Countless broken and not-quite-working novels sit in hard drives, boxes, and drawers. They’re often unfinished because of poor planning, ambiguous stories, lack of persistence, and sometimes inadequate skills. Millions of those have been in a perpetual cycle of redevelopment, rewrite, and edit. One of the most difficult groups of authors I work with are those who have been toiling away on the same book for decades. They have written nothing else.

Writers come to me as a book coach with a variety of writing issues ranging from getting started, keeping going, finishing, and publishing. Sometimes they have notes on a napkin, sometimes they’ve finished a full draft. ​In the majority of cases, I wish they’d come to me sooner–before their small issues had grown into the Grand Canyon sized issues.

There are roughly 1900 writers at this conference. All in various stages of writing, publishing, and earning. It’s the largest indie publishing event in the world. There are sessions on business, marketing, craft, publishing, mind set, author panels, and genre meetups. It’s like the Caesars Palace Bacchanal Buffet of the writing industry.

There is literally some sort of book writing offer everywhere you turn. And they frequently (not necessarily maliciously) overcomplicate the writing process. Consequently, many writers constantly seek one silver bullet solution after another. How to write is definitely important, but let’s be honest with each other, how many workshops do you really need? How many books? How many $27 webinars? Week-long seminars?

Doing this scene anatomy work will to help you avoid two extremely common problems that I see all the time.

"If the choice is making a mediocre filet mignon, or the best damn grilled cheese, I'd rather do the latter.” So said my client, Josh, last week during our call. In pursuit of the best damn grilled cheese, we've been talking a lot about foundational elements of writing. One of these elements is the structure of a scene.

Fireside Chats are monthly conversations centered around providing resources for the three essential components of writing: brain, book, and business. These chats will be informal, casual opportunities for you to access experts in and outside the writing industry.

For some people, trash talk can be motivating. I’ve had people tell me it inspires them to prove the trash talk wrong. But I have yet to work with a writer that gains any positive value from badmouthing their writing.

Asked how they find inspiration, viewers responded with answers like take a shower, go for a hike, clean house, watch a movie, talk to a friend, and so on. I absolutely agree with all those answers. But, I’ve been thinking a lot about another side of inspiration—doing nothing at all.

Inspiration is just the beginning. Many writers give up when their first novel doesn’t immediately get them a deal with an agent, a loyal group of readers, or a fat wad of cash. There is no magic bullet story or fairy godmother wand out there that will guarantee success.

I’ve worked with a lot of writers. I remember all of them. Being a book coach is not only about me helping writers, it’s also how much they teach me. Here are 20 random things I’ve learned about writers.

The feedback you receive is likely going to be a mix of positive and not-so-positive feedback. All of it is helpful.

Beta readers are an essential part of the writing process, but finding the right ones can feel like searching for the love of your life on Tinder. A beta reader is a stand-in for your book’s eventual reader audience. A good beta reader will help you see what’s on the page and what’s not, and give you a good sense of how your audience will respond to your book after it’s published.

It’s never easy to hand over your sweat-and-tear-and-coffee-and-gin soaked book for someone else to look at. You’re rolling over and showing your vulnerable belly. But it’s something every writer wanting to publish has to come to terms with.

For the first time since COVIDpocalypse, my husband and I went on vacation. We didn’t go very far. Just a quick hop and jump up over the border across the straits on a ferry ride to Victoria, British Columbia. Here are 5 things this week that inspire me as a creator.

Every author—whether you’re Stephen King or an unknown self-published romance writer—has people helping them reach their goals. Check out the acknowledgements page of any book and you’ll find lists of people who helped that author get that book in your hands.