have with your creative work?
Why Authors Need to Fight Censorship and Tell the Truth with Courage
I know with every fiber in my being that stories have the power to change and shape lives. In fact, they saved mine.
Are You Procrastinating or Percolating? How to Stop Beating Yourself Up for Not Writing
We writers (and writing coaches) talk a lot about procrastination—how it creeps in as resistance, keeping us from doing our work. But sometimes, we mislabel what’s actually happening and then beat ourselves up for not making progress. That dawdling, that staring at the screen without typing, the Wordle break, the social media scroll, or the "just one more level" on Royal Match—what if that’s not procrastination at all?
What’s Luck Got to Do With Your Writing Dream?
Since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk about luck—specifically, how much (or how little) it actually matters when it comes to our writing success.
The Importance of Learning to Rest: Lessons From Creative Burnout and How to Recover
Have you ever felt like your creative ambition failed you? Writing used to light you up, but not anymore. The want is still there–you want to write your books. You want to do all the things that you think are required to make that happen–but you just can’t.
Writing With and About Chronic Illness and Disability with Sandra Postma
If you (or a writer you know) struggle to write because of a chronic illness or disability or desire to write a disabled character with integrity and authenticity, I have an incredible resource to share with you.
How to Decide if You Should Stick with Your Writing Project or Start Something New
Is it shiny object syndrome or should you actually be writing something else: What to do when you feel like you are at a creative crossroads.
It never fails—at least for me and many of the writers I work with—that at some point during the process of planning, drafting, or revising a novel, we get the itch to walk away. And I don't mean take a break for a week. I mean shelve the entire thing, bury it in a drawer for an undetermined amount of time, and focus our creative energy elsewhere.
On Motherhood, Writing Gross First Drafts, and Having a Movie Made from Your Book
Do you have kids? And yes, of course fur-babies count.
If you do, then you’ll want to check out this podcast interview with author Julia Walton because it’s for any writer who has become a parent and any parent who has turned into a writer!
Goal Setting for Writers: Ending the Year with Clarity and Focus
Considering we are facing the last months of the year, let’s talk about how to make the most of them because we can either make excuses or we can make an effort!
Do You Suck at Celebrating Your Success? Here's How We Change That, and Why It Matters
Are you good about acknowledging and celebrating your achievements?
Most of us, myself included, already have our eyes set on the next “to do” before we’ve really even acknowledged what we’ve just completed. This may be a byproduct of our fast-paced lives, but sometimes, we don’t see our achievements as valuable and meaningful.
Both reasons for not celebrating can be damaging, and I want to talk about why because we always have a choice when it comes to our thoughts and intentions. Every choice comes with a cost.
How to Improve Your Fiction Writing with Author Tim Grahl
Do you need reassurance that you can and will become a better writer?
My next podcast guest is going to do exactly that, but he doesn't sugarcoat the amount of work it takes to go from so-so to stellar writing.
Honoring Your Creative Rhythm and Writing Dual Timelines with Author Cynthia Platt
If you’re a writer who genre hops, or wants to, and gets frustrated with your inability to make progress because life lifes hard sometimes, well then I’ve got something special for you!
On episode 24 of the Write It Scared Podcast, I’m joined by the delightful and versatile kid-lit author Cynthia Platt.
On Getting Help When You Need It: A Personal Writing Update
Today, I want to take off the ol’ book coaching cap and chat writer to writer, human to human, and share a bit of a personal writing update.
The Necessary Discomfort of a Fiction Writer
If you are not stretching yourself as a writer, you are not growing.
The Art of Crafting Remarkable Middle-Grade Fiction with Janet Fox
Do you have an idea for a middle-grade novel, or know a writer that does?
Wonder where you should start, how long the story should be, or what the middle-grade audience is actually interested in?
If you said yes to any of those join me as I dive deep into the intricacies of writing for middle-grade fiction with author and book coach Janet Fox in this week’s podcast.