Jan 13, 2021
Have you ever gotten in your own way and stopped yourself from starting (or finishing) a creative project, going after success, or even being happy? If this sounds familiar, you’ve experienced self-sabotage. This week I’m talking about 4 different barriers that most self-sabotagers run into and giving you some tips on how to break the self-sabotage cycle.
Jan 11, 2021
I’m writing this email, which will arrive in your inbox on Monday the 11th, on the evening of Friday the 8th during my Create-Along livestream. (I’m trying to get better at doing things ahead of time!) So far, this week has been… well. Not fantastic. On Monday and...
Jan 6, 2021
If you’re a writer, do you also think of yourself as a business owner or entrepreneur? Should you? This can be a touchy subject, especially given the social perception that you can be an artist or a businessperson — but not both. So let’s talk about the implications, the “should”s, and how it all works together in this week’s episode.
Jan 4, 2021
Happy 2021! I’m so excited to start out the new year with you. Over the last few weeks of 2020, we’ve been talking about prioritizing and protecting your time for writing and creating. This isn’t a switch that can be flipped in a moment or even a day — it’s a change...
Dec 30, 2020
This week, we’re talking about what eats up your writing time — internal or external forces — and how to protect that precious time by setting boundaries!
Dec 28, 2020
Are you doing any planning for 2021? It’s so hard to realize that the new year is upon us when 2020 has seemed so eternal, so heavy, and so all-encompassing. It’s hard to remember that there is indeed life beyond 2020! It can also seem a little...
Dec 23, 2020
A special holiday bonus from me to you — my very first audiobook! The Writer’s Mindset Manifesto will help you break through the barriers of fear and inadequacy to help you create your very best work.
Dec 21, 2020
I know, I know. The title of today’s email contains the dreaded M-word: Marketing. The thing that is so easy to confuse with selling, selling your soul, or simply selling out. Other people get it confused with being fake, harassing others, yelling into a void, or...
Dec 16, 2020
Are you enjoying the journey? If you find yourself focused on the end goal, success or waiting to be happy until you finish your long list of projects, you might not be. Today I’m talking about how to find joy on your creative journey.
Dec 14, 2020
We’ve talked before about choosing how we spend our time, and the importance of understanding why we make the choices that we do. But once you’ve made that choice about how to spend your time… do you commit to it? And, more importantly, do you protect your time? By...
Dec 10, 2020
Yesterday, a friend alerted me to a Deadline article that very casually mentioned several “podcasts in various stages of development to be adapted [for television, including] sci-fi drama Girl In Space.”
Dec 7, 2020
Usually, when we choose to do something, it’s for a reason. Sometimes the reason is obvious and sometimes it’s buried deep within our subconscious, but there’s almost always a reason — sometimes two or more. I complete my work each day so that I can continue to afford...
Dec 2, 2020
When I stare at a blank page, I’m not filling it with words and ideas and phrases and flourishes in my mind. Rather, I’m filling my own mind with doubts and anxieties and second-guesses.
Nov 26, 2020
I feel like, as an adult in the 21st century, I need to be figuratively dining on this perpetual and perfectly proportioned banquet of intentional joy, acceptable grief, and purposeful gratitude. Always back to gratitude.
Nov 26, 2020
Do you have stacks of beautiful, unused journals? Have you been contemplating a daily journal routine but are hesitant to start? Maybe you’ve tried journaling in the past and hated it. Today I am going to share my experience with journaling and why it is a crucial part of my morning routine.
Nov 24, 2020
Even though we can try to be intentional with them… sometimes our expectations seem to spring up out of nowhere, sparked by unspoken desires or inspired by something as small an innocuous as another person’s Instagram post.
Nov 23, 2020
I can do a magic trick — I can log in to a social media account and make all of my time disappear! I know, it sounds impossible that one or two or even three whole hours could simply vanish while I’m scrolling past photos of lattes and incendiary political tweets, but… it’s true! Can you relate? Are you a magician, too?
Nov 21, 2020
I’m not going to say anything new here, or anything that you haven’t felt more or less intensely for yourself. But I miss going out for a really good cup of coffee.
Nov 20, 2020
I’ve been exhausted and burned out to the point of tears lately, and have had several friends gently suggest that it’s time to not only start taking weekends off, but to possibly schedule off an ENTIRE WEEK.
Nov 18, 2020
Do you ever get that soggy or stuck feeling while working on a project? The never-ending revisions, the question of, “Why am I doing this?” popping into your head? If this is something you have ever experienced (or are currently dealing with), this episode is for you. I am going to share why this happens and what you can do about it.
Nov 16, 2020
For one writer, success means having fun writing with a good cup of coffee on Saturday mornings. For another, it means selling 10,000 copies of their debut novel. For yet another, it means inking a movie or TV deal. For yet another, it means the quiet approval of just...
Nov 11, 2020
It’s the 100th episode of the Write Now podcast! Today I’m asking: Do we place ourselves in an area of our lives where we expect ourselves to know all the answers? Do we bring on stresses over our creative journeys, over things that we expect ourselves to have the solutions for? What would happen if we truly allowed ourselves to admit that we have no idea what we’re doing?
Nov 9, 2020
Wow. Last week was… A WEEK. Amidst the election anxiety, crises with friends, bad news about a project, and a trip to the ER, I found myself thinking, “But… I was doing everything right!” Life comes at us fast and hits us hard sometimes — even (and, it feels,...
Nov 4, 2020
Every writer faces their own struggles, from time to mindset to spelling to making money. There is nothing perfect in our journeys, and conditions will never be perfect. All we can do is take today, get rid of the negative impacts, replace them with positive impacts, and move forward purposefully in your growth as a writer who is enough.
Nov 2, 2020
If you’re anything like me, you have a lot of inboxes. You know, those places — physical or digital — where things you need to deal with are deposited. And collect. And grow. You probably have a work or school inbox — projects to wrangle or tasks to complete, phone...
Oct 28, 2020
What happens after you create something successful? Do you still have the “permission to suck” we talked about in the last episode? What do we risk, and what’s at stake? Is it possible to peak? And what happens after? Join me in this week’s episode as we go over Writers’ Risk And Potential Loss.
Oct 26, 2020
Last week, we talked about how the act of writing for ourselves isn’t selfish. This week, I really want to ask you, just to make sure — is what you’re creating really for you? Some of us (myself included, at one point in time) are only writing or creating because we...
Oct 26, 2020
The idea that writing and creating is (or should be) fun and easy all the time, or that if you find it difficult then it’s not somehow “for” you, is incredibly toxic.
Oct 21, 2020
Does that little voice inside your head tell you that you cannot produce anything but perfection, or that you are not qualified to have the title of “writer”, or even that you are not good enough to be in a “writer’s world”? In this episode, I give you permission and the secret key to move forward on your creative path.
Oct 19, 2020
Where did we get the idea of “selfish”? Perhaps like you, I first understood the concept of “selfish” as a child, when it was used to label myself or other children when we were acting in a way that deprived someone else of food, toys, crayons, etc. “Sharing is...
Oct 14, 2020
What does it mean to be in — or out of — a creative season? What happens if a period of your life shifts? Let’s talk about how to support yourself in both creative and self-health needs as life changes around you.
Oct 12, 2020
Life comes with a tall order of “should”s. We “should” eat more vegetables, exercise every day, take care of our families and friends, volunteer in our communities, read that book, attend that PTA meeting, see that movie, get more sleep, pick up groceries, be present...
Oct 7, 2020
I’ve always been a pantser, and felt that outlining put limits on the creation of my stories. At least, those were my thoughts — until my perspective shifted in a way I never thought possible.
Oct 5, 2020
Years ago, I attended a community empowerment event for women, where the overall message was, “Say yes to absolutely every opportunity. Shonda Rhimes’ book Year Of Yes had just come out, and it was a popular, liberating, and — for many people, especially women who had...
Sep 30, 2020
What’s next for you as a writer? In this episode, we will go over how to level up, and how to deal with any self-sabotage that might be keeping you from reaching your full potential.
Sep 28, 2020
Help Support This Podcast! >> How does your schedule currently make you feel? Weary? Overwhelmed? Trapped? Suffocated? Depressed? As Jen Carrington asks so succinctly, “Is your schedule a free-for-all that accommodates everyone else’s needs — but not your own?...
Sep 23, 2020
Are you feeling unmotivated to write or create? You’re not alone. In this episode we dive into what motivates us and why we tend to lose it in the first place. It’s time to get your motivation back!
Sep 21, 2020
Help Support This Podcast! >> We’re all ridiculously busy, trying to work and find time to write, exercising, picking up the kids from school (or teaching them at home), making dinner, reading, taking online classes, spending quality time with our loved ones and...
Sep 16, 2020
There are tons of lies floating around about creativity and creative writing, and from them, I’ve compiled ten myths that it’s time we expose and expel once and for all. Ready? Let’s bust some myths.
Sep 14, 2020
Help Support This Podcast! >> “What is your most prized possession?” Years ago, when I was a teenager in my church’s youth group, our pastor asked us this question, in what (I think) was a lesson on the ultimate emptiness of materialism. As an outwardly...
Sep 9, 2020
Are you ready to start your own blog or podcast? This week we discuss the steps to start a successful podcast or blog with some helpful tips and tricks along the way.
Sep 7, 2020
Help Support This Podcast! >> I crave a lot of things in life — achievement, recognition, financial freedom, healthy relationships, peace and quiet, chocolate. But I’ve never craved work/life balance (or, as we discussed in the previous email, work/life/passion...
Sep 2, 2020
This week we’re focusing on the literary element of theme. Theme can be expressed on purpose or by accident, and added to your work while you’re creating it or afterward. How can we be intentional about the themes in our work — and why should we be?
Aug 31, 2020
Help Support This Podcast! >> Back in 2014, I was thinking of starting a podcast.The only thing was, I was already working 40+ hours a week at a demanding job, volunteering in my community, enrolled in a women’s leadership program, and trying to be present for...
Aug 26, 2020
Are you ready to leave your day job and become a full-time writer? This episode discusses the pros and cons of what writing full time looks like, and helps you set expectations for yourself.
Aug 25, 2020
Creativity Myth #10: Failure is bad. Here’s why it’s a myth!
Aug 20, 2020
How much money do I make by podcasting? There are a lot of ways to make money podcasting and a lot of ways to talk about it — notably, direct vs. indirect podcast income.
Aug 19, 2020
The comparison race will always be unwinnable. This episode discusses six ways that comparison can be dangerous and how to overcome those dangers to find a path that is right for you.
Aug 18, 2020
Creativity Myth #9: You need to create a flawless masterpiece.
Aug 17, 2020
I thought I was immune, hiding here in my little office in South Dakota; I thought I was exempt somehow, that “I should be so much farther ahead” with all the “extra free time” the pandemic and quarantine have afforded us. I was wrong.