Podcast appearances and mentions of jennie nash

Hi all, Jess here. This episode was Sarina's idea, and when you listen you will understand why. It can be hard to focus on the work, whether it's editing, world building, conjuring meet cutes, or translating research-based hope for the next generation. That said, it's important that we keep creating and putting our words out into the world. We hope you are able to keep working while navigating the a balance between consuming, processing, and reacting to the news cycle and shutting the world out in self preservation. Stuff we talked aboutWrite Through It: An Insider's Guide to Writing and the Creative Life by Kate McKeanKate Mckean's websiteWe Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter (release date August 12, 2025)The OpEd ProjectAuthors Against Book BansPossession by A.S. Byatt and the film I adore based on the bookA Complete Unknown filmHamilton, Non-Stop (“why does he write like he's running out of time?”)On Writing by Stephen KingAll In by Billie Jean KingPermission by Elissa AltmanMeditation for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanHEY. Did you know Sarina's latest thriller is out NOW? Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she's a mess. She knows that stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she's out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. Instead of catching her ex in a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder—and the primary suspect.Digital books at: Amazon | Nook | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Audible Physical books at: Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indigo | More paperback links here!New! Transcript below!EPISODE 448 - TRANSCRIPTKJ Dell'AntoniaListeners who I know are also readers. Have I got a summer book for you, if you haven't yet ordered Dying to Meet You. Sarina Bowen's latest thriller with just enough romance you have to so let me lay this out for you. Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high profile commission restoring a historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine, but inside, she's a mess. She knows stalking her exes avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup, but she's out of ice cream and she's sick of rom coms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating. He's dining out while she's wallowing on the couch. The last straw comes when he parks in their favorite spot on the waterfront. In a weak moment, she leashes the dog and sets off to see who else is in his car. But instead of catching her ex and a kiss, Rowan becomes the first witness to his murder and the primary suspect. But Rowan isn't the only one keeping secrets as she digs for the truth, she discovers that the dead man was stalking her too, gathering intimate details about her job and her past, struggling to clear her name, Rowan finds herself spiraling into the shadowy plot that killed him. Will she be the next to die? You're going to love this. I've had a sneak preview, and I think we all know that The Five Year Lie was among the very best reads and listens of last summer, Dying to Meet You, is available in every format and anywhere that you buy books and you could grab your copy, and you absolutely should…right now.All TalkingIs it recording? Now it's recording, yay, go ahead. This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone. Try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. All right, let's start over. Awkward pause. I'm gonna wrestle some papers. Okay, now, 123,KJ Dell'AntoniaHey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, and this is hashtag AmWriting podcast the weekly podcast about writing all the things, short things, long things, pitches, proposals, fiction, non fiction, memoir. This is the podcast about finding a way to get your work done, and that is sure what we're gonna talk about this week.Jess LaheyI'm Jess Lahey. I am the author of The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation and you can find my journalism over at The New York Times, Washington Post and The Atlantic.Sarina BowenI'm Sarina Bowen. I am the author of many contemporary novels, including Dying to Meet You, which is brand new right now. KJ Dell'AntoniaYay!Sarina BowenYay. Thank you.Jennie NashI'm Jennie Nash, I am the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry, and also the author of the Blueprint books, which help people get their books out of their head and onto the page.KJ Dell'AntoniaAnd also in your past life, the author of a lot of other books.Jennie NashI know indeed. KJ Dell'AntoniaI think it's worthy. I do. I'm KJ Dell'Antonia, I am KJ Dell'Antonia. I am the author of three novels and two non fiction books, and the former editor and lead writer of the mother lode blog at the New York Times. We have all had a number of careers. And the reason I brought that up, Jenny is that I was just interviewing Kate McKean, who has a new book about the mechanics. Like, it's a great book. It's called Write Through It, and it's sort of like everything we've ever talked about the podcast on the podcast, all the how to stuff all rolled up into one book, which is really cool. But I was telling her that I kind of have a unspoken motto of only taking writing advice from people who have not published a book, very judiciously. Now my freelance editor is not someone who has, or, I think I don't know if she even wants to publish a book, and she's amazing. So with with some thought, but my point being that you have also published many, many, many books. So if anyone out there hesitates around that don't, don't. Yeah, all right, that was a really lot of introductions. We got something to talk about today, and I'm going to demand that Sarina announce our topic, because she came up with it. Okay.Sarina BowenWell, my topic is how to be present and devote yourself to your writing in a world that is so loud and confusing and it feels like whatever you're working on can't possibly matter as much as what's going on in the world, and all my writer friends are struggling with this right now. Jess LaheyIt's, it's hard, especially when the work that I do, the work around like writing about kids and parenting and stuff, requires a fair amount of optimism and requires a fair amount of like, it's gonna be great, and here's what you have to do in order to make it be great. And it's really, it's been very hard for me lately to to be in that head space.Sarina BowenWell, Jess, I would argue that, like, at least you're literally helping people. And some of us are fighting meet cutes and first kisses. Jess LaheyOkay, you are no but you are so helping people, because over and over and over again, what I hear from your readers and from readers of happy kiss, he a and kissing books that they are the the self care and the reprieve that they really need.Sarina BowenOkay, you you just are. You just gave, like, the point, the point at the top of the notes that I made for this discussion, because people keep saying that to me, and they're not wrong. But for some reason, it hasn't been enough lately, and I, um, I was struggling to figure out why. And then over the last 48 hours, in a feverish rush, I read this Karin Slaughter book that's called We Are All Guilty Here that doesn't come out until August, but please pre order it now and do yourself a favor, because it's so good. Jess LaheyI love her books. Sarina BowenYeah, so I had the opportunity to have that same experience from the reader side of the coin, which is that I totally lost myself in this fictional world. It It mattered to me as a person to work through those problems, um, in the way that a novel has a beginning and a middle and an end and and I think that part of my big problem right now is that I can't see an end to any of the stuff that's you know happening. So it was helpful to me to have the same experience that my readers described to me, to be like totally sucked into something, and to feel like it mattered to me in the moment.Jess LaheyWell…And to add on to that, I had a fantastic sorry KJ and Jenny, we're just we're off on our little happy tangent here. But I had a wonderful conversation with a fan recently in on one at one of my speaking engagements, and she was apologizing to me for feeling like she had a really close relationship with me, even though we hadn't met. And she said, and the reason for that is that you're in my head because I'm listening to your audiobook. And I said, You do not need to apologize to that for that to me, because I have the same experience. And she said, the thing that was nice, you know, because I'm such a big audiobook fan, I feel this weird, parasocial, fictional connection to this person, because it's not just their words, it's also their voice. But the thing that she said was really sweet was she listened in her car, and her car became a place of refuge and a place where she knew she was going to hear a voice that would make her feel like it was going to be okay. And so even though I hear that and I know that, and I've experienced it from the other side with the audiobooks that I listen to, it's still, it is still very hard to look down at the empty page and say, How do I help people feel like everything's going to be okay? And it's, it's a difficult moment for that.KJ Dell'AntoniaI have been thinking about this too, because I think we all are, and let me just say that this is not just a, you know, we're not, we're not making a grand political statement here, although we, we certainly could. This is, uh, it is a moment of some global turmoil. Whether you think this global turmoil is exactly what the universe needed or not it is still... um, there's a lot.Jess LaheyIt's just a lot, and it's all the time, and it's like, oh, did you hear this? Did you hear this? And I feel like I'm supposed to be paying attention, and then if I pay attention too much, I feel like my head is it so, yeah, it's just a lot. KJ Dell'AntoniaSo what I want to say is, I think we have to get used to it, and I think it can be done. And I take some encouragement from all the writers who wrote their way through World Wars, who wrote their way through, you know, enormous personal trauma, who have written their way through, you know, enormous political turmoil, in their own countries, both as you know people who are actually writing about what was going on, but also as people who were not, I happen to be a real stan of the World War II books about, not like the drama of the war, but then the home that keep the home fires as they as they would say, stuff like The Diary of a Provincial Lady in Wartime and Angela Thirkell. And it's just, this is what was going on. There's some stuff... I can't think of all of it, but anyway. I love that reminder that life went on, and I think we have had a pretty calm few decades, and that that's been very lucky, but it's actually not the norm. So we gotta get used to this kids.Jess LaheyYeah, I actually, I just flew home from a trip, and Tim was watching on the plane. Tim was watching a film with Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. You may know Wilfred Owen as the person who wrote, you know, Dulce et Decorum Est, the whole thing, these are the world war two poets and a world war one poet, sorry, and yeah, they had a lot going on and they were writing poetry. Yeah.Jennie Nash Well, I knew from the moment that Sarina posed this question that I was going to be the voice of opposition here today, because I am seeing this and feeling this great surge of creative energy and people wanting to write, wanting to create, wanting to raise their voice, whether it is in opposition or as an act of rebellion or as an active escape, or just as a thing that they've always wanted to do so they're finally going to do it. It feels similar-ish to me as the pandemic did, in that way. And you know what I was thinking about Sarina, is that you are in the both enviable and also not enviable position of having done this a really long time and and you you know how it goes, and you not that it's wrote by any means, writing a book is never wrote. But the the creative process is not new to you, I guess, and I have encounters with a lot of writers through the book coaches I train who are just stepping up into this and just raising their voice and just embracing that. This is a thing that they could do. And this is a, you know, like I just, I've seen people, you know, a lot of dystopian fiction, obviously wanting to be written, climate justice, social justice, you know, books from people who previously marginalized, even like satire about the crazy stuff going on in education, you know, in all genres, all realms, I just feel the people doubling down. And so I wonder if it's, if it's, you know, the writer friends that you talk to are largely in that same boat as you very accomplished and in it. And I don't know it's my conjecture, because I just, I'm really feeling the opposite.Jess LaheyActually, can I? Can I? Can I verify that through something else? So KJ and I have both mentored with The OpEd Project. It's about raising all voices to publish op eds in newspapers, not just, you know, the people that we're used to hearing from. And they put out an email for their mentors, because they said, This moment is generating so much interest in writing op eds, so that's a good thing too.Jennie NashOh, that's interesting. Yeah, yeah, I don't know i i also have to say that I personally have made a choice that is inspired by Oliver Burkeman, which is I'm not paying attention, and I know it's a luxury to not pay attention to the news, and I know that that it's a privilege and maybe not always a good thing, but I just made a personal decision that can't right now, or you don't want to, for what it's worth, so I feel a little ashamed about that, to be honest... I feel a lot of times that I'm not doing enough when I catch a glimpse of what's happening or what's going on, or my husband is a voracious consumer of the news, so I it's not like I'm not getting news. I just get it filtered through him and through my children, for sure, and and I would also like to just give a shout out to this podcast, because sometimes through this podcast, I listen to Jess and Sarina, On a podcast you recorded a couple weeks ago about pirate the pirate site episode, and learned so much, and it was so great, you know, so I don't know. I have to say that too, that maybe my stance is coming from a place of not being fully... pulling a little over my own eyes, I guess.KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, I think it's great that you are finding something that you're seeing like a surge of of positive energy. I mean, part of me, as I'm listening to you guys, wants to go well, but you know, nothing I'm I'm doing is a voice of protester opposition, but that's okay. We don't have to be voices of protester opposition. And we have to remember that most of the people in our country do not oppose this. So it's a little bit of a weird I mean, it's it's a weird moment that one's that one's tough, but it's also true. It's not, it's just change. It's just, it's just turmoil. But I love your point that there's, um, there's excitement and energy in turmoil. Maybe this is also a question of sort of where you are in your life, like, where, whether, the turmoil is exciting or stressful, or, I don't even know where I was going with that... okay.Jennie NashWell, but I, I think there's, I've been thinking just a lot about AI and where it's going and what's going to happen. And some days I worry, and some days I fret, and some days, you know, I don't, I don't think about it or whatever, but, but I, the thing I keep coming back to is you can't keep a creator down. You know, the creators want to create. And it's the the process of that, the the creative process, whether somebody doesn't matter what they're writing and and Sarina, that speaks to where, where you are. You know, they could be writing a meet cute, or a first kiss, or what have you, but the fact that they want to be a creator in a world that's on fire is, to me, the hope... the sign, the sign of hope. You know, I actually I'm about to take a trip to Amsterdam, where I've never been, and of course, we're going to go to the Anne Frank House, and I may reengage myself with that story, and thought about it and looked at it, and it's like just the the urge to create, the urge to put it down, the urge to do the thing. And maybe that was an act of protest as well. But, you know, not, not a meet cute, but I just, I just, I believe in the power of the creator and and of that. And Sarina, you're so good at it, at that, at that process, and putting yourself in that process, and being in that process, and it makes me sad that you're questioning it in a way. Sarina BowenWell, you know, I don't know. I actually kind of disagree that, that we can look away right now, because there's a lot at stake for for the for the world that writers operate inside and AI is really important, because there's a lot of super important litigation going down right now about what what is legal in terms of using our work to create AI and to not pay us for it. But also, there are other writers who are being silenced and having their student visas, you know, rejected and and it's only work of other people that is pushing back on this. So it's in some ways, I I can't really say, Oh, it's okay for me to look away right now and go back to this scene, because there are moments that matter more than others, but but in order to not give up my entire job at this moment, because it's so distractingly difficult, what I find I've had to do is figure out which sources really matter and which parts of my day are productively informational, and which parts are just anxiety producing. So by by luck, I went on this long vacation, long for me is like nine days, but we'd been planning it forever because one of my kids is overseas, and we were going there at his exact moment of having a break. So I had a vacation in a way that I haven't in a really long time. And I found that being off cycle from the news really affected my the way that I took it in. And it improved my mental health, even though I was ultimately about as well informed as if I hadn't left but I didn't have any time in the day to, like, scroll through the hysteria on threads. I could only take in the news from a few, like, you know, real sources and and that was really informational to me, like I didn't.. I had not processed the fact that how I take in the necessary information affected whether or not it merely informed me or also made me feel like everything was lost. So that that was pretty important, but also just the fact that that I've also been trying to be out in the world more and be where people are, instead of, instead of looking at my computer screen. And it's not like a work smarter, not harder thing, but like, choose your moments. You know, I believe that we still need to be engaged at this moment and to ask ourselves, what is possible for us to do. But that doesn't mean we have to scroll through all the stress online all day long in order to get there. And to me, that's that's what's made the difference.Jess LaheyWe've had a rule in our house for a little while now that I'm not allowed to bring up any newsy things or talk about any newsy things after a certain point in the evening, because it messes with Tim's sleep. He would wake up, you know, churning about and thinking about whatever it was that I talked about from the news most recently. So any of those outrage moments are just not allowed in our house in the evening. And I think that's a really healthy barrier to put up and realize that there are points in my day when I can handle it and points in my day when I can't.KJ Dell'AntoniaIt's also possible that the thing that I could most usefully do to change things that I think should be changed is to give money to other people who are working to change them. Because, you know, we can't all... shouting on social media?, not, not useful, right? I'm not gonna run for office, personally. I do have a family member who does that sort of thing, and I love that, but I'm probably not going to, I guess, check in with me in 10 years. I'm, you know, there's only so much I when I think about, okay, what could I possibly do? Most of it is I can give money to people who are doing things that I want done, and the only way I have money to give to people who want things, who are doing things that I want to get done, is to do my job, which is, is to to write books. So there's that. Jess LaheyI would like to highlight, however, that Tim and I have both been periodically calling our representatives and having some really, you know, it's obviously not the representative themselves or our senator that we're talking to. We're talking to, you know, someone in their office, some college kid in their office, but the conversations have been fascinating. I've learned a lot just through those conversations. And they don't just sort of take your message and then hang up. They're willing to have a conversation. And it's been, it's been really fascinating. So calling your representatives is a really worthy thing to do.KJ Dell'AntoniaYeah, many decades ago, I was that person, and therefore I'm a little cynical about it.Jess LaheyWell, I do want to give a shout out right now, I've been watching one of my former students who ran for Mitt Romney's Senate seat in Utah as a Democrat, which is an impossible task, but she did really, really well, and she just got to open for Bernie and AOC at the at a thing in in in Utah. And so watching her, or watching people who are, you know, really getting engaged, and by a lot of them are younger people. That's and, you know, my thing is younger people. And so it circles back around to the more supporting I'm doing of people who are younger and people who are energized and excited about getting in there and writing the op eds and speaking and running for office, that has been another place of reprieve for me.Jennie NashSo I would love to to ask Sarina about... No no, because something she said, you know, when she said, I I disagree, it just it got me thinking, because I wanted to defend myself, and I don't know, and say, Well, no, I'm not I'm not that terrible. I'm not whatever. But I been listening to you talk, I was realizing that I I really have prioritized my own mental well being over anything else, and in terms of checking out of the things, and I've heard you talk about this before, on on a podcast, but my default response, like on the piece you talked about, about writers and being under attack and what's going on, that's just one tiny thing that's going on in the world of chaos. But that tiny thing I do tell myself I can't do anything. I'm just one person, you know, what? What can I really do? And therefore, then I don't do anything. So I do the bare minimum. I do the bare minimum, you know, like I give money to Authors Guild, right? You know, but it, I'm just going to put myself out there as the, the avatar of the person who says that and doesn't do anything and and then, to be perfectly honest, feels is a little smug when you're like, I'm dying and I'm wrecked and I'm whatever, because you're informed and you're actually doing things, and I'm like... oh, you should be like me and and not do, and then I feel bad about myself. So I just want to put that back as a conversation piece, because I know you have thoughts about that, that one person can't do anything. Sarina BowenYeah, so I often feel like there's a lot of problems I would like to solve and and if I tried to take on all of them, then I would be paralyzed, like there would be nothing I can do. And also, there are moments when we have to really pull back and and put our oxygen mask on before assisting others like that is a totally legitimate thing to do. And when I had this experience of going on vacation, and then it was such a big reset for me, I thought, Oh, you dummy, like, you know, that's like a thing I need to keep relearning is that, oh wait no, sometimes we really do have to drop out for for a little bit of time, because we will be more energized afterwards, but, but I bet that that one thing that you're supposed to do will announce itself to you fairly soon. You know what I mean? Like it just because you're having this moment of pulling back and needing to do that doesn't mean that that's a permanent position for you. Like, I don't, I don't believe that, like, because, because I know you care. So...Jennie NashYeah, yeah. But it's, it's just interesting the different, the different reactions and responses. And I often find myself saying something to my husband, which I'm not proud to share. But the thing that I say is, where is our leader?, who's stepping up?, whatever the topic is, or the area or the realm is like, who's who's going to save us? I I'm looking for somebody else to be the solution. Sarina BowenWell, but, but that that's important though, because part of that is just recognizing that, that without a power structure, who knows what to do? Like, I've been lucky in that, like, I've spent a lot of time on conference calls with The Authors Guild, and I've found that I respect those people so much that you know, when the CEO of The Authors Guild, Mary Rasenberger, has an idea, you know that it's always worth hearing out and not everything you know gets done or becomes a priority of of the but, but I know who to listen to, and that wasn't always true, you know. So I've also subscribed to the emails from Authors Against Book Bans. That's another organization that has a lot of energy right now, and they're doing a fantastic job of paying attention. So, you know, it's, it's okay to pick one little realm and, and that's lately been my solution. Because, yeah, we're not we, we need leaders and, and the reason we're all we're so frustrated is because the lack of true leadership, the lack of leaders who can say, I made a mistake. I don't know everything. I don't have all the answers. Like, that's, you know, that's the kind of people we need in the world, and they're pretty thin on the ground right now. So, yeah, I totally hear what you're saying.KJ Dell'AntoniaSo, I mean, why do we have to say that's useful? I mean, how are we... We're all still working. I mean, yeah, you know, you can listen to Jenny and I trying to write our book every week. And I happen to know that, you know, Sarina is chowing is, you know, nibbling away at new drafts, as is Jess. So we're doing it. We're just distracted.Sarina BowenWell, I always say that everything about writing, you have to learn more than once, like you learned it on a project, and you figure something out and you're like, Oh, right. And I think this is another one of those moments when how to reset yourself, how to. To you know how to find that moment of peace is, this is maybe the the lesson of the week, like, even if you don't, even if you don't write the best chapter of your life between now and the middle of of May, you know you can turn your attention to paying attention to your inner voice and how, how am I feeling right now? And how could I feel better? Like, do I need to go meet a friend in a coffee shop to work? Because that has been a real boon to me lately. Just being changed my scenery change the hours when I look at my inbox, that's another thing that I've done. Right now, I asked my assistant to please watch this one inbox, because I can't watch it myself right now. It's too much of people pulling on my arm. So just, you know, to turn some of the small levers that we have in our lives with regard to how writing fits into your life and see what's working. Like, it's okay to, like, break your strategy a little bit to see, you know, if you can shake up the problem.KJ Dell'AntoniaI've been trying really hard to answer the voice in my head that says... I just can't do this right now with, well, okay, maybe, maybe you could, like, what if we just sat here for another 10 minutes? Like, what if you just, okay... I hear you like, to sort of like, be the other side for myself, like... hey I hear you, that sounds really rough, but what if we just did this anyway? Just, just tried. And you know, it's, it moves, it moves.Jess LaheyAlong those same lines. What's been saving me is, as you all know, anyone who's listening to this for a while knows I love, love, love the research process, and I have a very big stack of books to get through, that is research, formative, sort of base level research, foundational research for this thing I want to write and and hearing other people's ideas, and hearing how other people put ideas together, and that just fuels me. And then on the fiction side, I've been and I hadn't even realized I've been doing this until we started talking about this topic. I have been watching a lot of movies I love about the act of creation. I re watched one of my favorites, “Possession” with Jennifer Ehle, and it's just one of my favorite films about… it's based on the the A.S. Byatt novel, Possession, and it's about poets. And then I was watching a movie about a novelist, and I was just re-listening to the new Bob Dylan movie a complete unknown, and hearing about other people's creative process fuels things in me. And I even just listening to the Bob Dylan movie while I was watering the garden, I was like, Oh, I could go, I can't write music, but, but I can still write these other things. Wait, hold on, I'm a writer. And then you start realizing, oh, that creative process is accessible to me too. And you know, whether it's the creative process that changes the world, or the creative process that gives you an outlet. Selfishly, either way, I think it's, it's important, and so I love digging back into and I've talked about, you know, re listening to Amwriting sometimes when, when I need that boost.KJ Dell'AntoniaIsn't it funny that if Stephen King says, well, I spent, you know, 2016 not doing something, but, but like writing this new book. We're all like, yay, you do that, we love you for that, and that for all of us, we're just like, oh no, you should be... I mean, we gotta, we should do what we do.Jess LaheyYeah, I guess I always think about, there was a moment when I first I saw him, I was so lucky to get to see Hamilton on Broadway, and I remember just that line about writing like you're why does he write like he's running out of time, that idea that like the stuff just is coming pouring out of you, and you've got to put it somewhere before it's over. You know, I love that feeling of desperation, and I get that from listening to other people's creations and other people's research and other people's creative acts. It's, it's good.Jennie NashThat's very cool. That is very cool. I I don't know, I guess I'm really good at, or lately have been really good at, at turning off, turning off the inputs, just because I have to too many input puts that will just do me in. And so for me, it's catching myself, catching myself floating over to social media, or catching myself clicking into something that I don't really want to read like you're saying, Sarina, at this this time of day, you know, I sit down to lunch and I don't, I don't want to read that thing. So setting setting aside time to engage with that is like the, the only way that I'm able to do it. And I'll try to choose to read something longer, a longer form thing, or or listen to a podcast. Rather than sound bites or snippets of things. So I'm trying to be self aware about not getting pulled down into the sound bite things. That's, That's what I mean by disengaging is, you know, not going on threads at all. I'm not going on... I sort of can't even look at Facebook or even Instagram. It's just all too, too much, and especially, especially Instagram, where, you know, you'll have all these calls to action, and then... bathing suits. I mean, maybe that's just me, right?KJ Dell'AntoniaNo, you're right. You're right. It's very...Jennie NashJarring. you know...KJ Dell'AntoniaYou can't control which bits of it like, at least, if you're looking at The Times, you're you know... or The Wall Street Journal, you're getting a section. Instagram is like, this terrible thing just happened here by this Jenny K quitter...Jennie NashIt's very jarring. So I don't wish to be there, and I do have to give a shout out to Substack. How great is it to be able to read things without all the noise and distraction from the people that you choose, who are smart and saying smart things. That's that's the thing that I choose, that I really like and kind of toward what you said Jess, happened to be reading the memoir from Billie Jean King called All In. Jess LaheyIt's so good!Jennie NashAnd and it's, I mean, talk about just a person who lived her values and made massive change, and understood how change is made, and is paying it forward in her life, and it is so inspiring. And it's, it's not quite, it's not quite the creative act, but it, I guess it's creation of change, but I find it hopeful and inspiring, and I think that's where I come up with the the question of, who's gonna who's gonna save us? Like, Where's, where's our person to lead? Like, like she was at the time when women's... not just athletics, but equality. She did so much for women's equality, and still is, you know, so it makes me hopeful that such people will be rising up and and I will be able to identify and support them. Jess LaheyI just finished listening to and reading on the page. I did it both ways. Permission by Elissa Altman about having the courage, it's a memoir, and the courage to create. And she it, she also articulated for me, just how wonderful it is to... I don't know, even if it's not out for mass publication, sometimes writing things down that are the stuff you've gone through and the way you're feeling that's just worth it in and of itself. But anyway, that was a lovely book I highly recommend, Permission by Elissa Altman.KJ Dell'Antonia But also I just want to say, and this is sort of suddenly hopped into my head. So I'm working on a book, surprise! Um, I'm trying to do something bigger and different that says a lot of things, and I have thoughts about it and and, um, I actually think I need to shut down input... for... I'm not gonna, I can't do this if, if there's a lot of stuff pouring into me, all the time, and I, I think that's, I think that's fair. I think sometimes, I mean, I was thinking about the person who wrote Permission, and I was thinking, You know what I'll bet she didn't read a lot of while she was writing that? People shouting at her that, that, you know, the better thing for her to do would be to churn butter in a nap dress. I think it probably It took some time to do that. And these poets that we're talking about, they're not writing a poem. Oh, you know, line by line. In between reading thread's posts, they're they're putting their time and energy into their work, and this is kind of what we've been saying all along, like, like, moderate it, choose your things, pick pick your moments. And maybe, you know, some time of quiet to hear what you think about what's going on, as opposed to what everyone else thinks about what's going on, and to let that, to give yourself permission for that to be whatever it is. Maybe it's not what we think, you know? Maybe, maybe its something different. That's okay. So I, I want to shout for, for that, for, okay, do, turn it off, work on a thing.Sarina BowenYeah, I feel like if, um, Jenny's point about taking your news from social media is totally different than taking your news from the front page of your favorite newspaper. And I guess to KJ's point that if we turn off the voices that are serving us the least well at this moment, what we might find is that there are more hours in the day to both get our work done and then have a minute to say, what else could I... what else could I do? Is that donating my time somewhere or just getting my own house in order? You know, I find I have more time to do things that matter when I am spending less time in the loud places that aren't serving me personally.Jess LaheyAgreed. Jennie NashSo well said.Jess LaheyI think we should end it there, mainly because we're we've run long, but, I'm really grateful for the four of you, I was going to my last point was going to be that my saving grace has been realizing recently that that it's the people in my life that I want to invest in. I had a realization someone told me some news of via someone else, and I didn't realize how disconnected I had become from the people that are real in my life, and how much more attention I was paying to people I don't know anything, people who I don't know that I have a parasocial relationship with. And so I'm my I have sort of a mid year goal, which is to make sure that the people who are actually in life real important to me, are most important to me. And so I've pulled back from those parasocial relationships and gone toward the real relationships, and I'm grateful so much for the three of you. I feel like you all rescue me in moments of doubt. So thank you.KJ Dell'AntoniaYay! People are a good use of time, as our friend, Laura Vanderkam says. So Jess shouted out the book Permission. I think if anybody else has a useful book for this moment, I want to offer up, as we have before, Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. It is a series of four weeks, worth of basically three page long thoughts on how to deal with our own inevitably limited lives and personal resources. And I love it. Does anybody else have anything that would maybe serve people in this moment?Jess LaheySarina. Sarina, nothing to serve Jenny. Jenny has the Billie Jean King. I mean, the Billie Jean King...that stuff is fantastic. Yeah, she's amazing.Jennie NashShe's amazing.Jess LaheyAll right. Well, thank you so so much everyone for listening to the podcast. We're great. So grateful for you, because you're why we get to keep doing this. And this is fun, and we love lowering our… sorry flattening the curve for a learning curve for other writers. So until next week, everyone, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. The hashtag AmWriting 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, Founder of Author Accelerator, went from being a traditionally published author and book coach to forming the company that trains and officially certifies other book coaches.  In this episode, she opens up about the struggles and turning points in her entrepreneurial journey from a major partnership change to a dramatic price increase in her program.  In Get Paid Marketing, she took on a new funnel, pricing strategy, and sales approach, and complete mindset shift to ultimately bringing in over $368,000 in revenue with other wins.  Listen to learn more! This Week on the Get Paid Podcast: Sold over 70 seats in her course during a last-chance $3,600 sale, totaling over $300K in revenue Raised the price of her book coaching certification from $3,600 to $9,000 Ran webinars weekly and refined them through GPM coaching, resulting in increased conversions Generated $68,000 in sales from a $6,600 ad spend after refining her ad strategy and messaging Overcame pricing and even feeling resentment about her offer Coached by Claire and Sarah Lucille to improve webinar delivery and stop over-teaching Learned to focus on cost per acquisition, not just cost per lead, to optimize ads Mentioned in this podcast: www.clairepells.com/waitlist www.jennienash.com/  www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme for writers who want to work with a certified book coach www.bookcoaches.com/coaches for people interested in becoming a book coach. This leads to a free webinar about book coaching. Now it's time to GET PAID Thanks for tuning into the Get Paid Podcast! If you enjoyed today's episode, head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe, rate, and leave your honest review. Connect with me on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, visit my website for even more detailed strategies, and be sure to share your favorite episodes on social media. Now, it's time to go get yourself paid  

What's a book coach? A book coach gives you editorial feedback, accountability, support, and marketplace intelligence while you write. We're committed to helping you write the best book you can write — and to make it a little less lonely along the way. You know what a basketball coach does? A career coach? A leadership coach? Imagine that kind of oversight, nurturing, and guidance while you are writing a book. Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry. Author Accelerator has certified more than 160 book coaches in both fiction and nonfiction. Jennie's own book coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six-figure book deals with Big 5 houses such as Penguin, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette, and won dozens of national indie book awards. Client KJ Dell'Antonia became an instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick in 2020, and in 2021, client Jenn Lim, hit the Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Jennie is the author of 12 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea and the forthcoming Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace. Learn more about being coached or becoming a coach at   authoraccelerator.com.

Mark interviews Suzy Vadori, Calgary Bestselling author of The Fountain Series, the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, and the host of the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a brief personal update and a word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast with Suzy Vadori. In this weekly show, Suzy brings you writing techniques, best practices, motivation, inspirational stories from real live authors out there making it in the world, and actionable advice that can help you turn that book you're writing into the bestseller you know deep down that it can be. During their interview, Mark and Suzy talk about: The last time Suzy was on the podcast in an episode talking about doing a book launch in collaboration with her local bookstore A little bit about who Suzy is and what she is passionate about Suzy's background that includes having a Commerce Bachelors Degree and being a Chief Operating Officer for a startup Suzy's main superpower, which is to take enormous amounts of information, feed them into her brain, and then to determine a path forward Applying skills that come from outside writing into the writing world The Suzy Vadori umbrella and how that came about The areas that Suzy is most passionate about helping writers with: the actual writing The myth that writing talent is all your need to be successful The free newsletter Suzy sends out to writers and some of the content that's contained within it Some of the tools Suzy uses to evaluate a writer's manuscript Suzy's "Show Don't Tell" Podcast The book that Suzy is currently working on which aligns with the branding for her podcast Advice that Suzy would offer to beginning writers And more . . .   After the interview Mark reflects on something Suzy said about bringing in skills and experience from outside the writing world.   Links of Interest: Suzy Vadori's Website Show, Don't Tell Writing Podcast EP 142 - Strategies For Launching a Book During a Pandemic with Suzy Vadori Buy Mark a Coffee Patreon for Stark Reflections EP 353 - Tao Wong on The Toronto Indie Author Conference Alex Lifeson's Speech on Behalf of Rush at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Mark's YouTube channel Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup) An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries The Relaxed Author Buy eBook Direct Buy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for Authors An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores Wide for the Win Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story) A Canadian Werewolf in New York Stowe Away (Novella) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles Fright Nights, Big City Lover's Moon Hex and the City Only Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   Suzy Vadori is Calgary Bestselling Author of The Fountain Series (The Fountain, The West Woods, Wall of Wishes). This fantastical series has received three Aurora Nominations for Best Young Adult Novel. She is represented by Naomi Davis of Bookends Literary Agency. Suzy is the founder of the Inspired Writing Community, a Resident Writing Coach for Writers Helping Writers, a touring member of the Young Alberta Book Society (YABS) and a Program Manager for When Words Collide (WWC), a festival for readers and writers. Suzy specializes in breaking down complex writing concepts for newer writers into manageable steps, to get the book idea exploding in their minds onto the page in a way that will make readers take notice. She works with both fiction and nonfiction writers, in Memoir, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Women's Fiction, Romance, Middle Grade, and of course, Young Adult. Suzy is an Advanced Certified Book Coach from Jennie Nash's Author Accelerator. Suzy speaks to youth and adult audiences across Western Canada about how writing can unlock doors and help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0  

Have you ever wondered about careers outside of academia? Or are you considering leaving the world of research and teaching behind?  Transitioning from academia to a writing-focused career or exploring new ways to get your voice into your industry can be exciting and overwhelming. In today's episode, I am joined by Jennie Nash. Jennie is the CEO of Author Accelerator, a book coaching certification program that works with coaches and writers all over the world.  We delve into the power of writing—whether for academic papers, books, or other forms of storytelling—and the importance of defining your purpose and audience. We also explore the role of a book coach, offering insights into how they help writers shape their ideas, navigate challenges, and find their voice.  If you're looking to refine your writing and connect with your reader more effectively, this episode is for you. Listen in to discover how to turn your ideas into impactful publications. For full show notes visit scholarsvoice.org/podcast.   CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION: Our 12-week Navigate: Your Writing Roadmap® program helps tenure-track womxn and nonbinary professors to publish their backlog of papers so that their voice can have the impact they know is possible. Get on the waitlist here! Cathy's book, Making Time to Write: How to Resist the Patriarchy and Take Control of Your Academic Career Through Writing is available in print! Learn how to build your career around your writing practice while shattering the myths of writing every day, accountability, and motivation, doing mindset work that's going to reshape your writing,and changing academic culture one womxn and nonbinary professor at a time. Get your print copy today or order it for a friend here! If you would like to hear more from Cathy for free, please subscribe to the weekly newsletter, In the Pipeline, at scholarsvoice.org. It's a newsletter that she personally writes that goes out once a week with writing and publication tips, strategies, inspiration, book reviews and more.   CONNECT WITH ME:  LinkedIn Facebook YouTube

For the full transcript, notes, links, and more, go to:  https://simplysquaredaway.com/94 Ever wondered what it takes to pull off a successful Black Friday campaign? I'm sharing my behind-the-scenes process, lessons learned, and strategies to help you organize and launch your next promotion with confidence. In this episode of The Organized Coach Podcast, I'm giving you a detailed debrief of my 2024 Black Friday campaign. I'll walk you through my step-by-step process for organizing and launching the campaign using strategies I learned from Gemma Bonham-Carter's 'Black Friday in a Box' program. From planning and setting goals to staying focused, I'll share actionable tips that can help you simplify your next big promotion.  I'll also talk about the challenges I faced during the campaign—like crafting offers that truly resonated with my audience and balancing all my responsibilities as a business owner. I'll break down the details of the products I sold, what worked, what didn't, and how I analyzed the results to improve for the future. My honest reflections are packed with lessons you can apply to your own marketing efforts. Finally, I'm sharing the joy I found in creating meaningful products, including testimony from Jennie Nash, and connecting with my audience throughout the process. I'll leave you with encouragement and practical advice to help you launch your own campaigns with confidence and purpose. Whether it's your first Black Friday or you're looking to make your next one better, this episode is full of insights to help you succeed! Ready to organize your business's digital files? To learn the ONLY 5 file folders you need, go to: https://simplysquaredaway.com/5files  

Today, I'm so excited to talk to my friend, Rosa Kwon Easton, about her debut novel, White Mulberry.Rosa holds a very special place in my heart and my history because she was at the first ever workshop where I taught my Blueprint framework, which is a method of inquiry for getting a book out of your head and onto the page before you start to write. At that time, Rosa thought that she was writing a true story about three generations in her family. She was calling it a memoir. And now ten years later, that story is being published as a novel. In this discussion, we talk about that long development process and the profound switch from writing a true story to writing fiction and how Rosa navigated the whole thing.Find Rosa at: rosakwoneaston.com, @rosakwoneaston on Instagram, or at one of her upcoming events.Find out more about Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Book method here.Announcing the #AmWriting Blueprint Winter Challenge—bigger and better and more interactive than any we've done before.The Blueprint method will be effective for you if:* You have a new idea for a novel, a memoir, or a nonfiction book you want to pin to the page.* You are stuck somewhere in the middle of a novel, a memoir, or a nonfiction book and can't figure out how to get unstuck.* You are planning to revise a novel, a memoir, or a nonfiction book and feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.In the challenge you'll get 10 podcast episodes on the Blueprint steps, five Author Accelerator certified book coaches who will be answering your questions in live sessions and in our chat for 10 weeks (+ your hosts will be joining in on that, too), write-along sessions, a workbook to guide you, free digital downloads of Jennie's Blueprint book, and the chance to win a full Blueprint review from Jennie or KJ at the end.#AmWriting paid subscribers have the chance to sign up for all this NOW—and to help you out, we're offering a December sale on membership. The offer will end 12/31/24—so give 2025 you a gift and sign up now! 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

Regular listeners will recognize the Blueprint for a Book—a method of inquiry Jennie Nash developed to lay a strong foundation for books in any genre that's not about the craft of writing or building an author platform or any of the steps that come later in the writing life. It's about understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it so that you can have clarity and confidence. Writer Allison Hammer is a Blueprint stan—she's used it for years, again and again, often more than once on any given book (KJ seconds that one). We talk about why she adores the method, how she tweaks it (and why Jennie made it so strict in the first place. You can, like Allison, work through the Blueprint steps on your own—but with the Blueprint for a Book Winter Challenge coming up, you don't have to! We're going to be sharing more details about the Blueprint Winter Challenge in the coming days, but here's a little on what it looks like: we have 10 podcast episodes on the Blueprint steps, five Author Accelerator certified book coaches who will be answering your questions in live sessions and in our chat for 10 weeks (+ your hosts will be joining in on that, too), write-along sessions, a workbook to guide you, free digital downloads of my Blueprint book, and the chance to win a full Blueprint review from Jennie or KJ at the end. #AmWriting paid subscribers will have the chance to sign up for all this later this month—and to help you out, we're offering a December sale on membership. The offer will end 12/31/24—so give 2025 you a gift and sign up now!Links from the episode:Episode 409: From Women's Fiction to Romance in 30 Days with Ali BradyFind Alison at: www.alisonhammer.com, @thishammer on Instagram, or check out her cowritten works as Ali Brady on IG @alibradybooksFind out more about Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Book method here. 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 conversation, Jennie Nash and I delve into the intricacies of fiction writing, focusing on the Blueprint for a Book and the limitations of traditional beat sheets. We discuss the importance of understanding a writer's intent, the emotional connection with readers, and the role of creativity within constraints. Jennie shares her insights on the Inside Outline, a tool designed to help writers explore their stories from the inside out, ensuring that every plot point is tied to an emotional reason. The discussion emphasises the need for writers to connect with their material and their audience, ultimately aiming to create impactful stories. For a FREE copy of Blueprint for a Book, click HERE.

In this episode of The Wise Effort Show, Dr. Diana Hill explores how to 'play big' in your writing life with renowned book coach Jennie Nash. They discuss the evolution of their relationship, including Jennie's role in guiding Diana's upcoming book and the challenges of developing authentic writing that leverages 'genius energy.' Jennie shares insights into the emerging field of book coaching and highlights the challenges writers face in translating their vision into impactful literature. Diana reveals the personal journey of crafting her book under Jennie's guidance. Together, they discuss the complexities of writing and the significance of understanding one's unique voice, concluding with details about their future collaborative projects.Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeWant to become more psychologically flexible? Take Diana's on-demand course, "Foundations of ACT."Diana's EventsReserve your spot in Diana's Costa Rica retreat in 2025!See Diana at an upcoming eventConnecting With DianaSubscribe for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Leave a 5-star review on Apple so people like you can find the show.Sign up for the free Wise Effort Newsletter.Become a Wise Effort member to support the show.Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana's website.Leave feedback for the showThanks to the team, Craig and Ashley Hiatt, and Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music.We can put our energy where it matters most and savor the good along the way.Mentioned in this episode:Join Me for a Wise Effort Retreat at Blue Spirit, Costa RicaDr. Diana Hill invites viewers to join a retreat at Blue Spirit, Costa Rica from April 12th to 19th, 2025. The retreat offers an opportunity for deep physical and mental restoration, habit resetting, and developing meaningful connections. Participants will engage in...

Sarina here! There was a scramble over who got to interview Lyndsay Rush about her poetry, but I raised my hand first. I've always thought of poetry as the fustiest kind of writing, but the moment I opened A Bit Much, I knew that Lyndsay was here to change my mind. Not only is her poetry gorgeous, her path to becoming a published author was unusual in all the best ways. Tune in to hear how she accidentally became a poet. And how she accidentally accumulated over 140,000 Instagram followers. We ask her about that magic moment—when she suddenly realized that this Instagram poetry habit of hers was going to be a whole big thing. It's a publishing story for the ages! Or just skip to the good stuff and find A Bit Much at Bookshop, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. Lindsay on Instagram. Lindsay on Tiktok. Lindsay on Threads. Hey everyone, I'm Jennie Nash, and if you're interested in becoming a book, coach, I have a special offer for you. It's a free pass to a mini course called The One Page Book Coaching Business Plan. This course walks you step-by-step through how to envision your future book coaching business and it leads to a one-on-one strategy session with me! Go to bookcoaches.com/ABC and at the bottom of the page, you'll find a link to the course. That's bookcoaches.com/ABC.  You can use the code FROMJENNIE to get in free. That's FROMJENNIE all caps and make sure you spell my name out: J E N N I E. We're going to be raising our prices in 2025 so now's a great time to get certified if you think it's something you want to do. I look forward to speaking with you.Hey readers—KJ here. This episode of #AmWriting is brought to you by my latest, Playing the Witch Card. I wrote this at a moment when I needed more magic in my life—but it turned out to be a book about how until we know who we are and what makes us happy, even magic doesn't help. My main character, Flair, is a total control freak who fears the chaos created by her family deck of Tarot cards and the cookies it inspires her to make until she decides that she can harness their power to control the world and people around her—but that's not what the cards are for at all. I was inspired by what I see as the real magic of Tarot cards—and tea leaves and palm reading and every form of oracle: they help us to see and understand our own stories. As someone for whom stories are pretty much everything, I love that. You can buy Playing the Witch Card on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org and my local indie—and I hope you'll love it too. 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

It's a new Booklab: First pages episode! At some point—maybe next week—these episodes will go out only to our fellow Stickers (supporters of the podcast). Want to join that crew, where you'll be able to send in your own first page for the pod, join write-alongs and get AMAs from our hosts and guest book coaches?I'm a sticker! Or I want to be. Also I get that y'all need support to get this out here and I love that it's here so yeah.On today's episode, we discuss the first pages of SAILING TO THE MOON: THE TWO YEARS AT SEA THAT SANK MY MARRIAGE, a memoir and The Pie Window, a novel. Would we turn the page? Opinions are mixed, but good advice for improving—these first pages and yours—abounds. THANK YOU to the writers willing to submit their work for our discussion.Did you like First pages? Have ideas for how we can make it better? We'd love to hear it and we'll talk back, so comment away.We offered some comps to our first submitter:Jennie offered Between Two Worlds: An Inspiring Story of a Kiwi Woman Who Left Her Heart in UgandaJess offers Wind, a movie from her teenage yearsAnd to our second submitter:The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins ReidThe Twisted Ones, T. KingfisherA Prayer for Owen Meany, John IrvingPS to the second submitter: we also wanted a little hint about the pie window on that first page!Want to submit a first page to Booklab? Fill out the form HERE.Theme music credit: “Circle,” by Phoebe LaheyHey everyone, I'm Jennie Nash, and if you're interested in becoming a book, coach, I have a special offer for you. It's a free pass to a mini course called The One Page Book Coaching Business Plan. This course walks you step-by-step through how to envision your future book coaching business and it leads to a one-on-one strategy session with me! Go to bookcoaches.com/ABC and at the bottom of the page, you'll find a link to the course. That's bookcoaches.com/ABC.  You can use the code FROMJENNIE to get in free. That's FROMJENNIE all caps and make sure you spell my name out: J E N N I E. We're going to be raising our prices in 2025 so now's a great time to get certified if you think it's something you want to do. I look forward to speaking with you.Hey readers—KJ here. This episode of #AmWriting is brought to you by my latest, Playing the Witch Card. I wrote this at a moment when I needed more magic in my life—but it turned out to be a book about how until we know who we are and what makes us happy, even magic doesn't help. My main character, Flair, is a total control freak who fears the chaos created by her family deck of Tarot cards and the cookies it inspires her to make until she decides that she can harness their power to control the world and people around her—but that's not what the cards are for at all. I was inspired by what I see as the real magic of Tarot cards—and tea leaves and palm reading and every form of oracle: they help us to see and understand our own stories. As someone for whom stories are pretty much everything, I love that. You can buy Playing the Witch Card on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org and my local indie—and I hope you'll love it too. 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

Hello #AmWriters! This week, I'm answering a bunch of questions we received via amwritingpodcast@gmail.com and our #AmWriting Facebook group. Here's to flattened learning curves! * I just got my first speaking inquiry. How do I know how much to ask for?* Someone asked me to provide video content for a conference/summit/virtual event. What should I charge?* What's all this about affiliate codes and revenue sharing for conferences?* What reference books would you recommend for writing nonfiction?* It's time to ask for blurbs for my book! How do I figure out who should blurb? How do I ask? Can someone quoted in my book blurb my book? * If I quote myself in my own book is that plagiarism? What if I really need to use that quote, how do I do it?* I've been asked to speak but I'm freaked out by my time slot/some other challenge to audience numbers. How do I get people to stay and listen?* What are the “marketing materials” you keep talking about for events and where did you get all of it?* Scam alert! See also “I Got Scammed So You Don't Have To” by Jen Mann of People I Want to Punch in the Throat. Hey writers. I'm Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. It's back to school time, which means it's a great time to start training to become a book coach. By this time next year, you could be certified and out there helping writers bring their books to life- even if you're not a published author yourself. Take our quiz, The 10 Characteristics Of a Great Book Coach, to find out if you have what it takes to become a great book coach. Visit bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz that's the clunkiest URL ever so let me say it again: bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz We'll also put it in the show notes so you know you're going to the right place.Hey readers—KJ here. This episode of #AmWriting is brought to you by my latest, Playing the Witch Card. I wrote this at a moment when I needed more magic in my life—but it turned out to be a book about how until we know who we are and what makes us happy, even magic doesn't help. My main character, Flair, is a total control freak who fears the chaos created by her family deck of Tarot cards and the cookies it inspires her to make until she decides that she can harness their power to control the world and people around her—but that's not what the cards are for at all. I was inspired by what I see as the real magic of Tarot cards—and tea leaves and palm reading and every form of oracle: they help us to see and understand our own stories. As someone for whom stories are pretty much everything, I love that. You can buy Playing the Witch Card on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop.org and my local indie—and I hope you'll love it too. 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

Is it time for me (this is KJ) to start a new novel? Not quite-quite-quite, but that time is coming. There's a decent chance that the novel I'm working on now will be finished, in the now-we-try-to-sell-it sense, soonish. And that will take some time, and maybe it won't happen (I know, you think I'm just saying that but no, it's really quite possible). Even if it does, at some point very soon that will be out of my hands for long enough to start working on something new—and if I'm lucky, that will co-incide with November and National Novel Writing Month, which is my favorite time to write a 55K word draft that probably will contain approximately 1737 words that end up in an actual novel but that seems to be part of my “process”. I think my process is a raging dumpster fire but out of the ashes arise books so fine, this is how I do it. First, I'll need an idea. Jennie Nash and I recorded a whole summer about “Ideating” (Episodes 366-373—The Idea Factory). I'd argue that this is possibly the most important part. Sarina and I have a partially joking saying: Friends don't let friends write books without hooks. But an idea is a multi-part creation. It's not just a hook, it's not just a premise. A premise is vampires that feed only on people descended from the original crew and passengers on the Mayflower, and maybe that's a hook as well. It's not an idea until we know why it matters, and who it matters to within the book and why it might therefore matter to readers. Honestly, I'll probably get that second bit wrong to start with, but you have to start somewhere. Right now, though, I don't even have the first bit. Maybe you don't either. Maybe you have an idea noodling around inside you, or more likely fifty. Maybe you can mash some of them together. Maybe they're all amorphous or flimsy or when closely examined take place in a world or mood that you don't want to live in for the next couple of years. But you have to pick one and see where it goes. I started this thinking I could help with that, and now I'm not so sure. I mean, I have a plan. I know what I am going to do, or what I think I'm going to do, but it's hardly a step-by-step formula for success. It's going to go something like this:* Wander the bookstore. Most people buy their books online from descriptions now, but genre still matters. Look at the piles of romantasy (romance/fantasy), the growing tables of horror and horr-antsy (I made that up but it should be a thing). The buy-one-get-one-half-off tables of romance and thrillers, and speaking of thrillers, that's a pretty broad category that ranges from “your heart is in your throat the whole time” to “huh, I wonder what's going on here”. Series mystery, which I think is the only thing left that's really “mystery” and not “thriller”. Pick up a book from “fiction” that's described right in the cover copy as a “second chance romance” and try to figure out why it's in one place and not the other. (One Last Shot by Betty Cayouette, which I found by googling what I remembered from the cover copy: book second chance model photographer theo italy. Nicely done, Google.) Sigh, give up, and try not to contemplate whether the world really needs any more books. It does not. But I need to write one, so it's getting one. #sorrynotsorry* Play the airport game, which we talked about in Episode 367 HERE). Basically it goes like this: go to an airport (or ask a friend who's going somewhere). Find the Hudson or whatever your airport general shops are called that has the SMALLEST selection of books. Like, one rack face out. Take a picture and then walk yourself through it and ask, “which of these books is most like something I could have written?” Examine those books closely, asking two primary questions: 1) why is this in the airport bookstore (why do people love it/buy it) and 2) why is it like something I could have written? Then spend your flight, or two hours in a coffee shop, coming up with an idea and a brief pitch for something that resembles each one of those books. You have no more than 30 minutes for each book/pitch, and it must have a title, a logline, rough flap copy, inner and outer plots and a story arc with a beginning, middle and end. * Do a wild title brainstorm. Sometimes a book just has a great title. Beach Read, Summer Romance, A Star is Bored, Blonde Identity. The last time I made a list of “great titles” I hit one—Romantic Comedy—that someone else has recently used to great success and came very very close on two others. Should you write a book just because you have a great title idea? No of course not, but some great titles could apply to a LOT of book ideas. People are buying the vibe, not the plot, when they buy Brooklynaire.* Mayyyybe look over your old idea notebooks, if you have them. I have some mixed feelings about this, since I don't want to let my current idea generating muscle off the hook. But these might also jog something loose. I have my 2022 book out now for this purpose. * Pick a couple ideas—say three—and noodle them out further. Now we're pretty much into the whole Idea Factory protocol from the summer of 2022—and that DID end up with me writing one of the books we talked about. So apparently it “worked”.That's my plan. Y'all know I like to set “sticker” goals—a nice thing about this is its flexibility.Hey writers. I'm Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. It's back to school time, which means it's a great time to start training to become a book coach. By this time next year, you could be certified and out there helping writers bring their books to life- even if you're not a published author yourself. Take our quiz, The 10 Characteristics Of a Great Book Coach, to find out if you have what it takes to become a great book coach. Visit bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz that's the clunkiest URL ever so let me say it again: bookcoaches.com/characteristics-quiz We'll also put it in the show notes so you know you're going to the right place. 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

Hey writers! I'm Jennie Nash — and this is the #amwriting podcast, the place where we talk about writing all the things: short things, long things, fiction, non-fiction, pitches and proposals. Today, we're going to dig into a part of the writing process that comes WAY before you write anything — which is giving yourself permission to write in the first place. So many writers are shut down by teachers, people who love them, critique partners, well-meaning editors and book coaches, perhaps the entire culture– and the impact of that shutting down can last for decades, if not entire lifetimes. In my Blueprint framework – a method of inquiry for starting a project -- the first question is why write this book? Why do you want to do this? It's amazing to me the number of times that the deep level why has to do with reclaiming a voice that was shut down. My colleague and friend Julie Artz was shut down when she was 25 and 20 years later she is finally grappling with what happened – and feeling a creative spaciousness that eluded her until now. She's been on the show before, but I invited her back to talk about this important topic. About Julie:Julie Artz is an Author Accelerator-certified Founding Book Coach, a sought-after speaker and writing instructor, and a regular contributor to Jane Friedman, Writers Helping Writers, AuthorsPublish, IWWG, ProWritingAid and more. Her work as a Pitch Wars and Teen Pit mentor, a former SCBWI Regional Advisor (WWA), and her memberships in The EFA, the WFWA, AWP, and the Authors Guild keep her industry knowledge sharp. She's built a thriving book coaching business based on her values, her editing chops, and her knowledge of story. Connect with her on Instagram @JulieArtz and download her freebie on giving yourself permission. https://pages.julieartz.com/giveyourselfpermission It's hard to believe the summer is almost over, and in the next few weeks, we will be wrapping up our special Blueprint Challenge that we did here at the #AmWriting podcast. As a part of that challenge, anyone who signed up for and completed it will be getting a list of exclusive offers from Author Accelerator book coaches to help them with their blueprints.But if, as the summer closes, you're at a point where you feel like you could use some help from a book coach, we suggest you check out Author Accelerator's book coach directory. They've certified more than 260 book coaches in fiction, nonfiction and memoir, and one of them may be the perfect person to help you get your book back on track. Head to https://www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme to find the book coach that's right for you. 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

Episodes 27-39: Highlights, has our best moments from the past 13 months featuring world-class experts—NYT bestsellers, FBI agents, and Emmy-winning stop-motion animators. Episode Summary: This episode of the Simple Questions Podcast brings you the best moments from the last 13 episodes. We've condensed insightful highlights on topics like the original cowboy boot, memory competitions, and Visual Snow Syndrome. Whether you're a new listener or a loyal fan, this episode offers a perfect snapshot of what our podcast is all about. In this episode we discuss: 00:00 - Introduction 00:29 - Episode 27: Zohr Founder, Komal Choong 04:31 - Episode 28: Threadwood Award-Winning Animators, Alexis Deprey & Scott DaRos 08:25 - Episode 29: Veteran Fighter Pilot, Kurt Dittmer 12:12 - Episode 30: New York Times Bestselling Author, Susan Piver 15:50 - Episode 31: Visual Snow Initiative Co-founder, Paul Domb 20:03 - Episode 32: New York Times Bestselling Author, Erin Jeanne McDowell 22:30 - Episode 33: Retired FBI Special Agent, Donald Albracht 26:20 - Episode 34: Experienced Death Doula, Kacie Gikonyo 30:00 - Episode 35: Hyer Boots CEO, Zach Lawless 32:51 - Episode 36: Retired FBI Section Chief, Tom Nunemaker 37:26 - Episode 37: 5-time USA Memory Champion, Nelson Dellis 39:40 - Episode 38: Author and Book Coach, Jennie Nash 43:53 - Episode 39: World Orienteering Championship Competitor, Tori Borish 45:38 - Conclusion & Closing Remarks This episode includes the track 'RSPN' by Blank & Kytt. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. You can find more of Blank & Kytt's music ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey were thirty days away from a publisher deadline for their third book when the news came down: change this book from women's fiction to romance.Should they do it? Could they do? How would they do it???In this episode, Jennie Nash digs into this juicy question.Books mentioned in this episode:The Beach TrapThe Comeback SummerUntil Next SummerAre you a “sticker”?Regular listeners know that whenever we meet our writing goals around here, we text each other one word: STICKER. (and then we add a cute sticker to our calendar, because we're fun like that).We call supporters of the #AmWriting podcast “stickers” too—and while our regular podcasts and shownotes go out to all of our listeners, we have created a few things just for stickers. First, there's the Summer Blueprint for a Book Sprint—10 weeks dedicated to working with coaches and a community to figure out how to turn your next idea—or your struggling draft—into the book you want to write. You can join it anytime (the how-to is below).Stickers can also submit the first page of their WIP to the Booklab First Pages podcast, where we might choose it to discuss, review and offer ideas for persuading agents, editors and readers that they want to turn that page and see what happens next. (Find the link to submit a first page HERE.)I'm a sticker! Give it all to me now.To join the Blueprint for a Book Summer Sprint, you must be a paid subscriber. Then, opt-in and set up your podcast feed. Don't worry, it's simple! Click here to go to your #AmWriting account, and when you see this screen, do two things:* Toggle “Blueprint for a Book” from “off” (grey) to “on” (green).* Click “set up podcast” next to Blueprint for a Book and follow the easy instructions.Once you set those things up, you'll get all the future Blueprint emails and podcasts (and if you're joining the party a bit late, just head to our website and click on Blueprint for a Book in the top menu). 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 episode of the Write It Scared Podcast, it's my pleasure to welcome the inspiring Jennie Nash, CEO of Author Accelerator, to discuss her journey from writing instructor and author to successful book coach and business leader. Jennie illuminates the transformative power of book coaching, emphasizing the importance of individual attention and long-term support for writers. She shares the origins and growth of Author Accelerator, how book coaching differs from the experience of traditional editing, and offers valuable advice for writers seeking a book coach. Tune in to learn how book coaching can elevate your writing process, help you overcome obstacles, and bring your literary dreams to life.00:00 Introduction and Welcome00:26 Jennie's Journey to CEO of Author Accelerator01:11 The Role and Impact of Book Coaching02:42 Global Reach and Benefits of Book Coaching03:21 The Writing Process and Book Coaching14:56 Finding the Right Book Coach18:12 Common Problems and Myths in Book Coaching23:25 Best Writing Advice and Recent Reads27:27 Final Thoughts and Current ProjectsBooks Mentioned: The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat: The 43 Worst Moments in the Writing Life and How to Get Over Them by Jennie NashDear Edward by Ann NapolitanoJennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry with rigorous training, high standards for certification, and ongoing support for coaches while they launch and build their businesses. To learn more about Author Accelerator and to reach Jennie:  authoraccelerator.com. jennienash.substack.comwww.jennienash.com/blueprintwww.bookcoaches.com/abc Curious about becoming a book coach? Learn more here. Writing a book? Check out Jennie's Blueprint books Want to say hi? Find Jennie on IG: @jennienashbookcoachThis show note contains affiliate links to bookshop.org. Support the Show.To become a supporter of the show, click here!To get in touch with Stacy: Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co https://www.writeitscared.co/ https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/ Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared: Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

The #AmWriting team is so excited to present this interview with Dr. Barb Mayes Boustead – because it's an #AmWriting success story! Barb was the random winner of The Summer Blueprint Challenge we ran in the summer of 2022. She won a Blueprint review with Jennie Nash – and the book proposal that came out of that work recently landed Barb a book deal. (Want a chance at something like that for yourself? Keep reading—we're hosting a new Blueprint Sprint!)Her book, WILDER WEATHER: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Can Teach Us About Watching the Weather, Understanding Our Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish, will be published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2025 — a perfect match of topic and publisher, as you will hear in this episode. We are offering this challenge again this summer — and this same prize. Anyone who finishes the Blueprint this summer is eligible to enter the drawing to win a Blueprint review. You can read all about the Blueprint challenge HERE — and you can join us at anytime this summer. We'd love to have you for the podcasts (there are ten in the series), the AMAs, and the write-alongs! Any paid subscriber is welcome.To learn more about Dr. Barb Mayes Boustead's work, check out her Substack here: You can also visit her author website and find her on Instagram at @windbarbYou can download a draft of her book proposal HERE.The Laura Ingalls Wilder conference she mentions in the show is LaurapaloozaThe Blueprint Barb did is from Jennie Nash's Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big IdeaAre you a “sticker”?Regular listeners know that whenever we meet our writing goals around here, we text each other one word: STICKER. (and then we add a cute sticker to our calendar, because we're fun like that).We call supporters of the #AmWriting podcast “stickers” too—and while our regular podcasts and shownotes go out to all of our listeners, we have created a few things just for stickers. First, there's the Summer Blueprint for a Book Sprint—10 weeks dedicated to working with coaches and a community to figure out how to turn your next idea—or your struggling draft—into the book you want to write. You can join it anytime (the how-to is below).Stickers can also submit the first page of their WIP to the Booklab First Pages podcast, where we might choose it to discuss, review and offer ideas for persuading agents, editors and readers that they want to turn that page and see what happens next. (Find the link to submit a first page HERE.)I'm a sticker! Give it all to me now.To join the Blueprint for a Book Summer Sprint, you must be a paid subscriber. Then, opt-in and set up your podcast feed. Don't worry, it's simple! Click here to go to your #AmWriting account, and when you see this screen, do two things:* Toggle “Blueprint for a Book” from “off” (grey) to “on” (green).* Click “set up podcast” next to Blueprint for a Book and follow the easy instructions.Once you set those things up, you'll get all the future Blueprint emails and podcasts (and if you're joining the party a bit late, just head to our website and click on Blueprint for a Book in the top menu). 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

Episode 38 titled "How Are Books Published?", has Author and Book Coach, Jennie Nash, explain the intricacies of the publishing process. Episode Summary: This episode features a discussion with Jennie Nash, an author and book coach. Jennie has penned nine books across three genres, including "Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out". She's not only achieved personal success but also excels in guiding others as the Founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. This company has trained over 75 book coaches to support writers throughout their creative journey. Her coaching prowess has helped clients secure lucrative deals, including projects like "The Chicken Sisters," a New York Times bestseller and a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick in 2020. Listen as Jennie shares her insights which have guided numerous authors to success. In this episode we discuss: 00:25 - Introducing Jennie Nash 02:19 - Being an Author is a "Thing" 5:29 - Beginning to Write 9:16 - Book Coaching 13:11 - A Shift in Publishing 23:02 - Allure of Self-Publishing 32:12 - Book Launch 38:38 - Finding vs. Serving an Audience 40:59 - AI in Writing 49:32 - Advice for New Writers 52:0 - Learning More 53:49 - Conclusion Resources: Jennie's Website Author Accelerator⁠ Jennie's Books⁠ This episode includes the track 'RSPN' by Blank & Kytt. The song is used under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. You can find more of Blank & Kytt's music ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Welcome to a special month of podcast episodes! Because this is my book launch month (CITY OF BOOKS releases May 28th

We've been talking a lot lately about the how hard it is to finish a project and how different that energy is from the wonderful, euphoric, sometimes manic starting energy. Here's some advice from Jess, Sarina, and Jennie on how authors manage their lives and relationships and work amid the ups and downs of writing projects. AmReading: Sarina: She's been loving the Orphan X series by Greg HurwitzJennie: Her fave read this week is Dear Edward by Ann NapolitanoJess: Finally got around to listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and KJ convinced her to download The Murder of Mr. Wickham by Claudia Gray. She also started The Sicilian Inheritance by return guest Jo Piazza. Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller,  they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter. 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 real play, Dr. Diana Hill is joined by workshop participant Jennie Nash live from a Blue Spirit Costa Rica retreat. Together, they navigate Jennie Nash's feelings of being trapped by her own success amidst celebrating significant personal milestones and leading a successful business that trains and certifies book coaches. Through exploring wise effort, values, and the balance of effort in life and work, Jennie discovers the subtle nuances between meaningful engagement and burnout while unearthing the importance of self-commitment, authenticity, and valuing herself.You will learn: The intricacies of feeling ‘trapped' by one's own success and how to explore these feelings through wise effort.How to identify and align with your core values, even amidst burnout, and use these values to guide your life and work. Strategies for balancing high-effort, value-aligned work with necessary self-care and personal development to prevent burnout.Listen to this episode for a compelling narrative on finding equilibrium within success and reaffirming one's values through self-reflection.Related ResourcesGet enhanced show notes for this episodeSubscribe to my free Wise Effort newsletter.Become a Wise Effort member to support the show.Want to learn more about ACT? Take Diana's on-demand course, "Foundations of ACT"Diana's EventsReserve your spot in Diana's Costa Rica retreat in 2025!See Diana at an upcoming eventConnecting With DianaThank you for listening to Wise Effort! Subscribe to the podcast for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts. Follow Diana on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Diana's website.Leave feedback for the showThank you to the team Craig, Ashley Hiatt, and Yoko Nguyen. Thank you to Benjamin Gould of Bell & Branch for your beautiful music.We can put our energy where it matters most and...

If you do not already know Rachael Herron, host of the Ink In Your Veins Podcast (formerly known as How Do You Write) and author of 13-ish novels (including 2 thrillers under the not-exactly pseudonym RH Herron), soon-to-be two memoirs and a few assorted books as well as many many blog posts and essays about writing… well you're lucky because now you do. The thing to know about Rachael Herron for today's purposes is that she's published her books both independently and with traditional publishers. She's even retrieved the rights to traditionally published books from over a decade ago and re-published them herself—even while enthusiastically traditionally publishing her thrillers. Even with all that experience and knowledge under her belt, she still decided she just HAD to go out and publish something new. She's independently publishing her newest book, Unstuck: An Audacious Hunt for Home and Happiness—but first, she decided to run a Kickstarter to help her do it. Did Rachael have any idea how to run a Kickstarter? She did not. Did she know if she'd meet her goals? Nope—although, as you'll hear in the episode, she had a bunch of good reasons to think she just might.If you've ever toyed with the idea of using Kickstarter to fund a book yourself, this is the episode for you. We talk about why Rachael decided not to seek a traditional publisher, how she decided to try Kickstarter and what it took to get it done, as well as what I call “mistakes we made so you don't have to”. We talk about the highs—hitting her goal in a matter of hours and getting to create “stretch goals” so raise even more, being chosen as one of Kickstarter's “Projects We Love”—and the lows, like almost setting goals in the wrong currency, which would have meant she'd essentially be paying people to take her book and overpromising speed and needing to tell people things were not actually live… yet. And we get way into the weeds on who this might work for and who might want to look for another way to get what they want. If you're thinking oh, her platform is big, no wonder this worked for her—we talk numbers, and I bet you'll be surprised. And her final piece of advice is so important that I'm going to lay it right down here: Write the book first.Links from the podFind Rachael's Kickstarter, which runs through April 22, 2024, HERE. Follow Rachael on Instagram HERE and subscribe to her EXCELLENT email about writing HERE. Support her on Patreon HERE. Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter, Monica Leonelle & Russell P. NoheltyJoanna Penn episodes on KickstartersHow to Be Old, Lyn SlaterLulu.comBookfunnelHey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller,  they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter. 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

Getting unstuck in a BIG way with Jennie Nash, in which Jennie is brave AF, moving forward with beautiful integrity. If you're stuck? Listen to this one. Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry with rigorous training, high standards for certification, and ongoing support for coaches while they launch and build their businesses. Jennie's own clients have landed top agents, six-figure book deals, and spots on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She is the author of 12 books in 3 genres, including her latest: Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace. Here's Rachael's Kickstarter, Unstuck! Click there for unstuck coaching (this won't come available again anytime soon). Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help?

The idea for Sarina Bowen's thriller, The Five Year Lie, is an incredible and suspenseful hook for a story – and she first heard it from a writer friend. In this episode, Jennie Nash interviews Sarina about the concept of who owns an idea and how this particular idea made its way through Sarina's brain and onto the flap copy of her forthcoming book. Things Mentioned in This EpisodeLauren BlakelyThe Best Men by Sarina Bowen and Lauren BlakelyThe Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen – preorder it wherever books are soldSarinabowen.comHey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller,  they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter. 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

Hey #AmWriters! It's been almost three years since our interview with Jenny Lawson first aired, but we know the struggle is REAL - so we thought this is the perfect time to bring this episode back out for a listen. Whether you're struggling with getting the work done or feeling like maybe you're not really a writer, this episode may be just what you need to remind you why you're here. Happy listening!Writing is hard. In this episode, we talk imposter syndrome, editing, the right headspace for reading your own stuff, why you might need a “nice” agent, reading your work aloud to friends, recording audiobooks in the closet, being years late on a deadline, sending your editor proof of life and the deep inner conviction that people only buy your book because they feel sorry for you. #ohyeah.#AmReadingJess: Win by Harlan CobenJenny: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo IshiguroHour of the Witch by Chris BohjalianNote: Bookriot PodcastKJ: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia BarryJenny's Bookshop: The Nowhere Bookshop, San Antonio, TXThe Fantastic Strangelings Book Club books:Professional Troublemaker by Luvvie Ajayi JonesSwallowed Man by Edward CareyMexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-GarciaCatherine House by Elisabeth ThomasThe Did Bad Things by Lauren A. ForryWow, No Thank You by Samantha IrbyFind Jenny at The Bloggess!Hey, it's Jennie Nash, founder and CEO of Author Accelerator. I hear so many people tell me that book coaching sounds like their dream job, and they wish they could do it, but they can't because ___________. Fill in the blank, whatever it is: They don't have an agent, they haven't written a bestseller,  they don't have a Ph.D., they weren't an English major, they don't know enough about the publishing industry--whatever the thing is. And I can tell you that I see people overcome these things every single day. I have a presentation on this, on imposter syndrome. It's the single biggest barrier keeping most people from saying YES to their dream job. Come check it out at bookcoaches.com/imposter. That's bookcoaches.com/imposter. 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

Writers, if you're paying attention at all, you've heard from Zibby Owens in the past 2 years. She's the host of the Moms Don't Have Time to Read Podcast and the creator of Zibby Media, which at this point includes a magazine, a publishing house that's having a great month with, among other books, The Last Love Note, which KJ highly recommends and an LA-based bookstore. In 2022, Jess talked with Zibby about how she launched her literary life--and as that life gets bigger and bigger, we thought it was time to share her story again. Ever want to know “how she did it”? This episode is our little version of How I Built This, in which we ask Zibby Owens—whose name you surely know by now—about how she turned a desire to be part of the world of books into a one-woman mini book empire.Zibby Owens is the host of Moms Don't Have Time to Read, a daily podcast featuring interviews with authors that has over 900 episodes. She's also a Bookstagrammer with 16K followers, the host of a second podcast—Moms Don't Have Time to Have Sex—the editor of two anthologies, Moms Don't Have Time To and Moms Don't Have Time to Have Kids—KJ contributed to that last one—and now the CEO of Zibby Books, a new publishing home for fiction and memoir. She's a regular contributor to Good Morning America, she's been called “America's Top Bookfluencer” and she has two books coming soon: Princess Charming, a picture book, and Booked, a memoir. She's also got four kids, and they're kids—elementary and middle school age, not a bunch of independent high schoolers wandering aroundBut.Five years ago Zibby was none of those things (except a mother of four). And that's what I want to talk about. She's built a massive literary life, a community, a reputation in just a few years, and—after totally owning the fact that she has help with her kids (heck, not just help, they're completely gone every other weekend because, divorce sometimes works like that) and also that this isn't how Zibby earns a living— we go back to the beginning and talk about what it took to get there.Because no matter who you are, you can't wake up and say, I think I'd like to be America's Biggest Bookfluencer, and whip out your Amex card and make it happen. You can't even take your Kardashian self and decide this is what you want and ask your assistant to set it up. This takes work and desire and passion, and we dig into how Zibby started, and how she made things take off.Links from the pod:Lee Carpenter: Red, White, Blue and ElevenAndre Agassi: OpenZibby BooksZibby Books Ambassadors (at bottom of Zibby Books page)#AmReadingZibby: Going There by Katie CouricHungry Hill by Eileen Patricia CurranThe Husbands by Chandler BakerThe Last Season by Jenny Judson & Danielle MahfoodKJ: A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. HarrowJess: Speaking of Race by Celeste HeadleeIt's that time again! Every year Jennie Nash and the Author Accelerator team put together a holiday bundle worth hundreds of dollars for folks who enroll in the Book Coach Certification Program ahead of the new year. Enroll this month to receive a $150 gift card to Better World Books, access to their $99 course the One-Page Book Coaching Business Plan Challenge, a copy of Jennie's Blueprint book in your genre, and MORE.And did we mention you can now pre-enroll in Author Accelerator's Memoir Certification Program? The course opens in March 2024, but if you enroll this month, you'll get $600 off the cost of enrollment – which is certainly something to be jolly for!When you enroll in the Book Coach Certification program, you'll gain access to a thriving community of friends and colleagues, more than 100 hours of training, videos, case studies, and worksheets to teach you the key editorial skills, client-management strategies, and the tools needed to help writers reach their goals and to help you start a thriving book coaching business. So, whether you're looking to expand your writing skills or start your new year with a new career, there is no better time to start your journey. Visit bookcoaches.com/podcast to get your special offer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com

Hey writers—I'm in a funny phase of novel drafting right now where I'm really only doing the prewriting—which is an odd style of drafting wherein, for me, I basically write only dialogue and statements of movement and the very most important bits of inner dialogue. (As in, no one is opening car doors or setting down their coffee cups, and there are also no quotation marks, and they could be anywhere as far as setting is concerned.)Writing this way keeps my eyes on the prize—basically it's what do I need to know to really write this scene, which kind of tricks me into what does the reader really need to know. I'll add some of the set dressing later, but I find that when I write this way, the end result is tighter and cleaner.Here's an example I found that ultimately became Chapter 3 of Playing the Witch Card. It's actually pretty accurate:Flair is desperately shutting door on what she's done, locking up wildly as if she could lock it inside, back door, Josie never comes to front, running from a ghost, you know better than to make a joke like that in Rattleboro Well did you No Just of herself How was day Sucked Customers 2 if you count Loretta What did she want? She comes in all the time actuall and when she does it's usually a little better, I think it's all that Halloween horror That's what people are here for but then my customers all prefer the alley it's part of the mystique Yep those rebel tattoos that x percent of the population has But not you When I think of something I want tattooed on me you'll be the first to know Sometimes that's my job, do you want to know what tattoo you should have I do not. Stop it. Change subject Loretta wanted me to make Halloween cookies And I suppose you said no. you should. If anything would change your luck I kow you hate it. But I don't see how you're going to be here and not be part of it. Met by lucie on the doorstep. I'm going back to Chicago. What happened today Stupid Halloween, stupid party Parties are nothing but halloween's a big deal around here. Your mom just got asked to do something for the Rattlebones. Even lucie looked up at that Really? Everyone wants to do that, Annabel's always telling people that her mom practically runs it but I don't think she gets to be out there---could I help? She says she's not doing it I don't want to You have to I'll think about it If I can't do that for Halloween I want to go back to Chicago Not happening, we agreed, you're here until we both go visit at thanksgiving (and she was hopeing not to do that) I'll think about it I guess you're doing Halloween I hate you. I'm not. But she knew she would. There's actually zero interiority in here, which forced me to add it later but only where the dialogue didn't already convey it. Which leads me to today's replay, which is one I needed: what's the difference between showing—in internal dialogue—and telling? Bc we don't want to info dump, and yet also our characters need to reflect on their past or think things they don't say. This episode is me, Sarina and Jess talking about the difference. I hope it's as helpful to you as it was to me!Original show notesThe whole “am I showing, or am I telling” inner debate can be tough in every part of a novel, memoir or nonfiction-with-elements-of-memoir draft. You don't want to “tell” about the action. You don't want to “tell” about the setting. And goodness knows you don't want to “tell” what the character is feeling.Except when you do. Sometimes a little telling, in the form of inner dialogue, is exactly what the reader needs to feel a part of the story, not just the happenings. Sarina, Jess and KJ are all in for a conversation about how to immerse a reader in emotions, reactions, fears, self-doubt and even self-deception.Got an inner dialogue question you're wrestling with? Try sharing it in our Facebook group—and for other burning questions, small and large, email us at amwriting@substack.com. We can't respond to every email, but we might answer your question on an upcoming show—or even invite you on for a little coaching.Links and quotes from the pod:From In Her Boots:“Jasmine was still a little leery of the animals, so I set out to charm her with them. **Here's what my editor said here:  Maybe Rhett could think here about how the animals always made her feel good and she wants to impart some of that to Jasmine, who is stretching so far outside her comfort zone to help Rhett? This could be a nice friendship moment to show Rhett caring about Jasmine.** After we fed the entire crew—which would make any human popular—I gave Jas Brownie's curry comb and showed her the places where he loved to be scratched, and together we groomed the little pony to a sheen, Jas brushing while I pulled his mane and tail. Jas ran inside and emerged with a bandana that we tied in his forelock, giving him a rakish look suited to his personality, and at the same time we both pulled out our phones.”Here's the revision:“Some barn time would absolutely help me feel better. If Jas was a little more comfortable with them, I knew she would feel the same way, and I wanted that for her. I didn't care about the Maggie part of it. I'd overheard her on the phone with Zale last night, and I wanted her to know that the farm was a refuge for her no matter what. After we fed the entire crew—which would make any human popular—I gave Jas Brownie's curry comb and showed her the places where he loved to be scratched, and together we groomed the little pony to a sheen, Jas brushing while I pulled his mane and tail. Jas ran inside and emerged with a bandana that we tied in his forelock, giving him a rakish look suited to his personality, and at the same time we both pulled out our phones.”From We Are Not Like Them:p. 113 “I'm relieved to see that the crowd really is peaceful, so many faces filled with righteous conviction and purpose. Nonetheless, my cynicism kicks in. Ain't nothing changed but the music. All the clever signs and chants, the people who showed up just so they could post it to their social media, what does it add up to?”From Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake:p. 161 “She laughed and then hoped he'd meant her to.”p. 179 “Rosaline didn't want to jinx it, and possibly she was reading too much into one ambiguously encouraging look from Marianne Wolvercote, but she thought she could do okay this week. Possibly even well? After all, she had a strong concept. And the part of her that used to do homework under test conditions was now secretly rather glad to get to practice in an unfamiliar kitchen.”Also mentioned:Beach Read by Emily HenryTalia Hibbert#AmReadingJess: The Triumph of Seeds: How Grains, Nuts, Kernels, Pulses, and Pips Conquered the Plant Kingdom and Shaped Human History by Thor HansonKJ: We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride & Jo PiazzaSarina: The Enneagram in Love: A Roadmap for Building and Strengthening Romantic Relationships by Stephanie Barron HallIt's that time again! Every year Jennie Nash and the Author Accelerator team put together a holiday bundle worth hundreds of dollars for folks who enroll in the Book Coach Certification Program ahead of the new year. Enroll this month to receive a $150 gift card to Better World Books, access to their $99 course the One-Page Book Coaching Business Plan Challenge, a copy of Jennie's Blueprint book in your genre, and MORE.And did we mention you can now pre-enroll in Author Accelerator's Memoir Certification Program? The course opens in March 2024, but if you enroll this month, you'll get $600 off the cost of enrollment – which is certainly something to be jolly for!When you enroll in the Book Coach Certification program, you'll gain access to a thriving community of friends and colleagues, more than 100 hours of training, videos, case studies, and worksheets to teach you the key editorial skills, client-management strategies, and the tools needed to help writers reach their goals and to help you start a thriving book coaching business. So, whether you're looking to expand your writing skills or start your new year with a new career, there is no better time to start your journey. Visit bookcoaches.com/podcast to get your special offer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com

Jennie Nash KNOWS memoir, and more than that, she knows how to do the most important thing of all: to center the reader. Don't miss this one! Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry with rigorous training, high standards for certification, and ongoing support for coaches while they launch and build their businesses. Jennie's own clients have landed top agents, six-figure book deals, and spots on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She is the author of 12 books in 3 genres, including her latest: Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace. How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other writers on how to get in the chair, tricks to stay in it, and inspiration to get your own words flowing.✏️ Can I email you some writing help? http://rachaelherron.com/write

Ok, we probably don't feel as cheery as that little subtitle sounded after we've been away from a project for a while. Most of the things that yank us away from our work unexpectedly aren't good things. (There must be exceptions?)In my case, I got sick, and then I overdid and got sicker, and the result is a project I haven't touched in a week. Which is SO not that bad or that long—sometimes things happen and it's a month or more before we can get back into the work—but it made me think about what I do when I'm forced to stop and re-start. * Forgive yourself. Might you have been able to do better? Maybe. Would a real writer have managed to work through whatever it was? Maybe. And maybe, if you'd really had to, you would have. Or maybe not—sometimes even people with deadlines and editors and fans clamoring need to put their work aside for a while, because sometimes you just cannot. Or sometimes you do anyway, and maybe, as I once did, you turn in an article during one of the worst weeks of your life thus far and it includes a recipe for Miso Roasted Cod in which you forget to include the miso, which is published because apparently there were no backstops at this particular entity, thus ending your recipe writing career forevermore. (Obviously that worked out ok, but 21 years ago I would have told you my life was over.) Let it go. You needed time. You took it. It's for the best.* Check in. Is it really time to get back to this? Can you look ahead and see yourself getting back into whatever routine is in the cards for you now, or are you setting yourself up to disappoint yourself? Look, only you know. Some people write at the worst times. Some people wait for better times. Sometimes those are the same people at different points in their lives. It is okay to hunch over a laptop under circumstances when people think you should be doing something else, and it is okay to decide to re-read all of Anne of Green Gables even when the waters are calm again.* Do your commit-thing. If it's time and you're ready, do whatever you do when you start something. Tell a friend, tell the world, stick a post-it on your desktop, re-up your timer app on your phone, make a list or a plan or a mood board, make a promise, light a candle, stand outside and scream up at the clouds to tell them you're back in the game, babies!* Allow for some prep-time. Maybe you need to read over your project or your outline. (Or maybe you shouldn't, because going in an unexpected direction could be a great thing.) A thinking-walk or drive could be good, or a re-read of your favorite motivational or craft book, or even just a page of it. If you're a pre-writer, start there and let yourself hit a downhill before you start actually sticking in all the punctuation. * Start somewhere easy. Maybe that's right where you left off. Maybe it's a scene you've been writing in your head. Maybe it's the end or a new beginning. * Go all in. Once you open the file, stay in the file. You're out of practice. This will be harder than it was last time. Your text messages, your laundry, that annoyingly long pinkie nail, all will beckon. (Actually it's ok to go trim the nail. But you do NOT NEED YOUR PHONE to do that.) Set a timer, throw your phone across the room, handcuff yourself to your desk, do whatever you do. Maybe for a teeeeeny bit less time than usual. But do it. And then stop even if you're rolling. Every day this will get easier if you just do the thing. * You might need to go back and forgive yourself again. Maybe this is harder than you thought. Maybe it feels like you've lost the thread. Maybe you don't feel like you'll ever, every get it going. What would you say to a friend right now? Bet it's nicer than whatever you're saying to yourself. You will keep going. Be kind.* SAVE THIS POST. The time will come when you need it again. And so do I. It's that time again! Every year Jennie Nash and the Author Accelerator team put together a holiday bundle worth hundreds of dollars for folks who enroll in the Book Coach Certification Program ahead of the new year. Enroll this month to receive a $150 gift card to Better World Books, access to their $99 course the One-Page Book Coaching Business Plan Challenge, a copy of Jennie's Blueprint book in your genre, and MORE.And did we mention you can now pre-enroll in Author Accelerator's Memoir Certification Program? The course opens in March 2024, but if you enroll this month, you'll get $600 off the cost of enrollment – which is certainly something to be jolly for!When you enroll in the Book Coach Certification program, you'll gain access to a thriving community of friends and colleagues, more than 100 hours of training, videos, case studies, and worksheets to teach you the key editorial skills, client-management strategies, and the tools needed to help writers reach their goals and to help you start a thriving book coaching business. So, whether you're looking to expand your writing skills or start your new year with a new career, there is no better time to start your journey. Visit bookcoaches.com/podcast to get your special offer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com

“I see in books,” says today's guest. “Every book is, at its heart, an argument for something—for a belief, a way of life, a vision of the future, a way to solve a problem, a way to make a friend, a way to lose your soul. The point is what the entire story drives to. It's the thing your reader will come away from your book feeling.” That's just one gem from today's guest, Jennie Nash, book coach and author of a blueprint series on how to approach your writing. Jennie and I discuss the tumult happening in hybrid and traditional publishing outfits; risks inherent in the publishing process; red flags to watch out for in selecting partners; determining the right genre for your work (i.e. nonfiction, fiction, memoir), how to “make room for the reader,” and what it means to write for the marketplace. More About Jennie: Jennie Nash is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to lead the emerging book coaching industry. Author Accelerator has certified more than 160 book coaches in both fiction and nonfiction. Jennie's own book coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six-figure book deals with Big 5 houses such as Penguin, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette, and won dozens of national indie book awards. Jennie is the author of 12 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea and the forthcoming Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace.

In our Idea Factory wrap-up, Jennie and I talk about the ways ideas need to change and evolve throughout the writing process—while you develop them and even in between drafts. Don't let the idea take charge—the writer has to keep running the show.Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace is out now!I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work.Want to read the first chapter of Playing the Witch Card? Then subscribe to KJ's #AmReading email and be the first to get a sneak peek at her latest! 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

That first non-fiction book may seem easy—it's your THING, the thing you know—but you still have to hone it down. Is it advice, information, the story of how you learned what you know? Inspirational, confrontational, aspirational? And then comes the next book. And the next. And it still always comes back to the idea.Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace is out now!I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work.Are you following Sarina on Instagram? It's full of writing inspiration with stickers and trees tracking her goals (no seriously, check it out). 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

You've no doubt heard people say of non-fiction books “that should have been an article”. Not every idea can sustain an entire book or story. Many things that feel like ideas are really set-ups: what if there was a school for dragon riders? Yes, absolutely, cool, but the who and the what happens and the why do we care never go away. In this episode, we talk about turning the flicker of an idea into a full light bulb, and rescuing an idea that didn't turn out to be quite enough.Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace is out now!I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work.Have you checked out #AmReading? It's KJ's weekly email on books and bookish enthusiasms, and you'll find everything from a surprising take on who's doing the best Austen adaptations now and why to a book for anyone who felt saved and seen by their favorite childhood authors. You'll love it! 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

Part two of the memoir conversation: yes you do need an idea for a memoir. Gotta narrow things down, figure out what you want to share and why and most of all, why anyone would want to read it. There's a difference between a memoir, and a memoir that the market will embrace—and we tell you how to find it.Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace is out now!I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work. Hey you! Are you following KJ on TikTok? YES, KJ. Please do so now. 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

But wait, isn't a memoir a book about my life? What do you mean, I need an idea?We mean, you need an idea. Because your whole life is… really not book material. But one thematic chunk of it? One recurring event, one series of catastrophes, one relationship, one moment that changed everything? Now you're talking—and so are we, to the amazing Rachael Herron, host of the How Do You Write Podcast, author of Fast Draft Your Memoir and leader of a recurring, very hard to get into multi-week class of the same name. We talk about what does and doesn't serve as memoir material and how to get from a vague glimmer of an idea to something that will carry you (and your reader) through chapter after chapter, and we quote a line from Cami Osmond: In memoir there's the what and the so what. Go where the sparkle is.A few assorted links from the pod:The Art of the Book Proposal, Eric MaiselEat Pray Love, Elizabeth GilbertBroken, Furiously Happy, Jenny LawsonThe Art of Memoir, Mary KarrDevotion, Inheritance, Hourglass, Slow Motion, Dani ShapiroBittersweet, Susan CainI'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdyWhen Women Were Birds, Terry Tempest WilliamsA Life in Stitches, Rachael HerronI Miss You When I Blink, Bomb Shelter (Memoirs in Essays), Mary Laura Philpott Essays that start light, then hit hard: Episode 312 with Mary Laura PhilpottStill Writing, Dani ShapiroThe Shepherd's Life, James RebanksGood news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace Is coming August 1, 2023. If you're seeing this in July 2023, there's a fantastic event available only to those who pre-order: a live—or recorded—deep dive into the four key steps of memoir writing, with a chance for Jennie Nash to select you for a live Hot Seat coaching session to review your work and an entry to win the Grand Prize: a written review of your Blueprint and an exclusive 50-minute strategy session with Jennie.I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work. Find all the details for the book and the pre-order event at bookcoaches.com/podcasts.Hey you! Are you following Jess on TikTok? 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

This is the third in our 2023 Summer Idea Factory series. Jennie Nash is back, and this time, she and I are talking about the process of testing out ideas, talking through them, and spending enough time with them to figure out if they'll sustain you through an entire book—and if you want them to. Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace Is coming August 1, 2023. If you're seeing this in July 2023, there's a fantastic event available only to those who pre-order: a live—or recorded—deep dive into the four key steps of memoir writing, with a chance for Jennie Nash to select you for a live Hot Seat coaching session to review your work and an entry to win the Grand Prize: a written review of your Blueprint and an exclusive 50-minute strategy session with Jennie.I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work. Find all the details for the book and the pre-order event at bookcoaches.com/podcasts.Are you on TikTik? Check out Sarina's feed for plenty of examples of great book promotion fun! 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

THIS IS MY FAVORITE THING EVER. Jennie Nash and I (KJ here) are talking ideas this summer: getting them, keeping them, taking them from baby spark idea to big-enough-to-hold-a draft idea. In this episode, I lay out my favorite technique for forcing myself to do two things: thing of something beyond the single spark I'm attached to at any given moment and take all of the sparks I can generate and push them harder until they get to a point where they might just stand on their own.I hope you like it as much as I do. If you play the airport game, I'd love to hear about it! Just reply to this email and tell me how it went. Good news for memoir writers! Y'all probably know how much I love Jennie Nash's Blueprint books. They really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach.Her newest, Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace Is coming August 1, 2023. If you're seeing this in July 2023, there's a fantastic event available only to those who pre-order: a live—or recorded—deep dive into the four key steps of memoir writing, with a chance for Jennie Nash to select you for a live Hot Seat coaching session to review your work and an entry to win the Grand Prize: a written review of your Blueprint and an exclusive 50-minute strategy session with Jennie.I think this Blueprint is Jennie's best yet, with insights into story-telling that I'll be using in all my work. Find all the details for the book and the pre-order event at bookcoaches.com/podcasts.If you're big on scrolling Instagram, why not give Jess a follow? Warning: addictive puppy pics ahead! 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

Writers, I have IDEAS. Usually a lot of them. 99% of them go nowhere. You can feel me bubbling over with ideas in every episode and even in the title of many episodes. There is so much I always want to say.Like me, Jennie Nash is an idea cannon. So between us, we come up with a lot of plans. This is all to say that first: this episode, and the 7 “Idea Factory” episodes that follow, are the result of one such idea. At the beginning of this year, I (It's KJ here) was deciding on what to do for what I hope will be my fourth novel, and Jennie and I got to talking, as we often do, about the difference between a “spark” and an actual, full on IDEA.In this episode, we talk about what makes a full idea and why it's so fantastic, in memoir, fiction and non-fiction, to have that idea in hand before you start writing a book—or why, when you hit a wall in drafting, the answer often involves going back and figuring out what that idea was in the first place. It's the first of 8 Idea Factory Episodes that will take us through my process for coming up with ideas, kicking their tires, and letting them evolve in fiction as well as involve sitting down with guests to talk more in depth about non-fiction and memoir ideas (because yes, you need an “idea” even for a book that's based on your own life.Every time I sit down to write, I wish it were easier. One of my most common thoughts is that I wish there were an instruction book. I was a gold star student back in the day. Just tell me how many words to write and about what, teach! I'm on it.Sadly writing doesn't work that way—but Jennie Nash's books, Blueprint for a Book and Blueprint for Nonfiction, really are the closest thing I've found to a guide for getting through draft after draft. I start with them, and I go back to them when I'm stuck. The Blueprints keep me on track and help me write the book I set out to write for the readers I hope to reach. They give me tools to figure out the answers to questions that I've been known to avoid, like “why now” and “why does the reader care”. But even more than that, the Blueprints serve as a reminder that while writing a book is hard, it's do-able. It's not magic, and there's no muse. There's just going at it, again and again, until you get it done. Blueprint for a Book and Blueprint for Nonfiction are available on Amazon and you can pre-order her newest: Blueprint for a Memoir: How to Write a Memoir for the Marketplace—coming August 1. Pre-order that one, and there's a super cool bonus.Pssst: if you love #AmWriting, kick in some $$ to support us and get bonuses and appreciation. Lots of appreciation! 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

I did a call with a writer this week who really is just getting started, with a few short stories finished and dreams of the future, and after we talked at probably unnecessary length about the fundamental truth that writing is hard and you have to actually DO it, not just think about it and plan for it, so annoying, she asked me how I start a new project*.This episode is my answer, pretty much—because I've just done exactly that. My first outline document for the book I'm working on is dated 2/15; I opened a scrivener doc in March, there were 3 chapters in early April and I'm heading to the finish line on the first draft as I write (which would be quite fast for me so please do note that it's a very very very first draft).So I have just started. Here's how.And here are links to last year's Blueprint for a Book series, in which Jennie Nash and I talked about all the stages of starting all the things:Find Your Why: Blueprint for a Book Step 1What's Your Point? Blueprint for a Book Step 2Who Will Read My Book? Know Your Market: Blueprint for a Book Step 3Your Jacket Copy is Your Promise to the Reader: Blueprint for a Book Step 4There Must Be Change: Blueprint for a Book Step 5What's the Structure of Your Narrative? Blueprint for a Book Step 6How to Drive that Narrative Forward: Blueprint for a Book Step 7One Outline to Rule Them All (Even if You Hate Outlining): Blueprint for a Book Step 8But Does this Book Work? Blueprint for a Book Step 9How to Go From Planning a Book to Writing One: Blueprint for a Book Step 10And—starting next week—a whole summer series on getting the IDEA, refining it, testing it, poking it and revising it. You're gonna love it.*And then she asked how to get an agent because… we are who we are, and everyone asks that!LINKSThe Idea: The Seven Elements of a Viable Story for Screen, Stage or Fiction, Erik BorkSave the Cat Writes a Novel, Jessica BrodyBlueprint for a Book, Jennie Nash#AmWriting Prewriting Episode 178 #WriteFasterRachael Herron's How Do You Write Podcast episode 376 with David EllisIf you love a good writing retreat—especially one that comes with good solid coaching and the chance to meet others who are working on similar projects—here's one to check out. This fall, three Author Accelerator certified book coaches are offering Mainely Memoir, a retreat for women writers in historic Biddeford, Maine, held over three days in the gorgeous Maine woods in September, with one-on-one coaching both before and after the retreat. It's the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time and focus so that you can make real progress on your memoir this year. Find out more at www.mainelymemoir.comDo you get KJ's Box of Chocolates email—for erratic doses of books and enthusiasms? If not, what are you waiting for? 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

Two years ago, Jennie Nash and I (this is KJ) got into a debate about what was the best, most helpful book for a writer's bookshelf. Almost instantly we realized that we couldn't choose just one (although if we could, I suspect it's Save the Cat Writes a Novel for me and Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit for Jennie, but even as I write that I'm having second thoughts in favor of Big Magic but I'm just SO ANNOYED with her right now because of the whole take-back-my-book thing) and, yeah. Anyway. It's summer reading time, and to my summer reading list I've added a few books about writing, starting with Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being and, yes. Twyla Tharp's book (it's taken me this long to get over my resistance but JENNIE IS ALWAYS RIGHT about these things) and adding, for a practical note, Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder and The Trope Thesaurus from Jennifer Hilt. (Want my non-professional summer reading list? Subscribe to #AmReading.) If you're looking to add to your own professional summer reading, you can't do better than going back to the series of summer episodes that Jennie and I recorded as a result of that first debate. They're all listed and linked below, along with the books we discussed, and I'm putting the first of them (Episode 269) here—in which we debate, yes, Big Magic versus The Creative Habit.Since then, Jennie's published two Blueprint for a Book books: one each for fiction and nonfiction and, coming later this summer, memoir. They're all EXCELLENT and highly recommended as well.Working Bookshelf Episodes:* Inspiration (Big Magic versus The Creative Habit)* Plotting (Save the Cat Writes a Novel versus The Situation and the Story)* Productivity (Productivity with Deep Work versus From 2K to 10K)* Up Your Game (The Practice versus The Bestseller Code)* When You're Stuck (The War of Art versus Dear Writer You Need to Quit)* Getting Published (The Essential Guide to Getting Published versus 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might)* Writing While White (The Anti Racist Writing Workshop, Craft in the Real World, Writing the Other)* When You Don't Know Why You're Doing This (Start with Why versus How to Write an Autobiographical Novel)* Writer Comfort Reads (Bird by Bird versus Making a Literary Life)* Editing (Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative versus Blueprint for a Book)If you love a good writing retreat—especially one that comes with good solid coaching and the chance to meet others who are working on similar projects—here's one to check out. This fall, three Author Accelerator certified book coaches are offering Mainely Memoir, a retreat for women writers in historic Biddeford, Maine, held over three days in the gorgeous Maine woods in September, with one-on-one coaching both before and after the retreat. It's the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time and focus so that you can make real progress on your memoir this year. Find out more at www.mainelymemoir.comHey - are you following Sarina on Instagram? It's a great place for romance goodness (and check out her (Surprise!) billboard at 34th and 7th Ave!). 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 is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that trains, certifies, and supports book coaches so they can help writers do their best work. Jennie's own clients have landed top agents, six-figure book deals, and spots on the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. She is the author of 11 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out and Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Idea. Visit her at authoraccelerator.com and jennienash.com LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/jennie-nash-0a98716SOCIAL: Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamdesmonddixon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/campfire-capitalism/?viewAsMember=true Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Campfire-Capitalism-103501098870849 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campfirecapitalism/ Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/campfirecapitalism

What does it take to be a book coach? Do you have to be a writer to understand writing? Jennie Nash doesn't think so. After teaching writing for years as a professor, Jennie decided the way we teach writing.I can't say enough about how much I love the Author Accelerator program! If you want to know more about becoming a book coach, click on my affiliate link here: https://katcaldwell.com/fiction-certificateWant to support the podcast?You can support the podcast at https://pencilsandlipstick.com/support-the-show/Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writing, know when my workshops are and be the first to get exclusive information on my writing retreats. https://www.subscribepage.com/katcaldwellnewsletterWant more information on my books, author swaps, short stories and what I'm reading? Sign up for my readers' newsletter. You can always ask me writing questions on instagram @pencilsandlipstick or on Twitter @PencilLipstickFind the transcription for this episode here.

Jennie Nash is the founder of Author Accelerator, a book coaching service that has helped hundreds of writers complete their book projects. Her clients have landed top New York agents; snagged 5- and 6-figure deals from publishers such as Scribner, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Norton, and Hachette; hit the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller list; been chosen for the Reese Witherspoon Book Club; and won dozens of national indie book awards. Jennie has spent 30 years on all sides of the publishing industry and is the author of four novels, three memoirs, and four self-help books for writers including The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat: The 43 Worst Moments in the Writing Life and How to Get over Them; Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel From the Inside Out; Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Big Idea; and Read Books All Day & Get Paid For It. Jennie joins Marrie to talk about the art and business of book coaching, what coaches can (and cannot) do for you, how to know when you need one, when in the process to hire one, and how they differ from having an editor or MFA advisor. She also walks through some of the strategies in her Blueprint manuals and how they can be combined with other writing methods (such as Save the Cat , Robert McKee's Story, John Truby's The Anatomy of Story, etc.). She says spending a few weeks asking yourself some foundational questions about you book at the beginning might save you hundreds of pages and years of work. A reminder that April is the one-year anniversary of our Patreon page, and 2023 is the 25th anniversary of the show. To celebrate, we're offering some additional perks and incentives all month long. To learn more, visit our Patreon page.

My guest today is Jennie Nash who is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that trains, certifies, and supports book coaches so they can help writers do their best work.  I invited Jennie to the show for many reasons.  First, she has really mastered the art of delivering as a coach and course creator.  Her Author accelerator program truly is unmatched. We are lucky enough to have a little cohort of AA coaches inside The Hive and they all sing Jennie's praises.  So, I knew she was someone I wanted to know.  Secondly, Jennie is super smart and really committed to helping us all raise our voices and tell our stories through book writing.   Her own coaching clients have landed top New York agents and six-figure book deals with traditional publishing houses such as Penguin, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette. They've also won dozens of national indie book awards. And her Client KJ Dell'Antonia's novel, The Chicken Sisters, was an instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.  Jennie and I had a really enlivening conversation about why every coach should write a book, what it really takes to write a GOOD book, and of course we dish about the books on our nightstands right now.  You should know that Jennie herself is the author of 11 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Idea and Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out. Visit her at authoraccelerator.com and jennienash.com And if you are a coach on a mission, which I know you are or you wouldn't be listening, get ready to get inspired to raise your own voice.  I even had a breakthrough during this interview and Jennie's got my wheels turning on my next book.  She's just that good.  Here's Jennie Nash! BOOKS WE MENTIONED: This Is Not A Book About Benedict Cumberbatch by Tabitha Carvan Your Invisible Network by Michael Urtuzuástegu Melcher (one of Jennie's clients) A Taste of Opportunity by Renee Guilbault (another client of Jennies!) I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy CONNECT WITH JENNIE: 6 - PART TEST TO DETERMINE IF YOUR BOOK IS VIABLE: https://jennienash.com/viable  FIND THE BOOK COACH FOR YOU: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/ CONNECT WITH ME: INSTAGRAM:  http://instagram.com/dallastraversbizmentor  FREE QUIZ: https://dallastravers.com/quiz 

SPF tutor and Author Accelerator founder Jennie Nash explains what a book coach is and how authors benefit from editing throughout the writing process.

Jennie Nash is the book coach whisperer. Or at least that's what I've named her after talking to her. The founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that trains, certifies and supports book coaches so they can help writers do their best work, Nash has helped clients land top agents, six-figure book deals and make both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. Also the author of 11 books in three different genres, Nash has certified over 130 coaches. If you've ever thought, "Hey, I might like to be a book coach," get this: the cost for certification is only $2400. If you're instead interested in hiring a coach, listen in on this episode to find out more. You can also find out more about both becoming a coach and hiring one here. WANT TO BUILD YOUR AUTHORITY? GO TO OGAUTHORITYPOD.COM

Many of you have heard me (this is obviously KJ) whine about my revision in process. Well, I'm here to report that it's done, and successfully. Below is a full description of the process, and in the episode you'll hear me talking about it with Jennie Nash. I detail everything except the Peeps that fueled me, and I decided it was wrong to leave them out. So, in addition to a lot of butt-in-chair time and a surprising number of hours spend really just staring the at screen, I should own that I also ate a lot of Halloween peeps and most of a bag of fun-sized $100,000 bars. And I would have eaten the whole bag but someone else beat me too it, and they owe me big.Here it is in writing, THE LONG VERSION: How to do a substantial novel revision in 30 daysThe OverviewI had a long, rambling, completed draft of a book with a solid plot and decent thematic/internal story. The magic system was unclear and the romance undeveloped, and I had too many side-characters and too many scenes that weren't doing more than one job. Because it's a seasonal book, I couldn't take my time with a revision without getting pushed another full year out. So we were shooting for publication in less than a year—and we needed to leave some time, tbh, for me to get this wrong and have to fix it again. Thus: 30 days to a revision that involved nearly a full rewrite, even though the characters, story and in particular the plot excitement of the ending would stay the same.What the hell did I sell?At the time, I thought I sold a solid, almost-ready 102K draft.  Looking back, I see I sold an idea (Grown-up Gilmore Girls meets Practical Magic with a stolen set of family Tarot cards with powers and a mission of their own) and a rambling, creaky proof-of-concept draft with a solid plot at its core and characters my editor liked and wanted to spend time with.What this was: Same basic plot, both inside and out. I've done revisions that required altering a major plot point or removing characters. This did not.Same characters.Same themes, but narrowed and clarified.A few thoughts on that—the draft I sold was, in my mind, intentionally “edit-able”. There comes a point in a draft when editing it is hard. When what you have is both very polished and tightly wound, the editor may be able to see what's wrong, but pulling it out will be more painful for the writer, because you've locked down all the story elements to intertwine and all the language, etc. This wasn't that—when I yanked out scenes, they were at least flabby or tangential. I didn't have to feel too bad about it. And the story wasn't quite locked in as well. So none of this was unexpected. I know this editor likes to edit and is really good at it.That said, it WAS a … third or fourth draft or fifth, I can't remember. I'd done a lot of work on it. When I let go of it I thought it was pretty darn good. When I got it back I was like, OMG I can't BELIEVE I gave this to anyone, it's so long and there are scenes that don't go anywhere and it takes forever to get to the point. And in many ways I had done too much writing work on a story that wasn't ready to be written (although some of that is necessary for me to find the story).So a) I thought this was a lot better than it was and b) even after you sell a book, sometimes there is substantial work still to be done and that is fine, it doesn't mean you're terrible and the story is crap and the editor is staring at it and thinking, I cannot believe I bought this horrible piece of junk. (Or so I kept telling myself, over and over and over.) And c) apparently what you go out with can be (and will be) far, far from perfect. Even if you think it is.All that said, some editors don't edit. I was talking with another writer at a party recently, a NYT best-seller who broke out on her seventh novel, and has written 2 more since, told me that she doesn't get edited any more. That may be because of her skill and experience (and if so, I am so not there and can go back to feeling terrible about this draft) but I've heard the same from newer novelists. And debut novelists, although that situation is a little different, as our debuts are usually the product of a longer period of work and often working with paid editors or readers.I knew this editor and knew what to expect. If I was submitting to an unknown editor, I would submit something that—to me—was ready to go. Which, I should say, does not mean that it won't get the same big editorial treatment, so it's important to be ready for that and accept it. It also doesn't mean it wouldn't need it.The goal for this go-round.Major notes from my editor: it's too long, and it drags. The magic system is unclear. The motivations of several major secondary characters who move the plot are unclear. The love story is an afterthought. There's too much of one secondary character and not enough of 2 others. Too much internal monologue, too many conversations in parts that should be action. The deep backstory (i.e where the magic comes from) should be super-clear to me but mostly unseen by the reader.Minor notes: Some scenes don't work hard enough. Magic should be more magical. The stakes are high, but make it more clear what they are. More descriptions of the cute town and shop.My editor suggested a fresh structure of the first half of the book that moved it more quickly, which was very helpful. There are two inciting incidents, and we moved things so one of them happens very very quickly (the return of the magic) and the other later, after the first had more time to develop (the magic goes badly).I had two calls with my editor, the first before she wrote her (10 page!) editorial letter and the second after I'd read it. I didn't do any revision in between—I re-wrote the flap copy and worked on their author questionnaire (and if you've never done one of those, they're quite long). We also wrote the tagline. Both of those—the flap copy and the tagline—were really helpful in reminding me what it was I was doing here, especially the tagline, which ended up on a post-it on my desktop: Flair is done with magic. But magic isn't done with her.I needed to cut at least 10K words, make the magic, the plot and the motivations of the characters around it clear, bring the romance forward and take out a lot of action (and a few tertiary characters and events) that were obscuring the main story.An aside: I think we're either writers who stuff too much into the story (and write long) or writers who get right to the point (and write short). Whichever you are, outlining a favorite book in your genre or one that really did whatever your goal is (page-turner, thought-provoking, slow burn) successfully for you can really help. How many additional characters and plotlines were there? Which did you remember at the end of the book? How many did you really love, or really contributed to the book's success with you? Did they move the plot and the inner story or just one or the other?I did this during my revision and found it really helpful. Again. For me, outlining—or at least thinking about specific elements—of books I hope to be like on some level is always a good move.The numbersOriginal: 102K/330 pp 36 chaptersRevision: 83K/298 pp 30 chapters30 days/189.5 hours of butt-in-chair. This does not count anxiety dreams, walks to think through problems or time spent staring at other people and nodding while thinking about book.Longest day: 11 hours (I had 2 11 hour days and 5 10 hour days)What did that look like? 7-8 hours before dinner, with a substantial dinner stop that often included a walk or short bike ride, then back at it until 11 pm or so. I'm a natural night owl, so that's not that hard for me.Shortest: 1.5 (I traveled 3x during the 30 days, so I knew in advance that there would be several days when I did very little.) The shortest “real” day—as in, I didn't drive for 8 hours or spend a full day in family activity—was 6 hours. I'd consider that a normal day, and if I hadn't been in a rush I would say that's about ideal.Average: 6.3The mechanicsI made one big decision first thing: I decided not to work in the draft, even though it had (relatively few) line notes from my editor. Instead, I decided to return to Scrivener.The big advantage to Scrivener is the ability to move from chapter to chapter easily—as in, when you realize you're quoting something said in an earlier chapter, it's in the outline off to the side and easy to pop up and see, or if you realize you've forgotten something, ditto. That's really tough in 300 pp in Word, or even if you pull out each chapter and work on them separately in Word. And the risk of choosing an old version is high for me.  This worked really well, and I would do it again on any revision where I didn't need to be following line notes in Word. The ease of moving around a doc in Scrivener cannot be beat.I also decided not to pull out each chapter, put it in Scrivener and plan to revise it. Here's why—there was a LOT in this draft that wasn't going to make it into the final. At a minimum I needed to cut 10K/15pp. But truly, so much needed re-writing as much as revising—or maybe I should say, there was a lot of new material that needed to fit in. It would be easier to take what I needed from the old draft and add it to new stuff than to cut things, especially things I liked. Most of the scenes I needed had been written, but interspersed with scenes I did not. It was MUCH easier not to even look at those scenes again unless, say, I began writing a conversation and thought –they've done this before. Then I'd go dig it out.  Instead, I tackled it bit by bit, taking out the part I planned to work on and creating a Scrivener folder for it. I divided my book into about 6 sections—broadly, the beginning, the beginning of the middle, the midpoint scenes, the beginning of the end, the big action at the end and then the end. I planned for it all to end up in Scrivener and to compile it out from there.I often did the editing in Word by pulling out, say, three chapters that needed to become 2, dumping them into a fresh word doc (that way I got my editor's comments, too), giving it a name and working in there by also opening a dumping ground word doc next to (on desktop) or behind (laptop) it. I'd pull out a huge chunk, put it in the dumping ground and then go snatch lines or paragraphs as needed. This also gave me confidence, because the original always remained whole. I could always go back and get something if I needed it.Those Word docs looked like this:I drafted new material in Scrivener. Once or twice, I duplicated a chapter so that I could try something and see if it worked but easily go back to a previous version, which Scrivener also makes easy. I did some smaller chapter revisions in Scrivener too, although often I did them in Word and then pasted the result into Scrivener.I created multiple outlines (about which more in the next section), and often—especially as I got closer to the end—included target word counts, and I really paid attention to those. I have a tendency to repeat things, especially in dialogue, and keeping an awareness of where I was in the scene/chapter in terms of middle and approaching end helped me move things faster.Why are my fingers not moving?Of that 189.5 hours, I spent approximately 103 staring at the screen, outlining, prewriting, staring, outlining again, and generally struggling.I loosely outlined my revision with my editor before I started. A few days in I crashed headlong into the first wall and pulled back to really outline. We'd focused mostly on plot, which was just great—but what I ran into was the question of why anyone did anything and then, what the reader knew and believed when and what they were wondering about.It seems so straightforward now, but on day four I wrote in my calendar (I keep a calendar record of what I actually did, as opposed to what I meant to do, often quite different): “struggling.” And struggle I did, for 9 days. I tried summarizing, I tried outlining, I tried fitting the story into various structures. I did a lot of prewriting of dialogue, which is dialogue with no punctuation and no tags or stage direction, which was one of the most useful things I did—just basically let the characters yell what they really thought at one another and then used it in various places. Here's an example:Mocking her. None of those cards were for her, they never were.What came next, Nana taught her, was what you faced.The card that, for Flair, held the flash of premonition, the knowledge of what was coming.She pushed it away. She didn't want it. She didn't want the cards, not even these cookies, to exert their control. She didn't want to know what would happen. She knew what she wasn't going to let happen.He can't take Lucie from me.The Hermit. Herself, alone.A figure on the ground, lucie's frightened eyes, the five of cups. She hadn't even made a five of cups. Death—we cannot outwit death and we cannot outwit change—that was not what lay ahead.They were just cookies.I made them.They're mine.None of that. She reached out, seized on the Devil, that card of control, to push it away with all her might but found her grip tightening on it.Because of David. David needs to do what I want and leave my daughter alone.Whew. Harsh.Well, he's an a*****e. She can't go live with him.Agreed. But you know what I think.I know, enabling, blah blah. Well that's done. I'm done with him. As long as he's done with Lucie.Oh yeah that sounds like you've totally let him go in a healthy way.Flair picked up death and bit its head off.Oh, maybe we leave the nice cookies alone now, morticia. I think you've had enough.And then things went on well enough for a little over a week. And then I hit another wall and spent 2 days circling around, again, why one secondary character (the antagonist) would do what she does and how she would interact with my protagonist, in particular in one scene—what would she be offering and why would it work? That seemed to go on forever. Part of the problem was that I had two different elements of her motivation that I quite liked but I couldn't keep them both, and I kept leaning in one direction, then the other, depending on what I was working on… honestly I can barely remember the details now, but that's when I created the document labeled “pick a f*****g side”.Sometimes you just need to make a decision and write it that way. Sure, save your place so you can go back and all that. But sometimes you just have to CHOOSE.At about the same time I sent my agent what I had, and she didn't like the first chapter and that… let's just say I took that badly. I mean, she had like 35K words and she liked them all except the opening 3K. IT WAS FINE. And revising them later was really good. But I might have had a slightly unprofessional meltdown.A few quotes from that time: 10/8, 12 PM: Day of Panic. Why does anyone do anything? Why?10/9, 1 AM: Ugly ugly ugly10/9, 10 AM: Still staring at Loretta scene….10/9, 7 PM: Finally back on track!In which I actually revise actual words on actual pagesSo after about 30 hours of returning to outlining/prewriting/cursing mode, I found my way back in, moved a scene to earlier, revised some transitions and then… finally… chugged along to the end. Where I'd known all along that the action would remain the same, but the dialogue/internal dialogue would change a lot. (In part because, right at the most dramatic moment when life and death hang in the balance, I … had two people go have a heart-to-heart about their relationship. Twice.)But I knew it wouldn't be hard to revise, and it wasn't. It was such a relief to be there, too! And then I changed one part of the end dramatically, which oddly didn't involve changing that much text, and then, instead of dropping straight out of the story and heading to a “one month later” style epilogue, I actually WROTE the end of the story, which I know will be way more satisfying for readers. The other was largely a choice made from exhaustion.Once I'd solved all the problems (that are going to be solved in this draft, anyway), it took 4 days to actually revise the rest of the book and get to the end, a glorious moment.Which was immediately followed by rewriting the first two chapters, and then it was on to my checklist.The yellow and the greenJennie Nash suggests a stoplight checklist for revisions—Red/Yellow/Green. I had such a list, at the beginning of this process. But I quickly realized that so much was red here that, for the most part, that was all I could do. I fixed some green things (changed the name of a character, physical descriptions, that kind of thing) as I went and had an awareness of some yellow (build up this relationship, tighten the dialogue) but I was very much concentrating on red. So I kept a running list of things I'd need to go back and revise for at the end. Here's what that looked like:Play up can't use magic without cards even more esp cynCraft enclave. Kansas League of Craftswomen/coven, build up trail's importance againBakery has bright turquoise boxes with the logo stamped on them by herJosie is still an EMTCyn needs to know who Alice isMaybe Renee would call Flair Harwicke? Maybe she coached some ridiculous soccer team they were on once?Loretta lick lipAdd Jude pop rocksBack of the cards: On each was an elaborate medallion, a fleur de lis with an eye inside a triangle made of a floral vine,Loretta and Jude: The tough, genuinely ruthless spirit had also doted on him and raised him, supported his dreams, pushed him to be more, driven him relentlessly, had—along with Renee—turned him into who he was today, good and bad/or wtf IS the deal between him and Loretta and Renee? Because Renee didn't tell him anything, bc she never gave him any credit.Josie's sig other still in national guardSomeone needs to extinguish flames as well as start them. Maybe make point that it's easiet to put out your own fire?BLACK MOON is big deal all overSome of those I ended up disregarding. Some were literally one line additions (green), others I needed to look at in nearly every chapter—which could be green (hair color, bakery boxes) or yellow (the relationship between two characters). I made a tidier checklist and then went back through most of the chapters in the book, line editing and addressing those issues.Anything I'd really worked on and didn't want to touch again, I mostly left for the next round. Which I knew would come.How did it turn out?Well. Fabulously. Here's this, from my editor:Wow! Amazing! I don't think I've ever had a book improve so much from the first draft to the second. You have done incredible work. Brava! Standing ovation! You took all the different elements that had so much potential and you pulled them tightly together into a story that is constantly moving forward, has a solid internal logic, makes use of the fun magic that is dying to be used, but without making it kitschy, and that has a wonderful happy ending. I'm truly amazed by how far you have taken the book in just one draft. I'm also impressed by how much self-editing I can tell that you did. There are so many fewer instances of circular thinking, sentences where it's difficult to parse the meaning, and using forty words when twenty would do. It's hard to self-edit and you have done it and I'm very grateful.Do note that she managed to list all the things I usually do poorly (most particularly, “using 40 words where 20 would do”) and that she's this excited because the last time I did a revision for her, I managed to actually make the book worse.So.Maybe I learned, maybe I didn't. But this one goes in the win column!Listeners, the team at Author Accelerator knows that all kinds of people can make good book coaches. It's not necessarily people who have had massive success as writers themselves. It's not necessarily people who have secured agents, book deals, degrees, or awards.It's people who really could spend all day talking about books, who get excited by the idea of lifting up other writers, and who are ready to back up their passion for writing with skills, training, and hard work.If that might be you, join the Author Accelerator team for two days of exploration on November 30 and December 1, 2022, to find out if 2023 will be the year you launch a book coaching business or level up the one you already have. Head to bookcoaches.com/dreamjob to learn more. 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