Caitlin Shetterly, author of Pete and Alice in Maine, shares her return path to writing fiction after years in nonfiction. A major medical event in the winter of 2020 to 2021 aligned so perfectly such that she experienced the same kind of healing as in the story she was telling. This episode is for all the writers who feel like life has caught them…

Are you a DILIGENT DRAFTER? This episode is for those writers who are self-disciplined, super organized, know exactly where the story is going... and still have trouble sitting down to write. Not sure what your writing persona is? Take the quiz here! https://www.the60daynovelwritingchallenge.com/writers-quiz Send us a Text Message. What to do next……

Ever wonder what kind of writing persona you have? Or what motivates you to write? Or even what the hidden pitfalls of those are? (Because they exist!) Announcing the Writing Persona Quiz! This brand new quiz from Tally Ink will tell you exactly what kind of writer you are, and the ways you can take advantage of those strengths. Take the quiz here!…

When authors get negative reviews, the first instinct is to feel bad because someone didn't like what we wrote. However, not all negative reviews are alike, and we can't approach them all the same way. The troll reviews are very different from the ones with constructive criticism. This episode is for people who are concerned about their negative re…

Have you ever heard of Parkinson's Law? If not, it's the law that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. AKA, if you give yourself a whole day to do something, it will take you all day to do it. Did you know that writers experience a paradox with Parkinson's Law? In today's episode we take a look at a common time manageme…

Not all pressure is good. Whether you're facing deadlines, word counts, or critter feedback, too much of the wrong kind of pressure can mess with your writing mindset. This episode covers why working under pressure is not always the right choice, and ways to release that pressure if you find it building up. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… …

Business coach and entrepreneur Dave Moreno joins me on the podcast to talk about how and why authors should approach writing (and the results of writing) like a real business. We discuss business mindset for authors, core messages and values, run tasks versus grow tasks, and all sorts of other golden nuggets for authors who really want to understa…

I apologize for the audio quality! This was recorded live on a hike and my mic was a little too close to my face 😅. Who are reviews actually for? Authors or readers? Both? In this ranty episode I share my thoughts on exactly who reviews are for, and why it's actually a good thing to be getting some negative reviews or low ratings on your books. Sen…

What drives you as a writer? Internal fulfillment, or external rewards? While neither is wrong or right, it's important to know your primary driver so that when you get into a writing slump, you have a proven way to break free. Listen to this episode for how to identify that primary motivator, the differences between the two, and ways to tap into t…

Author Christina Rozeline from Vinton, Louisiana shares how her writing evolved from a cheesy romance to a domestic thriller. But that wasn't her only growth! Christina's confidence skyrocketed from never turning on her camera during Premium calls to pestering her local library into carrying her book... and then actually doing a signing at that lib…

Learn what it really means to show, not tell, emotions in your writing! Your characters actions are how they reveal their feelings, but it's not always easy to figure out WHAT those actions or feelings are. This episode includes a practical framework for capturing authentic physicalities of emotion. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the…

In this slightly ranty raw podcast brought to you by a weekend sunrise hike, I talk about how to maintain high expectations but not feel terrible if you don't meet them. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel W…

Comic book author and serial Kickstarter Caleb Palmquist joins me to talk about what he's learned from running over 20 Kickstarters. He has a lot to say about failure and finding your audience, both of which are important parts of the "successful creator" journey. This was a follow-up episode to Halie's interview with Caleb on the YouTube Channel, …

What happens when you're in the middle of your draft and the plot has gone out the window, or you have no idea where to go next? The danger is "procrastiplotting" which I think is just a fancy word for writer's block. Learn how I deal with Procrastiplotting and how to identify when it's ACTUALLY a problem. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… T…

Did you know you lose up to 23 minutes of attention every time you get distracted? This is the reality: you can't do two things at once, and if you try, your attention pays for it. Multitasking has been a myth for years, and yet we all believe we're immune to the actual cognitive cost of task switching, which is what really happens when we think we…

What are you saying "no" to in order to write? We all make tradeoffs in life, and definitely in writing. If you've ever had the urge to blame something else for "stopping" you from writing, this episode is for you. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (tr…

How would you write a better relationship portrayal? Not necessarily "better" as in "good", but rather, more realistic. We all have good and bad examples of relationships in real life, but I think we all get sucked into the temptation to idealize written relationships. This episode is a prompt to reevaluate the idealizing, and lean into reality a b…

What's an ARC reader? What do ARC readers even do? And why do you need to know about them before your book is even done? As much as many authors hate to admit it, building a readership before you even release is one of the things successful authors do (both indie and traditional), and ARC readers are a key part of that. Listen to this episode to fi…

Sunk cost is the time, effort, money, or energy invested in something that ultimately doesn't work. Sunk cost FALLACY is when we believe that we have to keep doing that thing because if we don't, all that investment is WASTED. But the investments you make into things that ultimately become sunk costs are never wastes, and this episode details why. …

Last week's episode may have left you with some questions, primarily this one: How do you recruit alphas, betas, and critters? You can find these magical people in several places, but it can feel like hunting unicorns at times. In this episode, I list a few places you can find ABCs. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona …

What are alphas, betas, and critters (aka critique partners)? Are they different? The same? What exactly do they do? In this episode, I talk about how I define each of these types of feedback partners, and whether you need any of them at all. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challen…

Have you ever made a decision, started working on it, and then realized that you probably should have chosen something else? But then you feel like you HAVE to keep going because if you don't, then your integrity is at stake, or you'll feel like a failure if you "quit"? Insert a decision pivot. You don't have to remain beholden to the decisions you…

What do you do to prepare yourself for a writing session? Whether it's lighting candles, playing music, or completely secluding yourself in a dark and mysterious library office, those things are probably your writing ritual. Writing rituals can make all the difference with finishing your book. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writi…

In this follow-up episode to the one on the difference between personality and temperament, I break down the four types of temperament traditionally known by their "Greek Humor" names: Sanguine Choleric Phlegmatic Melancholic We can use the temperaments not only to better know our characters, but to better know ourselves. Resources: https://psychol…

Can you spot the lie in this episode? Our guest has a passion for storytelling, dinosaurs, and inspiring young people to write more. Actually, none of those are lies. You'll have to listen to the episode for the real two truths and a lie! Shanna P. Lowe, author of Candy Sky Tells a Lie, joins me to talk about her experience with The 60 Day Novel Wr…

There are things in life that propel you forward, much like an engine moves a boat through water. These are the things we turn to when we need a boost of energy or inspiration, including when we write. Do you know what your writing engines are? This episode includes examples of writing engines which might help you galvanize your writing life. Send …

Quitter's day is that day just a few weeks into the new year when most people who set New Year's Resolutions feel like quitting. Don't let the natural entropy of excitement and motivation keep you from achieving your writing goals this year. You can make it past Quitters Day! Listen to the episode for tips on how to do this. Send us a Text Message.…

Halie Fewkes Damewood joins me to talk about the different types of publishing: big press, small press, hybrid, and self-publishing, where self-publishing is split between print on demand and ebooks, and what's known as offset printing. As we get into in the episode, choosing the right kind of publishing for you depends on your preferences, and whe…

Writing is somewhat of an isolated endeavour if you are not already part of a writing community. Advice from other authors is really valuable, because we can see what's working for other people, and to take those ideas to test out in our own writing lives. In part one of top tips for writers, we have advice from the authors listed below. Christina …

Going into a new year (or a new month) is a natural time to think about goalsetting, especiall writing goals. How you set and approach tthose goals makes all the difference in whether you accomplish them at the end, but it's not always easy to do. In this episode, I break down how to set yourself up for success, and share a bit about my 2024 goals.…

You’ve heard it at the end of every episode: the first draft is supposed to be garbage! But if the first draft is supposed to be garbage, what is the SECOND draft supposed to be? Slightly more polished garbage? This episode breaks down the role of the second draft, how to approach your rewrite, and how I prepare my second draft for review (whether …

Have you wondered how to run a Kickstarter campaign for your books? Halie Fewkes Damewood has successfully funded and published 8 books using Kickstarter (6 novels, 2 kids' books). She joins me on the podcast to give you guys a Kickstarter Crash Course if you've been thinking about using this popular crowdfunding platform to launch your author care…

Murder mystery author Beth Savoie joins me on the show to talk about her book series and how The 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge (and Professional Premium) helped her go from five years to publish book 1 down to one year to publish book 2. Currently writing book 3 of her Compton-Murray Mysteries series, Beth has experienced her characters coming to …

Is your word count nowhere near where you want it to be this far into November? Do you wonder if it's even worth it to finish if you're this far behind? I'm bringing you the truth about giving up—and why it's important to stop giving so much power to arbitrary dates on the calendar. https://studyfinds.org/writing-books-life-worthy-of-deal/ Send us …

The editing process (specifically professional editors) are an essential part of publishing a book. Many a writer has released a book without it going through editors, and it shows in the quality of the story and the quality of the reader experience (AKA, low). In this episode, Halie Damewood and I talk about why you should NEVER skip the editor. S…

In the game of marketing on social media, what works for Author A might not be what works for Author B. And neither of those things may be what works for YOU. Are you willing to experiment? Because you'll need to in order to find out what really does work for you. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first…

There is no one-size-fits-all piece of advice for anyone. To find your own brand of success, you need to assess what does work, take that, and leave the rest for someone else to try out. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for T…

Ever wonder what the difference is between temperament and personality? Didn't know there was a difference? Check out this episode for a quick breakdown on how these two aspects of character development differ, and how to know when you're describing one versus the other. Resources: https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/temperaments.html https://psychce…

If the idea of being consistent on social media sounds overwhelming, let's flip that script and focus on being persistent instead. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next r…

What makes up your "writer identity"? What do you do daily (or on a regular basis) that helps reinforce that you are a writer? Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round…

In this episode we dive into three things that can keep readers from DNF'ing your book: 1. Make sure the blurb actually describes your story. 2. Know what your readers expect for language, spice, and violence. 3. Don’t let the middle sag. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge +…

Spoiler alert: BookTok by itself does not create bestsellers. But if you USE it correctly, it can for dang sure help. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round of Profe…

The key to making fast decisions is taking action... learn how in this episode. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium Join The 60-Day Novel …

What is the difference between being interested in something versus being committed to it? Find out how this concept applies to writing in this episode of The Novel Writing Podcast. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60…

What's the deal with "consistency"? Do you have to be "consistent" to be successful? Find out why believing you have to be consistent might actually be holding you back. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel W…

Ah, the big question about social media... the best platform! Listen to find out which one it is. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium Join…

What if you don't have to wait until you're published to call yourself an "author"? Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium Join The 60-Day No…

Infodumping gets a bad rap. What if it's not as bad as the "experts" are saying? Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium Join The 60-Day Novel…

How do you approach social media if you're an introvert? An extrovert? Communications coach Erin Woodruff joins us to talk about how you can make social media work for you depending on where you land on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. Erin Woodruff Coaching website Quiz: Where do you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum? Quiz: Are you married…

Are you measuring yourself against the ideal future version of yourself? Or are you keeping track of all the gains you've made? Learn why it's important to identify and remember your author GAINS. Send us a Text Message. What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge) Sig…