Podcasts about hot seat coaching

Jennie Nash returns to a #amwriting hot seat with novelist Andrew Perella. Building on prior guidance from ThrillerFest's Samantha Skal, they refine Andrew's thriller outline—especially antagonist Seward's motivation, escalating twists, and clue/red-herring sophistication—while acknowledging outline fatigue and treating it as a living document updated alongside drafted scenes. Andrew adds a new opening murder to raise the early body count without revealing the killer, links the victim to Abby, and explores Seward's conflicted “strategy” to preserve an old-world hierarchy that targets women's and vampires' agency. They also discuss Quince as a privileged, unreliable brother and the need to define Mina's telepathic vampire “magic” so her influence preserves Abby's agency and makes Mina's end offer a harder choice. They plan to review drafted chapters next. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Talent isn't the problem. Many performers, speakers, and professionals already have the skills they need. What holds them back is performance pressure, anxiety, and the internal stories that surface when the spotlight turns on. In this Hot Seat Coaching session, Lori helps performance specialist Karen Kidd Lovett clarify her message, define her ideal audience, and position her expertise around helping performers elevate their performance to match their talent. The conversation also explores stage anxiety, confidence, visibility, social media strategy, and how to build a business around work that genuinely lights you up. What You'll Learn Why performance pressure often matters more than talent How to position your expertise with a transformational message A practical approach to visibility and social media without overwhelm   Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call.  If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense.  Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation!  A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now!   Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

Andrew returns with his latest blueprint for a gothic mystery, and the coaching quickly zeroes in on what will make it work: a clear, compelling villain and twists that truly land. With help from thriller coach and Thrillerfest executive director Samantha Skal, the discussion unpacks the hidden layer of the story—what the villain is actually doing—and how that contrasts with the protagonist's assumptions.As they dig in, it becomes clear that strengthening the mystery means making the murders more personal, introducing a convincing false suspect, and mapping both the visible story and the truth underneath it. By the end, Andrew has a sharper path forward: deepen the villain's motive, raise the stakes earlier, and build each twist so it feels both surprising and inevitable.#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.About Book Coach Sam SkalA fan of the scary, mysterious, and suspenseful, Samantha Skal is the Executive Director of ThrillerFest, the co-founder of Shadows & Secrets writing retreats, and an Author Accelerator-certified book coach who specializes in coaching mystery, thriller, horror, and suspense authors. Sam writes stories that keep her up at night, is a breast cancer survivor, and lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.samanthaskal.com and www.shadowsandsecrets.com. Catch Up on Andrew's Hot Seat Coaching JourneyTranscriptHi, I'm Jennie Nash, and you're listening to the #amwriting podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most.This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real challenge in real time.And today we're back talking with Andrew Perella, the hashtag am writing podcast producer who has stepped out from behind the mic to work on a novel. And where we left Andrew last time was you'd worked through the whole blueprint and you were tasked with completing. Inside outline. So before we get into our guest and, um, what we're gonna do today, how was that, what was it like for you?Um, I mean, it was, it was, uh, really hard. Uh, but it was, it was, uh, it was really gratifying and it was, it was a lot of fun to do as well. Um. Because I think, um, part of, part of the assignment, you, you, you left for me, [00:01:00] Jenny, was to also beef out certain elements of certain, certain, the presence of certain characters, um, and certain and certain elements of the book.And so I was trying to do that as well as. As, as crafting the outline. Um, and so yeah, it was, it was a long, it was a struggle. It was a struggle, especially to get it to three, to keep it to three, to get it down to three pages. I know, and I'm very strict about that for reasons you are. Um, and. Did you feel a sense of accomplishment when you did it though?Like, oh, this is a book and I'm writing it, or how did that land? Yeah, I mean, like at first I just started writing. I started writing the scene bullets and the, and the points, and just started like, okay, what are all the, what are all the elements that that. I have in my head that I need to get down onto paper and it was like 6, 7, 8 pages.And I was like, okay, now I gotta get this down to three pages. Um, and, and, and I was like, okay, I can combine these two scenes or maybe I don't need this. So I just ended up cutting a lot and cutting a lot [00:02:00] and getting it down. So like, yes, there was a sense of like. Completion. Um, that was certainly gratifying, uh, to get that.And, uh, I had a couple of late nights, um, getting that, getting that squared away, but yeah, it also feels, feels more real now. Um, and it's like, yeah, there's, there's, there's a, there's a there here, which I'm pretty excited about. I'm excited about too, and I'm also excited because we're doing something really cool today.Um, and we have with us Samantha Skull, who I will introduce in a hot second. But hi Samantha. Hi. Thanks so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Well, I'm excited too because, um. Sam, as I call her, um, I've known for quite some time. She's one of the OG author, accelerator certified coaches. And Sam, you actually don't know this, but I use you.Probably every day.Oh my God, I'm so flattered as an example of [00:03:00] what a great book coach should do, which is to focus and choose who you're gonna serve and how you're gonna serve them, and to really go deep into what you love and what you wanna do all day. Right? The read books all day and get paid for it thing like do what you love and you.Do that. You've done that just so powerfully and it's so visible on your website, which we'll link to in the show notes so folks can go see, but. Sam loves all the dark and suspenseful and scary mystery, twisty things, which always just cracked me up because I don't, and that's what's so beautiful about book coaching and writing for that matters.Everybody has their own thing and, and that's part of the work of writing Big is. What is your thing? You know? So the reason that I wanted Sam to come is she's built a whole business on this type of work and with, um, another author, [00:04:00] accelerator coach, she runs a really cool, uh, writing retreat that is, um, it's always in Salem.Right. It is in a haunted hotel, which, um, Carrie Savage, who is my co-founder in shadows and secrets, uh, loves being haunted. I do not choose to be haunted, so I choose the non haunted floor. So they have that retreat and they, um, have just started taking it virtual and just all kinds of tools and resources and things for people writing this kind of work.And in addition to that, I. I just am always impressed by your trajectory of having gone from. A volunteer at the Thriller Fest. Well, for a participant at the Thriller Fest conference to being a volunteer, to running the Pitch Fest piece of the thing. And now you're, well then you were co-director, now you're running the whole thing.You're, you're, yes, I am. You're running the entire [00:05:00] Thriller Fest conference, which is how many writers every year. Oh, we have around a thousand and I have a team behind me. Just to be clear. This would not happen without a village, but uh, yes, we have around a thousand thriller authors who come to New York and we, uh, we talk about the dark stuff all week.It's absolutely the, the best time. And it's in two weeks. I can't, I mean, when this comes out, it may have already passed, but yeah, can't wait. No, this is coming out right before, so if anybody wants a quick getaway to New York, they should go. But also just the programming, watch the programming coming out of it and we're so excited.Yeah, it's really good. So, um, I just, I love the career you've built for yourself. It's always just really inspiring to me. And, um, also a recent breast cancer survivor, so we're, uh, always wanna shout out to that. Yes. Get your scans. That's my PSA. Always love it. Same. Love it. Love it. So I wanted Sam to come look at Andrew's inside [00:06:00] outline because I knew that the thing he has to work on is this, what I call in my not totally expertise in this area.I call the twisties of it. That there's a, you know, it's a mystery. It's a murder, it's a gothic, it's horror. It's all the things. And it, those twists have to land. And this is so much Sam's expertise that the whole time I was talking to Andrew about it and guiding him and coaching him, I just kept thinking, we need Sam in here.So, so we got Sam in here. And so, um, Andrew completed his inside outline and Sam very graciously, um, agreed to look through it and to look through his whole blueprint. So before we get into what you saw and what you found, Sam. I just love to hear, I mean, this is so self-serving. I just like nothing more than reading a blueprint.I think it's so fun. Um, just to like, [00:07:00] kind of peel back the, the cover and see what's in there. Did, did you have fun with that? Oh my gosh. So much fun. Andrew. This story is, is so cool. And I love the historical elements and the rethinking of, you know, vampires are running around London and everyone's just like, that's fine.You know, and then how does, how does this all go down? And we have this very agency filled, moxie filled main character who's just a delight and yeah, I loved it. I have, I have so many fun questions to ask you. So Andrew, how does that feel? I mean, it feels great and I, I was reading through, uh, through both of your notes, um, in the, in the, in the outline and like you're asking all of these questions.Um. Some of them that I have not thought of before and like, so I'm, so I'm really excited to kind of dig into these and talk through them. But I'm, I'm, it's really gratifying to hear that this, that this idea is, is, is, is an interesting one. Yeah. I loved it. I a hundred [00:08:00] percent read this book. I'd, I'd see it and be like, yes, I want, I want to be in that world.Cool. Well that's why you're here. Because I would be like, no, too scary. Too scary for me. So, um, I'm gonna let. Sam sort of take it away and, uh, we could talk for days, I'm sure about this, but one of the, the things I love about book coaches who are well trained is they'll hone in on the most important, the most important things.So. What do you think, Sam? What's the most important thing Andrew should be thinking about in his next iteration of this outline? Yeah, so my favorite thing to talk about outta the gate with Mr. Thriller and suspense and gothic horror, depending on how dark you wanna make this, um, is who is the person who's really behind all these murders and why are they committing them?Right? I like to think of MTS mystery full or suspense as the villain's journey as experienced by the [00:09:00] protagonist. Mm-hmm. Right. So we, we must know what's going on beneath the surface in order for those twists to land, because twists are just assumptions about what's going on that the protagonist makes.And when the truth, you know, what's really going on with the villain is revealed, it's twisty because it's unexpected. Mm-hmm. So if we don't, therefore if we don't know who's. Who's behind, who's doing all these villainous things. Um, we struggle to make those twists land and we struggle to get a blueprint that we can actually follow.So tell me your thoughts on who this mastermind murderer is and why they're doing what they're doing. Um, so. So Jack Seward is the, is the, is the Mastermind behind this. And I've been, I've been thinking a lot about it this week since I, since I finished the, since I finished the outline. And a lot of other things have occurred to me about who this gentleman is and how he's doing what he's doing.But I think the why is, um, he is committed to the status quo. He is committed [00:10:00] to, uh, uh, uh, uh, a, you know, uh. He is committed to the manosphere. He is committed to the patriarchy. He has committed to, um, the previous way of doing things. Um. In, in, in society, in politics, in medicine. And so like he's seeing this sea change, um, in all of those areas.Um, with the advent of this, of this, um, medical school for women, uh, with the, with this vote, um, vote, uh, that is happening. Um, and he disapproves and so his goal is to disrupt all of those, um. Disruptions di uh, by pitting them against each other. Got it. So if he can, if he can. Create this illusion that vampires are preying on Suffr jets.They will be too busy fighting each other to try and find any sort of, uh, agency for [00:11:00] themselves. Aha. Very, very well thought out. I love that. As a, as a mastermind villain goal. So here's the other thing, is that mm-hmm. In the genre expectation for any sort of modern mystery, full or suspense, is that we have three twists.We have one at the mid and we can have more. Right. But we have one at the midpoint, which is just the midpoint turn. Like it's, it's a classic story thing, which you already have. You have a great midpoint currently. Mm-hmm. Um, and the climactic twist is the reveal of, uh, as, as Carrie, my co-founder and shadows and secrets likes to say, um, the climactic.Confrontation answers the story question, which is presented in the inciting incident and typically in mysteries, the inciting incident is who's doing the killing? Right? Like, who's behind this dead body that we have early on? And we'll talk about that in just a second. Um, so the climactic answers that question, and then we have a final twist, which is typically the reveal of this gentleman who wants to keep things as is.And he [00:12:00] meanwhile. During the course of the story is going to be taking action to stop, uh, our plucky protagonist from stopping him, right? Mm-hmm. So he's a full antagonist to our protagonist. And in that way we need a fake villain, right? We need someone that he can have set up so that she thinks this is the person behind everything in the climactic scene.And then she gets to the end and is like, oh my gosh, I've. You know, I've conquered, I've brought chaos to order, I've solved this thing, and now, oh my God, now there's somebody else who's actually behind everything. And actually we're still in grave danger and we didn't even know to be worried about this.And that's how you get that like, you know, 85 to 98% just ripping through the pages readers, you know, being so hooked to figure out what happened. Right. Um, so. Tell me a little bit more about who Seward could have set up or manipulated or something [00:13:00] else to commit these murders so that he gets done what he wants to get done, but he also protects himself.And if you don't know the answer, that's okay. We can brainstorm. But if you do, then that's great. So this is, this is kind of part of the, the, the thought, the idea that I've had since I, since I finished the, the, the, uh, the outline is. Because the, the syringe idea mm-hmm. The double-headed syringe idea always felt a little tenuous.Uh, like I, I wasn't quite sure that that was gonna hold, but, so my new thought about this is, is. Because he is, uh, he is the, uh, director of a mental institution. Um, and so, and so, like, that's a whole other politic where he has people who are, uh, who are in his thra essentially. And so is there a way that he can coerce, um, a vampire who needs him to commit these murders on his behalf, thereby kind of insulating himself from the actions.Perfect. And [00:14:00] so I think that could, so the climactic twist would then be. It's a vampire I disco discovering that the, the, this is the vampires committing the murders. But then the, the, the final twist is, oh s**t, he's been doing this at the behest of, of Seward, who's her, you know, kind of Yes, yes. As it were in quotation.Okay. Yes. That sounds amazing. And it also, you know, when we step into this story, um, in your initial scene, we have. Vampires feeding on people and Abby's just like, uh, okay, that's, that's normal. Right? And so is that, did I read that right? Is that the world that we're in? Is that We have vampires existing and Van Helsing, you know, was the one who kept them in check.And we have all that like lore that we're dealing with that the reader brings in. So tell me more about the world I'm walking into here. So, yeah, I think I'm still developing this world. So we're 20 years. Around 20 years after the events of Dracula. Okay. The, the, the novel. And so, and I think, I think people are now aware that [00:15:00] vampires exist.And I think, you know, at this, at the same time, they're being used as like this bogey man or, or, or straw man of like, everything that is wrong with, with British society. Um, but they're also. Not the monsters, right? They're, they're just another, another, um, community that is trying to, uh, eke out, eke out some sort of existence.Um, I love that so much. It's just such a fun, sort of new twist on. Know a story that's so well known and has been in our collective conscience for a hundred years. You know, I don't know when, when Dracula came out. Correct me if I'm wrong, but a long time, right? A little over a hundred years. Yeah. It's been a minute.It's been a minute. Um, and so I, so it's still very much a period of transition as, as you know, London and the world are still trying to figure out what that means, that these things actually exist and live among us. Um, and, uh, and so. There were [00:16:00] some things that didn't make it into the outline like I had.There was this one scene where they're walking down the street and there's someone on the soapbox at speaker's Corner at Hyde Park who's railing against, who's railing against, uh, um, vampires as like a sturge on society and things of that nature. And, and there'll be things in the newspaper. I think that kind of addressed this new, this new politic, um, that, that the characters interact with.And so I'm still feeling out what exactly it means. That vampires exist and are part of the public consciousness. Yeah. So one sort of logical question that comes up for me there is, you know, if we're in society and there's just like monsters living among us who occasionally pick people off on the street, that would create a level of, um, extreme tension.Okay. Right. One might say, right, like, yeah, if I'm wandering down the street and I see a vampire eating somebody that's not just like a, you know, we would be taking steps to protect ourselves because humans are always going to protect themselves, and so yes. You [00:17:00] know what, if you change it where the vampires are only allowed to feed on like livestock or something.Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, something that's like the, nobody's happy, right? Yeah. Like, like most, uh, um, situations where we, we agree on something and we're, we're all giving something up. Yeah. But that allows them to exist in society and live among us. Right? Like the, the veil has been lifted. Vampires are here.But they've agreed to only eat livestock, and then the fact that they're murdering people by eating them then becomes. A huge deal. Right? Because this Deante that we've had with them is now broken. Mm-hmm. Um, something like that, because I think if we, if we have it just being casual that they're, they're eating people in alleys or whatever, it reduces, I mean, that's a fun story, don't get me wrong.Yeah, yeah. But that reduces the impact of the murders that we are seeking to solve with this and Right. You know, you said this was, this was a mystery. And so currently [00:18:00] we don't have a ton of mystery on the page like we have. The midpoint is where, um, she discovers that things might not be what they seem, which I love.But in order for that to have impact, we need something earlier. And that could be, you know, these murders have been happening for a few days. That could be the last year. It could be she sees the first murder. Um. Something along those lines, but we need something early. So we, we understand the tension and we understand the mystery story question because you have a ton of other story questions in here, but if this is mystery first, the mystery story question needs to be who committed, who is committing these murders and why?Yep. Yeah. Does that kind of, that makes sense? Land? Yes. No, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. Now as a, as as I was, I was rereading the outline, the other, the other, the, the other night. And I was like, I feel, I feel like there needs to be another murder scene. Yeah. Earlier we gotta up the body count in the, the book.Yeah. You know, it's a, it's a, it's a conversation I have every day. [00:19:00] Yeah. Not, not enough dead bodies. Not enough dead. Not enough dead bodies. Yeah. So, you know, and so if she is, if she's really worried about, you know, that's their question is why, why is she so involved in solving these murders? How do we make it personal to her?Mm-hmm. And so could this be a friend? Could this be. You know, um, a sister, could this be an aunt, like some something that's related to her so that this person is taken out. And then that becomes Seward has targeted her because she's the, she's, you know, van sing's niece, right? Yep. Yeah. So she's a public figure that if he takes out by having a vampire.Quote, you know, kill her. Then he will have achieved his goal of disrupting this whole thing and be like, look how dangerous it's for women to be out in the world and you know. Mm-hmm. We should put a stop to this. Like that achieves his goal, but she won't know. Right. Obviously that [00:20:00] that's his goal. Right.But he also needs to create the unrest, so it's not just, you know, she's the one who's murdered. That's going to be the climactic plan and he will have killed other people in the meantime. Right. Okay. Something like that. Like we need to make, yeah. Whatever it is that needs to be personal to her. And if she paint, if she paints a target on her back later on by being a ksky, amateur sleuth, which is classic.Um. That works well as well. But I like, you know, one of the questions I love to ask is, what was your villain doing on the day that their prote, the pro protagonist, decided to ruin their life by deciding to go after and stop them from villain. And so maybe she had nothing to do with any of this and she's researching and becomes a problem.That's the other way you could play it. Mm-hmm. Um. But, you know, if he has this grand plan and he's like, Ooh, Abby would make a great sort of like, figurehead to the end of all these murders, and that's the one that I'm gonna point at it and be like, [00:21:00] look, we can't, you know, I, we can't have these women out here.Right? Something like that could work well. Um, what do you think? What, what's, what's your brain do when I say all those things? Um, it's interesting. I hadn't considered, I hadn't considered that her uncle would be targeting her. One of the things I've been grappling with was like. One of the reasons he targets people around her is to scare her away from med school to scare her away from the cause, okay.Um, and kind of pin her in further to the existing, to the existing, um, um, status quo. Um, and so I hadn't considered him using her. Sacrificing her for his, uh, for his ultimate goals. Yeah. Um, and that's an in, that's an interesting idea. And, and if she were to discover that would certainly up to stakes, um, that would certainly up to stakes for her.It would. And so if you want him to be a little more [00:22:00] empathetic Right. We don't need to go like full dark if you don't want to. Right. Um, he could be trying to protect her. By killing other people, which is misguided. Yeah. But, uh, fun. Right? And then that would make sense. So when she figures out it's actually him, he could be like, I was doing all of this to protect you because I love you.You're in my family. Right? Yeah. That also works. But we need to have whatever his, his plan is for causing, you know, using these murders to achieve his goal. If she's, she needs to be the target of it so that it's very personal to her as she moves through this story. Um, and upping the stakes is always great.It amps the tension, right? Yeah. And again, she's not gonna know any of this until she gets to that final twist. And so one of like the most fine chilling, you know, tingly things that you can do with mysteries is that reveal at the very end. We as through the protagonist, understand how much danger we were in [00:23:00] this entire story, and we had no idea.Right? And that moment is the one that we're seeking with readers and for ourselves, right? It's like, how do we have that moment that reveal have the biggest impact possible? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Something like that. Yeah. I, I see Andrew just grinning, like, what are you, whatcha feeling? He's just like, got his giant grin on his face.I mean, like, and like I said, I've been trying to figure out how, because it, because as I was reading, as I was reading through the outline, it did feel like, like abriana was just kind of like adjacent to mm-hmm. All of the murders. Um, and, and Jenny, you and I had talked about whether there was an active investigation and, and, and Sam, I think you kind of alluded to that in, in the notes, is there, is there an active investigation and like, is she, is, is Abriana being.Is, uh, uh, coroner does a suspect by the, by the investigators. Um, is that, why, is that why she is doing her own investigation? Um, [00:24:00] which is another, which is another way to to, to up the stakes. Mm-hmm. Also, um, I, yeah, I'm, I'm, that's an interest, that's an interesting way though to, that's an interesting take on Seward, who's, um, an avuncular figure.He's not, like, he's not a blood relation. To Abriana, but like he is, he is determined in his goal and like, you know, he would, he probably would stop at nothing to get that done, even if it meant, even if it meant, uh, the daughter of a friend of his got killed. Yeah, I mean, just thinking through, and this is your homework, really, is to think through how dark do you want to make him, right?Because you can have a villain who starts off with. A, uh, a goal and decides to achieve it through very ill-advised means, but still wants to protect the people around them, right? Like they can be both. We don't have to have it be a hundred percent. [00:25:00] This person is so evil and willing to burn it all down, right?And so, but that can also be a series of bad decisions. It's like bad decision one leads to, oh my God, like people are finding out that these aren't really vampires. Now I have to really like double down to make it really seem like vampires, so I don't get caught. Because guess what, if I get caught, my life is ruined.Right? And you know, as Abby gets closer, he realizes. I have to kill her. Right? Yeah. She's, she's gonna ruin everything. Yeah. And that sort of angst and that, you know, that would be very painful for him. That could be the thing that when she confronts him at the end, and there will be a de Ma, right? We're gonna have something where he's like, I did all these things for this reason.And it doesn't have to be Yeah. Pages, but we do have a, that's a classic mystery thing. Mm-hmm. She'll understand if you like this, that you know, he was trying to protect her and then. He'll be like, you did this to yourself. You know, like, right. Yeah. You're the one who got in the way. Um, something like [00:26:00] that.And he's like, mm-hmm. My only choice now is to kill you. And then of course she will not allow that because she's our lucky protagonist and will survive because chaos will be brought to order. That's the other big thing is we wanna wrap this up unless you're going who, in which case. It gets worse at the very end.Um, is, is that, is that, is that allowed? Yeah, we, yeah. Well, to keep chaos on the chaos, absolutely. We just need it genre bending is. So hot right now, right? Um, and it's really fun, right? So you can have both, you can have the main mystery wrapped up, like she can, Abby can figure out, okay, this wasn't actually vampires and someone is posing as a vampire.And so that actually changes your midpoint, by the way. We'll talk about that in a second. But if that's the arc, right? She thinks it's vampires. She is, when she does the climactic confrontation, she's like, it's vampires like someone, you know, what are they doing? Why are they doing this? And then realizes [00:27:00] in that, that it wasn't vampires and it's actually someone else.Um, the chaos will be brought to order in that way, right? Like we have, we have a right, we have figured out that someone was posing as a vampire. But what if you have a final, final twist where you know, there actually are vampires. Killing people as well. Like seaward only admits to three of these murders and then there's someone else doing, you know, and it's just like we end it with like, oh no.You know? Right. Yeah. Or by, maybe there's something mystical with like by imitating a vampire or that, you know, the vampires have been gathering their energy for the last 20 years by feeding on goats and you know, they're ready to, we need a new van Helsing to, to keep them under control or something. And Abby takes up that mantle and, you know.You can, you can totally play it where there's an unanswered. Okay. Oh no, it's worse at the end, but we do need some sort of wrap up of the story. Gotcha. But there does seem to be some cover resolution. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. I see what you're saying. That makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. So it strikes [00:28:00] me, I'm not sure that you picked this up, Sam, and you might not have, but that there's a.Uh, um, Mina the Vampire. Mina, yeah, yeah, yeah. Is is her mother. Right. I did pick up on that, and that's a question I have. Okay. Yeah. Great. Because it seems like what you're all talking about that could play a really important role in any of these twists and arcs. Right. I. Yes. Yes. Plus one. Yeah. Everything you just said.Um, yeah. So Mina being her mother, fantastic. One of your final twists, right? And particularly if you have Seward being like the final confrontation, final twist person, and then, you know, you have this lovely final scene where she's like, oh my God, it's my mother. Um, yeah. But the logical question there is why would Mina Hyde, what's she after?Why would she not have tried to help Abby? Right? Because you're dealing with reader expectations that mothers will do anything to protect their children. Right? And so you can, we can twist that. Maybe she is trying to protect her from what's coming, right? [00:29:00] Like what's actually going on. Maybe she's the one who's been protecting her the whole time by warding off the vampires that have been attacking her, her friends at medical school.Um. And that's why there's so many mistaken identity things, right? Because you have two where, where Abby's like, whoops. I think that was supposed to be for me. Yeah. Um, and so the reader's gonna wonder why are they so bad at killing her, right? Like, if these were assassin attempts, like why wouldn't what, what's going on?And so that answers that question. If it's Mina stepping in, but you know, we need to understand what Mina's really after and why she didn't step forward sooner. That's a huge question that, you know, yeah. Everyone will have. Yeah, it is a huge question. Like, like where has she been for the last 18 years?Mm-hmm. Why has Aubrianna not seen her since, since, since her birth? Um, and I haven't quite nailed that down yet. Like, is there some sort of like vampire code? I don't like, I don't know. Is it, is it that she's, is that she, that Mina. Knows [00:30:00] Jonathan, her husband too well, and knows that, that he would not allow a vampire, uh, to interact with his children.Like. And so I think there, I think there are a couple of answers to that, but I haven't like, landed on one yet. Um, but I, like, I, I like the idea of Mina working kind of behind the scenes to protect, to actively protect, um. Abriana, which is what that, that opening that, that, that scene in the alley earlier on is about, is like she comes to her aid at that point.Um, and, uh, and, and and physically puts herself between, between Abri and Abriana and the violence, which Abriana misunderstands, uh, and runs away terrified. But I think, I, I think there are ways to incorporate that, as you say. Elsewhere in the, elsewhere in the story. Yeah. Well, I mean she, to make to a fantastic twist would be, she assumes Mina is the one after her, right?Right. Yeah. Like she recalls in this opening scene that Mina was coming at her and is like, Ooh, that's the vampire that wants to kill me. Yeah, yeah. And [00:31:00] you know, sees her around. And so that's her assumption. And this is how you create twists, right? Her assumption is that Nina is the person behind all of this, and why, but.You run the risk of when she starts investigating Mina and figuring out who she is? It would be, we'd figure out we need some very good reason that she couldn't figure out that was that Mina was her mother, right? Yeah. Yes. So in that case, I would suggest having some other vampire be the one that she thinks is behind everything.Um, which leads me to the midpoint. So currently this is where she discovers that these bite marks are not bite marks at all. They are. Other Marks syringes. Right, right. Like the, yeah. Yeah. Um, so if that's the midpoint, which I like, again, that means that she's going to assume that there is a human or a vampire who's lost her teeth.I don't know, um, behind all of this. And the climactic confrontation will be with that, [00:32:00] with that knowledge that this is not a vampire doing these villainous things. Um. So how does that feel? Like do if, do we, is there someone in the cast that we can sort of have her assume is that person that's not Seward.Not, not someone that I've identified yet. Um, okay. But I, I, I, I agree with you. We need, we need someone that she, that she's pursuing and, uh, in, at, in, in that sense. Um, and, and she believed, I, I, I see, I see. Now I see what you're saying. That the, the importance of her making that, that, that incorrect assumption that this is the person who's, who's doing, who's doing the, the killings.And I don't know who that is yet. I don't know if there's someone actively in the, in the cha in the cast that we have, or if I need, if I need a new character. Okay. I mean, you can also play with, you know, so this is the thing about mysteries, it gets very quickly complicated, is on the surface we have all the assumptions which are incorrect.[00:33:00] Right? Right. And so we have to build up that, those plots and make it plausible. Yeah. Because we need, you know, the example I like to give is like, let's say you, you come home and you're expecting that no one else is there and there's an open window and there is a earring back on the counter and a bloody footprint on your.You know, nice white carpet and you know, um, a knocked over plant and then you recall, oh yes, you know the nab I've been babysitting the neighbor's cat, they knocked over the plant. So that's solved. But this bloody footprint is really freaking me out because clearly somebody came in here and made a bloody footprint and that's terrifying.You're focusing on the bloody footprint because that's the most obvious thing, but the earring back is the thing that is the villain clue. Right, and that, that's the person that came in and misled you by putting the bloody footprint on the carpet for reasons, capital R, whatever it is in this story, right?But we have clocked on screen, on the page what the clue is and ignored it. And so yeah, [00:34:00] this is how you can go back in on a revision and you know, you maybe we don't know who this other person is that's actually doing this, but they will have a vested interest in not being caught. Right? Mm-hmm. And so these little clues that we put on the page later are ignored, and then we're following the story that we've already created.Mm-hmm. Um, but keeping track of all these layers feels complicated, which is why Jenny's outline with three pages is so, so useful. Um, right. Because what the, what's on the page is the, is the story that you already, that we're focusing on, right? Mm-hmm. And then what really happened? Mm-hmm. Is the thing beneath the surface that we don't learn until the truth is revealed in one of these twists.Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah. No, that absolutely makes sense. That Absolutely. That also feels like a lot to think about. It is. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't have, I don't have enough red earrings. I don't have enough mis, I don't have enough misdirecting. Misdirecting clues, as it were. Right. Well, those are fun to brainstorm, right?Because we start thinking [00:35:00] about who really, it comes back to Seward. Like what would he be doing to misdirect Abby away from this? Right. To keep her safe, if you like that as a goal. Yeah. And also to make the, make society freak out about how vampires are killing again. Mm-hmm. Um, what would he plant, who would he manipulate?Who would he pay off? You know? Mm-hmm. Maybe there's a vampire who knows about all of this, and. Is trying to kill the person that Seward is hired to do the syringes because Seward's not going around and doing this. Abby would've seen him or you know mm-hmm. Recognized him or something. So he will have paid someone to, or it has someone in his organization who also believes in the cause.Yeah. And is doing this, and maybe that person's a vampire. I don't know. I do love the double syringe. I mean, I hope that stays. Yeah. Yeah. It's good. It's good. Is it? Yeah. I heard you say, I heard you kind of dismiss it, Andrew, but it, to me, that would be a perfect misdirection if [00:36:00] somebody finds that and now there's this whole thread of assumptions about what that means and Yeah, but that it's not really what it is or it's not being used the way we think, or so.Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay. Sam, you mentioned something because I was, I was getting close to like throwing that overboard. No, it's good. No. Okay. Okay. I think it is good. So, so, so, so, but that could still be, that could still be used as a, that could still, I could still use it as a red herring potentially, uh, because it could still be a vampire at Seward's behest committing the murders.But maybe they're doing it with the syringe or maybe they're, and or maybe they're doing it a little bit with their own or Right. Or not. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, to Jenny's point, this could be a total, maybe. Maybe it's not used for what we think. Maybe the double syringe is something completely unrelated and it's like the best way to draw out the.I don't know. I mean, depending on, maybe he is drugging the people in the [00:37:00] asylum, like giving them more drugs than they're supposed to have. Right, right. And, and he devised, I mean, you know, devised a double syringe to deliver it and doesn't want anybody to know that that's what he is doing, you know? Yeah, yeah.Okay. Yeah, yeah. But if you wanna play with the idea that there's also a vampire involved who believes in Seward's? Cause then that, you know. That's very interesting because it's like, well, why? What do they want? You know? Yeah, yeah. Or even just someone who is, is being coerced by him, who does, doesn't necessarily Yes.Believe in the cause, but is perhaps is, has perhaps been assigned to his asylum. Mm-hmm. And he's taking advantage of, I love. Which I think, I think really makes sewer to a, a pretty despicable individual on a number of levels, which I, which I can like, well, I mean, he's already killing people, so, right. You know, slippery slope.But that's what, you know, it's, that's the, [00:38:00] that's the thing is that his, his goals. We need to make logical sense when we get to the end and Right. You know, Abby figures out what's going on, but he, he can also be empathetic. Right? Yeah. Like, why is he so scared of women? Yeah. Being in society, what is, what is that deep fear about?And that's definitely something to explore as well. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah, so we could, like I said, talk for days, for days about these things, but, um, it feels like this is a good place to leave Andrew with a whole bunch of work to do. And I'm just laughing because, um, this is such a perfect example of.Why we do a blueprint, right? There's so much to work out. There's so much to think about. There's so many layers and levels to every story. And, uh, you know, we, we heard you today, Andrew, sort of going, well, I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I don't know. I, I'll have to see, you know, that's, that's the work and being in that.[00:39:00] Discomfort and that not knowing mm-hmm. And the, all the possibilities and making your choices. That's, that's a work, right Sam? Like that's, it is, it's so fun. But yeah, it's mysteries are puzzles, right? Yeah. And we wanna guide the reader through the puzzle in a way that gives them maximum impact and maximum joy.For every reveal that we decide to put out there, right? We, we, we don't want to casually have a reveal. Everything is on purpose. Um, and so I was gonna say on, on the inside outline that you have, um, a parallel one, or, you know, if you make it even tighter just to flow the flow of events, you can have a, what really happened?Um, line which tracks what the villain is actually doing. And I do find that that can be really helpful because it does get overwhelming with figuring out, okay, we have assumptions. Yeah. And those assumptions are, you know, lead to action and this is how we get a repulsive plot. But those assumptions are.Not going to be the [00:40:00] actual thing that is the truth. And so we need to track what the truth is and what our villain is doing to stop our protagonist from stopping them because Yeah, forces of opposition, you know, so just for our listeners to clarify that makes sense. What Sam's talking about is a parallel inside outline is, is to literally do.An a three page outline for the, the villain? Yes, yes. Or to put a bullet point or a, a subpoint on the protagonists inside. Outline that. Tracks that, um, sometimes people color code that. Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, but the, that's why we keep this so tight because if you start making it nine pages or 15 pages and then you layer these things, all of a sudden you have a 30 page outline, and now you've just got one of those giant story grid things that I find to be impossible to, to manipulate.Like we still want this to be manipulatable, right. So that you [00:41:00] can. Hold it in your hands and see it and, and then get to a place where you say, I can write that story. I love this story. I can write this story. That's, so that's what we're going for. So, yeah. Um, Sam, could you maybe just summarize, um, Andrew will take some time to work on this next iteration to show me.Can you give him direction on key thing to think about and me direction on the key thing to look for? Yeah, of course. So the biggest thing is figure out what Seward's really, why he's really doing what he's doing and how it relates directly to Abby. Right. What is, what action can he take that is about her, and that's either protecting her or, you know.Um, killing someone close to her to scare her away, but then why, right? Mm-hmm. So figure out the, figure out what he's really doing, and then look and see what actions, what other actions would he take about who this other person [00:42:00] is that he's framing or manipulating, or blackmailing or whatever. And if that's a vampire, then.You know, why does that work when we, when it's revealed? Like, what else could be going on? That makes sense. Perhaps the vampires don't want women and suffragettes to have this power because it threatens the power that they have in society currently, or something like that, or mm-hmm. Whatever it is. But figure out what, what's really going on.That's your homework, that's your big homework. Mm-hmm. And then, you know, for the next iteration. More murder on the page, right? We need the attention to rise and we need to understand why Abby, as she takes her steps based on assumptions, what are those assumptions? Why is she so personally invested in this?Why doesn't she just give up, right? Because that's the big logical question that I always ask is for both the antagonist and your protagonist, why don't they just walk away? Why do they keep doing this when it gets hard, right? Because when someone's actively trying to [00:43:00] stop you as the protagonist is. For the antagonist, why would the antagonist not just be like, okay, this is too tough, right?Like, I'm, I'm out, uh, this is, my goal isn't going to be achieved. So why do they both keep going? And the answer is usually we're in too deep, right? We can't, the only way out is through, um, which is what the midpoint establishes. Usually. It's like, well, shoot, you know, I can't leave this story. I have to keep going.Right? So the three twists, right? We want the assumptions to be present on the inside outline. So we have a midpoint twist. We have an inciting incident that presents the mystery story question, murder usually. Mm-hmm. And then climactic twist, who is this fake villain? And then final villain, Seward. And then final, final twist.Mina is actually involved, right? And has been protecting her the whole time or whatever, right? Yeah. Okay. So on the page, assumptions is second part of that homework, but you have to figure out what really happened in order to have the assumptions, which are Yeah, not [00:44:00] right. Yeah. So drawing, drawing out those two timelines of the, what, what actually happened, timeline, and then the assumptions, timeline and how they, well, the assumptions are gonna be on the page, right?Those will be on your protagonist inside outline, right? Because it, it informs her actions. And so everything you have about her fighting to go to med school and like all these things, all that works. All we're doing is just tweaking it a little bit so that the mystery is more. Front and center, and she's taking action based on, okay, I have this clue, what do I do?Now I have this clue. What do I do now? What stands in the way of each time I do this? Oops, I'm wrong about that. So what now? You know? Okay. And in the meantime it's clear that her personal stakes are rising and she is becoming a target. There's more attempts on her life and, and you know, then what? Right.Once you have a target on your back, you can't run. Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah. Make it scarier. That's your homework. Yeah, I do. I do. I have to put her in [00:45:00] peril. I have to put her in peril. Right? You do. Yeah. Yeah. And the final thing I'll mention about this is when you actually get to writing the way that you, even if it's, even if the actions are a little less intense, right?We don't actually have an assassin coming at her every page because we'd get bored with that. So through interiority, through inner thought, she's going to think about what she's scared of throughout the entire book. Mm-hmm. It's not just gonna be, oh, I assume this thing. It's like I assume this thing. And also I'm terrified because you know what, if this is about that, and that's how you create those red herrings too, is because she's going to make assumptions about what's happening, and those assumptions will be based in fear.Right. Love it. Right. That makes sense. Love it. That makes sense. Thank you. My God. You're so welcome. Love this story. Can't wait to read it. Are you still with us, Andrew? You're not. You're not walking away. Right. You're not like, I'm in too deep now. No. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Just past the midpoint. Yeah, I was gonna say good.Good. No, that's why, that's why I'm, that's why I'm grinning so [00:46:00] much. It's like, it's like, ‘cause we're talking about this as if it's an actual, real thing. It's not just, it's not just an idea that I've, I've, I've had and been, I've been telling my wife about this is an actual, this is an actual thing I'm talking with people about.Um, and so this is, this is real. This is. It is real. It's exciting. Um, we will, uh, see how this unfolds for Andrew and Sam, I just wanna thank you so much for joining us and talking about all this. Um, and I'm gonna tell our listeners that if you want this kind of twisty help, um, that's Samantha's website, which is samantha skull.com and that's SKAL.She has a really cool, um, very inexpensive twist. Course, which you can, um, take. It's just awesome. And it's, um, she got some blueprint stuff on there, all kinds of things. And you can learn also about the retreat that she runs with carrieSavage@shadowsandsecrets.com. And you can go to Thriller [00:47:00] Fest and see all of the big work she's doing for this community of writers out in the world.So Sam, thank you for coming on. Oh, thank you so much for having me. And I just wanna say, Jenny, the reason that I focused, I mean, yes, I love this stuff and I have, I've loved it my whole life, but I listened to you. This was your. To focus in on what I love and I did. And it's just the best I get to wake up every day and talk about murder, which sounds like a terrible hobby, but I love it.So here we are. I know. That's why I talk about you all the time. Maybe that's it. ‘cause you listen toI, I, uh, I push people a lot harder now, let's put it that way. Um. Amazing. That's, that is my craft. But thank you Andrew, again, for being so willing to be doing this in public. It's not easy for those listening just to be on the hot seat like this for so long, so often really hard. So, um, you, [00:48:00] huge, huge shout out to Andrew and shout.Um, just for our listeners, thanks for tuning in and let's get back to work. This is a public episode. 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Andrew Lands on a Single POV—and Must Choose an EndingJennie Nash coaches podcast producer Andrew Parella through the third “hot seat” session of his Blueprint revision, where he gains clarity that his protagonist should be the sole point-of-view character, with other perspectives delivered through discovered diaries, letters, and papers from her mother Mina and her uncle Van Helsing. After completing a stronger Inside Outline, Andrew understands that each scene's “point” must be expressed through his protagonist's meaning-making, which makes the story feel more alive but reveals key issues: an ending that doesn't yet pay off and several underused setups. Jennie urges Andrew to leverage Mina's influence earlier, make vampires more present in the world, and more. They focus on raising stakes, making the “all is lost” moment harder, and forcing a decisive, morally resonant ending beyond simply solving the murders.Visit Andrew's website: https://www.andrewparrella.com#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Need to play catch-up?Check out Andrew's first hot seat coaching session with Jennie: Check out Andrew's second hot seat coaching session with Jennie: TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jenny Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast. The place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real writing challenge in real time.Jennie: Today I am joined again by Andrew Perella, who is the podcast producer stepping out from Behind the Mic, and this is the third time we've been talking about his blueprint revision. So if you haven't heard episodes. One and two focused on this. You should definitely go catch up on them. I'll link to those in the show notes and where we left Andrew, I feel like this is a, um, a soap opera or something.Jennie: Um. You were going to go off and do some exploration in order to decide on your point of view, uh, narrator, [00:01:00] and you were debating lots, lots of different ideas. So let's just start by asking how that went.Andrew: Uh, it went well. I mean, it was, uh, it was really productive too. Go through the exercise that you played, that you, uh, that you, uh, put to me.Andrew: So the, uh, you had left it to. So to help me identify which POVs were gonna be most important to take the three characters that I had been identifying and kind of draw out an, an outline for each of them. I didn't do a full inside out, inside outline for, for each character. I just kinda did. Sure, sure. A bunch of bullets.Andrew: Here's the, here's the story through this person's, uh, through this person's perspective, through this person's perspective. And as I did that it became very clear that two of the characters, while very important to the story, I think will ultimately Billy Ancillary and the primary. Protagonist Abriana, I think [00:02:00] is going to be, uh, the sole POV for the book.Andrew: Um, so that was kind of exciting to. Get some clarity on that. And now that I know that a lot of other things come in, come into focus a little bit, it's like, okay, I can spend a little bit less time, you know, developing this scene. That's something we could do with a letter or a diary entry that she reads or some, or something to that effect.Andrew: And so, as I was listening back to our last session, I was thinking about, you had talked about other devices, um, that we can use to incorporate. Other POVs. Um, and so I think there can be diaries and letters and papers from, um, from the other, from the other characters. A Brianna's mother, Mina, and uh, and uh, uh, van Helsing, her uncle, her, um.Andrew: And I think that she can discover these papers, these letters, these diaries over the course, uh, [00:03:00] of the story to learn more information, to help her clear certain hurdles, um, that will, uh, that will present themselves to her. Um,Jennie: so, um, I was really curious because. In my mind, I thought one of the people you were considering as the narrator of the story was a Adrianna's brother.Jennie: And so when I went to review your notes, you know, you'd sketched out these, uh, mini, mini outlines for what, what the scenes or the, you know, story would look like from that. And, and it wasn't the brother, so that was interesting to me. It was like, okay, so you really were considering a lot of different.Jennie: Characters to tell the story. And the other thing that struck me was, well, I could immediately tell which one had the most heat. That's the best way I can describe it. Right? Yeah. It's like there's an energy or a a, a vibrancy [00:04:00] or the other ones were good, but there was a flatness to them. Did Is that what you felt?Andrew: Yeah, I felt like. There wasn't enough there it felt like. It felt like there were other stories that I could create that I could invent for these characters, but they were less. Were less relevant to my protagonist.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah.Andrew: And so I felt like that helped me kinda, kinda focus in on her a little bit.Jennie: The other thing that struck me was, um, Mina, who's a Brianna's mom.Jennie: Um, hers was really, it felt really whole to me. It, it was like, oh, she's got a whole story, a whole backstory. Well, it would be a backstory now, um, but. You know, she felt like a really 3D character with Okay. A a lot of, um, like I liked her and I was interested in her and I could [00:05:00] see a lot of places where her story would intersect with Aub Brianna's that you could use.Jennie: So it felt to me like that was a really useful exercise for you to do. Is that where you landed?Andrew: Absolutely. Yeah, no, it really helped me explore who these characters are, because these characters are gonna be, as I say, integral to the protagonist, integral to the story and to the novel, but they're just not going to be carrying the weight of, of, of primary POV.Andrew: And so I think it, but it was really helpful to flesh those out, flesh those characters out a little bit more. And I did have a lot of fun. Building out Mina's timeline, Mina's outline as it related to the, to the primary events of the novel. So that, so that was, that was a lot of fun. And I'm, I, I think, I think the outlines might have betrayed the fact that I'm still trying to figure out how Van Helsing, what Van Sing's relation.Andrew: Is to the events of the story.Jennie: Yeah, maybe that, because that one [00:06:00] definitely felt the, the most flat of all of them. Which is interesting because he's a, an existing character and an existing story in a way. So he's kind of already been fleshed out a bit. But, um, so it sounded when you reported. The outcome to me, it sounded like you were quite sure that there was no more debate.Jennie: You really felt like this is it, is that true? AreAndrew: you, I am sure there is no more debate this week, uh, about that.Jennie: I was gonna sayAndrew: that question.Jennie: Um, okay. So what you did next was, the next bit of homework was. If you can land on that to flesh out the whole inside outline, which you did. Um, and I was really struck Andrew by how different this was from your first iteration were.Jennie: Do you feel that?Andrew: Yes, yes. Um, and I think part of that is I, I [00:07:00] had an incomplete understanding of. Of the inside outline when I was first rolling through it, and I, I was, I was struggling a little bit, but I also have a much better idea of what the story is now than I did a couple weeks ago when I did, when I, when I, when I wrote that initial, uh, inside outline.Andrew: SoJennie: what did you not understand about it? I'm curious.Andrew: I think, I think some of, like some of the notes you and KJ gave me after that first one kind of, uh, were about the point. So there's the, there's the, the, the, the scene or the plot and what is the point of this scene or plot. And I, I had difficulty, I think, expressing what the, what the importance of these, of these plot moments were.Andrew: Um, and I think it was a note that KJ gave me. It's like, try, try writing the point of the plot. Through the eyes of your protagonist, how does this affect me as the protagonist? How, how [00:08:00] does this affect me? And so I was looking at kind of like, so I think I had a, a more full outline in that regard because I did try and.Andrew: Internalized for Abriana what these po plot points meant for her and how they would change or affect the decision she made next.Jennie: Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Um, because what a lot of people get wrong is they think the point is another chance to explain why they're writing that scene, why they, the author, um, are writing that scene and it the point.Jennie: Of it is what meaning is this character making of what they're experiencing in the plot. So, um, you're having understood that and understood your story. When I say it was so different, the, I mean, this is the progression. The, the first iteration was, okay, this is an interesting plot. These are interesting characters, but they're not.Jennie: They're not, there's no [00:09:00] there, there in a way. Right. And this one I read and I, I was like, oh, there's, you know, this is good. You're starting to, to really weave, um, uh, a tail. And, um, it feels weighty. And I was really excited. It felt. Alive to me. Is that, did you have that sense?Andrew: I, I'm really glad to hear you say that.Andrew: ‘cause Yeah, it's feeling much more alive to me as well. And seeing, and seeing all of these points, seeing, seeing this outline put together, it's like, oh, this isn't, this isn't a gimmick anymore. This isn't just an idea. This is a real thing that I can, I can turn into a novel that I can turn into a manuscript.Andrew: So, yeah. Yeah. It's feeling, it's feeling much more real now.Jennie: So there's two things that I saw in reading it through, and these are the type of things that will be revealed when you have something solid. One is the ending isn't [00:10:00] paying off yet, and you know that like you, you said, you know. Some ending scene here or something, you know?Jennie: Yeah. Ending tk. Yeah. And then, um, so that, that ending isn't landing. And then, um, there's a under utilization. Of the character setup that you, you've, you've set something up that you're then not using, you're not leveraging, and there's three places where that's happening. So I wanna talk about those three places and then we'll talk about the ending.Jennie: ‘cause those three places are going to inform your ending. Um, so the first one is in fact the mom. Aub Brianna's mom. Mm-hmm. So now that we know her whole backstory and her unde deadness and, um, that she may in fact be manipulating events in [00:11:00] real time, uh, for Aubrianna in story time, um. She's got strong opinions, she's got enemies, she's got people defending her, she's got secrets.Jennie: Like she's got a whole deal going on, and it feels as though she only really enters the story very, very late and, and at a moment when Mina really needs her to enter the story. So it feels a little under earned when that hap when that happens. Mm-hmm. Does that make sense?Andrew: Yeah. I agree. Yeah.Jennie: What's interesting to me is it's, it's all there.Jennie: You have everything there to use. So now it's just a question of looking at your outline and saying, okay, where earlier can this mom, she's not gonna appear, but can she have influence? Can she have impact? Even just Mina's relationship with her absence is not there.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And it [00:12:00] strikes me well, I'll let you respond.Andrew: Um, no, I was noticing that like, Mina wasn't terribly present in, in the outline that I, that I drafted. There were just a couple of scenes that, uh, included or, um, alluded to her. Um, before, before the end and, and to really build that relationship up, I'm like, I need to find other places, as you say, to, to bring her in, to have abriana reflect on her.Andrew: Maybe she finds, maybe she finds the diary earlier in, in the story and learns a little bit more about her over the course of the story. So I think, I think that relationship, um, um, needs to be. Be a little bit more developed, as you say. Yeah.Jennie: Yeah. And, and does Mina Pine for her? She's not allowed to speak of her in her father's house.Jennie: Um, but it, the thing that struck me particularly was you have this [00:13:00] fantastic new place, at least new to me, um, to open the story, which is Van ING's funeral. Do I have that right? Yeah.Andrew: Yes.Jennie: Um, so this, the book opens with this young woman protagonist going to this funeral of someone who she admired and who understood her and who, um, wanted for her, what she wanted for herself.Jennie: So it's, it's a really emotional moment. For her, and it strikes me that she would be thinking about her dead mother at a funeral. Yeah. Right. Especially a funeral of this guyOutro: mm-hmm.Jennie: Who played a role in her mother's life and death.Andrew: Yep.Jennie: Um, and it, so it's, when I say underutilized and everything's already there, it's like you've got, you've got the opportunity.Jennie: Right. So Right to let us, that's a [00:14:00] moment we can. Feel Mina's absence, we can feel a Brianna's response to that absence. Um, maybe the impact of the, the mom and the situation on her. Mm-hmm. Um, that's just one example.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um. That was kind of really, uh, neon lights for me. Um, and obviously the inside outline is three sentences about a scene, right?Jennie: It's not the whole scene. Right. But, um, uh, so do you, do you see. How, what you could do there if you did a pass through the inside outline, just thinking, how can I better use Mina?Andrew: Yes. Yeah, no, absolutely. I think, uh, I think you're spot on there. ‘cause I really wanna, I really wanna open the, the book with, with a, with the funeral.Andrew: Um, and of course that would bring up. Thoughts, um, of, of, of a deceased [00:15:00] parent to, to anyone. Um, so yeah, I think there's a lot, a lot to be had there. And maybe there's even, maybe she even like catches sight of a mysterious, uh, a mysterious veiled woman at the back of the church who is also there to, uh, pay her respects and, you know, maybe.Andrew: Maybe this mysterious, this mysterious figure appears in other places over the course of, uh, over the course of the events, um, and ca and kind of catches, uh, a adrianna's attention. I think there are, there are a lot of ways to, to, to, to, to manage that.Jennie: Yeah. Or even just a feeling that something is there.Jennie: That you can't see.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, you know, uh, that's a, well, we'll get to the connection to that other piece in a minute. But the, um, the, the bigger point here is the, the role of anything in a story, an antagonist, a, a character, a situation is [00:16:00] to put pressure on the protagonist. For her to make choices she either doesn't wanna make or can't make, right?Jennie: Like stories about choice. So what makes the choice harder? What makes it, um, more potent for that person? What raises the stakes on that choice? So when I say do a pass through the inside outline, just thinking about Mina, it's like, how can you use Mina to pressure, uh, aubriana and, and pressure can be. My mother would be so disappointed in me, or mm-hmm.Jennie: I, I can't let my mother down again. Or, um, I'm so pissed she's not here that I'm gonna do this reckless thing. Like, there's lots of ways that that can manifest. Um, it doesn't have pressure to do the right thing. It can be oppositional pressure. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but you know, she's got, it can't just be. [00:17:00] The way you have it set up, I think you would be really missing an opportunity if you didn't use that more.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um, so that's super connected to the second I said there were three kind of underutilized things and the second is the vampires. So you've made a decision about do they exist, um, and. They appear now almost nowhere in the story.Andrew: Yeah, I think only, only in a couple of points. Um,Jennie: yeah. Um, and, and by appear, I don't mean literally, here are the vampires.Jennie: It, it could be at the suffragette meeting, they're arguing about the vampires or there's, um, you know, uh, newspaper article everybody's talking about, or there's gonna be a talk. That they have to, you know, uh, disperse early ‘cause there's gonna be a talk about the vampires [00:18:00] or, you know, like mm-hmm. Just a pres, the presence or the sense of them.Jennie: What are people doing saying, worried about, um, their, that needs to be amped up.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And when I say that needs to be amped up, that's not, that's not my opinion about your story. It's the story about vampires. Yes. So, uh, I mean actually it's not really a story about vampires. I that's not true. It's not, but it's a story with vampires.Jennie: So therefore, story ofvampires.Andrew: Yeah, yeah.Jennie: We gotta have the vampires, right?Andrew: Yes. It's a primary component of the story. Um, and, and there needs to be more of it. And I, and like, I think. There are a lot of opportunities, as you say, sitting down at breakfast and opening the newspaper. There, there could be articles about, about vampires in the suffragette meetings, there'll be things about, there'll be talk about vampires in, in class among her classmates.Andrew: Um, there'll be, there'll be gossiping, uh, there'll be [00:19:00] gossip about vampires, um, and the merits of this community. Um, and so I think, yes, there are a lot of ways that we, I can bring, I can make the vampires more present, um, and. The nuanced conversation happening around the community. Um. To, to, to kind of draw, draw some, and, and help draw some parallels to, to, to modern events as well.Jennie: Well, and that's why I say underutilized. Yeah. That's what these topics are because there is such richness there and that your villain is, um, using fear of one to, um, terrorize another. Mm-hmm. Fear of one group to terrorize another group. He, he's playing these two, um. Um, misunderstood or, um, marginalized groups against each other.Jennie: Mm-hmm. So it, it feels like it's right. Should be right there, but it's, yeah, but it's not.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And then s [00:20:00] same topic. Um, my deeper understanding of Mina, which I got through the, your test outline showed me that the undead are, um, have a agency in this world that I was not. I understood better, and so it made me wonder, are there other vampires doing things, appearing trying to influence?Jennie: Are they rising up in any way? Are any of the murdered people connected? Are there rumors? Are there, you know, did any other person around say my. Uh, I don't know. Mother was a vampire too, or like, I dunno, like is it, is Mina's role as an intermediary? I mean, she's in a special situation, but I was just trying to like, is there a hierarchy [00:21:00] of impact that different vampire beings can make?Jennie: Am I, am I asking that?Andrew: Yeah, no, I, I hear what, I hear what you're saying and you're, you're right. I mean, I have been thinking about, um, vampires within the suffragette movement, you know, helping the cause, um. I've been playing with the idea of whether, whether there should be a vampire in the school that she's attending as well, and maybe she, maybe that vampire is trying to keep their identity, her identity hidden.Andrew: Um, but I like your idea about like, how are the victims related to. Vampires. I think I've, I think I've been, I've taken pains to relate them all to the suffragette movement.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: But I think what would make them really appetizing victims for the murderer [00:22:00] would be for them to have some relation to vampires as well.Jennie: Right. And it doesn't have to be so on the nose, like I just said, oh, I'm my mother too. It could be,Outro: right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.Jennie: Oh, my, my father's obsessed with them, or, um, right. My father says, don't talk about them, or, you know. Mm-hmm. Relationship to the idea of them. That's something I wanna reflect back to, that I noticed that I thought was really cool.Jennie: And I don't know how intentional you were about this, but you've got this. Medical school, a Brianna's going to this school for women and the suffragette movement. And there's an overlap of those two communities. So a lot of the suffragettes are connected to the medical world. And you have a lot of the young women in [00:23:00] medical spaces.Jennie: So there's, there's the asylum. There's, it's the places people are having internships or being hired to be the receptionist or right, like the people are, which makes total sense. If you have a medical school for women and you're trying to get them out into the world, they're gonna be in those roles at all these different spaces and they're, that was what was interesting to me is that you have a, um, very organic.Jennie: Reason why these young women are brushing up against vampire spaces,Andrew: and I don't know how intentional that was, but I, I needed them to brush up against the murderer.Jennie: And, and he's in vampire spacesAndrew: and he's in vampire and medical spaces.Jennie: Yes.Andrew: And so that, that was my primary rationale, but, um, uh, but [00:24:00] I I, I, I like what you're saying as well.Andrew: Um,Jennie: I just noticed it, and it also occurred to me that Aubriana could notice it,Andrew: that the victims have, uh, are, are showing up in vampire spaces.Jennie: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Because the way that you have it right now. I actually didn't write this in my notes, it's just coming to me while we're talking. Mm-hmm. Um, her solving of this crime is a little bit, um, circumstantial and physical.Jennie: Yeah. She's in the right place or she puts herself in the right place, or she gets an object or she sees. See something. Mm-hmm. But I think that there could also be two other drivers of her being the one to solve the problem, uh, which would be intellectual. She's putting things together that other people are not.Jennie: Yeah. Putting together. And [00:25:00] you, you have her as she's the top student in this class who's failing now because she's so obsessed with this. So she could be putting her intellect. It that would be really natural, but also this other sense connected to her mother, this six sixth sense, if you will, you know, understanding of other worlds, other creatures, other forces that could inform her, um, understanding of the crimes as well.Jennie: So. Now that I'm saying this out loud, I feel like this is a really important part of, um, making the, you know, we want the person to solve this crime to be uniquely qualified to solve this crime. Mm-hmm. So, not to, well, anyone in her position would've figured it out. Um, it's because of her background, ‘cause of her connection to her mom, ‘cause of her dad and [00:26:00] her brother, you know, because of her aptitudes, you know, because of all these things she solves.Jennie: Yeah, the crime. Um, and so that goes back to both her connection to, well, well, amplifying the mother in the story and amplifying the vampires in the story. Um, so, and that actually goes to then one of my other points, and I'm jumping over. Well, I'll jump over. Okay. So the, the last underutilized. Element is the brother.Jennie: So the brother got seriously demoted from possibly narrating the whole story to sort of being this loser, like spineless, you know, whatever. Which I love because it's just such a great con. He's like, oh no, don't, don't upset father. And, and you know, she is like, get outta my way. Like, it's [00:27:00] great. It's a great um, contrast.Jennie: But I feel like you've, you've got him positioned to do something really stupid, um, right. Or to do something really insensitive. Um, he can, at the moment, he just reacts, he could make a choice that really impacts her, that really changes the story.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Like, does he stand? With Adrianna or their father when it really counts.Jennie: Mm-hmm. That's, that's kind of the choice. Yeah. That he's, you've got him, and so I feel like, again, underutilized, where can the brother really throw a wrench into what a adrianna's trying to do for herself, where he maybe thinks he's helping, or either that, or he is unable to rise to the occasion and therefore hurts her, but mm-hmm.Jennie: There gonna be a million ways to do that. But you've [00:28:00] got, so just like with the mother and the vampires or the brother, you've got a set up that you could have a huge payoff from that you, that you've sort of just left there. Do you see that?Andrew: Yes. Yeah. No, absolutely. Quince definitely took a back seat from when we were last, when we were last discussing him.Andrew: Um. Yeah. But I feel like there there is more. He can take more weight. He, there is much more, much more we I could do with him. Um, and like I think, I think I definitely see him as letting Aubrianna down at some point and like siding with their father at it at some crucial point instead of with her. Um, I also see him being kind of ultimately the collateral damage.Andrew: From the final decision that Aubriana makes, um, if she chooses to be with her mother at the end, she, [00:29:00] um, is, uh, then choosing, um, to never have contact with her father who has made that ultimatum clear. And Quince is not ready to make that decision. And so. You know, kind of falls in line with, with his, with his father.Andrew: With their father. So I see, I see him playing at this point, he's playing a small role, but I think he could play a larger role. Um, yeah, yeah. As you say, presenting challenges or trying to help, but actually, actually making things worse or something like that.Jennie: So when you go back through the inside outline.Jennie: So we're just continuing to tighten the screws and shore up all the holes. Mm-hmm. So for those listening who may be revising their own outlines or their books, um. You wanna think, what do I, what do I have that I'm not using? What thread do I, well, maybe that's not the right metaphor. It's like, what seed did I plant that I didn't harvest?Jennie: Right? Like, what, [00:30:00] what do I have here? What opportunities for tension? Opportunities for, again, pressure on the protagonist, opportunities to make things bad for them, um, and. You know, that, that sense of her, like she doesn't really suffer very much in this story. Mm-hmm. She doesn't really, um, lose a lot. Um, and that brings me now finally to, um, the ending.Jennie: So the, the question is, how do you. How do you land on an ending? Um, and, and oftentimes the work that you did before this, the, the sense of, well, where does the story start and where does this end that bookend sense of we're, we're trying to, it's solve a, a murder in this story, but more than that, we're trying to, there's a young woman who's going through a massive [00:31:00] transformation and becoming something that, um.Jennie: She desperately wants to be that everything is keeping her from being. But the choice that you have right now, the story is leading to is to be with her mom or not. And in some ways, that's a perfect bookend with a story that starts with a funeral. The choice to basically. Live or die, right?Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: But it, um, it struck me as that that's not the story you're writing, that that's, that's never been the story you're writing.Jennie: She's, it's not a story about, like, this could easily, you could just easily decide to make this a story about a young woman who. The absence of the mom is so profound in their life that they can't function or, [00:32:00] um, you know, uh, live or love or all the things that one would want to do in life. Um, you know, sort of a yearning to be gone, or a yearning to be with that absent person.Jennie: This could be that story, um, where mm-hmm. You know, it starts with this funeral and maybe there's a, a yearning there. Like, everybody I love is dead. Everybody who got me is dead. The only way that I'm gonna be with the people who understand me is, is also to to die. You know, like, it, it really obviously would change the texture and shape and everything, the story.Jennie: And I know that's not the story you wanna write ‘cause it's. Nothing about your why or your point or, right. So when you're struggling with the ending, I always go back to those things. To the point. Yeah. And, and re reread them. Why are you doing this? Mm-hmm. What do you wanna say? Why does this matter to you?Jennie: [00:33:00] Mm-hmm. And, you know, it really is a question about, um. Uh, a monster is a person who doesn't change when the times change or when change is the right thing to do. Um, so it feels to me like the ending still needs to be the choice of who's, who becomes a monster or right. Or, um, is that the question?Jennie: She's not in danger of becoming a monster, is she? She'sAndrew: not, I don't think. Not as, not as the, the story currently stands, but obviously she, she, she goes through change and she can accept or resist that change. Um, obviously to do the change takes, requires a lot of work.Jennie: But [00:34:00] I think you would be short changing what you've set up.Jennie: If the change is simply, I wanna be a doctor. Yeah. And Yay, I became a doctor. Doctor and I got the bad guy. Mm-hmm. Right. There's something thin about that. Yeah. Because at the root of your story are some moral choices,Andrew: right.Jennie: That other people are not making.Andrew: Right.Jennie: Uh, so it feels like something bigger has to be at risk for her.Jennie: So I wanna become a doctor, is the plot level, you know, and my dad doesn't want to, and, and now all these things are preventing me from doing well in school. And, um, you know, all of that, the. The real story point, the emotional point, the, the thing we're gonna read [00:35:00] for is, uh, you know, that, um, that moral choice,Andrew: right?Jennie: What am I gonna risk to become the thing that I want? You know what?Andrew: Yeah,Jennie: what, what, um, what do I lose if I become the thing I want?Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: And, and you could lose, um, people you love, you could lose. Um, I mean, there's so many things that you could lose. You could lose your integrity. You could lose, um, your, uh, innocence.Jennie: You could lose. Um, but I think that, that it shouldn't be quite so easy for her. Mm-hmm.Jennie: Does that, does that resonate with you?Andrew: Yeah, no, I absolutely hear what you're saying. I absolutely hear what you're saying. Uh, and as you, as you're speaking, I'm trying to think through what some of her other motivations are. And while [00:36:00] yes, she's motivated to become a doctor, she's also just motivated to be an independent womanJennie: independent.Jennie: So what does that, that's, what does that mean?Andrew: I think in her world it means independent of. The choices the men around her are making for her on her behalf and being able to, uh, and being able to embrace her full agency.Jennie: So there's a moment in this story when she's lost complete agency. She's literally locked up.Jennie: She can't. She cannot do anything.Outro: Yeah.Jennie: Um, and it, and it struck me in that moment. You gave her a super easy out. Did you notice that?Andrew: I, yeah, I think, I think, I think it was a fairly, a fairly easy out, um, I don't remember exactly what it was.Jennie: Yeah. She contacts her brother and her brother.Andrew: Yeah, that's right.Jennie: Whatever. And it's like, okay. But that struck me as the [00:37:00] moment, the all is lost moment. You know? Like, okay, literally this is a young woman who seeks to be independent and have agency, and she's, yes, her actions have caused her to be in a place where she's locked, locked up. She cannot leave, she cannot do anything.Jennie: She can't use her brain. Well, she can use her brain. She can't. Well, like I was saying before, she can't put herself in the physical place to solve the. The murders were to now protect herself. So what does she have left? She has her intellect and that other sense. Spiritual, if you, whatever. I'm just calling it spiritual as shorthand.Jennie: Sure. Connection to what, what we can't, yeah. See or know.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, and what hap what is, what happens in that moment. That's really, I think that's where you get your ending.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: BecauseAndrew: I, I feel like that, yeah, you put your finger out. That is a pivotal scene. Where she's at her lowest point. And how does she get, and you're right, I I, I took the easy [00:38:00] way out there.Andrew: I think there needs to be a more difficult way for her to get herself out of there or find some other form of assistance to help her, to help her out of that. And I don't know what that is yet.Jennie: Yeah. And it, it's a really typical thing that happens, which is. You created this character and you love her and you don't want harm to come to her.Jennie: Yeah. And you don't, you want her to get everything that she wants, you know, you're fighting for her as you create her. Yeah. But she's gotta suffer. Mm-hmm. Um, and the, and the more that suffering resonates with, you know, what is at stake here, um, the better. The better it's gonna be the be the bigger pay emotional payoff it's gonna be for the reader because the reader, you know, is thinking I too am in a certain [00:39:00] cage.Jennie: You know, I too, uh, you know, am making certain decisions. And if I, if I make these choices and lose these things, like, I don't know if I can tolerate that, um, or I've been tolerating that my whole life. What would it mean to tolerate. Less or um. Right. Right. You know, so if that's the place where you really, the resonance of your story has to come is what, what is she gonna give up or lose or risk to get what she wants?Jennie: Mm-hmm. And, and if she, if that trade off happens. What sort of peace or not peace does she, does she land in? Mm-hmm. Um, right. So, yeah. Um, you have the plot of level of this story really in good shape. I know. We can make it [00:40:00] much better. The twists can get twist. Sure. And, uh, cl more, is cleverer a word? Maybe clever.Jennie: Like, you know, they're a little crude right now. Yeah. Um, so they can get, when I being twister, just like, Ooh, I didn't see that coming. Or, you know, um, and right. Right now it's little Mina swoops in at the right minute. Mm-hmm. The brother swoops in at the right minute. So when you go back through. So here's the work.Jennie: Yeah. Ask yourself, how can I use the mother more? How can I use the brother more to put pressure on the protagonist?Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: To make her choice harder, not easier. Um, and how can I use the vampire existence of the vampires and who believes in them? Who's fighting for them? Who, who gets them? Who doesn't?Jennie: What does Mina's relationship to? To those three [00:41:00] entities?Andrew: Yep.Jennie: And then given all that, how can I make the ending be a choice for what the story's really about and what I really care to convey, and not just a resolution of the murders?Andrew: Yep. That makes sense.Jennie: Um,Andrew: just making some notesJennie: here. There's so many cheesy ways this story could end.Andrew: Yeah. And obvi. Yeah. I obviously wanna avoid all of those, but, um, yeah.Jennie: So these are, but you might have to, you might have to run through a bunch of cheesy endings Yeah. And reject them. And like, and you know, that's not a bad exercise to do. Like, okay. Cheesy ending. What number one? You know, she graduates at the top of her class.Jennie: She finds the murderer, um, you know, some handsome, smart, you know, man who thinks she's awesome, swoops in and marries her instead of her father's [00:42:00] clerk. LikeAndrew: Right.Jennie: You know, all the things. Yeah. And. She has a portal in her house to connect with her mother all the time. You know, like you could like name every cheesy ending possible and but then de define why that wouldn't be satisfying.Jennie: Right. OrOutro: Yeah.Jennie: Why you would neverOutro: mm-hmm.Jennie: That's not a bad way to, to land on an ending. Yeah. Um, ‘cause the satAndrew: iden identify what? I don't want to help me identify what I do want.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah. And, and to think about this is also where genre comes into it. What is the expectation, right, of a story like this?Jennie: What do you want the reader to feel mm-hmm. At the end? And, um, you know, if you want the reader to feel inspired and uplifted, like, I'm not, I'm just making that up. That doesn't necessarily mean the ending is. Uplifting. Right. You know, [00:43:00] it, it has to do with the, the choices that character makes. So.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: I mean, it's a big question of how, of how, how does it end?Jennie: Um, you might, you may, you may or may not get there this time, butAndrew: mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, I would force yourselfOutro: Yeah.Jennie: To put an ending on the outline, even if you don't like it, even if you know it's not right. So that, um. You can see the ripples through the whole thing and And that'll help you make that decision like, yeah, no, that can't be the ending.Jennie: ‘cause then this cool thing I have set up comes to nothing or Right. What's the point of having her had to struggle with this thing if she just gets it at the end?Andrew: Mm-hmm. Yep. That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense.Jennie: So what I love about where you are right now is you've answered. All the fundamental questions about [00:44:00] the the murder plot.Andrew: Right?Jennie: You know, we, we know who the antagonist is. We know his motivations, we know his, what he does. We know his mo, we know, you know, all of those things. Um, we understand. The physical, like I feel like you've done a really good job of almost blocking like a play, like blocking on a stage. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, like, okay, this woman and I could really feel that like she left her purse and then the thing, you know, like you've got the who's standing where, when all of that's in place.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: So now it's really, um, um. Tightening these threads. Mm-hmm. Putting the pressure on her. Mm-hmm. So that there's a gut wrenching choice at the end about, uh, the moral center of, of the story. Yep. [00:45:00] That's, that's what the work is. Easy.Andrew: Piece of cake. Piece of cake. I'll have it on your desk tomorrow morning. Oh myJennie: gosh. Um, I mean, another thing that I would suggest is. Going to look at the books you love.Andrew: Mm.Jennie: And just read through the endings, you know, like books, you know well and love and mm-hmm. Read through the endings and remind yourself why, why was the emotional payoff so big there?Jennie: Why did I love that book? Why did I, you know, just to marinate in, in the, um, in a good ending, how a good ending plays. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um, it'll be fun.Andrew: Can I have more than three pages for my next insight? My next version of the outline?Jennie: Um, I thought you were gonna say, can I have more than three weeks? Um, [00:46:00] so I think the way we have it set up, you've got a, a little more than three weeks for this work. Okay. Um, to, to really dig in and do this work. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna go with, um. No. No.Andrew: Oh. Oh, man. That's cruel. That isJennie: cruel,Andrew: Diddy. I know,Jennie: I know.Jennie: And the reason that I'm gonna go with no is that you don't have your ending yet. And what's the point of my saying? Yeah, Andrew, write nine pages. In fact, make your, make your outline. You know, go to 30 pages. Why don't you just because this, you haven't solved. Solved it.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: But here's, here's what I'm gonna say.Jennie: Okay? If you can email me and say, this is where I have all the power, I have so much power. If you can email me and say, this is the ending. [00:47:00]Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Then I will give you permission mission to, and it doesn't actually even matter what it is. You just have to choose, choose something, because it could change, butAndrew: yeah.Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.Jennie: Something that you feel like obscene in a point. So the point is why it matters to Abriana.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: That feels like a logical, solid ending then. You could take it, I would say up to 10 pages and you're gonna love it. It's gonna be so fun. It's such a fun moment. You feel so free. You're like, wait, look, now I can put in all this stuff.Jennie: Um, everybody asks the same question, it's hilarious. Um, but the point I'll just for our listeners, the point of this particular tool is to keep it small so you can solve the big building block problems. Before you bake them into something bigger, because [00:48:00] just going bigger with the problems baked in doesn't solve the problems.Jennie: Having more room to figure out your ending doesn't help you figure out your ending. ‘cause the work you have to do is in your brain and your heart. It's not actually on the page. So it's really a decision you have to make and the failure of many, um, many stories is that the writer didn't, no, they didn't decide, they didn't make a choice.Jennie: They didn't want their character to suffer. They didn't wanna, um, put that point so boldly there that some people would despise them for it. Or argue with them or throw the book across the room. Like they don't wanna, that's the whole write big thing. They don't mm-hmm. The writer doesn't wanna choose. And so therefore they don't allow their character to choose.Jennie: And, and we don't wanna choose [00:49:00] because it's, it's actually really hard that, and that's the reason why we love. Novels because they give us the experience of what it would be like to be so decisive in what we believe or think or know or value that we live our lives with that kind of integrity or you know, we don't have to.Jennie: It's like we get to sit in an armchair and watch other people suffer to learn about the world and ourselves, and we don't have to actually really do it. And, and then when it comes down in our lives to our actually really doing it, we realize how very difficult it is to, to choose and to sacrifice. And so that the work is, that's why I say it's in your head and your heart.Jennie: It's, it's not, um, it's not just, it's not the plot. It's not strategic, it's not intellectual. It's really, it's really what do I, what do I believe? Um. [00:50:00] How, how, how far am I willing to go to stand by this point that I've said matters so much to me. So, um, you could send me that email this afternoon. You could send it to me in two days.Jennie: You'll notbeAndrew: ready this afternoon.Jennie: Uh, you, you should do it, um, soon though, because. My daughter's about to have a baby, and, and I might not see it then, and you'll be stuck in purgatory. So I'm putting, so this is the plot, putting pressure on, on you. I, I would say you got about five days.Andrew: Five days. Okay.Andrew: Come up with the ending.Jennie: Come up with the ending and, and like I said, it, it doesn't, you're not locked in for all eternity. Yeah. But, um. You gotta put a stake in the ground in order to make it work. Mm-hmm. You can put another stake in the ground later, you can unwind it later.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um, that's obviously [00:51:00] the work of creativity.Jennie: You know, you might write this entire manuscript and change your mind again. That's all fine, but you do have to choose, um, because it's not gonna hold together if you don't choose. Mm-hmm. All right.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: Sorry.Andrew: That's alright.Andrew: I knew this wasn't gonna be easy. I knew this wasn't gonna be easy.Jennie: If it was easy, I mean.Andrew: What's, what's the point? What's the point of doing it if it's easy?Jennie: Totally. You're doing a great job, Andrew. ReallyAndrew: thank you.Jennie: Such a good job. The reason we are able to have such a rich conversation about these characters, this set up this world, is because you're creating a really rich and nuanced and interesting world.Jennie: I think it's fantastic. It just keeps getting better and better and better and, um, it's exciting. It's alive. It's great. So you're not that far. You're really not that far from being [00:52:00] done and being unleashed to like start writing, which is gonna be so fun. So,Outro: yeah.Jennie: Um, I mean, maybe you're secretly doing it anyway, and I'm just imagining that I have, I'm the puppet master.Jennie: We will, um, continue to bring our listeners along on this journey. Um. To see what happens, and it'll be really fun, uh, to, uh, to meet next and, um. And check it out. Um, all right, so for everybody listening, thanks for being here. Now let's get back to work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Summary: Dr. Stephanie Wigner unpacks the transformative power of her recent expander's retreat, highlighting how these curated spaces foster identity shifts and personal growth. As leaders aiming to expand impact, the retreat emphasized embracing authenticity and stepping into new levels of visibility. Dr. Wigner shares her journey of balancing content creation with leadership and the importance of not striving for perfection. This episode is a call to action for leaders to embody their true selves and leverage strategy to elevate their influence. Chapters: 00:38 - Fresh Perspectives from the Expander's Retreat 02:02 - Navigating Content Creation and Personal Growth 04:01 - Embracing Authenticity in Branding 05:50 - The Wealthy Practitioner Tour 07:49 - Cohorts and Community Building 09:40 - AI Insights and Hot Seat Coaching 11:36 - Balancing Marriage and Business Growth 13:24 - Integrating Life and Business Strategy Get Tickets to Our Upcoming Event: https://go.thewealthypractitioner.com/san-diego-event?utm_source=MTWpodcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=san_diego_event Key Takeaway: True leadership emerges when you integrate strategy with authenticity, allowing your unique identity to drive impactful change.

This episode is connected to:* Hot Seat Coaching #1* Hot Seat Coaching #2When you find yourself spiraling over a structural choice—looping between two different plot points or debating a table of contents—it's easy to treat it as a technical puzzle to be solved with logic. But as book coach Jennie Nash explores in this episode, the hardest writing decisions usually aren't about craft; they are about courage.Inspired by a profound "hot seat" moment with writer Andrew Parella, Jennie discusses how the simple question "Why is this so hard for me?" can reveal where you are "playing small." Whether you're deciding the scope of a nonfiction argument or the emotional vulnerability of a memoir, being stuck often means you are hovering between a safe version of your book and the big, ambitious version that actually wants to be written. This session is a call to align your head with your heart and step into the bigger power your project is asking of you.#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] This is a right big episode where I bring you short conversations about the mindset shifts that shape the work. Today I am talking about something that Andrew said in our hot seat coaching session the other day. That's just really captured my attention. If you listen to that episode, which I'll link to in the show notes, you'll be able to hear him say this, but I wanted to take some time to talk about it on a right big session because the question was just so profound.What he asked himself was just simply, why is this so hard? So what was happening was we were talking through a writing decision he was struggling with. It's one of those decisions where as a coach you can feel the writer circling around it, going back and forth, trying one thing, then another just sort of spiraling and not sure about how to move forward.And I. Was prepared to say the thing that I always say as a book coach, which [00:01:00] is, okay, let's go through all the options. Let's make a pro con list of how to proceed with this, of what your different choices are, and we can step back and look at the possible directions. That's the analytic way that I was thinking to approach this decision.But Andrew had actually already solved the problem, and he had solved it not by going through all the options or using his mind. He had solved it by asking, why is this so hard for me? Which is a question of the heart. So what he did was he took it out of the intellectual sphere and he took it into this sphere.Of feeling I was there ready to start diagramming possibilities and using our head to figure this out. And he was the one who was like, well, wait a minute. Let me look at why this is hard. And what he realized was that the reason it was hard was because the decision was poking up against why this book so much to [00:02:00] him.What he actually said was he realized he was playing small. He was circling around a decision ‘cause he wanted to do the thing that would make the book big, but he felt like he should do the thing that would keep the book small. He was pinging back and forth. Between his desire and it was showing up as a structural decision in the book about how he would approach.In this case, it was the reality of vampires in his story. And one way would be, I can handle this. I'm capable of this. I can wrap up my hands around this. And the other way was, oh no, that's gonna be a big scary book that I'd be having to. Handle and tackle, and I'm not sure that I could do that. So by not making this decision, he was holding himself back.He was hedging his bets. He was not fully committing to the version of the book that he really wanted to write. And as long as he was stuck in that place, every single decision was going to feel wrong. He was never gonna [00:03:00] land on one that was like, yes, this is it. And this moment stayed with me. So hard because I think a lot of writing decisions that feel technical or structural are actually something else.They're about whether we're willing to write the book that wants to be written. So imagine for example, that you're writing a nonfiction book and it's about burnout at work, and you keep getting stuck on how to frame it. Is the book a step by step guide on managing stress? Or is it about something bigger about, say how the culture of work itself is totally unsustainable.The first version is contained, it's small, and the other version is making a much bigger claim, and it's asking that writer to step up into a much bigger kind of power. So if you're circling that structural decision endlessly, you might think that it's different choices about. What the chapters are gonna look like are the table of [00:04:00] contents.But the real question is, am I willing to say the bigger thing, am I willing to go out there and say this bigger thing? Or imagine this for memoir. Maybe you're writing a book about moving to a new city and the first year of showing up in a new place and building community, but there's something you keep avoiding, which is that there was a breakup that happened before you made this move and that precipitated your.Coming here and you keep asking yourself, does this even belong in the book? Will it derail the narrative? Is it taking it in a different direction? Should I have a prologue? Should I start it at chapter one with that breakup? Should I just assume that people are gonna know, should I not put in it at all?But the real reason that decision probably feels hard is that that decision changes what the book is about. Uh, it stops being a story about a new city and a new adventure, and it becomes a story about rebuilding [00:05:00] a life. So it becomes a bigger story. And in order to write big, you have to embrace that bigness of it.So what Andrew's question does, why is this so hard is shift. The focus inward to what you're hesitating about, to what version of the book you might be avoiding to what version of your own self as a writer you might be avoiding because every writer has a story about who they are and how they're showing up.There's the safer version of that story, and there's the bigger version. There's one that might be more honest or more ambitious or more emotionally exposed, and when we try to write the smaller version of that story, whatever it is, the whole project will start to wobble because we're not in alignment with our goal.So maybe your scenes don't quite land, or the structure of the book feels wrong, or every decision feels impossible. And it's not [00:06:00] because you don't know enough about your story or your material or craft, or your skills need sharpening. It's because you and what you're doing aren't aligned yet. So the next time you find yourself circling some decision about your work.Whether it's rewriting the same paragraph over and over, or asking everyone you know what they think, or debating some decision. It's definitely worth pausing and asking this question, which is not what is the right choice here, but why is this decision so hard for me? Odds are good that your project is asking you to step into a bigger power than you're comfortable with, and you're still debating whether you're actually willing to do that.You're debating the commitment of the whole thing. It's a really brilliant move to make. And I would urge you to listen to Andrew talk about asking that question on our coaching call because it was so profound to hear him talk about it, and it was such a good [00:07:00] reminder for me that I have to remember to help the writer get out of their head and into their heart.Thanks for listening. Now let's get back to work and finish what matters most.Outro: The hashtag am Writing podcast is produced by Andrew Parella. Our intro music Aply titled Unemployed Monday, was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone deserves to be paid for their [00:08:00] work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Producer Andrew Parrella Claims His Own Gothic WorldIn this follow-up session, Jennie Nash checks in with producer-turned-novelist Andrew Parrella, who returns to the “hot seat” with a major breakthrough. After a week of “staring at the screen and walking the dog,” Andrew realizes he has been “writing small” to keep the project manageable. By leaning too heavily on the existing framework of Bram Stoker's Dracula, he was inadvertently stifling his own creativity. He decides to “embrace the big,” shifting the story from a cautious tribute into a standalone Historical Gothic Mystery. This evolution includes a high-stakes world-building choice: making vampires a known, though unaccepted, part of the public consciousness in 1920s London, adding a layer of modern resonance and social tension to the atmosphere of dread.The duo also digs into the “glaring holes” that surface when a writer decides to expand their narrative scope. Andrew identifies a need for deeper research into the Suffragette movement to ensure his protagonist's familial history feels integrated rather than “tacked on.” By connecting the mystery of the protagonist's mother to historical activism, Andrew finds a way to ground the supernatural elements in a more 3D reality. As they grapple with the structural puzzle of Point of View—weighing the benefits of including voices from the past versus staying close to the present—Jennie challenges Andrew to choose the perspective that best amplifies the protagonist's transformation and the secrets hidden within a mysterious Gladstone bag.Visit Andrew on the web: https://www.andrewparrella.comListen to the first session with Andrew:#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jennie Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real writing challenge in real time.Today I'm talking again with Andrew Perella, the hashtag am writing podcast producer who stepped out from behind the mic to work on his novel. He completed our winter blueprint challenge and is now working on blueprint revisions, which is such an important stage in the writing process, digging into what you really want the book to be, what you really wanna say.And Andrew's told me he just had a revelation, which I'm dying to hear about. But um, before we get to that. Um, when we're talking here today, the first episode where we did hot seat coaching launched out into the world, and I wanted to ask how [00:01:00] you're feeling about that.Andrew: Um, it feels a little weird. Um, you know, I'm used to being behind the mic.I'm used to, um, helping obviously produce a lot of audio over the years and, and, and helped get a lot of podcast episodes out into the world. It's strange to. Kind of be featured in a podcast episode. Um, that is a new experience for me. Um, uh, you know, when we recorded it, it was just you and I talking, but now it's like out in the world and, uh, and, and people can listen, um, and, uh, and, and, and judge, um, which of course they're welcome to do.Uh, but uh, but yeah, so it's a little, it's a little weird, but it's fun. It's fun.Jennie: Yeah, that's, that's you, you hit the nail on the head, the, the judge part. As soon as you put anything into the world, you put yourself up for judgment. And what we're doing here in these sessions is, is really, in some ways so intimate because we're getting to watch [00:02:00] somebody's thinking as it's unfolding, as it's progressing before they know what they want it to be.And we're watching someone hopefully, um. You know, hone in on their, their voice, their story, their point, their whole thing. And it's, um, it's really special to get to see it unfold, I think. Um, so thank you for. Putting yourself out there.Andrew: I'm, I'm happy to do it. This is, this has been a really value, this is a really valuable exercise for me personally.So, uh, happy to, happy to share that with folks.Jennie: So what happened last time was you left with some, uh, homework, which you did. Mm-hmm. And what was interesting from my point of view was when I. Looked at what you did. My first thought was, well, he didn't do very much. And I, I sort of thought, uh, okay, that's funny.Andrew: I kind of felt the same way.Jennie: Oh, that's really funny. But then when I read it, it was like, oh no, you worked out a [00:03:00] lot of things that we had been circling around. And primarily the, um, I would say the. Personal familial history of abriana and her connection to this famous vampire hunter. So that all got really sorted.Um, but the, the one that really made me chuckle was you have this beautiful description of your ideal reader in the blueprint, and it, it's probably. I don't know, it might be 500 words. It's, it's like, you know, this ideal reader really well, and I can tell that you actually really love this ideal reader and want to I do, I do.Yeah. It's really sort of beautiful, um, the specificity of, of who she is, but you added like three lines to the end of that. That was part of what you, what you did. And, um, [00:04:00] one of those lines was. In response to something we talked about, which was, does your ideal reader, are they familiar with Dracula? And you said, now, no.So that was really interesting to me. Do you wanna talk a little bit how you landed on that? Because I, I do think it might impact the genre.Andrew: Uh, yeah, I agree. And I, I saw your note about the genre too, which, which, um, I'm, I'd be eager to talk more about, but yeah, I mean, as, as I was thinking about this, I say I feel like I didn't do much.I spend a lot of time staring at the screen, uh, over the last couple of weeks and like. Walking my dog and thinking about these questions that you were posing. I feel like I spent hours doing it and like it, like, and, and like the words on the page since we last spoke, don't, I don't know, have reflect like the number of, the number of new words on the page.Don't reflect that. But I spent, I spent a lot of time thinking about, about that question and [00:05:00] some of the other questions that, that you posed. And I think for a long time I wanted to presume a familiarity with Stoker's Dracula, um, because it made my job easier. And, and so I think I, I kind of had to come to terms with the fact that though it is a popular book, not everybody has read it.And while many people, because it's a popular book, many people have some. Passing knowledge about the structure, about the plot, about some of the characters maybe, but they won't know. They won't know the level of detail that I do having read it many times. And so I need to create, I need to expand the world.I need to create my own world. I can't just live in Stoker's world. I need to create my own world. These characters, while they have the same names as the characters in in Stoker's novel. They are, they become different characters in my world, the [00:06:00] world I'm creating. And so I need to, I need to kind of accept that.And so it doesn't matter if you've read Dracula before you pick up this book, and these, these characters have a rich backstory that I will allude to. And if you've read Dracula, you might pick up on some extra, some extra bits, but this is still going to be a cohesive, discreet novel that you'll be able to enjoy.Regardless of, uh, whether you've read the, the, the original or not.Jennie: Okay. That's huge. Is that the revelation or is there something else?Andrew: No, that is notJennie: theAndrew: revelation.Jennie: Okay. So we'll get, wow, okay. We'll get to that in a minute. But that, the reason I said it impacts the genre is that you said your ideal right reader wouldn't describe herself as a horror fan and that her.Most, she's, she loves this, um, period of time. She loves London. Um, you know, there's a lot of things that [00:07:00] connect her to this story, but not horror. And so my thought was, should, should it still be classified as horror? Uh, there are lots of other ways to classify it, you know, historic, um, a historic thriller, a historic mystery.You know, gothic could be in there, but what, what are your thoughts at this point about that?Andrew: Yeah, and I, I, I think we've, we've, we've used the term horror when we talk about it, but when I, when I, when I did the blueprint challenge, I think I did kind of identify more like historical gothic as the genre.And, and, and as, as you say in one of your notes, this is feeling more like a mystery, a murder mystery than it is horror. Like, I feel like the horror genre leans into the gore, and I don't know that that's where. My book lives, I think, I think the gothic kind of sense of imminent doom, pervading, you know, every page is definitely something I wanna lead into.So, so I think gothic is, is [00:08:00] relevant, historic, gothic, and ultimately it is a murder mystery. And so who, and so, and so solving that mystery is the protagonist's kind of ultimate mission.Jennie: Right. So the, the sort of moodiness of the world and, and something, yeah. The dread, uh, that's out there. Right. Um, which fits really nicely, uh, with what you're doing.Okay. So what's the revelation?Andrew: So it came from the question that you asked me last or two weeks ago now. Um, and one that I've been asking myself, which is. Are vampires part of the public consciousness in this world that I'm building. And for a long time I've been saying, no, no, no, no. They're not part, they're still, they're still a secret society.They're still a secret community. They're still a secret species. They're, they're, and nobody knows about them. And, and anyone who talks about vampires is seen as being a [00:09:00] lunatic. Um. And I was realizing, and, and as you probably saw in the, in, in the, in the document, I was, I, I was trying to explore both, both possibilities.There's a possibility where, where the public understands vampire exists and then there's a, a, a possibility where that it doesn't, where they don't understand they exist. And I've been leaning towards maintaining the secrecy of vampires among the public. And I think the reason I've been doing that, it ties back, ties into what we were just talking about in that I was, I saw that creating like a whole vampire society that, uh, that human, that human society has been interacting with for a number of years, it felt like a distraction from the primary.From the primary plot, but I've been struggling because it does offer some really nice motivation for my murderer.Jennie: Yeah. [00:10:00]Andrew: SoJennie: you've been flip flopping back and forth in your mind.Andrew: I've been flip flopping back and forth in my mind until last night. And I was, I was reading, I was reading some of your comments, uh, on my document and I was like, why am I stuck on this?Why am I hung up on this? Why can't I make a decision about this? Um, and it's because. I was writing small, I was trying to keep it, you know, this is something I could manage. Like I was trying to keep it, I was trying to keep it like manageable. I was trying to keep it, I, I don't know. I was trying to give my, I was trying to like pen myself in, I guess, and lean.More heavily on the work of Stoker. And it's like he's already done his work. He's already So the, so the, the, the, the revelation I said he's already done his work. He's already created his book. Mine is a different book. Mine is, is, uh, a different [00:11:00] world and like. As we have been saying, I need to write big, so I need to embrace the big.And so that gonna, that's gonna mean creating more characters. That's going to mean creating, uh, more exposition. That's going to mean creating, um, more interactions between these communities. Creating a lot more than I had initially been thinking about. I feel like my original idea was a nice idea. You know, I'm, and I'm using air quotes with a nice idea, but like, I feel like this is now.Becoming a novel by, by choosing to, by choosing to go big here.Jennie: Well, you're, you make me like actually wanna cry because of happiness, because you've obviously been listening to the right. Big episodes and Yes. That whole um, thing and winter blueprint, um, listening to me hammer away at. Uh, [00:12:00] that this is all we have.This is all a writer has, is what is in their heart and mind mm-hmm. And comes from their experiences and interests. And it is so crazy how we shy away from that. We tamp it down, we hide from it, all the things because it's, it's terrifying in many ways. And for you to just get that and in both. The conversations we've had this morning already, like, like the, um, you were afraid.Yeah. Afraid of your own creation, which is actually very sort of, I guess that's more, um, well, more Frankenstein, more Frankenstein than Dracula, but, but you know, it is like the monster of our own creation. Mm-hmm. You know, like, oh, I wanna write this book. There's a kind of dread in just even saying that.Yeah. And then, oh, I [00:13:00] wanna write this book andRight.Jennie: And that question of am I up to it? Am I capable of, it lies at the heart of. So many problems that we make for ourselves because, you know, we tell ourselves, no, I couldn't do that or that Yeah, that's too, I just, I, you know, that's for somebody else, or I, I'll keep it small, I'll keep it mm-hmm.Attached to this other, I'll keep it easy. That was what mm-hmm. You know, and, and what you're saying is, okay, now I'm gonna. I'm gonna write the book I wanna write.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Oh man, that's so big. So that,Andrew: yeah, that was my, that was my big revelation last night as I was, ‘cause I still didn't have an answer for you on that question as late as last night.And I was like, I don't know what to say. And then I was like, why is this heart so hard for me? And so that was, that was, that was really nice to kind of make that, find that understanding and that gave me peace and like. I started, I started just throwing words on the page [00:14:00] last night about what that meant.Um, what that will mean for the story, what that will mean for the, for the characters. So,Jennie: well, I'm gonna write down this question ‘cause I wanna, I wanna explore that more. Why is this so hard for me? That's such a good question because what I was doing last night after I wrote that note to you was I did a whole pro con thing.You know, pro, um, the vampires are here and present and known, or, you know, be, they're not like, you know? Mm-hmm. Or even c nobody knows if they're real or, you know, like I was trying to parse out what do I have to do to guide Andrew toward. A decision. So I was thinking more what's gonna prompt your brain to decide, and your question, why is this so hard for [00:15:00] me is really what the right question is instead of the pro con list.So that is brilliant. Um, I'm, I'm writing down so good. Um.Andrew: Well, thank you for pushing me.Jennie: Oh, well that's my job. So, um, it's fun. I mean, it's fun. And what's interesting, particularly with this project is as we know, I don't know Dracula, I don't read a lot of horror. And so I'm, I am, I am reacting to you more than this story, you know?So that was, that was why, how am I gonna get Andrew to. Figure this out. I have absolutely no, you know, opinion or, or you know, um, any reason why we choose one or the other. Uh, sure. You know, it's really what you want. So once you decide that, then does that help with. Other open questions? [00:16:00] Does it sort of have a domino effect in your mind on some of the other things?Andrew: I think it, yeah, it, yeah, I think it's gonna affect, I mean, it's gonna affect, so it's gonna affect the whole tenor of the book. Um, I think it, it's, it's going to change the motivations of so many other characters. It's going to change. The relationship between, um, uh, between all of the characters. Um, it's going to change the politics of the moment inside this world.Um, and it's going to kind of raise the stakes, uh, a little bit more. And I think in, in, in another way, it's going to make it resonate more with a modern audience. Um,Jennie: Ooh. Say more. Why do you think that?Andrew: Well, I think, uh, I think. Just because the vampires are no longer a secret, uh, society, just because they are, um, part of the public zeitgeist, that doesn't mean they are accepted by the public.Um, and so there's going to be [00:17:00] misunderstanding and fear, um, and uh, and violence all around this, uh, group of individuals, which I think. Again, as I, as I said, resonates with, with, with modern, with a modern audience.Jennie: Wow. That's, that's awesome. Um, so I'm also curious, one of the questions I had, you did some work around a Brianna's mother whomm-hmm.Jennie: Died in childbirth, giving birth to her. Mm-hmm. And, um. She was involved in this whole previous generation's relationship to the vampire hunting andmm-hmm.Jennie: Um, all of that. And it, it's been a little vague. Um, we've talked about it a little, but it sounds like that is becoming more of a connection for, for two things, both for a [00:18:00] Adrianna's motivation, um.To, to solve these murders, but also her connection to the suffragette movement, which prior to this draft, I kept feeling a little bit like it was shoehorned in there, likemm-hmm.Jennie: Oh, there's this vampire story and it's London and it's at this time, and there's this young woman in suffragette. You know, and, and now that small change really locks the, the suffragette movement into Aub Brianna's world and life.Um, so what do you now know about the mother that feels new or, um, that you've pinned down more because of these thoughts?Andrew: I'm still fleshing that out. But let me, let me say, one of the reasons I think that the suffragette movement element of the book feels a little tacked on is I have not [00:19:00] yet done my research there.And so it's like, that's a really, that's a, that's a glaring, that's a glaring hole right now that I need to fill with more research. I've been doing a lot of vampire research now. Um, and, but I need to switch. I need to switch tax and start and start doing more, uh, suffrage, uh, research. Um, but that said, yeah, I think.A Brianna's mother, Mina, um, was involved briefly in the suffrage movement because she dies or does she? And um, and, and I think she continues, she continues to play a role in the suffrage suffrage movement. What. What I've been grappling with now is how much of that does abriana know how much of that has her father told her?And I could see that being another point of contention between the two of them. If she discovers later that this was [00:20:00] another, another piece of information that was, that was hidden from her. And so,Jennie: Ooh, that's so good. It's so good. This, this young, yeah, this young woman. All these things stacked up against her that she, yeah.Sort of knows about or maybe suspects. Um, right. So you're right. The work is, there's always in any story who, the question of who knows what, when. Mm-hmm. I mean, particularly in a mystery or thriller, obviously.Andrew: Right.Jennie: Yeah. But who knows what, when, you know, can. Change who you choose to be your narrator. Who, who has right point of view, um, who gets point of view in the story.Uh, you know, do we go to a chapter in somebody's point of view? You know, all of those, all of those questions hang on. This idea of who knows what went. So, you as the author, are the first person that has to know. Everything. Right. And [00:21:00] then choose to, you know, how like, like putting little breadcrumbs or, you know, planting little seeds, ummm-hmm.Jennie: That you have to manage that material. Um, so that's a big question. And here's a question. Do you think you need those answers before you can pin the whole story down, or do you feel like. You can pin the plot down and that that is, gives more texture, more, more to a Adriana's motivation. Maybe it'll move certain scenes about her discovery of certain things, but do you, what do you feel about that research?Andrew: About the suffrage research they needJennie: to do? Yeah, yeah,Andrew: yeah. I think it's going to get, I think it's gonna open avenues for me. To identify what Mina's role was, what her mother, what, what breanna's mother's role was in the suffrage suffragette movement. [00:22:00] Who some of the players were, who some of the, some of the larger names, the, some of the larger, um, protesters and advocates for it were.Because the, you know, being a historical novel, I do want to incorporate some historical figures, which I, I think, um, is always a kind of a fun element of, of, of a novel. And so being able to incorporate some of that, I think will lay out a lot of avenues for a Brianna's story arc.Jennie: So I just wanna point out for our listeners that what is happening here, um, is that every question we ask or we pose.Is work, right? So some of it is, you know, work of walking the dog and thinking and saying, well, I don't know. Or Why don't I now? Or why is this hard for me? Or, uh, or, you know, all of that. And then now we're talking about. This question is work, um, figuring out research and, you know, at every turn it's, [00:23:00] when you do the thing that you wanna do, when you really lean into that, it, it gets harder.I mean, you're making it harder for yourself. So,yeah,Jennie: I just wanna point that out. ‘cause it, it's so interesting here as this is unfolding, um, that, that, that is just a, a truth. And the other thing I wanna point out is. Where this story started is where every story starts, which is you have this idea, it's a really cool idea.You have this sense of a plot. And, and in some ways, that very central idea of the plot is never gonna change. No matter what you do to this book, it's, it's a, mm-hmm. It's a murder, you know, there's murders and this young woman's gonna solve it, so. Mm-hmm. Like, that plot's not changing, but the, where it started was.These kind of card work cutout characters, kind of placeholder characters. And if you leave it at that, you can see where that would go, you know? Mm-hmm. It's like, [00:24:00] oh, mother died in childbirth. Of course child's motivated to, you know, something. Um, or Oh, distant and emotional dad, you know, you sort of start, start there.But now by understanding. The whole life that her mother lived and the whole role that she played, and is she even dead or not? You know, like huge, huge questions. Yeah. Make the mother a fully fleshed out 3D character. You know, that's where you're gonna go. And then you can see how that will make a Brianna.A more fully fleshed out 3D character. So instead of, instead of the tropes or the expected things, there's gonna be these nuances to it andmm-hmm.Jennie: Um, specific things. And then your question of what, how much does she know and, and what does she find out? [00:25:00] Um, there's gonna be plot points that come from that.Right. You know? Uh, do you have a sense. At this point, are there letters, are there diaries? Is there a friend who hasn't spoken? Like is there some source of information in your mind that Abriana might encounter?Andrew: Yes. And I think, and, and I think there are a couple of different sources. I think, I think her mother Mina will have had diaries, um, and potentially letters.I think also Van Helsing will also certainly have papers. Um. And letters. Um, and, uh, there's a, there's a, there's a prop. He, when he dies, he bequeaths to abriana his Gladstone bag. Um, and I think there's going to be some sort of revelatory piece of information in the Gladstone bag, and I haven't figured [00:26:00] out what that piece of information is.So,Jennie: is that black bag that doctors hadAndrew: that doctors carry around? Yeah. That the old time, that old, that old timey doctors carry?Jennie: Yeah. Why was it ca called that?Andrew: You know, that's a good, that's a good question. I don't know where, uh, what the etymology for, for, for the Gladstone bag is. I don't know why that is.Jennie: Interesting. So that's like a toolbox basically. Yeah. It's filled, filled with things and,Outro: yeah. Yeah.Jennie: Uh, that's cool. That's cool. Um, that, I love that. So this is a silly thing. I was so confused. And I know you told me this, um, but that there's a character, John Seward, who's a character from Dracula. Mm-hmm.And Abriana refers to him as her uncle, but he's not her uncle. Correct. But the reason I continue to be confused is that her dad's name is also JohnAndrew: Jonathan. Yeah.Jennie: Jonathan.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Does it have to [00:27:00] be or is that just like, oh, Jennie, come on. Surely the reader can handle a John and a Jonathan.Andrew: Well, I mean, no, that's a legitimate question because, um, can they, um, especially if we've got two characters named Abraham and Abriana, right?And so like, and so now I, I, I've been struggling with that too. I think I've been, I've been trying to carry forward some of, some of the characters from Dracula. I think I like the character of Seward because he is a protege of Van Helsing, but perhaps the protege bit is important and not the actual name of the person.So maybe it's another character that I've, that I'm introducing here who was a protege of Van Helsing.Jennie: Oh. But see, I think that's where you get into. So your ideal reader you've established may not know Dracula right. Inside and out. Right. But you will have a lot [00:28:00] of readers who do.Yes.Jennie: And there is a world of people who really love this stuff and who really.Right. You know, and if you were to change an actual charactermm-hmm.Jennie: And give it, give him a different name or a different whatever, people will come after you.Yeah. People will be obsessed.Jennie: And that's fine. Right. Butyeah.Jennie: Is, is that one of the things that could be in the book that those readers. That would delight those readers.Andrew: Right. I like, I feel like there are a lot of ways I can leave Easter eggs for Dracula fans.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: Um, that aren't, that aren't germane to understanding the plot of the motivations of the characters, but that, like a Dracula fan will appreciate, oh, I see what you did there. That was a nice touch. Um,Jennie: and soAndrew: I,Jennie: oh, I think they, they're gonna love that andAndrew: Yeah.Yeah.Jennie: You know, there's also then. This is just where my brain goes in terms of marketing. There's also then a whole [00:29:00] thing of, you know, a connection to a literary, uh, to literature readers, which could potentially be students and scholars and, you know, that sort of thing. Yeah.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: So I don't, I don't think you should so quickly dismiss.John Stewart, but it's a Adrianna's father being named Jonathan, I was wondering about.Andrew: Mm-hmm. Okay.Jennie: And, and you do not have to care that Jennie can't keep him straight. Uh, I'm, I'm 62. My brain doesn't work the same way it used to, but I can't tell you the number of times. I'm like, wait. Was that like I wasAndrew: right.Jennie: Really snagging on that. So, um, just a point of information.Andrew: Gotcha, gotcha. No, it's worth thinking about though. It's worth thinking about. But I, I had a, I had a question for you.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: If now is an appropriate time to ask it.Jennie: Ask it. [00:30:00] Yeah.Andrew: I've been, I've been spending a lot of brain power on the question of POV.Jennie: Yeah,Andrew: and I've been go like, and going back and forth about whether this is going to be a single POV, uh, and Abriana is, Abriana is our narrator, or if it's more third person omniscient, or maybe this is a dual POV. And I think most recently I've been thinking this is a dual POV between Abriana and her namesake Van Helsing, and like.Which is also create some time traveling, uh, mechanisms because we'll be, we'll be talk, he'll be talking about his experiences, uh, before Abriana was born and as she, as she's a child, and she'll be talking about her experiences as a young woman. And so, but now as we're talking about a Adrianna's mother, I'm more, I'm wondering like, do I want the dual POV to between, between Abriana and her mother?Um. What question should I [00:31:00] be considering to help me make that decision?Jennie: Uh, well this is a huge question, Andrew. Um, there, I feel like you just named so many excellent structural ways forward, right? And the question of what do you ask yourself? You're asking such good questions, like what do you ask yourself to make that decision?And. I'm gonna, my answer's gonna be something really unsatisfying in many ways because it's, you gotta go back to your why, why are you writing the story? Mm-hmm. Okay. Why does it matter to you? Mm-hmm. What is your point? Who do you, who do you want to speak to? Uh, those fundamental questions are going to inform the POV because if you, well, I know you originally had an idea about the brother.Um, her brother being a narrator, and you didn't mention him this time, you mentioned No, [00:32:00] the mom. So a story in which the mom and daughter are narrating and the mom and they're never going to meet.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Those two people in, I don't think, well, no, that's not true. Uh, uh, an unden person could meet a, a human walking the earth, um, right.Andrew: And that may be, that may be part of the climax.Jennie: Yeah. SoAndrew: of the novel. ButJennie: that, um, that a mother daughter who, who don't think that they can, maybe the daughter doesn't think that they will ever meet, you know, that's a real particular. Kind of a story. Mm-hmm. So I do think, going back to your why, why do I care about this?Why, you know, I, I asked you in our, our initial conversation, you know, you're, you're a man. You're writing about [00:33:00] suffragettes, you're writing about a woman protagonist, a young woman, protagonist, and you talked a lot about your sister.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Understanding those motivations and interests and passions because that mother-daughter story will carry a certain kind of weight.The, if we think of the, the Van Haling being a narrator, that taps into what we were talking about before. How connected is your story to that lineage ofright,Jennie: of that one. ‘cause now you're. Not only having Bram Stoker's character, you're giving that character a POV voice. Mm-hmm. Which is another level of connection to that mm-hmm.Literary lineage. Mm-hmm. Um, so that would take it in a different, you can see how that would take it in a really different direction. So POV is, [00:34:00] you know, in some stories it's quite. Instant. Um, you just sort of know, um, in other stories it's not, and this one, it, it is not. Um mm-hmm. I think it's, it's clear Abriana is your protagonist.It's her our core following. Mm-hmm. It's her. Transformation. We're interested in her, uh, solving the murder, her understanding her legacy, her coming into her own power. Those are the things we want to see resolved. Um, so whether or not she is a POV though, because there's a, then there's, there's third person.Mm-hmm. I mean, third person has different, you know, there's different permutations of it. There's third person close mm-hmm. Which is sort of functions in some ways, like first person, because in third person close, you don't go into anybody else's head. Mm-hmm. Um, I, I sometimes don't understand why, [00:35:00] why that is even a choice.Then I read books that do it, that work beautifully, and it's like, oh, okay. You know? So, uh, you know, everything can be a choice, but, um, you know, so we know that she's at the center. So then the question I'm circling around to answering your question, how do you help yourself solve this? What other voices would amplify?Mm-hmm.Jennie: Her transformation, that's really what it is, is it's her story. You know, the, the mother, POV would take it in one direction. Van Helsing would take it in a different mm-hmm. Uh, third person where we're,I don't know, a third person narrator that goes back in time feels odd to me.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: I think if it's, and I'm just talking out loud here. I think if it's third person, it, it, we could go into all the heads of everybody. Walking the earth [00:36:00] right now. But I feel like if you go into someone you can see I'm betraying my not understanding Vampire vampires very well.They never die, right?Andrew: Yes. They're undead.Jennie: They never die. So. Okay, so I think, ignore what I just said, A third person, omniscient narrator, could go into their heads as well. Um, right. And go back in time as well. But your time travel, like, like actually having that, that's a really different story, so.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, how you're going to answer is you're gonna sit with that question of what is gonna make a adrianna's story resonate the most at that end, right? What, mm-hmm. What knowing is going to, to amplify that the most. And then the second thing to ask yourself, and you might need to do a little more work, uh, in order to answer [00:37:00] this once you get the inside outline done.Looking at the key scenes. Yeah, you may just see, oh, there is no way that this is gonna work in a certain POV, or I have to have this other POVI can't convey. I can't go to that scene. I have to go to that scene. Or alternatively a scene that you can't go to. Then you think, alright, how will I get this?Into How do I convey this? I'm thinking of that. Um. You know, there's so many, uh, there's so many, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? I'm thinking of JK Rowling and Harry Potter and all the things that she did, you know, the mirror Yeah. That shows Harry or his parents and the pen sea that, you know, gets the memories outta somebody's head.Like all these, um mm-hmm. Mechanical ways Yeah. Of show, showing us what happened.Yeah. [00:38:00]Jennie: Back, back in the day. You know, that's a particularly kind of story with particularly kind of magic. But there, there, you don't know. You might have this, they're devices.Yeah,Jennie: that's the word I was looking for. Devices, yes.That you might have one or two scenes, it's like, do I need a whole POV just to convey these scenes or is there another way I could get this information in? So it's two parts, it's both. Um, I would say heart a heart. A heart-centered thing. What, what do I want? What will amplify my why and my point the most?What, what I think would be interesting and fun to write the question of, um, then Helsing, do I want to embrace that? Mm-hmm. For some reason I'm thinking of that, um, novel, um, the Hillary Clinton alternative history novel. Um. Called Rodham, uh oh, by, [00:39:00] is it Curtis Sittenfeld, I think. Um, Rodham, but so courageous and daring.She, yeah, she imagines, um, what would have happened had, had Hillary not married Bill, and it follows the, their lives and their meeting and their love story and all this whole thing, which he just chooses not to marry him. And, you know, like. That's a certain kind of bravery as an author to, to take that sort of a character.And you'd be, you'd be doing that. So do you, do I wanna do that? So it's all those hard questions and then there's plot questions, so Right. I'm gonna say that for the next, your next bit of homework. Mm-hmm. Um. Is to, I would go to the inside outline and start trying to pin this plot down and noodling around with it.And we know that it's going to change based on your research. Mm-hmm. Based on the fact that it always changes. [00:40:00] Um, but just noodle around with it and try it from different POVs. See, see what happens. You know? Take, take the, um, this is the reason, by the way, listeners, why I insist that the insight outline at the beginning is only three pages because Andrew can do one that is a Briana's, POV only.What does that look like? Uh, AA and her mom, what does that look like? Abriana and um. Van health sink, what does that look like? Uh, third person, what does that look like? You could do four, three page outlines and it's not gonna kill you. Right. Right. You could just to sort of get a feel for it, and I promise you mm-hmm.That what's gonna happen is one of ‘em is gonna feel more alive.Andrew: Right.Jennie: So that's the sortAndrew: of, okay,Jennie: unsatisfying [00:41:00] answer is one of them is gonna feel more alive. So you're gonna start with your why. Start with your point. Try to sit with that, then try those things on. One of them's gonna feel more alive.Okay.Andrew: So you're not just gonna tell me which POVs to use then?Jennie: No, it'sAndrew: not. That's not how thisJennie: works. I know, it's such a bummer. Um. I mean, it's such a, such an important question and people often skim past it, butAndrew: mm-hmm.Jennie: You know, take, I think it's the time, like dig, dig into the outline with the intention mm-hmm.Of landing on POV. How about, how about that for your homework?Andrew: Okay. That sounds good. That sounds good. I can do that.Jennie: Okay. Well, I can't wait to hear how it goes. And for our listeners. Until next time, stop playing small and write like it matters.Outro: The hashtag am [00:42:00] Writing podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

Jennie Nash launches a brand-new Hot Seat Coaching series on the podcast—real, on-air coaching sessions where listeners get to hear a story develop in real time.In the first episode, Jennie brings #amwriting podcast producer Andrew Parrella out from behind the microphone as he begins work on his first novel. Fresh off completing the Blueprint challenge, Andrew shares his gothic horror premise: a Dracula-inspired story set in 1920s London, where Abriana Harker—the daughter of Mina Harker—faces a string of mysterious deaths unfolding against the backdrop of the suffrage movement.Jennie and Andrew pressure-test the blueprint together, refining the novel's central point, exploring how Van Helsing's legacy shapes the world of the story, and identifying ways to strengthen Abriana's role so the plot is driven by her choices. Andrew leaves with clear next steps—and this is just the beginning: he'll return in future episodes as Jennie continues coaching him through the process of developing the novel.You can connect with Andrew via his website AndrewParrella.com#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jennie Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast. The place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life. Love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. Hi, I'm Jenny Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast.This is something new. It's a hot seat coaching episode where we're gonna work through a real challenge in real time with a real writer. And today. I'm joined by a really special guest. His name is Andrew Perella, and he has been the producer of this podcast for many, many years and is stepping out from behind the microphone to write his first novel.Andrew participated in the Winter Blueprint challenge that we recently completed. Which is to say he answered all 14 of the blueprint questions during our challenge and, and produced a [00:01:00] finished blueprint. And so I wanted to get on with him and talk about what do we do next? How do we go from there to the next thing?And he agreed to do that to help show our listeners how it goes. And I'm so excited about it because. He just did incredible work and also has so much work to go, so hopefully we're gonna get to, we're gonna get to follow Andrew as he does this for a few episodes and bring you along on the journey. So welcome Andrew from Behind the Microphone.Andrew: So much work to go. Thank you, Jenny. I'm really excited to be here.Jennie: So Andrew is, has a long career in public radio and is a producer of podcast for many people and is a storytelling guy, you know, as well as a sound guy. So this is, this is a big move. I feel like this is a right big move for you for sure, for deciding.This is the time to embrace the fact that you wanna do this thing. Does it [00:02:00] feel like that to you?Andrew: It, it feels like a right big move for me that I'm kind of prioritizing now this writing project for me. I'm prioritizing my project, um, over, over, uh, the projects of others whom, whom I help with projects.Yeah. So this is a big, big a right big moment for me.Jennie: It is totally a riping moment and. You're in the hot seat personal coaching, which I, I really appreciate you being willing to do So, um, where we stand today is, as I said, you, you finished the blueprint, you did all the work, you did the thing. So I'm just curious to sort of check in.How do you feel? Do you feel like that's an accomplishment? Do you feel some momentum? Like, what, where are you feeling, what are you feeling? Um,Andrew: I, I feel like it is a, a really big accomplishment because as we were working through the blueprint, I was getting feedback, uh, from you and KJ Dium about, uh, about, uh, how I was, how I was creating my [00:03:00] blueprint.It got me, it forced me to think about the book in some very real terms, in ways that I hadn't yet, and in ways that, you know, I had been kind of thinking about the book in more abstract notions. Um, and like this was putting pen to paper, uh, on so many things to think about, you know, beyond the, beyond the simple plot structure.Um, and I realized as I was going through this. How much I hadn't yet considered, and I think this helped to show me where the holes in my story were. Um. And he, even, even as I've finished, quote unquote, finished the blueprint, it's like I finished one inter iteration of it and like already the story has changed since I first started work on the blueprint.And so already I know I gotta go back and start reiterating on, on, on this, uh, uh, as we go along here.Jennie: Yeah. I mean, and that's the point, right? Yeah. Is the whole point is this is a tool that reveals. [00:04:00] What's working and what's not working? Is this what I want? Does this reflect my vision? And you get to, to play with that wet clay of the idea.So that's really what what we're doing. But the reason that I thought you'd be such a good candidate for coaching live in this way is your story. It really hangs together in so many ways. It's so great in so many ways and it, it would be easy to feel like, oh, I'm, I'm not that far. I got this. I could, I could start right?I can start writing. Yeah. But I hope, I hope what we're gonna show is, is really pushing yourself to answer core questions is gonna just make it so much stronger.Andrew: Absolutely.Jennie: So, um, all that being said, do you. What do you think the best way to share what you're writing with our listeners is? Do you think reading your book jacket copy feels good or do you wanna just say it out [00:05:00] loud?Andrew: Um, I feel like the book jacket copy, I. Um, that I, that I wrote doesn't quite, doesn't quite capture, I think in many ways what I think the book is going to be so Well,Jennie: and we're gonna actually getAndrew: to that. So I, and we're gonna get to that, I think. Yeah.Jennie: So why don't you just, just share what, what it is.Andrew: So, uh, the premise of the book is this happens, uh.Uh, the, the novel, it happens 20 years after the events of, uh, Bram Stoker's Dracula. Um, and so. It involves some of the same characters, and then it also involves the next generation of these characters. So these, those characters children. Um, the, uh, our protagonist is a Abriana Harker, who is the daughter of Mina Harker, who was, um, kind of the female, uh, lead in, in, in Dracula.And she was, she was bitten by Dracula in, in the original novel. [00:06:00] Um, and she is, uh, someone who is defended, um. Uh, by her, uh, by her friends and, and counterparts in, in that story, Abriana is her daughter. And Abriana is now facing a similar challenge. There are bodies that are turning up around her circle and uh, they appear to have similar injuries that Dracula's victims had 20 years ago, and some people recognize that and are.Going to begin trying to unravel the mystery. And this is all set against the backdrop of the universal suffrage movement, which is also happening in, uh, you know, 1920s London, where, where the novel is, novel is set. And so in broad strokes, that is, that is the, the, the primary premise of the book.Jennie: So the genre is horror.Gothic and I, I did some, some digging. I'm not a big reader of horror, so I did some digging into the genre to make sure that that was right. Because there [00:07:00] there's also thriller elements. There's mystery elements. Mm-hmm. There's, you know, there's other elements and it is, I always liked to, to test. Is this right?Is this right? Could it be tweaked? Could it be better? And it feels, it feels like there's really no question about the genre. Right. Do you feel thatAndrew: I, I feel that, I feel definitely, definitely feel that. And I think I, I, like gothic is, is, is a genre that I really enjoy and I want to develop some of those gothic themes in the story a little bit more than I have so far.But yes, I think gothic and, and horror is very much where, where this, where this book lives. Yeah.Jennie: Yeah. And that is something I wanna talk about for sure when we get to the inside outline. But I wanna start with, um, the second question of the blueprint is what's your point? And I know this is something you've struggled with a little bit.Yeah. Um, but so the current point that you have here is. I feel like maybe this came from me. So, [00:08:00] uh, I, it's, you can't change the world without upsetting people. The more you want to change, the more people you upset, and that's fine, but it, but it doesn't, it does, it doesn't feel like it captures. There's a real moral, philosophical debate at the center of your story.Right.Andrew: Yeah, absolutely. I think, you know, the, the characters are certainly, uh, in the midst of a paradigm shift, you know, there's the, there, the, the world order is changing as, uh, as suffrage is, is being opened to more and more people. Um, and times a world order like that changes. There are people who are for it and there are a lot of people who are against it.And so I think that's. That's an element in, in play here in the, in the novel. And that, and that's something that I wanted to explore. And obviously there are parallels in current times as well for, uh, for this, for this sort of change. So I think that's, I think that's, that's certainly, that's certainly part of, uh, of, of [00:09:00] the story.Yeah.Jennie: So I was, when I, when I review a blueprint, and for anybody who's, who's got one all on the page and, and you, you like it and it feels pretty good. The step is to, to really pressure test everything. So I, I read through the whole thing. I love looking at a blueprint. A blueprint as a whole rather than piece by piece.And in this particular case, it's like this. Yeah. This point feels bloodless, which is something we definitely don't want in this story. So I went back to your why and your why is really powerful and really personal and really political. Um, it's, it's fiery, it's articulate, like there's so much about your why that I.You can see my comments on the page. Mm-hmm. Not the listener, but Andrew can Right where I was going. Great. Yes. Very powerful. Awesome. You know, it's just, it's excellent. And you had some lines in there [00:10:00] about the, the monster in this story is not the vampire, but a man who is refusing to change with the times basically.And. That felt to me, given everything else you're saying about the parallels between this, the milieu of this story and the milieu we live in right now, the, the fraught. Climate, political climate. Cultural climate that felt more potent as a point. And I, I wondered what you thought about that.Andrew: Yeah, I mean, I think that that is as mu that is as much a part of the, the premise as I've conceived it, as, as anything else that I've, I've said, um, you know, the, the, the.Spoiler alert, the the murders aren't being committed by, by the vampire, uh, or vampires. Uh, the murders are being committed by an old white dude who is not [00:11:00] happy with how the politics are shifting under his feet and how the world is changing around him, um, and is trying to, at all costs, prevent that from happening, even sacrificing a bit of his own humanity in, in the process.And so I think that is. Is is something that certainly resonates, but I think it yeah. Is, as you say, there's a passion, there's a blood there that in in, in the why that didn't quite make it to my point. Um,Jennie: yeah, yeah, yeah. So I would suggest for the next iteration mm-hmm. To, to really push that point and.It's gonna keep changing, it's gonna keep, um, you know, getting refined as you go. But I think it's important to move it forward as you keep writing. So the, um, yeah, something that's, that's fiery and that's, um, about, ‘cause that's a, that's a, you're flipping an important trope in a. In a [00:12:00] classic novel, right?Mm-hmm. That it, it's not the vampire. So like, why that? Why, why are we flipping out? What is that showing us? What is the point of, of doing that in the story? That, so I would really play with that. Um, does that make sense? Mm-hmm.Andrew: Yes, it does. Okay. Yes, it does.Jennie: Okay, so the next thing I wanna talk about is your super, your super simple story.Mm-hmm. And. What's interesting about the super simple story is, I mean, I love everybody always. Here's me say this, who's listened to me for very long, but I love a constraint on in creativity. And this, trying to get this story in a really short space often reveals something. And what it, when it was revealing to me is, so you've got, you've got a abriana, she wants to, uh, become a doctor.Because of her mother's, [00:13:00] her mother died in childbirth with her. Um, so that's the, that's the storyline. You've got the murders that are happening and, and then you've got the universal suffragette movement, this political debate that's going on. So there's these three threads and. Even in the super simple story, it was feeling a little bit like they're disconnected.I don't think they're disconnected in your mind. I think they're disconnected on the page.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: So I wanted to just ask you to articulate that a little bit more. ‘cause you hint in the um, book jacket copy later, AA has things in common with Finn halting who's. Her uncle, the Vampire Hunter. Are you comfortable sharing what those are?Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: What those commonalities are?Andrew: Yeah, I think, I think, [00:14:00] um, uh, Abraham Von Helsing is, is a character from the original novel, um, and he helps guide the team to, uh, uh, find, track down and destroy Dracula. Um. In the world of my novel, his understanding of vampires changes as he's, as he continues to do research on them.And so he's discovered, he's discovered more about them. That will spell out a little bit more in the, uh, in the novel, but. First and foremost, and one of the, one of the primary roles he plays in the, in, in the original novel is a, as a doctor. And that's one thing that Abriana really admires about him. He becomes a bit of a, a, um, a surrogate.Parent to her with her mother dying and her, uh, her father's grief, turning into a little bit of emotional distance from, uh, from Abriana. And so von uh, van Helsing kind of fills that gap and so she associates her. I think her desire [00:15:00] to become a doctor stems from both her birth, you know, ultimately killing her mother, but also because, and, and, and wanting to prevent that from happening to other women, but also because she's seen, you know, van Helsing.Perform his, his service as a doctor. He, she's seen it in action and what it can do and wants to, and wants to, wants to emulate that. And so, and, and I think one of the, one of the things that, that I get excited about is incorporating a little bit of like historic realism into, into the novel as well. And there was in, uh, the 1920s a, a medi, the London School of Medicine for women.Um, it had it, it had been. Open for a, a decade or so. It was still a fairly new school at the time. And so that there was an, uh, a real place that she would've been able to go and get an education is something that, uh, is something that I'm, I'm excited to have part of, part of the novel and like that school wouldn't have been possible if it was not for the Women's Liberation [00:16:00] Movement, which resulted obviously in the universal.In the universal suffrage movement. And so all of that I feel, kind of ties, ties together in a way that I haven't explained very well in my super simple copy, super simple story explanation there.Jennie: So, so that's what I'm trying to get at is Adrianna is not just some random young woman. No, I mean she's, she's very clearly descended from.A, a particular, uh, family who's had a particular thing happen and you know, there several generations. So have you designed her as a protagonist using those elements of the family yet, or, or is it more kind of just convenient that she's there? Does that make sense?Andrew: I think so, [00:17:00] and I think it's probably somewhere in the middle.I think I like the idea of tying her into these characters that who have an existing history, and it then gives her a little bit of, a little bit of, uh, gravitas for the listener when they, when they start digging in that maybe they, maybe they, maybe they have read Dracula, are familiar with those characters and so, okay, this is the next, this is the next generation.But yeah, I mean, I think Abriana reflects. A lot of other things that, that aren't in, that aren't represented in the original novel. Um,Jennie: I guess what I, I guess what I'm saying is it feels, one of my concerns is it feels as if you could write this story about Adriana and not have her beat from this family.She could, she could be kind of. Anyone Gotcha. In this [00:18:00] situation? Gotcha. Does that, am I, am I missing, am I missing that? What would make, you know, let's just, um, I know there's, there's several women in the novel who have, have important roles. So I'm gonna pick a name that's not them. Let's say that, uh, there's a young woman, Catherine, you know, not connected to, um.Ben Helsing not connected to her mother, not connected to that whole thing. And same time period, same motivation. She wants to be a doctor. Maybe she had someone in her family die, and that's her motivation. You know, like suffrages, like that whole story could still play out with Catherine. Uh, am I wrong? I want you to prove me wrong.Andrew: So like, yes, it could, I feel like, I feel like one of the things I like about tying in Van Helsing is it, it presents a red herring, um, in the sense that it's like, oh, we all think. [00:19:00] That we're gonna find out vampires are responsible for all of these deaths. Um, like, I don't know, like, and I, and I can kind of slow burn the, you know, the reveal of vampires in general and, and, and how they end up not actually being the antagonists in this By, by which is So by borrowing, by borrowing his name and sharing his glory a little bit.Yeah.Jennie: Right. But back to Catherine, our, our mm-hmm. Mythical protagonist.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Same thing could happen there. Everybody thinks, oh, the vampires are back. Um, Catherine, you know, they, they keep happening around her. She's gotta figure it out. You know what I mean? So,Andrew: well, so, soJennie: isAndrew: Yeah,Jennie: no, go ahead.Andrew: The question, the question I, I think that I've been grappling a bit with too is do we exist in a world where.Is, does the novel, does the world of the novel, a place where people [00:20:00] have recognized the efforts of Van Helsing and that vampires exist? Is that, is that common knowledge in this world, or is all of that still unknown to folks?Jennie: Okay, this. Is the piece that I've been missing.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: That's exactly the piece that I've been missing.That's totally it. That, so here, this is world building. If anybody's writing anything with magic, fantasy, sci-fi, even just straight up history, and maybe it's a retelling or a re um, imagining, you often know those, those questions for sure. And especially for where for. My understanding, I, I'm, like I said, I'm not a horror reader, but I do know a little bit about Dracula, but the, it was a, a sort of science versus, um, like science played a big role in that.What [00:21:00] can we know? Mm-hmm. What can we prove? What is, what is unknowable?Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Those sorts of things. Absolutely. So that, you've gotta know that here. Mm-hmm. Has it been proved? Is it. Accepted knowledge. Is Van Helsing a hero who's locked away in his lab continuing to, you know, with funding and whatever to research his thing?Or is he some. You know, recluse who was shamed in the public eye and people think he's crazy, like that's gonna color everything. Mm-hmm. Okay. And that's gonna be, that's gonna then be the answer I'm looking for. Like, why Adriana as our protagonist and not Catherine. Right. So she's gonna have that, you imagine her going to medical school with.Those two different stories behind her, how different it's [00:22:00] gonna be when she shows up in the classroom and people know, you know, or when they know who she is.Andrew: Right? Yeah.Jennie: So there, there's a real, the reveal to the reveal to the reader about her connection and who she is and then her, her reveal to the society she lives in about.Who she is and you know, the meaning she makes from all that you know, and did, no matter what you decide about Van Helsing, she then you have to all just also decide about her. Does she agree with the prevailing wisdom? If everybody thinks he's a hero, does she think he, he is too? Or does she think he's kind of whacked and then, um, learns otherwise or, you know, like the or, or the other wayAndrew: around?Jennie: Yeah. Or the other way around. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So yeah, this is the piece that's missing is I feel like you have, and this is what I felt the second I heard you talk about your story. I'm like, oh, this could be so [00:23:00] good. Like, this is so potent, but you're like, you're missing it. You're just, it's like it's, it's like it's not landing as as solid as it should, and I think this is why.Right. I had not been able to figure it out, but. And you have, so I gotta make sure I understand the character. So a Adriana's dad is the brother of Van Helsing.Andrew: Uh, they're not related in the original, in the original novel. They're, they're, uh, they're just friends. Okay. Okay. But they're, but they're clo Okay.They're, they're close friends. And because Van Helsing ultimately saved both of their lives, uh, he is kind of a, a, a surrogate uncle. So, uncle, uncle in quotation marks. Yeah,Jennie: yeah, yeah. Uncle is Is an honorific.Andrew: An honorific, exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Yep.Jennie: That confused me. Okay. So I thought that there was a direct lineage there.Andrew: Right.Jennie: But there's not No,Andrew: no genetic link. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:24:00]Jennie: But a link through. Her mother a link to Van Healthing Through the mother.Andrew: Yes.Jennie: Um, and, and what happened to her. So, okay. Yeah. We have to understand his role, who he is, what he's doing in the world, what people think of him. Mm-hmm. Um, and also this is important for.Just the environment of your story, because we've got this division, political division around the suffragette movement. Is there, is there o, are there other, um, like, I wanna say mood, like what's the mood of the place where she's, this story's taking place? Is it, you know, a creeping sense of doom on many levels?Uh, is the do the vampire, like, is the fact, oh, maybe the vampires are [00:25:00] back. Does that make sense for the times? Um, like you and I are talking right now in 2026, um, during very extreme political upheaval and also during the time when there's this been this kidnapping of this prominent. Um, media personalities, family member that hasn't been solved.And there's this sense like, well of course this is happening now. Like this, you know, is there a weird, are we gonna have a, um, famous serial killer? Story unfolding in our time. Right. Like, that's what I keep thinking, right? Like there's a sense of, of course these things are going to start happening now ‘cause things are, feel so unstable and unsettled.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Is that what's going on there? [00:26:00]Andrew: I mean, I think potentially yes. I, I've, because yeah, I feel like this, it, it, it, it was an unsettled moment politically. And also a little bit medically as they as like the medical establishment is transitioning from miasma theory to germ theory. And that was kind of late, late, uh, 19th century, early 20th century.But like there's, there's kind of been a, a paradigm shift there. So I think, I feel like yeah, there does wanna be, as you were saying, kind of like this constant, creepy. Creepy feeling. Yeah. I'm like, I'm like to lean into the gothic, like I thought, like, I really want that to pervade every, every chapter, every page.I want that kind of like creeping sensation that that doom is around the corner. Um, that, thatJennie: Right. And doom for many sources. Right. Because I think that that's kind of one of your points.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Is well, what I'm going back to what [00:27:00] the point, point was. The point we're kind of, um. Leaning toward is people who review, refuse to evolve.When the world demands, it can become monsters. So the world is evolving in many different ways and probably getting the opportunity for a lot of different people to have to evolve in a lot of different ways. It's not just one way. It's not just like, oh, get on this bus, or you're missing. Get on, you know, what's the metaphor?Like you'll miss the boat if you don't get on the boat. But it feels like there's all kinds of boats one, one might miss here, right? Um, I think so. And so that's that. Yeah. Okay, so, so in terms of what to do next, I think your, your homework here is you've gotta get to know Van Haling. Yeah. And the, and the world a little bit better.So I would do some character [00:28:00] development work on, on him and what the world thinks of him and what a Brianna's stepping into the, the light by. Insisting on going to medical school does to Van Haling. Does it delight him? Does it challenge him? Does it, um, you know, what does he think of that? I think that's important.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um, to know too.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um,Andrew: a couple, a couple of things that are occurring to me. I think I had taken for granted the reader's knowledge of the events of Dracula, and I don't think I can do that. I think I need to. To develop these characters for my own, as you're saying, I, I gotta, I have to develop Van Van Hels, the Van Helsing character.I have to develop him for, for my own purposes for this novel. Um, which makes a lot of sense.Jennie: Well, that's actually a really good question. You defined your ideal reader in a way that I thought was. [00:29:00] Completely delightful. Like she was so fleshed out. She felt like a, a full on character and I was like, oh, I know that.I know that woman. I loved it. It was great. But an important piece you missed in that is you said that she enjoys books about. London, the city and maybe some horror and gothic, but what is her relationship to Dracula, your ideal reader? You need to know that.Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.Jennie: My, you know, this is what's funny sometimes about being a book coach is I always say that the, the writers, the god of their own story, I can't possibly know everything that the writer knows about what they're writing about, what they've read, what they've thought, how they've lived, any of it.And, and in this particular case, I don't read. I don't read horror. I, I, I could barely tell you the, the bear outlines of Dracula if, if press, [00:30:00] um, I mean, I know the, you know, cartoon, the cartoon version. I, I, I could tell you a little more about Frankenstein only because I, against my will, watched the recent, um.Retelling.Andrew: Oh yeah. I haven't actually seen that yet.Jennie: So I say against my will because I was like, oh my gosh, this is too much for me. But um, you need to know if, so here's a perfect, let me finish my sentence. You need to know if your reader is a fan, is a reader, is a immersed in the gothic world, is gonna know all these things.Know all the tropes and know all the connections or not. And the, um, perfect example of that is, remember that book, um, pride and Prejudice and Zombies?Andrew: Yes.Jennie: So that appeal to people who love Jane Austen.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Like, you're probably not gonna read that book if you're not a Jane Austen [00:31:00] fan, but if you are a Jane Austen fan, you're, you cannot wait to get your hands on that.And. Also probably if you're a zombie horror fan, you know, you would delight in that even if you didn't understand the depths of the Jane Austen piece. But that book spoke to such a very particular audience that turned out to be a massive audience. Right, right. So, yeah,Andrew: yeah, yeah.Jennie: You know, I think you need to make a decision.Are you writing for someone like me who's, who's like, I don't know, like I think when I first read it, I was like. Who's Ben Sing? And you're like, he's the famous guy from the thing, right? So are you writing for someone like me or does your, a avatar, your ideal reader hear, you know, does she watch the movie?Does she, does she read the books? Does she gobble that stuff up?Andrew: Right? Yeah.Jennie: What, what is your instinct right now?Andrew: Singling out one or the other is going to, is going to change [00:32:00] how I write the book. Um. What is my instinct? Uh, I dunno. When I think about the character that I, that the character of the reader that I fleshed out in the blueprint, um,Jennie: yeah,Andrew: I don't think she necessarily would have read Dracula.She might be familiar with the story, but she might not have, um, uh, have read, uh, Dracula itself.Jennie: Okay. So yeah, let's get to, let's get really clear on that. Mm-hmm. Because it's gonna really change. And for those listening. The ideal reader. Oftentimes people think it's just a throwaway part of the blueprint because they kind of can just picture, you know, generally who their reader is.I mean, first of all, no part of the blueprint is the throwaway. Uh, something really important can come from any one of these. So really go back to your ideal reader. And think about them in relationship to their story. ‘cause this [00:33:00] conversation reveals how drastically you would change the writing of this book, depending on your ideal reader's relationship to the, to Dracula.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: And, and there's no right answer. Either answer's. Great. Right. So, um, so that's, I just put that on the list of, of things too, um, that you're gonna be thinking about. Um. So once you get that, so yeah, the understanding of of Van Healthy's re reputation in the universe right now is going to be the way that you bring your reader up to speed a little bit.Right? Like famous Vampire Hunter still doing his thing or, or. Famous vampire hunter, you know, shamed and, uh, not doing his thing. Um, that's, those are gonna tie [00:34:00] together,Andrew: right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.Jennie: And cement down the world that we're coming into, um, more.Andrew: Absolutely. No, I can, I can see how that will change things.Yeah.Jennie: Okay. So, um. We're not gonna have time to dig, to dig into this yet, but I just wanna touch on it so that, um, when you're doing this work, you can be thinking about, um, thinking about this piece, but the, um, there's a cause and effect trajectory that's obviously what the inside outline is. And at some really key places in yours, you miss an opportunity to to tie in.So we always want our protagonist to have agency to be making the [00:35:00] decisions that cause things to get worse or cause them to be in a worse position or, um, and, and there's several places in your inside outline where. Things just sort of happen, which is the plot, and then she sort of happens to be there.But if you understand better these parts of her and her connection to this, uh, the not her uncle now, uh, her, this guy, uh, and her connection to what's happened with her mother and those things, then we wanna use that to push the story. To push the, so the plot has to serve the story. So the things that happen are gonna push your character in ways they don't wanna be pushed to make decisions that are gonna then push them further and, and they're gonna get deeper and deeper each time.And [00:36:00] you have a murder mystery. So each murder, we wanna feel more and more as if. She is boxing herself in by what she does. By what she thinks. By what she believes, by what she wants. And the, the CLO is gonna squeeze her to the point where she asks to make a, a big decision, you know, comes, that's the climax, comes to that like, will I, in this case, um, confront.Uh, both the murderer and her father is kind of where it all ends, so,Andrew: yeah. Yeah.Jennie: You know, it's not gonna be just like, and now we arrive at a place where she confronts the people. It's gotta be like. Gut wrenching along the way. Right,Andrew: right.Jennie: So, um, there's a lot to say there, and I made some comments on the outline, which, which you'll see [00:37:00] sort of my thoughts and thinking there, but I actually think that this conversation we've had is gonna be the solution because the, the big question I had was, is it coincidental that Adriana is.These murders are sort of following her around and people think that it, she might be responsible. Is that coincidental or is there something real there? Yeah. Do you know the answer or not?Andrew: I, I, I'm, I've been thinking about that and I think there are ways that it's not entirely coincidental. I mean, obviously she's not causing the murders, but I think, I think yes, I think there are things that she does that prompts these.That prompts these women to become targets of the murderer.Jennie: That's what I hoped you were gonna say. Yeah, because that's what's gonna, that's like, it's, I think this was on the page and maybe you didn't realize it, but. [00:38:00] Being friends with Adriana is a little dangerous,right?Andrew: Yes. Yes. I think that could be, that could definitely be part of the part, part of the, part of the theme there. Yeah.Jennie: So that, that shouldn't, that shouldn't be coincidental. Well, and this is what's so, so great about the blueprint and showing it to a critique partner or a writing group or an editor or a book coach, is.Somebody else can say, do you see that you're doing this thing that's actually really cool? Or do you, do you see that you're not doing this? Like it's things are just revealed. So,Andrew: yeah. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.Jennie: So let's just wrap this up. Your next iteration, you're gonna work on sharpening your point. You're gonna work on sharpening the super simple story so that the Dracula connection is clear.Dracula connection to your [00:39:00] protagonist is, is more clear and you're gonna under in order to do that. You're gonna understand then Helsing, the world that we live in and what his relationship of that world is 20 years after Dracula. What, what is happening with him? What is happening with the world? And and that's gonna help inform the connection between your.Protagonist in these things. And then I think you already answered the ideal reader, but just make sure that you're comfortable with that, that she's not a super fan. This is not a insider. Um, folks who know and love and read Dracula, it's, it's more someone like me. He was a little clueless. And then if you have time to dig into.How that all plays out in the cause and effect of the inside outline. That's, that's where I would go. [00:40:00] So it's, um, I had an agent, my first agent, way back in the day, used to say, run it through the typewriter one more time because we were actually writing on typewriter. Yeah. Right. Back in the day. And, uh, that's kind of what I feel, you know, with these ideas in mind, like, run it all through one more time and let, let it all flow through One more time.Um, and we'll see where it goes.Andrew: Excellent. No, this sounds good. This is, this is some good homework. I'm looking forward to, to digging into this now.Jennie: I know. I can't wait to see too, and I hope our listeners have enjoyed, uh, going along on this conversation and gotten some inspiration for what, how to pressure test your own, uh, blueprint.And if you're not doing the blueprint. Uh, also fine, but pressure test what you're writing. Uh, this is just a tool for doing that, but there's this kind of questioning and making sure that things are not [00:41:00] assumed. That's, that's the key, right? It's that you, you sort of make these assumptions, but we have to articulate them and pin them down so that we can use them to make a much better story.Well, thank you Andrew. Really thank you for being willing to, uh, expose yourself in this way. Come out from behind the mic, uh, share your journey. It's not easy to do that, and I appreciate it.Andrew: Well, it's, it's fun. Thank you for pushing me outside my comfort zone. Uh, I've really enjoyed this.Jennie: I have too. So, uh, for our list.Thanks for joining in. Now let's get back to work.Outro: The hashtag am writing podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone [00:42:00] deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

In this Hot Seat Coaching episode, Lori guides Alyson Williams through a series of coaching strategies designed to help midlife women business owners get clearer, more confident, and more visible. Alyson brings the same challenges so many entrepreneurs face - hesitation to be seen, uncertainty around messaging, and bouncing between systems - and Lori coaches her through practical, doable solutions. During the session, Lori helps Alyson shift her website and social messaging from "all about me" to speaking directly to the symptoms her ideal clients actually feel. She also walks her through simple list-building ideas, using testimonials more strategically, and creating an easy lead magnet without tech overwhelm. If you've ever struggled with what to say, how to say it, or how to show up consistently, this coaching session will give you clear takeaways and a behind-the-scenes look at how Lori helps business owners move forward with clarity and confidence. In this episode, Lori coaches Alyson through: Shifting her messaging from "here's who I am" to speaking directly to the symptoms her audience actually feels Simplifying visibility and social media by focusing on clarity, not perfection Creating easy list-building tools like lead magnets and testimonial-driven content without tech overwhelm Ready to get support for your own business messaging and visibility? Apply for Lori's hot seat coaching at MyCoachLori.com.  

In this special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I equip them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: Working out your core message and mining for the idea that you uniquely have to share How to use your voice in a way that helps others rather than shames them Crafting a companion talk for your book and why it shouldn't sound exactly like your book Identifying the audience that needs to hear your talk, and seeing how it might be broader than you think More from Tricia  Unlock your potential and grow your speaking business during The Art of The Big Talk, my LIVE Two-Day Virtual Masterclass Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com

In this Hot Seat Coaching episode of the Midlife Business Academy, Lori talks with Dr. Adriana Krywiat, former foot and ankle surgeon turned functional medicine and emotional root-cause specialist. Adriana shares how she moved from Western medicine into functional medicine, and then into deep emotional work that ties together health, money, and relationships. They explore the type of client Adriana works best with: driven, intuitive business people - often men and high-achieving women - who are outwardly successful but feel stuck, stressed, and under constant pressure. Lori helps her clarify who she does not work with as well, including those only seeking lab-driven hormone fixes without touching emotions. Together they discuss Adriana's four-step Ripple Effect Process: identifying hidden resistance, clearing it through a guided process, energetic "sweeping" work, and creating a personalized action plan. Lori then shows how this framework can drive all of Adriana's marketing, from social media content to simple, video-based lead magnets and stronger calls to action. If you're a midlife entrepreneur who feels like you are doing all the right things but still not seeing results - and your stress is leaking into your health and relationships - this conversation gives you both language and structure for what might really be going on under the surface. Key takeaways: Why health, money, relationships, and business are deeply connected at the emotional level The common symptoms of Adriana's ideal clients: stress, overwhelm, stomach issues, pressure to "hold everything up," and turning to alcohol or other coping mechanisms How to narrow an ideal client without excluding others who resonate with the message The four-step Ripple Effect Process and how it creates change across every area of life How to turn a transformation framework into social media content, calls to action, and a simple video-based lead magnet Why marketing to the symptoms of the problem helps prospects recognize themselves faster If you want coaching on your own messaging, marketing, or hot seat around your business, apply for a Hot Seat Coaching session with Lori at MyCoachLori.com

In this special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I equip them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: Why being nervous is actually a good thing Identifying what you're really good at, so you can turn it into your big talk idea How to make your audience feel valued and seen  Breaking down why your idea is important, why it's important to you, and why it's important to the world (because, yes, these can be different and they all matter) More from Tricia  Go from idea to stage-ready inside The Big Talk Academy Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com

Check out the Attraction by Design Method (my 6 month signature 1:1 program) here: ⁠https://www.goddessbrandco.com/private-coaching⁠--------Ever wondered what it's like to get coached by me?In today's episode, you get a taste. Tune in to hear me coach a handful of women who joined my free live 3-day training, Booked, Banked, & Unbothered. You can pick up insights from the questions answered & apply them to your own business.Warning - everyone asked for spicy, brutal honesty from me & that's exactly what I delivered. ;) Topics covered: Tweaks to make your content 5x juicier to your ideal clientsHow to clearly articulate your work when you "do so much' & “could help everyone” The sneaky reasons you feel chronically confused (hint: you're secretly afraid of growth & visibility) What's truly blocking you from attracting high-caliber clients ----------ADDITIONAL LINKS:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow me on IG (@iamkristenlynch)

When your business feels heavy and overwhelming, sometimes the answer isn't working harder — it's simplifying. In this Hot Seat Coaching session, Lori Lyons sits down with Jennie Hays of Beyond Mindset Coaching to uncover what's really keeping her business from growing. Jennie blends the emerging modality of brain spotting with practical business coaching to help entrepreneurs move past procrastination, perfectionism, and self-doubt. But as Lori highlights, the real challenge isn't the method - it's the message. Together, they unpack how to focus on symptoms, streamline a website, and build trust with the right clients. You'll hear a candid conversation about money pressures, networking challenges, and how to reframe your business messaging so that potential clients instantly recognize themselves in your story. If you've ever struggled with imposter syndrome or felt like your website was doing "too much," this episode will help you rewire both your mindset and your marketing. Takeaways: Why symptoms resonate more than modalities when attracting clients How to simplify your website for clarity and conversions The dangers of too many freebies and too much copy The power of a strong story and personal presence Reframing procrastination and perfectionism as solvable problems Ready for your own hot seat? Apply at MyCoachLori.com. Listen now and start turning your clients' words into your business's most persuasive marketing tool. Let's turn clarity into clients - schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint Call today.  

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I equip them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: How to use storytelling to get people to lean in and take action Feeling confident in your keynote and understanding who needs it Streamlining and shortening your title talk so it is clear and powerful Finding your specific message and landing on your big idea   More from Tricia  Unlock your potential and grow your speaking business during The Art of The Big Talk, my LIVE Two-Day Virtual Masterclass Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com

In this live Coaching episode, Lori sits down with long-time friend and EFT practitioner Cyrus Bush for a laser-focused coaching session. Cyrus, a retired hospital chaplain turned mindset coach, has been helping people release limiting beliefs and negative self-talk through Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) since 2018. But like so many midlife entrepreneurs, he's navigating the challenges of showing up online, staying consistent, and quieting the inner voice of “not good enough.” Join us as Lori helps Cyrus reframe his approach to business growth - without the hustle-and-grind mentality that doesn't fit in midlife. This session is full of actionable insights that apply to any entrepreneur wrestling with visibility, confidence, and finding the right balance between business and lifestyle. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why every business owner - even the big names - wrestles with self-doubt, and how to move past it. The importance of clear calls to action so people know how to work with you. A simple way to build consistency online without burning out. How to create content themes that make posting easier and more sustainable. Why repetition in marketing isn't a weakness - it's how people finally start to pay attention. How Cyrus can position EFT as both a science-based and energetic practice to stand out online. This is a behind-the-scenes peek at the kind of coaching Lori offers midlife entrepreneurs - blending strategy, mindset, and practical marketing to help you build a business that fits your life, not the other way around.

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I equip them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in this episode.    During this coaching, we explore:   Determining who your audience is and where you can best serve people Doing the work that truly lights you up and following your passion Painting a picture for your audience that allows them to connect with what you're saying  Being fully memorized so that you are also free to play when you speak   More from Tricia  Go from idea to stage-ready inside The Big Talk Academy Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com

If you've ever wondered what types of intuitive eating, health and body image conversations are happening behind-the-scenes inside my coaching programs, this episode is literally going to allow you to listen in!   What you're about to hear is me putting 4 members of my Intuitive Eating Made Easy Facebook community in the “Hot Seat” and coaching them through their questions, as if they were my private client sitting right in front of me.    If you've been thinking about hiring me or joining us inside Non-Diet Academy, this is where you're going to get a taste of what it's like so that you can hear with your own ears the power of being in a group coaching program where you not only get the benefit of being coached yourself and being guided through your own struggles, but you also get to reap the benefits of others' work too!    I honestly think you're bonkers if you don't want to get inside this program right now, because I know in my soul that it could 10x your progress and help you to have more peace and freedom with food, your body and your health than you can even imagine - before the holidays even hit this year!!   Episode Highlights  

In this special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: How to keep your audience engaged and focused during an hour-long talk What happens at an event when there are too many speakers, and how to help your audience move past speaker fatigue  Being humble while also sharing extraordinary facts and accomplishments  Opening your talk with a powerful story that will immediately pull in your audience More from Tricia  Publish your book with The Big Talk Press Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

Hot Seat Coaching: Breaking Free From “Better, But Not Free”In this month's Hot Seat Coaching session, I had the honour of supporting one of our queens, Kerry, as she bravely shared where she feels stuck in her recovery journey.She's weight-restored, she's come so far, and life is so much better than it was — yet she still feels held back by fear of further weight gain, family conditioning, and old stories from childhood. Sound familiar?This conversation is such a powerful reminder that:✨ “Better” is not the same as free✨ Our fears are often inherited, not our truth✨ It's possible to love your parents AND break free from their beliefs✨ Inner child work is key to moving forward✨ You don't have to settle for “good enough” — you get to have true freedom

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   How to create a keynote talk that is the perfect companion to your book Getting your audience to see themselves in what your speaking about and take action Knowing when or if you should use humor in your talk Believing you're good enough to book big stages as a new speaker More from Tricia  Go from idea to stage-ready during 12 weeks with me inside The Big Talk Academy Founder Edition Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: Narrowing down your ideas to one provocative topic for your big talk Viewing new experiences not as a chance to fail or something to be afraid of, but as an experiment that can lead to growth and learning Acknowledging your desire to speak on big stages, write a book, or whatever you are being called to do Uncovering what about your idea is most deeply resonating with you More from Tricia  Join my signature speaker certification program, The Big Talk Academy Join me LIVE for my Free Monthly Workshop Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

2 đoạn Hot Seat Coaching từ The Chosen Code - những giây phút bạn đánh rớt Giá Trị Bản Thân đã xây dựng bấy lâu.Tình huống 1: Cô gái mang giấc mơ khởi nghiệp, nhưng người chồng – người cô tin tưởng nhất – lại "dội gáo nước lạnh". Cô bối rối giữa khát khao và sự hoài nghi, chưa biết làm sao để đứng vững trước ước mơ của chính mình.Tình huống 2: Cô gái xinh đẹp, tự tin khi độc lập, bỗng chốc mất phương hướng khi chàng trai giàu có nói thẳng: “Em ngoan quá. Em chưa đủ sâu để hiểu được anh.”

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages. And that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore: How to give your audience a high-quality experience when speaking virtually Awakening to what is possible for you and your life The importance of memorization and how to do it Developing the topic for your big talk   More from Tricia  Unlock your potential and grow your speaking business during The Art of The Big Talk, my LIVE Two-Day Virtual Masterclass Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

As we're going into the summer it's a great time to dedicate some time to refreshing and reviving your finances for the rest of the year ahead.   Listen in for some simple ways to breathe some new life into your financial situation just in time for the fun of summer! (Or anytime of year!) Join the GROW Coaching Collective for a Summer of HOT Seat Coaching! GROW Community

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages.   One way I do this is through 1:1 live coaching and direction from me, and that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   How to answer questions on the fly and stay in the moment Setting yourself up for success before speaking or serving on a panel at an event How to feel confident that your message is important enough for a big stage Bringing together multiple ideas into one big, impactful talk More from Tricia  Unlock your potential and grow your speaking business during The Art of The Big Talk, my LIVE Two-Day Virtual Masterclass Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages.   One way I do this is through 1:1 live coaching and direction from me, and that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   How to reach people through credibility, relatability, and vulnerability Sharing emotionally without becoming emotional on stage Finding your big idea and knowing you are the person to talk about it Giving voice to forgotten stories and history  More from Tricia  Unlock your potential and grow your speaking business during The Art of The Big Talk, my LIVE Two-Day Virtual Masterclass Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

Ever feel like you're stuck in the swirl—pulled in different directions, overwhelmed by decisions, and unsure what God is actually saying? You're not alone. In this raw and real hot seat coaching session inside Courage Co., we walk through exactly how to find peace, clarity, and direction in the midst of chaos and confusion. You'll hear how to tune out the noise, silence fear, and align with the still, small voice of God—even when everything around you feels uncertain.

FULL SHOW NOTES: https://www.haileyrowe.com/visibilityJoin my free Facebook community for business support & to connect with other health coaches: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themarketinghubgroup/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/haileyrowecoachInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/hailey_roweTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/hailey_rowe

You need to be at the Your First $25K Corporate Offer Summit: www.speakyourwaytocashsummit.com In this episode, Ashley Kirkwood sits down with Carolee Drummond, CEO of the Podcast Pitching Society, to reveal how underrepresented experts can leverage podcasts for massive visibility, more leads, and higher revenue.

Listen in as Brandi Clark coaches and Bri Scully in a candid conversation about the struggles that many business owners face, particularly those in the fitness industry. Brie opens up about her journey — from the inception of her business to the emotional and logistical challenges that came with motherhood and transitioning to her new business focus. Throughout this episode, Brandi emphasizes the importance of personal mindset in business success. She probes Bri into what it truly means to her to face potential rejection or disappointment in her business. As the conversation unfolds, listeners will find themselves reflecting on their own mental barriers and how these often unspoken fears can hinder their growth. Brandi encourages Bri to confront the fear of failure and recognize that the journey to success is paved with challenges that are both internal and external. Listeners will walk away with vital takeaways, particularly around the significance of effective client communication, personal narrative in marketing, and transforming mindset issues into a powerful source for personal growth. As Brie embarks on her journey toward re-establishing her business goals and creating impactful services for her clients, her story will likely inspire many to dig deep and cultivate the resilience needed for success. As you tune in, prepare to gain valuable insights not just into enhancing client engagement and program structuring, but also into the crucial self-reflection that can lead to real transformation in both business and personal life. . And when your ready, here's how I can help:   30 Ways to Make $500 In Your Fitness Business By Next Week: https://beyondthesetsandreps.com/30-ways   90 Days Of Social Media Content For The Fitness Professional:   https://beyondthesetsandreps.com/90-days Join our Facebook Group Successful Online Fit-Pro's where you will find a tribe of fabulous fitness trainers, done-for-you weekly content ideas, ways to start making money TODAY, content rewrites and much more: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fitprohangout

Struggling to attract new clients? Worried about sounding pushy? Feeling like your message is getting lost in the noise? In this hot seat coaching session, I work with Maite, a 3/5 Sacral Generator, who wants to scale her brand and fill her group coaching offer. She's learning to use her Wealth Codes to connect with a colder audience, with ease and authenticity.   ✨ Listen in to learn: ✔ How to build sales confidence using your Wealth Codes ✔ The best marketing strategies to attract a colder audience ✔ The platforms I recommend for reaching new clients ✔ How to craft a magnetic message that sells effortlessly   ✨If you're ready to expand your reach and attract aligned clients, hit play now!  If you've been struggling to expand your reach and sign more clients, don't skip this one!    Press play now and let's get you aligned with your next level of success!    Love this episode? Leave a review! ⭐️     WEALTHY & ALIGNED OFFERS Apply to Work with Danielle Join The Alignment Academy Today Grab Your Free Human Design Chart & Guide     SOCIAL Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok

The Online Business Academy for Podcasters is the program I use to help podcasters build their foundation for a six figure online business. https://www.podcastingbusiness.school/academy  

Hot Seat Coaching is back!  If you are struggling to stay consistent with your marketing, attract aligned clients, and sell with ease, press play!  In this episode of the Wealthy and Aligned podcast, I sit down with Jen, a 6/2 Sacral Generator, for a hot seat coaching session to help her unlock her Wealth Code blueprint and build a business that feels effortless. Jen has a passion for health and wellness but, like many entrepreneurs, finds herself distracted by social media, overwhelmed by marketing, and questioning her ability to follow through. Using her Human Design and Gene Keys, I help Jen understand how her Sun Gate 19 is the key to building a magnetic brand, attracting clients, and making more sales—without the hustle. In this episode, you'll learn: How to stay consistent in marketing when distractions pull you off course Why your Sun Gate holds the key to natural attraction marketing The power of a selfish ‘why' in building a profitable personal brand How open centers in Human Design can cause overwhelm—and what to do about it My top marketing recommendation to help Jen gain clarity and confidence How to use your Wealth Code blueprint to attract high-paying clients

In this New Year update of The Encore Entrepreneur Podcast, Lori Lyons announces exciting changes aimed at better serving midlife and encore entrepreneurs. The podcast will shift from an interview-based format to a more educational approach, featuring hot seat sessions, coaching, and audits. Lori introduces the Midlife Business Academy (MBA) to help entrepreneurs navigate midlife business challenges. She emphasizes building a supportive community and invites listener engagement through feedback and topic suggestions. The goal is to provide actionable strategies, inspiration, and a stronger sense of community for entrepreneurs over a certain age. Resources: Are you frustrated that your business isn't growing? "Messy to Magnetic: Unlocking the Secret to Effective Marketing" is a free course that goes over the top 10 mistakes small business owners make with attracting their ideal client and converting those clients to leads. Click here for your free gift!  Join Lori's private Facebook group - Make Your Marketing Simple. Lori interviews her guests in the group (giving you advance listening!) and has a community of small business owners just like yourself to connect and grow their businesses.  Join now!  Schedule a Website Biz Accelerator call. Answer just a few questions and Lori will audit your website for the ONE biggest change you can make to your site to get more clients.  Schedule here!  Connect with Lori

Today, we are back with the incredible Kristin Sweeting joining us to lead hot seat coaching, and our guest in the hot seat this week is Emily Murdock. This is part 2 from last week's episode - don't miss part 1 from last week featuring Anna Dobrovolskaia. Emily has been in the industry for 17 years and has navigated some big changes in her business, including quadrupling her prices in 2022. Emily is getting real about the challenges and wins of that transition, and Kristin is providing her with some amazing insights and actionable advice. In this episode, we're talking about: outsourcing and streamlining her workflow revamping her marketing and website strategizing her pricing structure and client experience and so much more! Connect with Kristin: https://dangerschool.com/ Connect with Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilymurdockphotography Connect with TMA: Website | Membership | Courses: www.themotherhoodanthology.com Free Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themotherhoodanthology  Our Instagram: instagram.com/themotherhoodanthology Connect with Kim: Site: https://kimbox.com  IG https://www.instagram.com/kimbox 

This week, TMA community mentor Kristin Sweeting led an amazing "hot seat" coaching session with two of our talented members. In today's episode, we're giving you a behind-the-scenes look at part of this hot seat coaching call featuring our member, Anna Dobrovolskaia. Anna is a photographer who recently made the big move from Shanghai to Richmond, Virginia, and she's been working hard to build up her business in her new city. In this hot seat coaching episode, she opens up about the challenges she's faced with pricing - wanting to charge what she's worth, but also afraid of losing clients in the process. Kristin provides such thoughtful guidance, encouraging Anna to really own the value she brings and find creative ways to communicate that to potential clients. We also got a sneak peek at what's to come: next week, we'll be featuring another preview of the hot seat coaching that takes place in the membership. This time, Kristin is coaching Emily Murdock in the hot seat, so stay tuned for part 2 next week! Connect with Kristin: https://dangerschool.com/ Connect with Anna: https://annadobrovolskaiaph.com/ Connect with TMA: Website | Membership | Courses: www.themotherhoodanthology.com Free Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/themotherhoodanthology  Our Instagram: instagram.com/themotherhoodanthology Connect with Kim: Site: https://kimbox.com  IG https://www.instagram.com/kimbox 

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive, meticulously crafted systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages.   One way I do this is through 1:1 live coaching and direction from me, and that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   The different versions of talks and how to choose the one that's right for you  The structure of a keynote talk and what you need to include How to make your talk appealing to event organizers Knowing which part of your story to share in your talk More from Tricia    Apply to publish your book with The Big Talk Press  Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

Step Into the Hot Seat: Personalized Coaching for Breakthroughs! Experience targeted, real-time coaching in this exclusive Hot Seat session. Tackle your biggest challenges head-on and walk away with clear, actionable steps for transformation. This is your chance to experience deep personal growth and spiritual alignment.  Make sure to join www.courageco.org so that you'll be the first to know about our next live hot seat coaching session! Become a God's Vibes Insider HERE: https://bit.ly/VibesInsider    xo/Juliana   COURAGE CO. INNER CIRCLE: For Driven Believers Ready to Elevate Their Calling You've done the self-help. You've chased the success. Now it's time to step into God's higher purpose for your life. The VIP Inner Circle is for faith-driven high achievers who are ready to stop striving in their own strength and start walking in Spirit-led success. GET ON THE WAITLIST HERE: https://julianapage.co/innercircle   PROPHETIC TRAINING Unlock the power of prophecy with our Monthly Prophetic Training! Develop discernment, practical techniques, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Join a community of like-minded individuals and grow in your prophetic gifting. ENROLL NOW: https://julianapage.co/propheticmonthly   Book a 1-hour Breakthrough Coaching Session! These sessions are special! No long waitlist, no discovery calls, no back and forth emails, just you breaking through! Book HERE: https://calendly.com/julianapagecall/1hr   COURAGE CO. & MORE:

This episode is an EXCLUSIVE Q&A within the pop-up Facebook group that I hosted for small business owners after my LIVE training on How to Create a THRIVING Product Business WITHOUT Relying on Markets. Here are some of the amazing questions small business owners submitted that were answered during this hot seat Q&A for you to learn from, too:WHOLESALE- How do you grow your wholesale business?- How do you get your products into local stores?- Is it possible to reach your goals without wholesale? All my items are hand made and uniqueBRANDING- What if it your branding has already been done by a professional? How do you know if that is good enough?- How do you increase brand awareness and lead conversion in a saturated and noisy online market?SOCIAL MEDIA- Does growing on social media mean going live on social media?- Is there a correlation between IG following and sales? How do I know how many more I need?- How do you get followers on instagram?- How do you encourage people to share your site so you can potentially reach more people who appreciate your mission statement and product, resulting in increased sales?- As an introvert how do you do social media videos without showing your face to gain followers and have people trust your brand?OTHER PLATFORMS- Do you still recommend Etsy? Are there any other platforms aside from Etsy? Is it ok to like only put certain products on Etsy?- Do you suggest selling handmade goods on Amazon? Is it worth it?ADS- How do I use Google and Facebook ads efficiently and cost effectively?WEBSITE- Is there a way to get consistent traffic to my website without having to rely on social media?- How do I start an email list? I know I should send out emails. But who to?- How do you drive consistent traffic to your site?- How to increase conversion for those who do visit your site?To join Product Biz Academy before doors close on Thursday, October 24th at midnight Pacific, enroll at: www.monicalittlecoaching.com/specialoffer

Is pursuing multiple income streams distracting you from reaching your ultimate business potential?In this episode of Crafted Entrepreneur, I sit down with Tiffany Welsh, a successful business owner on Cape Cod, who seeks guidance on creating additional income streams alongside her construction business. Tiffany opens up about the challenges of managing a thriving business while exploring new passions, and together, we dive into the idea of turning distractions into a laser-focused strategy for scaling.Throughout this powerful Hot Seat Coaching session, we explore the mindset and steps needed to take a business from millions to tens of millions in revenue. We discuss the value of focusing on what works, overcoming distractions, and building a business that aligns with your larger vision and legacy.Episode HighlightsThe Power of Focus: Why focusing on scaling your primary business is more impactful than pursuing multiple side ventures.Mindset Shift: How to embody the mindset of the next-level version of yourself to reach your business goals.Building a Legacy: Creating a family business that not only supports your community but also provides long-term security.Attracting Top Talent: Strategies for creating a company culture that attracts and retains top talent, even in challenging markets.Planning for Growth: Why it's crucial to map out your business numbers and set milestones to reach your financial goals.Key Moments01:05 - 01:26: Introduction to Tiffany Welsh and the intention behind this hot seat coaching session.02:19 - 03:00: Tiffany's current success in the construction business and the desire for an additional income stream.03:21 - 03:55: The importance of focusing on scaling the existing business to $40 million and beyond.06:13 - 06:43: Envisioning a company culture that emphasizes leadership and personal development for employees.09:35 - 10:04: Setting up systems and support to attract top talent while scaling the business.14:57 - 15:29: Avoiding distractions by focusing on local growth and building a solid foundation before expanding globally.Links + Resources:Are you charging what you're worth? Grab my free Profit Accelerator Pack for Coaches and stop leaving money on the table.Discover Your True Desires: Get my book What Do You Really Want? to uncover the path to more abundance, meaning, and connection.Achieve Your Goals with Executive Coaching: Apply for personalized coaching and unlock your full potential with my executive coaching program.Maximize Your Impact with GameChangers: Increase your income, portfolio, and impact by joining GameChangers. Get started today!Stay Informed and Inspired: Stay up-to-date with all my latest insights, tips, and resources by visiting my site. Visit CaylaCraft.comFollow Cayla CraftInstagram | YouTube | TikTok | Facebook

Join me for the replay of an engaging IG Live to help you ⚡️ zap into alignment!! I also launch my signature 1:1 coaching program, Walk your Walk - learn more & enroll here https://bit.ly/WalkYourWalk Questions include • explain annual profections like I'm five • what's the astrology of your engagement?

Join me for the replay of an engaging IG Live to help you ⚡️ zap into alignment!! I also launch my signature 1:1 coaching program, ⁠Walk your Walk - learn more & enroll here https://bit.ly/WalkYourWalk ⁠ Questions include • explain annual profections like I'm five • what's the astrology of your engagement?

To reserve your spot and choose the training date that works best for you, head to coachesconsole.com/gettrainingAmy Hager delves into the art of hot-seat coaching, emphasizing autonomy, practice, and safe environments. Sharing insights from her business, Amy explains her "hottie seat" approach, ensuring participants feel confident and heard, while highlighting the power of community and conversation.Amy Hager is the co-founder of The Content Personality® Club and an organic-marketing mentor.In this episode Melinda and Amy talk about:The fundamentals of hot-seat coaching and its facilitation techniquesThe autonomy of coaching recipients to explore and reject ideasThe importance of practice for confident facilitation in hot-seat coachingApplying hot-seat coaching in various settings, including one-on-one, group, and online environmentsThe necessity of creating a safe environment for effective hot-seat coachingThe role of connection, one-on-one attention, and honest communication in creating a safe coaching environmentThe significance of making participants feel seen, heard, and held for deeper understanding and vulnerabilityA key mistake Amy made in a coaching session, emphasizing the importance of reading the room and maintaining emotional awareness of participants“Clarity comes from conversation. We get spun up in the words and ideas in our head when we try to do it in our own mind.” — Amy HagerGuest Bio:Amy Hager is an Organic Marketing Mentor and Co-Founder of The Content Personality® Club. She uses her years of experience and expertise to help service-based business owners around the world grow businesses they love at Joyful Business Revolution™. Amy's yoga instructor says she has lived 12 lives already because she has so many experiences. She has raced cars, been a radio DJ, built sales and marketing teams,, worked at a group home to support adults with mental illness, led a B&B association, started a youth group, and been a military spouse — just to name a few things.Her experiences help her relate and apply organic marketing strategies across many different industries by utilizing her background in marketing, communications, engagement, community development, and organizational growth.Resources or websites mentioned in this episode:MiraseeCoaches ConsoleMelinda's book: The Confident CoachAmy's website: JoyfulBusinessRevolution.comCredits:Host: Melinda CohanProducer and Editor: Michi LantzExecutive Producer: Danny InyMusic Soundscape: Chad Michael SnavelyMaking our hosts sound great: Home Brew AudioTo catch the great episodes that are coming up on Just Between Coaches, please follow us on Mirasee FM's YouTube channelor your favorite podcast player. And if you enjoyed the show, please leave us a comment or a starred review. It's the best way to help us get these ideas to more people.Music credits:Track Title: CloudsArtist Name: AcreageWriter Name: Marshall UsingerPublisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSTrack Title: Coastline DreamArtist Name: Wild SkyWriter Name: Adam SimonsPublisher Name: BOSS SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSTrack Title: Coo CoosArtist Name: Dresden, The FlamingoWriter Name: Matthew WigtonPublisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONTrack Title: Stars & TreesArtist Name: Outside The SkyWriter Name: Dustin RansomPublisher Name: A SOUNDSTRIPE PRODUCTIONSpecial effects credits:24990513_birds-chirping_by_promission used with permission of the author and under license by AudioJungle/Envato Market.Episode transcript: Mastering Hot-Seat Coaching (Amy Hager) coming soon.

Join host Kate as she guides a live hot seat coaching session with a summit attendee who's striving to balance her career passion with her roles as a mother and wife.In this insightful episode, you'll discover:The power of identifying your core values: Learn how to narrow down your annual intention by focusing on words like growth, alignment, and enough.Strategies for effective communication with your partner: Explore tools like "idea soup" to brainstorm solutions and align your priorities.Actionable tips for prioritizing your career and relationships: Gain practical advice for carving out time for both personal and professional fulfillment.If you're ready to unlock your own annual intention and create a life that feels aligned and fulfilling, don't miss this powerful episode!Ready to create a life you love? Join the Live by Design Collective and get 50% off your 1, 6, or 12-month membership with the code "goalswithsoul24". Visit https://mskatehouse.com/lbdcollective and start living your life by design today!---Photonic is your all-in-one SPF 30 Broad Spectrum Facial Sunscreen and Moisturizer. Perfect for every skin type—oily, acne-prone, sensitive, and everything in between. Photonic—where sun protection meets skin perfection. Visit Blissoma.com to get yours now! ---Ready to ditch the overwhelm and create a life that truly lights you up? ✨Join the FREE Goals with Soul Summit, starting July 22nd, and discover how to: Stop overthinking and start taking inspired action Release perfectionism and embrace the messy beauty of growth Ditch the overwhelm and create a sustainable path towards your dreams Implement small, soulful habits that bring you joy and results Shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance and possibility Imagine feeling empowered, focused, and excited about your future. Imagine waking up each day with a clear vision and a plan to make your dreams a reality! That's what the Goals with Soul Summit is all about. And it's waiting for you, friend! Grab your free ticket today to reserve your spot and join a community of incredible women who are ready to make this year their best one yet!⚡ www.goalswithsoulsummit.com ⚡

Join Kate House for an inspiring live coaching session from the Goals with Soul Summit! In this episode, witness Kate guide a participant through the process of turning her annual intention of "walking in confidence" into actionable quarterly goals and daily habits.This powerful coaching session explores:Identifying quarterly goals that support the annual intentionBreaking down goals into manageable daily and weekly habitsOvercoming emotional eating and prioritizing self-careUtilizing cues and habit stacking for successEmbracing imperfection and celebrating progress over perfectionGain valuable insights into setting and achieving your goals with soul, and learn how to create sustainable habits that nourish your mind, body, and spirit.Ready to transform your life and step into your most confident self? Join the Live By Design Collective for ongoing support and community. Use code "goalswithsoul24" at checkout for 50% off your 1, 6, or 12-month membership!---Photonic is your all-in-one SPF 30 Broad Spectrum Facial Sunscreen and Moisturizer. Perfect for every skin type—oily, acne-prone, sensitive, and everything in between. Photonic—where sun protection meets skin perfection. Visit Blissoma.com to get yours now! ---Ready to ditch the overwhelm and create a life that truly lights you up? ✨Join the FREE Goals with Soul Summit, starting July 22nd, and discover how to: Stop overthinking and start taking inspired action Release perfectionism and embrace the messy beauty of growth Ditch the overwhelm and create a sustainable path towards your dreams Implement small, soulful habits that bring you joy and results Shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance and possibility Imagine feeling empowered, focused, and excited about your future. Imagine waking up each day with a clear vision and a plan to make your dreams a reality! That's what the Goals with Soul Summit is all about. And it's waiting for you, friend! Grab your free ticket today to reserve your spot and join a community of incredible women who are ready to make this year their best one yet!⚡ www.goalswithsoulsummit.com ⚡

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive, meticulously-crafted systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages.   One way I do this is through 1:1 live coaching and direction from me, and that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   Why you can simultaneously love speaking and be terrified of what it requires How to articulate the vast knowledge and insights you have  Discovering what you should really be talking about Speaking on a topic that is deeply personal to you More from Tricia  Unlock your speaking potential inside The Big Talk Academy Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

In today's special bonus episode, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   During these done-with-you days, I support speakers and thought leaders in becoming laser-focused on their desires and ideas. I arm them with comprehensive, meticulously-crafted systems to skyrocket their impact and open doors to coveted stages.   One way I do this is through 1:1 live coaching and direction from me, and that's what you'll hear in today's episode.    In this episode, we'll explore:   Channeling during your talk instead of following a script and why I only recommend this to very select speakers Knowing who you are and speaking to the people who need to hear from you Creating curiosity by how you deliver your big talk Narrowing down your ideas and uncovering the talk you are supposed to give More from Tricia  Attend the upcoming Speakers Salon Showcase  Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com 

Today, I am taking you behind the scenes of The Art of The Big Talk, my live two-day virtual masterclass.   The aspiring speakers and thought leaders who attend this masterclass desire to take big stages for impact. During our two days together, I support them in taking steps toward those stages, including helping them clarify their big ideas.   One way I do this is through 1:1 hot seat coaching, where they can ask me their questions directly. You'll hear some of these hot seats in today's episode.    In these hot seats, we'll explore:   Condensing your experience and knowledge into a big idea Identifying the problem that your audience is having and finding what is unique about your idea Pitching and what to expect from video script submissions Sharing your story to help others on the same journey More from Tricia  Hear from inspiring speakers and thought-leaders at the BTA Virtual Showcase Explore my content and follow me on YouTube Follow me on Instagram  Connect with me on Facebook  Connect with me on LinkedIn  Visit my website at TriciaBrouk.com