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What if the most transformative thing you can do for your writing craft and author business is to face what you fear? How can you can find gold in your Shadow in the year ahead? In this episode, I share chapters from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words. In the intro, curated book boxes from Bridgerton's Julia Quinn; Google's agentic shopping, and powering Apple's Siri; ChatGPT Ads; and Claude CoWork. Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty [MoonShots with Tony Robbins]; and three trends for authors with me and Orna Ross [Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast]; plus, Bones of the Deep, Business for Authors, and Indie Author Lab. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn  Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and memoir as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. What is the Shadow? The ‘creative wound' and the Shadow in writing The Shadow in traditional publishing The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author The Shadow in work The Shadow in money You can find Writing the Shadow in all formats on all stores, as well as special edition, workbook and bundles at www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words The following chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn. Introduction. What is the Shadow? “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.” —C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul We all have a Shadow side and it is the work of a lifetime to recognise what lies within and spin that base material into gold. Think of it as a seedling in a little pot that you're given when you're young. It's a bit misshapen and weird, not something you would display in your living room, so you place it in a dark corner of the basement. You don't look at it for years. You almost forget about it. Then one day you notice tendrils of something wild poking up through the floorboards. They're ugly and don't fit with your Scandi-minimalist interior design. You chop the tendrils away and pour weedkiller on what's left, trying to hide the fact that they were ever there. But the creeping stems keep coming. At some point, you know you have to go down there and face the wild thing your seedling has become. When you eventually pluck up enough courage to go down into the basement, you discover that the plant has wound its roots deep into the foundations of your home. Its vines weave in and out of the cracks in the walls, and it has beautiful flowers and strange fruit. It holds your world together. Perhaps you don't need to destroy the wild tendrils. Perhaps you can let them wind up into the light and allow their rich beauty to weave through your home. It will change the look you have so carefully cultivated, but maybe that's just what the place needs. The Shadow in psychology Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychologist and the founder of analytical psychology. He described the Shadow as an unconscious aspect of the human personality, those parts of us that don't match up to what is expected of us by family and society, or to our own ideals. The Shadow is not necessarily evil or illegal or immoral, although of course it can be. It's also not necessarily caused by trauma, abuse, or any other severely damaging event, although again, it can be. It depends on the individual. What is in your Shadow is based on your life and your experiences, as well as your culture and society, so it will be different for everyone. Psychologist Connie Zweig, in The Inner Work of Age, explains, “The Shadow is that part of us that lies beneath or behind the light of awareness. It contains our rejected, unacceptable traits and feelings. It contains our hidden gifts and talents that have remained unexpressed or unlived. As Jung put it, the essence of the Shadow is pure gold.” To further illustrate the concept, Robert Bly, in A Little Book on the Human Shadow,uses the following metaphor: “When we are young, we carry behind us an invisible bag, into which we stuff any feelings, thoughts, or behaviours that bring disapproval or loss of love—anger, tears, neediness, laziness. By the time we go to school, our bags are already a mile long. In high school, our peer groups pressure us to stuff the bags with even more—individuality, sexuality, spontaneity, different opinions. We spend our life until we're twenty deciding which parts of ourselves to put into the bag and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.” As authors, we can use what's in the ‘bag' to enrich our writing — but only if we can access it. My intention with this book is to help you venture into your Shadow and bring some of what's hidden into the light and into your words. I'll reveal aspects of my Shadow in these pages but ultimately, this book is about you. Your Shadow is unique. There may be elements we share, but much will be different. Each chapter has questions for you to consider that may help you explore at least the edges of your Shadow, but it's not easy. As Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” But take heart, Creative. You don't need courage when things are easy. You need it when you know what you face will be difficult, but you do it anyway. We are authors. We know how to do hard things. We turn ideas into books. We manifest thoughts into ink on paper. We change lives with our writing. First, our own, then other people's. It's worth the effort to delve into Shadow, so I hope you will join me on the journey. The creative wound and the Shadow in writing “Whatever pain you can't get rid of, make it your creative offering.” —Susan Cain, Bittersweet  The more we long for something, the more extreme our desire, the more likely it is to have a Shadow side. For those of us who love books, the author life may well be a long-held dream and thus, it is filled with Shadow. Books have long been objects of desire, power, and authority. They hold a mythic status in our lives. We escaped into stories as children; we studied books at school and college; we read them now for escape and entertainment, education and inspiration. We collect beautiful books to put on our shelves. We go to them for solace and answers to the deepest questions of life. Writers are similarly held in high esteem. They shape culture, win literary prizes, give important speeches, and are quoted in the mainstream media. Their books are on the shelves in libraries and bookstores. Writers are revered, held up as rare, talented creatures made separate from us by their brilliance and insight. For bibliophile children, books were everything and to write one was a cherished dream. To become an author? Well, that would mean we might be someone special, someone worthy. Perhaps when you were young, you thought the dream of being a writer was possible — then you told someone about it. That's probably when you heard the first criticism of such a ridiculous idea, the first laughter, the first dismissal. So you abandoned the dream, pushed the idea of being a writer into the Shadow, and got on with your life. Or if it wasn't then, it came later, when you actually put pen to paper and someone — a parent, teacher, partner, or friend, perhaps even a literary agent or publisher, someone whose opinion you valued — told you it was worthless. Here are some things you might have heard: Writing is a hobby. Get a real job. You're not good enough. You don't have any writing talent. You don't have enough education. You don't know what you're doing. Your writing is derivative / unoriginal / boring / useless / doesn't make sense. The genre you write in is dead / worthless / unacceptable / morally wrong / frivolous / useless.  Who do you think you are? No one would want to read what you write. You can't even use proper grammar, so how could you write a whole book? You're wasting your time. You'll never make it as a writer. You shouldn't write those things (or even think about those things). Why don't you write something nice? Insert other derogatory comment here! Mark Pierce describes the effect of this experience in his book The Creative Wound, which “occurs when an event, or someone's actions or words, pierce you, causing a kind of rift in your soul. A comment—even offhand and unintentional—is enough to cause one.” He goes on to say that such words can inflict “damage to the core of who we are as creators. It is an attack on our artistic identity, resulting in us believing that whatever we make is somehow tainted or invalid, because shame has convinced us there is something intrinsically tainted or invalid about ourselves.” As adults, we might brush off such wounds, belittling them as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. We might even find ourselves saying the same words to other people. After all, it's easier to criticise than to create. But if you picture your younger self, bright eyed as you lose yourself in your favourite book, perhaps you might catch a glimpse of what you longed for before your dreams were dashed on the rocks of other people's reality. As Mark Pierce goes on to say, “A Creative Wound has the power to delay our pursuits—sometimes for years—and it can even derail our lives completely… Anything that makes us feel ashamed of ourselves or our work can render us incapable of the self-expression we yearn for.” This is certainly what happened to me, and it took decades to unwind. Your creative wounds will differ to mine but perhaps my experience will help you explore your own. To be clear, your Shadow may not reside in elements of horror as mine do, but hopefully you can use my example to consider where your creative wounds might lie. “You shouldn't write things like that.” It happened at secondary school around 1986 or 1987, so I would have been around eleven or twelve years old. English was one of my favourite subjects and the room we had our lessons in looked out onto a vibrant garden. I loved going to that class because it was all about books, and they were always my favourite things. One day, we were asked to write a story. I can't remember the specifics of what the teacher asked us to write, but I fictionalised a recurring nightmare. I stood in a dark room. On one side, my mum and my brother, Rod, were tied up next to a cauldron of boiling oil, ready to be thrown in. On the other side, my dad and my little sister, Lucy, were threatened with decapitation by men with machetes. I had to choose who would die. I always woke up, my heart pounding, before I had to choose. Looking back now, it clearly represented an internal conflict about having to pick sides between the two halves of my family. Not an unexpected issue from a child of divorce. Perhaps these days, I might have been sent to the school counsellor, but it was the eighties and I don't think we even had such a thing. Even so, the meaning of the story isn't the point. It was the reaction to it that left scars. “You shouldn't write things like that,” my teacher said, and I still remember her look of disappointment, even disgust. Certainly judgment. She said my writing was too dark. It wasn't a proper story. It wasn't appropriate for the class. As if horrible things never happened in stories — or in life. As if literature could not include dark tales. As if the only acceptable writing was the kind she approved of. We were taught The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that year, which says a lot about the type of writing considered appropriate. Or perhaps the issue stemmed from the school motto, “So hateth she derknesse,” from Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women: “For fear of night, so she hates the darkness.” I had won a scholarship to a private girls' school, and their mission was to turn us all into proper young ladies. Horror was never on the curriculum. Perhaps if my teacher had encouraged me to write my darkness back then, my nightmares would have dissolved on the page. Perhaps if we had studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or H.P. Lovecraft stories, or Bram Stoker's Dracula, I could have embraced the darker side of literature earlier in my life. My need to push darker thoughts into my Shadow was compounded by my (wonderful) mum's best intentions. We were brought up on the principles of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and she tried to shield me and my brother from anything harmful or horrible. We weren't allowed to watch TV much, and even the British school drama Grange Hill was deemed inappropriate. So much of what I've achieved is because my mum instilled in me a “can do” attitude that anything is possible. I'm so grateful to her for that. (I love you, Mum!) But all that happy positivity, my desire to please her, to be a good girl, to make my teachers proud, and to be acceptable to society, meant that I pushed my darker thoughts into Shadow. They were inappropriate. They were taboo. They must be repressed, kept secret, and I must be outwardly happy and positive at all times. You cannot hold back the darkness “The night is dark and full of terrors.” —George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords It turned out that horror was on the curriculum, much of it in the form of educational films we watched during lessons. In English Literature, we watched Romeo drink poison and Juliet stab herself in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. In Religious Studies, we watched Jesus beaten, tortured, and crucified in The Greatest Story Ever Told, and learned of the variety of gruesome ways that Christian saints were martyred. In Classical Civilisation, we watched gladiators slaughter each other in Spartacus. In Sex Education at the peak of the AIDS crisis in the mid-'80s, we were told of the many ways we could get infected and die. In History, we studied the Holocaust with images of skeletal bodies thrown into mass graves, medical experiments on humans, and grainy videos of marching soldiers giving the Nazi salute. One of my first overseas school field trips was to the World War I battlegrounds of Flanders Fields in Belgium, where we studied the inhuman conditions of the trenches, walked through mass graves, and read war poetry by candlelight. As John McCrae wrote: We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Did the teachers not realise how deeply a sensitive teenager might feel the darkness of that place? Or have I always been unusual in that places of blood echo deep inside me? And the horrors kept coming. We lived in Bristol, England back then and I learned at school how the city had been part of the slave trade, its wealth built on the backs of people stolen from their homes, sold, and worked to death in the colonies. I had been at school for a year in Malawi, Africa and imagined the Black people I knew drowning, being beaten, and dying on those ships. In my teenage years, the news was filled with ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and massacres during the Balkan wars, and images of bodies hacked apart during the Rwandan genocide. Evil committed by humans against other humans was not a historical aberration. I'm lucky and I certainly acknowledge my privilege. Nothing terrible or horrifying has happened to me — but bad things certainly happen to others. I wasn't bullied or abused. I wasn't raped or beaten or tortured. But you don't have to go through things to be afraid of them, and for your imagination to conjure the possibility of them. My mum doesn't read my fiction now as it gives her nightmares (Sorry, Mum!). I know she worries that somehow she's responsible for my darkness, but I've had a safe and (mostly) happy life, for which I'm truly grateful. But the world is not an entirely safe and happy place, and for a sensitive child with a vivid imagination, the world is dark and scary. It can be brutal and violent, and bad things happen, even to good people. No parent can shield their child from the reality of the world. They can only help them do their best to live in it, develop resilience, and find ways to deal with whatever comes. Story has always been a way that humans have used to learn how to live and deal with difficult times. The best authors, the ones that readers adore and can't get enough of, write their darkness into story to channel their experience, and help others who fear the same. In an interview on writing the Shadow on The Creative Penn Podcast, Michaelbrent Collings shared how he incorporated a personally devastating experience into his writing:  “My wife and I lost a child years back, and that became the root of one of my most terrifying books, Apparition. It's not terrifying because it's the greatest book of all time, but just the concept that there's this thing out there… like a demon, and it consumes the blood and fear of the children, and then it withdraws and consumes the madness of the parents… I wrote that in large measure as a way of working through what I was experiencing.” I've learned much from Michaelbrent. I've read many of his (excellent) books and he's been on my podcast multiple times talking about his depression and mental health issues, as well as difficulties in his author career. Writing darkness is not in Michaelbrent's Shadow and only he can say what lies there for him. But from his example, and from that of other authors, I too learned how to write my Shadow into my books. Twenty-three years after that English lesson, in November 2009, I did NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and wrote five thousand words of what eventually became Stone of Fire, my first novel. In the initial chapter, I burned a nun alive on the ghats of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges River. I had watched the bodies burn by night on pyres from a boat bobbing in the current a few years before, and the image was still crystal clear in my mind. The only way to deal with how it made me feel about death was to write about it — and since then, I've never stopped writing. Returning to the nightmare from my school days, I've never had to choose between the two halves of my family, but the threat of losing them remains a theme in my fiction. In my ARKANE thriller series, Morgan Sierra will do anything to save her sister and her niece. Their safety drives her to continue to fight against evil. Our deepest fears emerge in our writing, and that's the safest place for them. I wish I'd been taught how to turn my nightmares into words back at school, but at least now I've learned to write my Shadow onto the page. I wish the same for you. The Shadow in traditional publishing If becoming an author is your dream, then publishing a book is deeply entwined with that. But as Mark Pierce says in The Creative Wound, “We feel pain the most where it matters the most… Desire highlights whatever we consider to be truly significant.” There is a lot of desire around publishing for those of us who love books! It can give you: Validation that your writing is good enough Status and credibility Acceptance by an industry held in esteem  The potential of financial reward and critical acclaim Support from a team of professionals who know how to make fantastic books A sense of belonging to an elite community Pride in achieving a long-held goal, resulting in a confidence boost and self-esteem Although not guaranteed, traditional publishing can give you all these things and more, but as with everything, there is a potential Shadow side. Denying it risks the potential of being disillusioned, disappointed, and even damaged. But remember, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Preparation can help you avoid potential issues and help you feel less alone if you encounter them. The myth of success… and the reality of experience There is a pervasive myth of success in the traditional publishing industry, perpetuated by media reporting on brand name and breakout authors, those few outliers whose experience is almost impossible to replicate. Because of such examples, many new traditionally published authors think that their first book will hit the top of the bestseller charts or win an award, as well as make them a million dollars — or at least a big chunk of cash. They will be able to leave their job, write in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean, and swan around the world attending conferences, while writing more bestselling books. It will be a charmed life. But that is not the reality. Perhaps it never was. Even so, the life of a traditionally published author represents a mythic career with the truth hidden behind a veil of obscurity. In April 2023, The Bookseller in the UK reported that “more than half of authors (54%) responding to a survey on their experiences of publishing their debut book have said the process negatively affected their mental health. Though views were mixed, just 22%… described a positive experience overall… Among the majority who said they had a negative experience of debut publication, anxiety, stress, depression and ‘lowered' self-esteem were cited, with lack of support, guidance or clear and professional communication from their publisher among the factors that contributed.” Many authors who have negative experiences around publishing will push them into the Shadow with denial or self-blame, preferring to keep the dream alive. They won't talk about things in public as this may negatively affect their careers, but private discussions are often held in the corners of writing conferences or social media groups online. Some of the issues are as follows: Repeated rejection by agents and publishers may lead to the author thinking they are not good enough as a writer, which can lead to feeling unworthy as a person. If an author gets a deal, the amount of advance and the name and status of the publisher compared to others create a hierarchy that impacts self-esteem. A deal for a book may be much lower than an author might have been expecting, with low or no advance, and the resulting experience with the publisher beneath expectations. The launch process may be disappointing, and the book may appear without fanfare, with few sales and no bestseller chart position. In The Bookseller report, one author described her launch day as “a total wasteland… You have expectations about what publication day will be like, but in reality, nothing really happens.” The book may receive negative reviews by critics or readers or more publicly on social media, which can make an author feel attacked. The book might not sell as well as expected, and the author may feel like it's their fault. Commercial success can sometimes feel tied to self-worth and an author can't help but compare their sales to others, with resulting embarrassment or shame. The communication from the publisher may be less than expected. One author in The Bookseller report said, “I was shocked by the lack of clarity and shared information and the cynicism that underlies the superficial charm of this industry.” There is often more of a focus on debut authors in publishing houses, so those who have been writing and publishing in the midlist for years can feel ignored and undervalued. In The Bookseller report, 48 percent of authors reported “their publisher supported them for less than a year,” with one saying, “I got no support and felt like a commodity, like the team had moved on completely to the next book.” If an author is not successful enough, the next deal may be lower than the last, less effort is made with marketing, and they may be let go. In The Bookseller report, “six authors—debut and otherwise—cited being dropped by their publisher, some with no explanation.” Even if everything goes well and an author is considered successful by others, they may experience imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud when speaking at conferences or doing book signings. And the list goes on … All these things can lead to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and embarrassment; loss of status in the eyes of peers; and a sense of failure if a publishing career is not successful enough. The author feels like it's their fault, like they weren't good enough — although, of course, the reality is that the conditions were not right at the time. A failure of a book is not a failure of the person, but it can certainly feel like it! When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Despite all the potential negatives of traditional publishing, if you know what could happen, you can mitigate them. You can prepare yourself for various scenarios and protect yourself from potential fall-out. It's clear from The Bookseller report that too many authors have unrealistic expectations of the industry. But publishers are businesses, not charities. It's not their job to make you feel good as an author. It's their job to sell books and pay you. The best thing they can do is to continue to be a viable business so they can keep putting books on the shelves and keep paying authors, staff, and company shareholders. When you license your creative work to a publisher, you're giving up control of your intellectual property in exchange for money and status. Bring your fears and issues out of the Shadow, acknowledge them, and deal with them early, so they do not get pushed down and re-emerge later in blame and bitterness. Educate yourself on the business of publishing. Be clear on what you want to achieve with any deal. Empower yourself as an author, take responsibility for your career, and you will have a much better experience. The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author Self-publishing, or being an independent (indie) author, can be a fantastic, pro-active choice for getting your book into the world. Holding your first book in your hand and saying “I made this” is pretty exciting, and even after more than forty books, I still get excited about seeing ideas in my head turn into a physical product in the world. Self-publishing can give an author: Creative control over what to write, editorial and cover design choices, when and how often to publish, and how to market Empowerment over your author career and the ability to make choices that impact success without asking for permission Ownership and control of intellectual property assets, resulting in increased opportunity around licensing and new markets Independence and the potential for recurring income for the long term Autonomy and flexibility around timelines, publishing options, and the ability to easily pivot into new genres and business models Validation based on positive reader reviews and money earned Personal growth and learning through the acquisition of new skills, resulting in a boost in confidence and self-esteem A sense of belonging to an active and vibrant community of indie authors around the world Being an indie author can give you all this and more, but once again, there is a Shadow side and preparation can help you navigate potential issues. The myth of success… and the reality of experience As with traditional publishing, the indie author world has perpetuated a myth of success in the example of the breakout indie author like E.L. James with Fifty Shades of Grey, Hugh Howey with Wool, or Andy Weir with The Martian. The emphasis on financial success is also fuelled online by authors who share screenshots showing six-figure months or seven-figure years, without sharing marketing costs and other outgoings, or the amount of time spent on the business. Yes, these can inspire some, but it can also make others feel inadequate and potentially lead to bad choices about how to publish and market based on comparison. The indie author world is full of just as much ego and a desire for status and money as traditional publishing. This is not a surprise! Most authors, regardless of publishing choices, are a mix of massive ego and chronic self-doubt. We are human, so the same issues will re-occur. A different publishing method doesn't cure all ills. Some of the issues are as follows: You learn everything you need to know about writing and editing, only to find that you need to learn a whole new set of skills in order to self-publish and market your book. This can take a lot of time and effort you did not expect, and things change all the time so you have to keep learning. Being in control of every aspect of the publishing process, from writing to cover design to marketing, can be overwhelming, leading to indecision, perfectionism, stress, and even burnout as you try to do all the things. You try to find people to help, but building your team is a challenge, and working with others has its own difficulties. People say negative things about self-publishing that may arouse feelings of embarrassment or shame. These might be little niggles, but they needle you, nonetheless. You wonder whether you made the right choice. You struggle with self-doubt and if you go to an event with traditional published authors, you compare yourself to them and feel like an imposter. Are you good enough to be an author if a traditional publisher hasn't chosen you? Is it just vanity to self-publish? Are your books unworthy? Even though you worked with a professional editor, you still get one-star reviews and you hate criticism from readers. You wonder whether you're wasting your time. You might be ripped off by an author services company who promise the world, only to leave you with a pile of printed books in your garage and no way to sell them. When you finally publish your book, it languishes at the bottom of the charts while other authors hit the top of the list over and over, raking in the cash while you are left out of pocket. You don't admit to over-spending on marketing as it makes you ashamed. You resist book marketing and make critical comments about writers who embrace it. You believe that quality rises to the top and if a book is good enough, people will buy it anyway. This can lead to disappointment and disillusionment when you launch your book and it doesn't sell many copies because nobody knows about it. You try to do what everyone advises, but you still can't make decent money as an author. You're jealous of other authors' success and put it down to them ‘selling out' or writing things you can't or ‘using AI' or ‘using a ghostwriter' or having a specific business model you consider impossible to replicate. And the list goes on… When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Being in control of your books and your author career is a double-edged sword. Traditionally published authors can criticise their publishers or agents or the marketing team or the bookstores or the media, but indie authors have to take responsibility for it all. Sure, we can blame ‘the algorithms' or social media platforms, or criticise other authors for having more experience or more money to invest in marketing, or attribute their success to writing in a more popular genre — but we also know there are always people who do well regardless of the challenges. Once more, we're back to acknowledging and integrating the Shadow side of our choices. We are flawed humans. There will always be good times and bad, and difficulties to offset the high points. This too shall pass, as the old saying goes. I know that being an indie author has plenty of Shadow. I've been doing this since 2008 and despite the hard times, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still publishing. This life is not for everyone, but it's my choice. You must make yours. The Shadow in work You work hard. You make a living. Nothing wrong with that attitude, right? It's what we're taught from an early age and, like so much of life, it's not a problem until it goes to extremes. Not achieving what you want to? Work harder. Can't get ahead? Work harder. Not making a good enough living? Work harder. People who don't work hard are lazy. They don't deserve handouts or benefits. People who don't work hard aren't useful, so they are not valued members of our culture and community. But what about the old or the sick, the mentally ill, or those with disabilities? What about children? What about the unemployed? The under-employed? What about those who are — or will be — displaced by technology, those called “the useless class” by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus? What if we become one of these in the future? Who am I if I cannot work? The Shadow side of my attitude to work became clear when I caught COVID in the summer of 2021. I was the sickest I'd ever been. I spent two weeks in bed unable to even think properly, and six weeks after that, I was barely able to work more than an hour a day before lying in the dark and waiting for my energy to return. I was limited in what I could do for another six months after that. At times, I wondered if I would ever get better. Jonathan kept urging me to be patient and rest. But I don't know how to rest. I know how to work and how to sleep. I can do ‘active rest,' which usually involves walking a long way or traveling somewhere interesting, but those require a stronger mind and body than I had during those months. It struck me that even if I recovered from the virus, I had glimpsed my future self. One day, I will be weak in body and mind. If I'm lucky, that will be many years away and hopefully for a short time before I die — but it will happen. I am an animal. I will die. My body and mind will pass on and I will be no more. Before then I will be weak. Before then, I will be useless. Before then, I will be a burden. I will not be able to work… But who am I if I cannot work? What is the point of me? I can't answer these questions right now, because although I recognise them as part of my Shadow, I've not progressed far enough to have dealt with them entirely. My months of COVID gave me some much-needed empathy for those who cannot work, even if they want to. We need to reframe what work is as a society, and value humans for different things, especially as technology changes what work even means. That starts with each of us. “Illness, affliction of body and soul, can be life-altering. It has the potential to reveal the most fundamental conflict of the human condition: the tension between our infinite, glorious dreams and desires and our limited, vulnerable, decaying physicality.” —Connie Zweig, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul The Shadow in money In the Greek myth, King Midas was a wealthy ruler who loved gold above all else. His palace was adorned with golden sculptures and furniture, and he took immense pleasure in his riches. Yet, despite his vast wealth, he yearned for more. After doing a favour for Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, Midas was granted a single wish. Intoxicated by greed, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold — and it was so. At first, it was a lot of fun. Midas turned everything else in his palace to gold, even the trees and stones of his estate. After a morning of turning things to gold, he fancied a spot of lunch. But when he tried to eat, the food and drink turned to gold in his mouth. He became thirsty and hungry — and increasingly desperate. As he sat in despair on his golden throne, his beloved young daughter ran to comfort him. For a moment, he forgot his wish — and as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, she turned into a golden statue, frozen in precious metal. King Midas cried out to the gods to forgive him, to reverse the wish. He renounced his greed and gave away all his wealth, and his daughter was returned to life. The moral of the story: Wealth and greed are bad. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is described as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner.” He's wealthy but does not share, considering Christmas spending to be frivolous and giving to charity to be worthless. He's saved by a confrontation with his lonely future and becomes a generous man and benefactor of the poor. Wealth is good if you share it with others. The gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: 14-30, tells the parable of the bags of gold, in which a rich man goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with varying amounts of gold. On his return, the servants who multiplied the gold through their efforts and investments are rewarded, while the one who merely returned the gold with no interest is punished: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Making money is good, making more money is even better. If you can't make any money, you don't deserve to have any. Within the same gospel, in Matthew 19:24, Jesus encounters a wealthy man and tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, which the man is unable to do. Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth is bad. Give it all away and you'll go to heaven. With all these contradictory messages, no wonder we're so conflicted about money! How do you think and feel about money? While money is mostly tied to our work, it's far more than just a transactional object for most people. It's loaded with complex symbolism and judgment handed down by family, religion, and culture. You are likely to find elements of Shadow by examining your attitudes around money. Consider which of the following statements resonate with you or write your own. Money stresses me out. I don't want to talk about it or think about it. Some people hoard money, so there is inequality. Rich people are bad and we should take away their wealth and give it to the poor.  I can never make enough money to pay the bills, or to give my family what I want to provide. Money doesn't grow on trees.  It's wasteful to spend money as you might need it later, so I'm frugal and don't spend money unless absolutely necessary. It is better and more ethical to be poor than to be rich. I want more money. I read books and watch TV shows about rich people because I want to live like that. Sometimes I spend too much on things for a glimpse of what that might be like.  I buy lottery tickets and dream of winning all that money.  I'm jealous of people who have money. I want more of it and I resent those who have it. I'm no good with money. I don't like to look at my bank statement or credit card statement. I live off my overdraft and I'm in debt. I will never earn enough to get out of debt and start saving, so I don't think too much about it. I don't know enough about money. Talking about it makes me feel stupid, so I just ignore it. People like me aren't educated about money.  I need to make more money. If I can make lots of money, then people will look up to me. If I make lots of money, I will be secure, nothing can touch me, I will be safe.  I never want to be poor. I would be ashamed to be poor. I will never go on benefits. My net worth is my self worth. Money is good. We have the best standard of living in history because of the increase in wealth over time. Even the richest kings of the past didn't have what many middle-class people have today in terms of access to food, water, technology, healthcare, education, and more. The richest people give the most money to the poor through taxation and charity, as well as through building companies that employ people and invent new things. The very richest give away much of their fortunes. They provide far more benefit to the world than the poor.  I love money. Money loves me. Money comes easily and quickly to me. I attract money in multiple streams of income. It flows to me in so many ways. I spend money. I invest money. I give money. I'm happy and grateful for all that I receive. The Shadow around money for authors in particular Many writers and other creatives have issues around money and wealth. How often have you heard the following, and which do you agree with? You can't make money with your writing. You'll be a poor author in a garret, a starving artist.  You can't write ‘good quality' books and make money. If you make money writing, you're a hack, you're selling out. You are less worthy than someone who writes only for the Muse. Your books are commercial, not artistic. If you spend money on marketing, then your books are clearly not good enough to sell on their own. My agent / publisher / accountant / partner deals with the money side. I like to focus on the creative side of things. My money story Note: This is not financial or investment advice. Please talk to a professional about your situation. I've had money issues over the years — haven't we all! But I have been through a (long) process to bring money out of my Shadow and into the light. There will always be more to discover, but hopefully my money story will help you, or at least give you an opportunity to reflect. Like most people, I didn't grow up with a lot of money. My parents started out as teachers, but later my mum — who I lived with, along with my brother — became a change management consultant, moving to the USA and earning a lot more. I'm grateful that she moved into business because her example changed the way I saw money and provided some valuable lessons. (1) You can change your circumstances by learning more and then applying that to leverage opportunity into a new job or career Mum taught English at a school in Bristol when we moved back from Malawi, Africa, in the mid '80s but I remember how stressful it was for her, and how little money she made. She wanted a better future for us all, so she took a year out to do a master's degree in management. In the same way, when I wanted to change careers and leave consulting to become an author, I spent time and money learning about the writing craft and the business of publishing. I still invest a considerable chunk on continuous learning, as this industry changes all the time. (2) You might have to downsize in order to leap forward The year my mum did her degree, we lived in the attic of another family's house; we ate a lot of one-pot casserole and our treat was having a Yorkie bar on the walk back from the museum. We wore hand-me-down clothes, and I remember one day at school when another girl said I was wearing her dress. I denied it, of course, but there in back of the dress was her name tag. I still remember her name and I can still feel that flush of shame and embarrassment. I was determined to never feel like that again. But what I didn't realize at the time was that I was also learning the power of downsizing. Mum got her degree and then a new job in management in Bristol. She bought a house, and we settled for a few years. I had lots of different jobs as a teenager. My favourite was working in the delicatessen because we got a free lunch made from delicious produce. After I finished A-levels, I went to the University of Oxford, and my mum and brother moved to the USA for further opportunities. I've downsized multiple times over the years, taking a step back in order to take a step forward. The biggest was in 2010 when I decided to leave consulting. Jonathan and I sold our three-bedroom house and investments in Brisbane, Australia, and rented a one-bedroom flat in London, so we could be debt-free and live on less while I built up a new career. It was a decade before we bought another house. (3) Comparison can be deadly: there will always be people with more money than you Oxford was an education in many ways and relevant to this chapter is how much I didn't know about things people with money took for granted. I learned about formal hall and wine pairings, and how to make a perfect gin and tonic. I ate smoked salmon for the first time. I learned how to fit in with people who had a lot more money than I did, and I definitely wanted to have money of my own to play with. (4) Income is not wealth You can earn lots but have nothing to show for it after years of working. I learned this in my first few years of IT consulting after university. I earned a great salary and then went contracting, earning even more money at a daily rate. I had a wonderful time. I traveled, ate and drank and generally made merry, but I always had to go back to the day job when the money ran out. I couldn't work out how I could ever stop this cycle. Then I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, a book I still recommend, especially if you're from a family that values academic over financial education. I learned how to escape the rat race by building and/or accumulating assets that pay even when you're not working. It was a revelation! The ‘poor dad' in the book is a university professor. He knows so much about so many things, but he ends up poor as he did not educate himself about money. The ‘rich dad' has little formal education, but he knows about money and wealth because he learned about it, as we can do at any stage in our lives. (5) Not all investments suit every person, so find the right one for you Once I discovered the world of investing, I read all the books and did courses and in-person events. I joined communities and I up-skilled big time. Of course, I made mistakes and learned lots along the way. I tried property investing and renovated a couple of houses for rental (with more practical partners and skilled contractors). But while I could see that property investing might work for some people, I did not care enough about the details to make it work for me, and it was certainly not passive income. I tried other things. My first husband was a boat skipper and scuba diving instructor, so we started a charter. With the variable costs of fuel, the vagaries of New Zealand weather — and our divorce — it didn't last long! From all these experiments, I learned I wanted to run a business, but it needed to be online and not based on a physical location, physical premises, or other people. That was 2006, around the time that blogging started taking off and it became possible to make a living online. I could see the potential and a year later, the iPhone and the Amazon Kindle launched, which became the basis of my business as an author. (6) Boring, automatic saving and investing works best Between 2007 and 2011, I contracted in Australia, where they have compulsory superannuation contributions, meaning you have to save and invest a percentage of your salary or self-employed income. I'd never done that before, because I didn't understand it. I'd ploughed all my excess income into property or the business instead. But in Australia I didn't notice the money going out because it was automatic. I chose a particular fund and it auto-invested every month. The pot grew pretty fast since I didn't touch it, and years later, it's still growing. I discovered the power of compound interest and time in the market, both of which are super boring. This type of investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It's a slow process of automatically putting money into boring investments and doing that month in, month out, year in, year out, automatically for decades while you get on with your life. I still do this. I earn money as an author entrepreneur and I put a percentage of that into boring investments automatically every month. I also have a small amount which is for fun and higher risk investments, but mostly I'm a conservative, risk-averse investor planning ahead for the future. This is not financial advice, so I'm not giving any specifics. I have a list of recommended money books at www.TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks if you want to learn more. Learning from the Shadow When I look back, my Shadow side around money eventually drove me to learn more and resulted in a better outcome (so far!). I was ashamed of being poor when I had to wear hand-me-down clothes at school. That drove a fear of not having any money, which partially explains my workaholism. I was embarrassed at Oxford because I didn't know how to behave in certain settings, and I wanted to be like the rich people I saw there. I spent too much money in my early years as a consultant because I wanted to experience a “rich” life and didn't understand saving and investing would lead to better things in the future. I invested too much in the wrong things because I didn't know myself well enough and I was trying to get rich quick so I could leave my job and ‘be happy.' But eventually, I discovered that I could grow my net worth with boring, long-term investments while doing a job I loved as an author entrepreneur. My only regret is that I didn't discover this earlier and put a percentage of my income into investments as soon as I started work. It took several decades to get started, but at least I did (eventually) start. My money story isn't over yet, and I keep learning new things, but hopefully my experience will help you reflect on your own and avoid the issue if it's still in Shadow. These chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn  The post Writing The Shadow: The Creative Wound, Publishing, And Money, With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

If I lose this key, it really doesn't go well. Ask me how I know. Note: This episode was originally recorded before the NaNoWriMo challenge imploded, but I'm still participating in a November Writing challenge with my friends. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database (https://www.patreon.com/c/MyAgentDatabase) on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood) If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/morganhazelwood) Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Through the month of December, Memoir Nation podcast is hosting a series called JanYourStory Prep to get listeners ready and excited to participate in our January writing challenge to write 500 words a day every day in January. Inspired by Grant's 12 years as Executive Director of NaNoWriMo, JanYourStory is for memoirists, but anyone can join this free challenge. Instead of writing 60K words in November as was the case with NaNoWriMo, we're inviting writers to write 15K words in January. Many of the principles and values of NaNoWriMo are buoying this event, which is why we're so grateful to have the blessing, support, and wisdom of Chris Baty, who joins the show this week to talk about why writing challenges are helpful and should always be grounded in fun, and what he's learned about writing and writing in community since he accidentally founded NaNoWriMo in 1999. Chris Baty's idea for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) sprang into the world in 1999 with 21 friends writing novels together in the month of November. He watched the event grow to more than 300,000 writers in 90 countries. He's currently working on a novel about an assistant librarian trying to return a DVD in post-apocalyptic Canada. He's also the author of No Plot? No Problem! and the co-author of Ready, Set, Novel. In 2025, Chris launched NaNo2 with a group of other volunteers in the wake of NaNoWriMo closing its doors—and he's happy to take the credit we're giving him for being the father of it all. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

With 20 days into NanoWriMo has anyone made their writing goals? We also hear from a mystery author giving great advice on how to nail an ending and the messy process of writing.

We're in the thick of it with Granny WriMo here in the middle of November, so pour yourself a cup of tea and let's get started! With the demise of NaNoWriMo, we're here with our own spin on things - GrannyWriMo! The concept is the same - write 50k words in the month of November. The twist is, The Tea Grannies are here to write with you and support you along the way! The Perks:Join our writing Discord! All you have to do is email us at ⁠theteagrannies@gmail.com⁠ and we'll add you to our FREE channel.Writing sprints! Dates and times will be announced on the Discord and on our Instagram.If you reach 50k words, you'll receive a free ebook by our fearless cohost Elise Volkman - the first book in a completed trilogy, Roots of Blood: Book I of the Nymph KeepersBragging rights, obviously!We are so excited to write with you, don't forget to ⁠follow us on Instagram⁠ at theteagranniespodcast and email us to sign up for the writing discord. If you want more of The Tea Grannies, you can also join our ⁠Patreon⁠.Links:Email us to join our free discord, or just to chat! ⁠theteagrannies@gmail.com⁠Join our Patreon (free or paid!): ⁠https://patreon.com/TheTeaGranniesPodcast⁠ Keep track of your writing session word counts with Trackbear! ⁠https://trackbear.app/⁠Previous episodes about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and writing lots of words in general:Season 6 Episode 1: GrannyWriMo Prep⁠Season 2 Episode 1: Prepping for NaNo⁠ ⁠Season 2 Episode 2: NaNo in the Trenches⁠⁠Season 2 Episode 3: NaNoWriMo and Writing Burnout⁠⁠Season 1 Episode 2: First Drafts

Join the NanoGang for episode 3 after two weeks of doing NaNoWriMo. How did they go? How many words did they write and are they going to get through the danger zone?

Kris is back and ready to talk with Tara about Women's Week, Closing Time, and the death of NaNoWriMo. The pair debate the relative merits of Canadian vs. American Thanksgiving, before celebrating Kris's new book baby, Scandalous. It's the first podcast recorded on a Wednesday, folks! Time to learn how to "drink flat" with the expert herself! Official Recommendations From Kris: Boots (Netflix) Kris's official recommendation this week is the new Netflix series, Boots. Based on the memoir, The Pink Marine by Greg Cope White, it's is a coming-of-age dramedy about a young gay man finding a place for himself in the American Marine Corps of the 1990s. From Tara: Atramentum by MJ Duncan Tara's official recommendation this week is Atramentum by MJ Duncan. This one has a dog! Friends, there's a dog in this one! Seriously though, this is the story of a woman who takes an escape hatch from her epic work burnout in LA, moving to a small town to run a bookstore with a friend. There's chemistry, love, and a dog. A lady Great Dane (Dame?) named George. Works/People Discussed Scandal (ABC) Love is Blind (Netflix) The Ultimatum: Queer Love (Netflix) RuPaul's Drag Race UK (BBC Three, BBC One) Hades 2 (Supergiant Games) John Candy: I Like Me (2025) A Coin of Two Sides by Navalcat (Devil Wears Prada Fanfiction series) Support & follow the show Buy us a Ko-fi Facebook Instagram Threads  Bluesky TikTok YouTube  Get all our links on Linktr.ee

Every time I gear up to start a new manuscript, some familiar doubts plague me. Note: This episode was originally recorded before the NaNoWriMo challenge imploded, but I'm still participating in a November Writing challenge with my friends. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database (https://www.patreon.com/c/MyAgentDatabase) on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood) If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/morganhazelwood) Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

"Anytime someone starts a sentence with, 'why don't you just,' immediately stop listening to them." ~Valerie Valdes (Lia Amador) While it hasn't been a long time for podcast listeners, it's been a while for us and considering her expertise, I've invited Valerie Valdes back for a candid discussion about the recent demise of NaNoWriMo and what it means for writers. We delve into the challenges of maintaining community and motivation without the established infrastructure of the once-beloved event. Valerie shares her insights as a former municipal liaison and offers alternatives for writers looking to stay engaged during November. We cover Nano 2.0, Shut Up and Write, and 4 The Words. Community is one of the most important parts of this month, and we make sure people know that they're still not alone! (This post went live for supporters on November 4, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!) Download Transcript Links Valerie Valdes / Lia Amador Escape Pod NaNoWriMo 2.0 Shut Up and Write 4thewords Dreamfoundry World Anvil Game of Tomes Kate Cavanaugh's Livestream Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! — "NaNoWriMo's Ghosts and New Beginnings" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 6, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 21 | murverse.com "NaNoWriMo's Ghosts and New Beginnings" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

Each November, writing hopefuls around the world gather together in one singular goal: get writing done.As a veteran author and ghostwriter, I love this goal. It's especially great for aspiring authors, who often spend more time talking about the book they want to write than actually writing it.In this week's book tip, I'll unpack some of the don'ts of NaNoWriMo, with advice on what to do instead.Make sure you subscribe, like, comment, or share this video. It helps me reach more future authors with high valuable short tips for their book writing journeys.

What happens when attention dips before the holiday break, buying cycles heat up for 2025–26 budgets, and your channels keep changing the rules at the same time? You get November, a short, high-leverage month that rewards focus and relationship building.In this episode, Elana gets tactical. She maps the November mindset for educators, lays out timely moments you can use without feeling gimmicky, and gives specific, platform-by-platform plays you can run this week. She closes with two sharp prompts from LinkedIn that will force you to rethink how you invest in your network and your schedule.What You'll LearnHow to show up with real gratitude that uplifts educators, customers, advocates, and your teamWhy November demands high-utility content and PD that lightens the classroom loadTimely November moments to use well, World Kindness Day, NaNoWriMo, Thanksgiving, and post-holiday retail windowsExactly what to prioritize on Instagram, heavy Reels, created and scheduled in appWhat is actually working on LinkedIn, carousel storytelling, micro frameworks, short visual lessons, plus a reach boost tied to new commentersA simple Facebook format that still drives group and page engagementHow to keep your brand visible while leaders research vendors and set budgets for 2025–26Two mindset checks to strengthen your network and your calendar disciplineAccess the full episode show notes.

I'm going over some daily episodes from the past this month! Get the whole 2025 NaNoReRun over at Patreon free for all followers!      Do not listen to Evil Mur. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA, all other rights reserved by Mur Lafferty

Short and Sweet this week.. While no single entity has officially replaced NaNoWriMo, the closure spurred a surge of new and existing independent writing challenges designed to fill the void and continue the spirit of communal novel writing. Notable alternatives and new competitions that have emerged for November (and often for other months like April) include:     Other Platforms: Gamified platforms and tools like 4thewords, Shut Up & Write!, and Pacemaker continue to offer community-driven goal tracking and support.ced: Novel November (NovNov) by ProWritingAid: A 50,000-word challenge with workshops, daily co-writing, and a collaborative spirit, supported by various writing companies. Reedsy Novel Sprint: Follows the classic NaNoWriMo timeline and word count target but offers prizes and professional development support. AutoCrit's Novel 90 Writing Challenge: An extended challenge running for 90 days (often Oct 1 – Dec 31) to allow for a more sustainable pace in completing a first draft. The Order of the Written Word (O2W): An alternative founded by a former Municipal Liaison, specifically positioned as a space for authors against the use of AI.   Explore Larkin 2.0 Scam Nation...500 million price of Air BlackRock Stung by Loans to Business Accused of ‘Breathtaking' Fraud — The Wall Street Journal If Tamara Judge was removed, that cast would be cooked, figure it out, or go elsewhere #BelleCollective and the Black Male Foolishness Bookend is tired, needs a new formula. Read more about AfroDruid Magic Elixir https://linktr.ee/tnfroisreading  

So, you want to write a book in November? But you don't know where to start? This video is just for you! Make sure you subscribe, like, comment, or share this video. It helps me reach more future authors with high valuable short tips for their book writing journeys. In this episode I will go over:Goal setting and planning for book writingOutline creation as a foundationConsistent writing practiceAccountability and community supportAligning the book with bigger vision

Send us a textNovember is coming, and NaNoWriMo is no more! If you are used to the challenge of writing a novel in 30 days making November your most prolific month, you are likely mourning the demise of National Novel Writing Month. But don't worry, Tina, Jen and Jamie are here to empathize as well as to offer you some alternatives to NaNo which can help you finish your writing year strong!https://reedsy.com/studio/challenges/reedsy-novel-sprint-2025#faqshttps://prowritingaid.com/novel-novemberhttps://novel90.com/writing-challenge-fall/Support this ministry on Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/christianindiewriters30 Days of Writing Sprint Prompts:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MGR7431Join Our Facebook Group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/listenersofciwp

National Novel Writing Month might be gone, but its founder Chris Baty and a collection of former employees and volunteers are making sure the writing tradition continues. Next month their new organization, NaNo 2.0, will be encouraging writers all over to start and complete a novel, while also providing support through resources and camaraderie.In this episode, Lily talks to Tavia Stewart and Laura Bradley from NaNo 2.0. Both of whom played integral roles in the original NaNoWriMo, with Tavia being its first employee. Laura was an eighth grade teacher who incorporated NaNoWriMo into her writing lessons and saw her students fall in love with the hardest writing assignment she had ever given in her 20 years of teaching. She's now one of the tradition's biggest advocates.Tune in to hear why Tavia and Laura believe in NaNo 2.0 and how it helps foster a love for writing. You might want to write a novel this year after listening!For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode158.

Embracing chaos as a source for positive change is a powerful mindset shift. Instead of viewing disruption as a disaster to be resisted, you can learn to see it as the energy of possibility—a necessary period of deconstruction before a better creation can emerge. This process requires retaining hope and using the pause created by the chaos to your advantage. 1. Retaining Hope: The Inner Anchor in Chaos Focusing on Agency (What You Can Control): Chaos is defined by what's out of control. Retain hope by aggressively focusing on your immediate sphere of influence: your daily routine, your physical health, your choice of response, and your mindset. Small acts of personal order create pockets of hope. Practicing "Hopecore": Actively look for and amplify positive elements. This means limiting overwhelming news consumption, surrounding yourself with supportive people, and intentionally engaging in activities that bring you genuine joy or a sense of purpose. 2. Seeing Chaos as a Source for Change Chaos is, by definition, a state where old structures have broken down, making it the most fertile ground for transformation. The Deconstruction Principle: A chaotic event (a job loss, a global crisis, a relationship change) doesn't just destroy; it clears the slate of outdated assumptions, commitments, and habits that were holding you back. This forced deconstruction reveals what truly matter. 3. Bending Change for Positive: The "Positive Chaos" Mindset To "bend" the energy of chaos for positive outcomes, you must adopt an active, experimental approach. 4. Using the Pause: Transformational Stillness Chaos often imposes a pause—a stop to old momentum—which is a profound gift for reflection and intention. Mindful Observation: Use the pause for mindfulness, not just passive waiting. Observe your situation without judgment, letting go of the ego's need to control the external world. Identify the core values and priorities that the chaos has brought into sharp relief. Strategic Repositioning: A pause is not inaction; it is re-action. It's the time to plan your next move, not just repeat your last one. #AnxietyRelief #StressReduction #MentalHealthMatters #SelfSoothe #StopTheScroll #Mindfulness #MindfulLiving #InnerPeace #PresentMoment #BeHereNow #DailyCalm   NaNoWriMo is No Mo;; While no single entity has officially replaced NaNoWriMo, the closure spurred a surge of new and existing independent writing challenges designed to fill the void and continue the spirit of communal novel writing. Notable alternatives and new competitions that have emerged for November (and often for other months like April) include: Novel November (NovNov) by ProWritingAid: A 50,000-word challenge with workshops, daily co-writing, and a collaborative spirit, supported by various writing companies. Reedsy Novel Sprint: Follows the classic NaNoWriMo timeline and word count target but offers prizes and professional development support. AutoCrit's Novel 90 Writing Challenge: An extended challenge running for 90 days (often Oct 1 - Dec 31) to allow for a more sustainable pace in completing a first draft. The Order of the Written Word (O2W): An alternative founded by a former Municipal Liaison, specifically positioned as a space for authors against the use of AI. Other Platforms: Gamified platforms and tools like 4thewords, Shut Up & Write!, and Pacemaker continue to offer community-driven goal tracking and support. The Parable From Calculus of the Street to Blockchain Building A New World Ledger Verification at a Time. ”In the late hours, when Marcus recited proofs from memory and Sarah spun stories of exile and resilience, I remembered the calculus of the streets—the way information pulsed through networks invisible to those in power. We weren't inventing anything new; we were translating old survival strategies into modern code. We were reclaiming what was always ours: the right to build systems that served those who'd been left out.” Natasha Sanderson, The Collab; The Trickster: A Parable “The hypocrisy was sickening. Christian America, preaching order and self-sufficiency, was wholly dependent on the slave labor of the workhouses. In turn, its own supply lines were so weak they were being raided by common criminals. The system was eating itself alive. Their fixed world was a complete lie. We were witnessing the final, brutal truth of the Pox era: the collapse of centralized power created not just chaos, but a vacuum that anyone—whether a black market trader or a Trickster prophet —could exploit. This chaos, this failure of the old world order, was the fertile ground in which Earthseed was even able to survive. The more the surface world failed, the more vital our subterranean self-sufficiency, our digital Collab, and our hydroponic gardens became. We were a tiny, living island of order in a sea of unraveling lies.” Reality TV...Continue the Cycle of Absudity...Non-Black commentors may want to keep Dr. Wendy Osefo's name out of your mouth...The Belles from Celebration of Life to Glendale Man-trum...Reconciliation through Weed Muffins... Read more about AfroDruid Magic Elixir https://linktr.ee/tnfroisreading  

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on the closure of Baker & Taylor, the century-old book distributor that will shut down in 2026, leaving a gap that companies like Ingram and Amazon may fill. He also notes Spotify's new integration with ChatGPT, assuring creators that their music and podcasts won't be used to train AI. In other news, Reedsy has launched the Reedsy Novel Sprint, a NaNoWriMo-style writing challenge with cash prizes and no AI allowed, as the original NaNoWriMo organization shutters. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

We're so excited to kick things off with our Granny WriMo prep, so pour yourself a cup of tea and let's get started! With the demise of NaNoWriMo, we're here with our own spin on things - GrannyWriMo! The concept is the same - write 50k words in the month of November. The twist is, The Tea Grannies are here to write with you and support you along the way! The Perks:Join our writing Discord! All you have to do is email us at theteagrannies@gmail.com and we'll add you to our FREE channel.Writing sprints! Dates and times will be announced on the Discord and on our Instagram.If you reach 50k words, you'll receive a free ebook by our fearless cohost Elise Volkman - the first book in a completed trilogy, Roots of Blood: Book I of the Nymph KeepersBragging rights, obviously!We are so excited to write with you, don't forget to follow us on Instagram at theteagranniespodcast and email us to sign up for the writing discord. If you want more of The Tea Grannies, you can also join our Patreon.Links:Email us to join our free discord, or just to chat! theteagrannies@gmail.comJoin our Patreon (free or paid!): https://patreon.com/TheTeaGranniesPodcast Keep track of your writing session word counts with Trackbear! https://trackbear.app/Previous episodes about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and writing lots of words in general:Season 2 Episode 1: Prepping for NaNo Season 2 Episode 2: NaNo in the TrenchesSeason 2 Episode 3: NaNoWriMo and Writing BurnoutSeason 1 Episode 2: First Drafts

Im November versuchen Autor:innen weltweit, 50.000 Wörter in einem Monat zu schreiben. Was als „National Novel Writing Month“ – kurz NaNo – anfing, ist inzwischen ein Phänomen in der gesamten Schreibbubble. Und das lebt auch über das Ende des offiziellen NaNo hinaus weiter.Wie aber schafft man so ein Vorhaben? Welche Vorbereitungen du jetzt treffen solltest, um deine Schreibchallenge zu schaffen und warum es sinnvoll sein kann, sich eigene Ziele unabhängig von den 50K zu setzen, erfährst du in dieser Folge. Cara spricht darin über ihre eigenen Vielschreibermonat und Hanna verrät dir, warum du eines ihrer Lieblingsthemen in dieser Zeit einmal schleifen lassen darfst – aber nicht must. Links aus der Folge:✩ Fantastischer Preptober: https://myablefy.com/s/Zeilenschlinger/fantastischer-preptober✩ Motivations-Mails von Melissa David: https://www.buchbubble.com/dein-schreibmonat/✩ Unsere Folge zu den NaNo-Skandalen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZb8V50Jmrc&pp=ygUZemVpbGVuc2NobGluZ2VyIG5hbm93cmltbw%3D%3D✩ Unsere Folge zu den Grundlagen für deinen Roman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQSWqAbc3VI&pp=ygUeemVpbGVuc2NobGluZ2VyIHJvbWFuIGFuZmFuZ2Vu✩ Unsere Folge zum Diktieren: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSVbSXPEn0Y&pp=ygUZemVpbGVuc2NobGluZ2VyIGRpa3RpZXJlbg%3D%3DStelle dich deinem fantastischen Buchabenteuer mit denZeilenschlingern! In dieser Reihe von 12 Online-Workshops begleiten wir dich Schritt für Schritt durch den gesamten Schreibprozess✩ Jetzt mehr erfahren: https://zeilenschlinger.de/fantastisches-buchabenteuer/+Komm jetzt in unseren Zeilenschlinger Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/nRnDa5xt36 Du kämpfst (immer mal wieder) mit einer Schreibblockade?✩ Dann hol dir jetzt unserenOnline-Kurs "In 30 Tagen Schreibblockaden überwinden" https://elopage.com/s/Zeilenschlinger/in-30-tagen-schreibblockaden-ueberwinden-90034d47 Kennt ihr schon unseren Arschtritt des Monats?✩ Als Newsletter-Abonnenterhältst zu exklusiven Zugang zu unserer Datenbank, in der wir Vorlagen undChecklisten zu unseren Themen teilen.✩ Du erhältst Einblick inunseren persönlichen Schreibprozess.✩ Hier geht es zur Anmeldung: https://zeilenschlinger.de/#Newsletter-Anmeldung Euch gefällt unser Podcast? Wir würden uns über EureUnterstützung freuen:✩ Werdet offizieller Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Zeilenschlinger✩ Gebt uns einen Kaffee aus überKo-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/zeilenschlinger Vielen Dank an unsere Patreons!✩ Vivien Busch✩ Carolin Streckmann  Folge uns gern auch auf unseren anderen Kanälen, um aufdem Laufenden zu bleiben:✩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeilenschlinger/✩ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zeilenschlinger Hanna auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Hanna_BuchmarketingChris auf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisroedl

This week, we dive headfirst into emotional ruin — courtesy of Look Back, the devastatingly beautiful anime film by Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Before we get our hearts ripped out, we unpack a flood of new music releases — including Testament's Para Bellum and Fayle's haunting Heretics and Lullabies — rail against Microsoft's Game Pass price hike, and talk streaming fatigue and piracy. Peter also shares his new plan to train like a writer-athlete with a three-month learning sprint, while Eden reviews Nine Inch Nails' Tron: Ares soundtrack, gushes about Apothecary Diaries, and explains why a Regency “choose your own adventure” romance might be the most fun book they've read all month. It all ends with tears, cello music, and a haunting meditation on why we create art in the first place.

Donna Morfett chats to Paul Burke about THE MASQUERADE OF MURDER, Luton & Dunstable, revenge on the page, misogyny and self publishing.THE MASQUERADE OF MURDER DI Cora Snitton is barely catching her breath after the last case when another body turns up - this time, a suspected junkie dumped in an abandoned quarry.Her team is pulled into the chaos of the Luton Carnival, a vibrant event with a dark reputation for gang violence and drug deals.Amid the crowds, noise, and flashing lights, a ruthless gangster sees his chance to make a name for himself in a new town.As the music blares and the party rages on, something sinister rages behind the scenes.Donna Morfett Born and raised in a small Town in Bedfordshire. Donna has loved reading as long as she was able to understand the words written on the page, and the love has remained. Now a way to help cope with mental health. As with many people across the world, the pandemic left us with lots of time, and twiddling thumbs. As well as trying to complete a degree in Forensic Science at the time, Donna thought she'd try and write a book. Donna took part in NaNoWriMo, in November 2021, and wrote her first full length novel. Then there is Cassie, which came joint second in a recent short story competition. When entered, they were given covers and proper editing, so Donna thought, why not release it, and raise some money for charity. So that's how Cassie came to be. Debut novel The Disappearance of Peter Markham was released by Rampart books on May 23rd 2024. It was re-released with a new edit and cover in May 25. The follow up, Masquerade of Murder is due July 11th. Recommendation William Hussey The Boy I LoveMentions Graham Bartlett and Neil LancasterDonna Morfett Paul Burke edits Aspects of Crime Magazine and writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network, Punk Noir Magazine (fiction contribution). He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2025. His first book An Encyclopedia of  Spy Fiction will be out 2026.Produced by Junkyard DogCrime TimeCrime Time FM is the official podcast ofGwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023 & 2025CrimeFest 2023CWA Daggers 2023 & 2024 & National Crime Reading Month& Newcastle Noir 2023 and 20242024 Slaughterfest,

Send us a textIn this episode of Bookworthy, Valerie interviews author Carol Baldwin about her young adult novel, Half Truths, which explores themes of social injustice and identity through the eyes of a 15-year-old girl in the 1950s South. Carol shares her writing journey, the inspiration behind her characters, and the importance of truth in family dynamics. The conversation delves into the historical context of the story, the writing process, and the hope for more conversations about race and identity among young readers.Takeaways Carol Baldwin's book, Half Truths, addresses social injustice.The writing process can take many years and revisions.NaNoWriMo can be a great motivator for writers.The main character, Kate, witnesses a KKK parade.The story is set in the 1950s South, a pivotal time for civil rights.Family secrets can have lasting effects on relationships.The book aims to promote conversations about race.Carol's writing journey began with nonfiction.Joyce Moyer-Hossett inspired Carol to write her first draft.The importance of being truth-speakers is a central theme. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Carol Baldwin and Half Truths02:55 The Journey of Writing Half Truths06:01 Exploring the Main Character and Setting08:59 Themes of Social Injustice and Identity11:52 The Importance of Truth in Family Dynamics15:05 Carol's Writing Journey and Inspirations18:02 Future Projects and ConclusionHome - Carol Baldwin - Author, Teacher, SpeakerLet's discover great books together!Follow for more:FB: @bookworthypodcastInstagram: @bookworthy_podcastYouTube: BookWorthy Podcast - YouTubetiktok: @valeriefentress

I've got one almost quick tip to get yourself sorted when you've got a rough draft that just kinda fizzled out... NOTE! This episode was recorded prior to the NaNoWriMo implosion. Morgan has been disassociated from NaNoWriMo since November of 2024. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! I'm putting out content most days! Mondays: New podcast episodes here at "Writing Tips & Writerly Musings" Thursdays: The occasional blogpost sharing "Writing Tips & Writerly Musings" Sundays: Productivity Sprints on YT/Twitch You can find me all over the internet (https://linktr.ee/morganHazelwood) If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi (https://ko-fi.com/morganhazelwood) Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Connect with Lolita ‪@LolitaMilena‬ In this episode we are joined by Lolita . Lolita Milena is an actress, author, and dancer based in the city of Los Angeles. Immigrating from Siberia as a toddler, Milena was placed in a foster care home in Ohio. Through an act of child abuse perpetrated by the foster father, she was left permanently paralyzed from her waist down at the age of two. Immediately following the incident, Milena was placed in her now current home who specialized in emergency placements for traumatized and special needs children. Gaining nine other siblings with seven of the ten being former foster children as well; she learned many unique life paths and ways of story telling. Her introduction to acting and dance began at the age of six, where she was brought on by the Ballet Theatre of Ohio as a dancer in their production of The Nutcracker. Having then performed in an accumulated twenty theatrical productions, Milena had turned to the world of social media to spread her creative wings. Using the app TikTok, she had begun sharing her love for acting in the form of short skits, dancing to a plethora of music styles, and delving into SFX makeup. As of 2024, her following has amassed 750,000 viewers.In addition, Lolita is also an accomplished writer, having won the NANOWRIMO contest for her novel 2459, which she completed in under 30 daysShe had her introduction to the big screen in 2022 with the Lionsgate release of 1UP, where she portrayed the supporting role of Jenna.Lolita is also a strong advocate for realistic representation in the cinema world for characters with disabilities. With a career spanning multiple artistic disciplines, Lolita aims to continue breaking barriers and inspire audiences worldwide.

Break for brunch with writer Adeena Mignogna as we discuss how Star Trek changed her life, which Trek character she used as her screen name on fan forums when she first went online as a young teen, why she never wrote fanfic, the feedback from a friend which saved her NaNoWriMo novel from being trunked, how she discovered she's neither a plotter nor a pantser but rather something in-between, her favorite science fiction novel of all time (and the important lesson it taught her about her Robot Galaxy series), why she went the indie route and how she knew she had the chops to pull it off, the manner in which we gender robots, the reason writing each book in her quartet was more fun than the one before, why she remains hopeful about our AI future, how she finally learned she was a morning writer after years of trying to write at night, and much more.

News keep coming? More likely than you would think! We cover the Switch 2 Direct which had a lot to chat about. Political standing happened, as well as political marching, too! Plus, our hosts played games and read books! Oh, and AI news.Check it out!Explicit language on this one."Love Everlasting" (DDRKirby(ISQ) - https://http://ocremix.org/)Find the show on iTunes, Google Play Podcasts, Spotify, and Simplecast.fmFind the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6QoHk8iEsVGTpd2qdTlH-gFollow us @CharacterReveal on Bluesky, Instagram, and on Facebook!Dom is @brothadom on Bluesky, tweets, tumbles and generally on the netSteph is @captainsteph on Bluesky and Twitter, @hella_steph on Instagram, and @thesnowqueer on TumblrEric is @TindiLosi on some places on the internet as a whole, like BlueskyFind everything at: https://linktr.ee/characterreveal

This week on Blocked and Reported, Jesse and Katie discuss the right's very online reaction to Trumpnomics™. Plus, NaNoWriMo closes shop, and only slightly more vore. Vore fan art (Do not click this link at work, at the library, on an NSA server, or anywhere near your children and/or parents. You have been warned.)‘Nowhere on Earth is safe': Trump imposes tariffs on uninhabited islands near Antarctica | Trump tariffs | The GuardianPresident Trump's Tariff Formula Makes No Economic Sense. It's Also Based on an Error. | American Enterprise Institute - AEIThe Puzzle of the All-American BBQ ScrubberBill Ackman's main fund drops 15% this year as trade war hits holdingsPeter Navarro Invented an Expert for His Books, Based on Himself - The New York TimesElon Musk dies to tutorial boss in Path of Exile 2 livestream | The VergeTrump brags in Oval Office that his billionaire pals made a killing in stocks after he pulled the plug on tariffs | The Independent This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway reports that National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, has announced it will not officially take place this November, citing financial and reputational concerns. He also covers the latest in AI and copyright, including the consolidation of major lawsuits against tech companies, protests outside Meta's London offices, and new research suggesting copyrighted materials have been used to train AI models. Finally, he discusses Amazon's new AI-powered Kindle Recap feature and questions around whether authors have consented to its use. Sponsors Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote. Self-Publishing News is also sponsored by book cover design company Miblart. They offer unlimited revisions, take no deposit to start work and you pay only when you love the final result. Get a book cover that will become your number-one marketing tool. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) rolled out new features and analytics for account holders, plus I share deeper insights into ACX's new digital voice narration with the cloning capabilities. Kobo Plus expanded into two new regions. National Novel Writing Month shut down; what happened and what can authors do now? And an Australian erotica author has been arrested due to some disturbing allegations. Find out about all that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Now in Beta: Narrator Voice Replicas on ACX - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/now-in-beta-narrator-voice-replicas-on-acx Getting the most from your ACX reporting and analytics - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/getting-the-most-from-your-acx-reporting-and-analytics  Rakuten Kobo Launches Kobo Plus in Singapore & Malaysia - https://kobowritinglife.com/2025/03/18/rakuten-kobo-launches-kobo-plus-in-singapore-malaysia/ NaNoWriMo shutting down (covered by The Bottom Line) - https://janefriedman.com/the-bottom-line-janes-publishing-industry-newsletter/ (subscription required) The State of NaNoWriMo - A Community Update - March 2025 - https://youtu.be/TR6NnjgeIIY?si=Yr8eQ3F7fgYyukWd Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com Sydney author Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa arrested over ‘pedophilia' book - https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/sydney-author-lauren-tesolinmastrosa-arrested-over-pedophilia-book/news-story/5babb82438d7adc5ca699c877b07641a  CoverRater - https://coverrater.com - use coupon code DALEROCKS for 20% off (good till Sept. 30, 2025) PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) PublishDrive presents: Building Your Author Platform with Evan Gow of StoryOrigin - https://publishdrive.com/building-your-author-platform-with-evan-gow-of-storyorigin.html  Keith Wheeler presents: YouTube for Books - https://dalelinks.com/youtubeforbooks (affiliate link) Book Career in a Year by Nick Thacker - https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/sp/book/ref/1/  Books that Make You presents: Dale L. Roberts on Self-Publishing for New Authors – Your Guide to Indie Success - https://youtu.be/_9CejZROHcU?si=63ji1R6XkK9IAMCi Self-Publishing with ALLi presents: Marketing Strategies for Children's Books That Work - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-strategies-for-childrens-books/ The Writing Community Chat Show presents: A Haunted Island. A Spooky Investigation. - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewccs/a-haunted-island-a-spooky-investigation?ref=project_link Teddy AG Smith presents: Dale L. Roberts - Beyond Amazon: The Strategic Approach to Publishing Wide - https://youtu.be/bea3M6zGlqQ?si=AlfTwqLTn9cBPXkw ULTIMATE ‪@DaleLRoberts‬ QUIZ | ARE YOU A SELF-PUBLISHING WITH DALE EXPERT? - https://youtu.be/o2n7Kw6q6l0?si=3IYU8M32GGqS8qaI  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week's entertainment news, including stories about James Patterson and MrBeast, NaNoWriMo, and Ingram's MediaScout. Then, stick around for a chat with DP Lyle!DP Lyle, MD is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning; and Edgar (2), Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, Silver Falchion, USA Today Best Book Award (2), and Foreward INDIES Book of the Year nominated author of 25 books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the SAMANTHA CODY, DUB WALKER, JAKE LONGLY, and CAIN/HARPER thriller series, and the ROYAL PAINS media tie-in novels.His forensic science books (FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES, HOWDUNNIT:FORENSICS) and his very popular Q&A Series (MURDER AND MAYHEM, FORENSICS AND FICTION, MORE FORENSICS AND FICTION) are published worldwide.

This Week's Topics: Wikipedia bemoans AI bot bandwidth burden NaNoWriMo shuts down due to AI and other problems Guests: Jeff Gamet, Patrice Brend'amour, Tom Ferry #podcast #technology

This Week's Topics: Wikipedia bemoans AI bot bandwidth burden NaNoWriMo shuts down due to AI and other problems Guests: Jeff Gamet, Patrice Brend'amour, Tom Ferry #podcast #technology

4:18:46 – Frank in New Jersey and NYC, plus the Other Side. Topics include: 3,000 weeks old, next day, “Liberation Day”, filibustering, Val Kilmer dead at 65, dental work, litter, NaNoWriMo shutting down, new Flea Devil rule – Zilch, Street Road, more Ark synchronicities, Oaks in symbolic context, San Junipero, vegan Indian food lunch in the stairwell […]

iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are out. Is Apple going to make a huge push into health with AI? France fines Apple over App Tracking transparency. And could the NFL exit its current media rights deals in 2029? What could this mean for the league? iPadOS 18.4 released with Apple Intelligence & Mail tweaks. The best HomeKit robot vacuums for iOS 18.4. Computing would be totally different had Apple not been formed 49 years ago, today. Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor. This alert must die. France fines Apple over App Tracking Transparency, but doesn't order changes. Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages. 2026 Porsches still won't have next-gen CarPlay. NFL a 'virtual lock' to exit media rights deals in 2029, per report. NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals. Picks of the Week: Jason's Pick: Calibre Andy's Pick: USB power meter / tester Alex's Pick: DPA 5100 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit zocdoc.com/macbreak cachefly.com/twit

iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are out. Is Apple going to make a huge push into health with AI? France fines Apple over App Tracking transparency. And could the NFL exit its current media rights deals in 2029? What could this mean for the league? iPadOS 18.4 released with Apple Intelligence & Mail tweaks. The best HomeKit robot vacuums for iOS 18.4. Computing would be totally different had Apple not been formed 49 years ago, today. Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor. This alert must die. France fines Apple over App Tracking Transparency, but doesn't order changes. Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages. 2026 Porsches still won't have next-gen CarPlay. NFL a 'virtual lock' to exit media rights deals in 2029, per report. NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals. Picks of the Week: Jason's Pick: Calibre Andy's Pick: USB power meter / tester Alex's Pick: DPA 5100 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit zocdoc.com/macbreak cachefly.com/twit

iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are out. Is Apple going to make a huge push into health with AI? France fines Apple over App Tracking transparency. And could the NFL exit its current media rights deals in 2029? What could this mean for the league? iPadOS 18.4 released with Apple Intelligence & Mail tweaks. The best HomeKit robot vacuums for iOS 18.4. Computing would be totally different had Apple not been formed 49 years ago, today. Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor. This alert must die. France fines Apple over App Tracking Transparency, but doesn't order changes. Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages. 2026 Porsches still won't have next-gen CarPlay. NFL a 'virtual lock' to exit media rights deals in 2029, per report. NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals. Picks of the Week: Jason's Pick: Calibre Andy's Pick: USB power meter / tester Alex's Pick: DPA 5100 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit zocdoc.com/macbreak cachefly.com/twit

iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are out. Is Apple going to make a huge push into health with AI? France fines Apple over App Tracking transparency. And could the NFL exit its current media rights deals in 2029? What could this mean for the league? iPadOS 18.4 released with Apple Intelligence & Mail tweaks. The best HomeKit robot vacuums for iOS 18.4. Computing would be totally different had Apple not been formed 49 years ago, today. Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor. This alert must die. France fines Apple over App Tracking Transparency, but doesn't order changes. Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages. 2026 Porsches still won't have next-gen CarPlay. NFL a 'virtual lock' to exit media rights deals in 2029, per report. NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals. Picks of the Week: Jason's Pick: Calibre Andy's Pick: USB power meter / tester Alex's Pick: DPA 5100 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit zocdoc.com/macbreak cachefly.com/twit

iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4 are out. Is Apple going to make a huge push into health with AI? France fines Apple over App Tracking transparency. And could the NFL exit its current media rights deals in 2029? What could this mean for the league? iPadOS 18.4 released with Apple Intelligence & Mail tweaks. The best HomeKit robot vacuums for iOS 18.4. Computing would be totally different had Apple not been formed 49 years ago, today. Apple readies its biggest push into health yet with new AI doctor. This alert must die. France fines Apple over App Tracking Transparency, but doesn't order changes. Utah governor signs online child safety law requiring Apple, Google to verify user ages. 2026 Porsches still won't have next-gen CarPlay. NFL a 'virtual lock' to exit media rights deals in 2029, per report. NaNoWriMo shut down after AI, content moderation scandals. Picks of the Week: Jason's Pick: Calibre Andy's Pick: USB power meter / tester Alex's Pick: DPA 5100 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twit zocdoc.com/macbreak cachefly.com/twit

Hey there, Writer! Welcome back to another episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show.This week, I had an inspiring conversation with Laura Jevtich—a writer, author, and social media creator with a fascinating journey that took her from geology to writing memoirs and beyond.Laura's story is anything but conventional. Originally trained as a geologist, she spent over a decade in the field before jumping ship during the Y2K era to become a computer trainer. This shift led her to start her own business in 2003, helping realtors with website content and blog posts. Little did she know that this early experience in writing would pave the way for her future as an author.In 2005, Laura and her husband Sasha made a bold decision that would change their lives forever—they bought a truck camper and hit the road, embracing a nomadic lifestyle that was nearly unheard of in their Northern Virginia community. As they traveled, Laura began documenting their journey, which led to the creation of her memoir, Unusual Adventures Traveling Through Life: A Memoir of Frugalness to Financial Freedom.Their journey wasn't just about travel; it was about reclaiming their time and energy. The couple realized that homeownership was holding them back from the adventurous life they craved. So, in 2006, after a six-week sabbatical, they sold their house and nearly all their possessions, choosing instead to live full-time in their RV. Their travels took them to national parks across the U.S., where Laura worked as a park ranger in places like the Grand Canyon and Canyonlands. Along the way, she continued writing, capturing their experiences in long-form articles and blog posts.By 2018, Laura decided to take a break from the road, settling in Pahrump, Nevada, where she and her husband built a home. But the writing never stopped. Encouraged by her father, she pivoted from writing about organization and minimalism to focusing on her memoir. We talked about how she dived into the writing world, reading memoirs, joining online communities, and learning the craft of storytelling. In 2022, she committed to finishing her memoir, winning NaNoWriMo by typing up her handwritten manuscript and completing the draft. After a rigorous self-editing process, she published the book in July 2023.Laura didn't stop there. She returned to her unfinished book on organizing, completing and publishing it in early 2024. She has since been deeply involved in the writing community, attending conferences like 20 Books to Vegas (now Author Nation) and embracing direct sales and marketing strategies.Now, Laura has once again jumped ship—this time from nonfiction to fiction. She's currently writing a historical romance, sharing her journey on Ream Stories, and was even featured on their homepage for historical romance.Throughout the episode, Laura shares valuable insights on following your passions, embracing change, and navigating the self-publishing world. She's a true example of resilience and reinvention, proving that it's never too late to chase a new dream.Enjoy the episode!

Looking for a faith-filled romance novel to celebrate St. Valentine's Day? In this episode of Hey Everybody, It's Fr. Edward, Fr. Edward Looney sits down with Rebecca Martin, author of Love in the Eternal City, to discuss her debut novel published by Chrism Press. You'll hear: ❤️ Why Catholic romance fiction exists and why it matters. ❤️ The love story of Elena and Benedict, a Swiss Guard, and how a real Swiss Guard helped shape the novel. ❤️ How the book portrays a healthy Catholic dating relationship. ❤️ How Rebecca balances writing with a busy family life. ❤️ The role of NANOWRIMO in fast-drafting her novel. ❤️ Her advice for aspiring Catholic novelists, including Fr. Edward! ❤️ The influence of other clean romance writers like Roseanna M. White, Emma St. Claire, and Katherine Center. If you love faith-based fiction, Catholic romance, or just a good love story, don't miss this episode!

Do you struggle to commit to creative time every day? Are you ready to build a writing habit that lasts long after NaNoWriMo ends? In today's podcast, we're sharing our best advice for creating a bulletproof writing habit that sticks. So if you've been struggling to show up for your book, this episode will give you the tools you need to make writing a daily habit. Grab a notebook and let's get started! ✨ Get 30% OFF The Writer's Wellness Journey when you purchase with full payment. USE CODE: NANO2024 at checkout. Get access here: https://kaemmons.teachable.com/p/wellness-for-writers

What happens when a former British Army captain turns into a best-selling mystery and thriller author? Join us for an eye-opening conversation with Steve Higgs, whose journey from the military to full-time writing is as compelling as his novels. We talk about his transformation from soldier to scribe, sharing how his initial lack of support only fueled his desire to write. Discover how his debut novel, "Paranormal Nonsense," became a reality and how Steve's story is a testament to the power of following your creative passions despite life's roadblocks.Get ready to recharge your writing habits as we unpack the secrets to maintaining a regular writing schedule. Learn why discipline, often honed in military settings, can be your greatest ally in keeping the creative juices flowing. With Steve's humorous anecdotes on character creation and genre-hopping—from urban fantasy to cozy mysteries—you'll be inspired to embrace your unique writing style. We also touch on the challenges of balancing your craft with personal commitments, and why motivation doesn't always come from where you expect.Finally, we tackle the myth of overnight success and share practical tips on navigating the path to author stardom. Discover how networking and learning from experienced authors can accelerate your journey. This episode is packed with insights on everything from marketing strategies to the unpredictable nature of success. Plus, we're excited to announce a series of fiction-focused episodes coming in November, just in time to boost your NaNoWriMo efforts. Whether you're a seasoned author or just starting out, you're sure to find inspiration and practical advice to fuel your writing journey.Watch the free training: https://selfpublishing.com/freetrainingSchedule a no-cost call with our team: https://selfpublishing.com/schedule Here are some links that might come in handy: Apply for a free book consultation Register for our free on-demand training Must-watch episodes: SPS 044: Using A Free + Shipping Book Funnel with Anik Singal SPS 115: Using Atomic Habits To Write & Publish A Book with James Clear SPS 127: Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which You Should Choose with Ruth Soukup SPS 095: The Five Love Languages: Selling 15 Million Copies with Gary Chapman SPS 056: How I Sold 46M Copies of My Self Published Book with Robert Kiyosaki

S.20 Ep.32: In Which Mur and Valerie Discuss NaNoWriMo Alternatives, Writing Tools, and Community Building [Explicit]  "The spirit of NaNoWriMo was to do something big, bold, and show what you're capable of." - Valerie Valdes (This post went live for supporters on November 13, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (NOTE: It occurs to me that I have three explicit episodes--32, 33, 34--in a row. But one was a casual interview, one was rage, and one was despair. So we will get back to nice clean episodes soon. I promise.) Join Mur and Valerie Valdes as they dive into the chaos surrounding NaNoWriMo and explore alternatives for writers seeking new challenges. They discuss the current state of NaNoWriMo, the controversies, and the impact on the writing community. Valerie shares insights into her local writing group's decision to break away and create their own events. Valerie also offers a wealth of resources and tools to challenge yourself this month, including Dream Foundry's Freefall Challenge, World Anvil's World Ember, and various Pomodoro and idle games like Rusty's Retirement and Pomo Farm, and how to stay motivated with apps like 4 the Words and TrackBear. Transcript Links NaNoWriMo Twitch Discord Dream Foundry World Anvil Flights of Foundry Con or Bust Game of Tomes 4 The Words Pacemaker TrackBear Written Kitten Write or Die Placid Plastic Duck Simulator Rusty's Retirement Virtual Cottage Chill Pulse Cozy Time Melvor Idle On Track Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! "NowNoWhatMo…with Valerie Valdes" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 18, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 32 | murverse.com "NowNoWhatMo…with Valerie Valdes" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

What if you could transform a strict military career into a flourishing life as a bestselling author? That's exactly what Steve Higgs, a former British Army captain, accomplished. Join us on the Self-Publishing School Podcast, where Steve shares his incredible journey from the army to becoming a successful mystery and thriller author. Despite facing significant challenges and a lack of support from his family, he persisted and published his debut novel while still in the army. Steve's resilience and perseverance offer a powerful message to aspiring writers hesitant to take the first step in their own creative journeys.Balancing a demanding full-time job with a writing career is no small feat, yet Steve has mastered the art of maintaining momentum through disciplined writing habits. Our discussion uncovers practical strategies for fitting writing into a busy life, dispelling the myth that certain backgrounds are a prerequisite for writing success. By managing creative overflow and maintaining focus, Steve demonstrates how anyone can cultivate the discipline needed to achieve their writing goals. We also explore his transition from urban fantasy to cozy mystery, illustrating the spontaneity and creativity that fuel his storytelling.The importance of community and perseverance in the writing world cannot be overstated. From emotionally charged writing moments to navigating the author community, our episode highlights the value of connecting with fellow writers to overcome the isolation often felt in this profession. Steve's journey is a testament to the power of networking, strategic marketing, and relentless passion that can propel an author from obscurity to success. As we celebrate NaNoWriMo, we invite you to expand your fiction skills and join us for upcoming episodes filled with insights and inspiration.Watch the free training: https://selfpublishing.com/freetrainingSchedule a no-cost call with our team: https://selfpublishing.com/schedule Here are some links that might come in handy: Apply for a free book consultation Register for our free on-demand training Must-watch episodes: SPS 044: Using A Free + Shipping Book Funnel with Anik Singal SPS 115: Using Atomic Habits To Write & Publish A Book with James Clear SPS 127: Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which You Should Choose with Ruth Soukup SPS 095: The Five Love Languages: Selling 15 Million Copies with Gary Chapman SPS 056: How I Sold 46M Copies of My Self Published Book with Robert Kiyosaki

Alex Pavesi spent a long time writing many debut novels. He would write a few thousands words, get struck by a brilliant new idea, get bored, stop writing and the cycle would continue. Finally, he landed upon a way of storytelling that allowed him to write a finished book. That became 'Eight Detectives', which was a Sunday Times Crime Book of the Year and a smash-hit.He's followed it up with 'Ink Ribbon Red'. It tells the story of a group of old friends who meet for an annual birthday weekend away, deep in the English countryside. One of them suggests a parlour game in which they write murder mystery stories about each other... what happens when murders really start happening. Will you be able to tell the real murder, from the ones they're writing? It's a brilliant way of telling stories within stories, and twisting the murder mystery genre even further.We discuss how he landed on a writing routine that helped him finally get published, also how the success of the first novel changed what his second had to be, and why he's obsessed with pen and paper.You can hear about accidentally becoming a full-time writer, about the balance of plot and character, and why he doesn't agree with a classic piece of writing advice.If you'd like a copy of 'Ink Ribbon Red', please do take a look at our dedicated Writer's Routine bookstore at - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineYou can get a writing tip everyday through NaNoWriMo on our TikTok and Instagram page.Support the show!Pledge - patreon.com/writersroutineTip - ko-fi.com/writersroutine@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writing a novel (or 50k words) in one month comes with unique challenges. Whether you're embarking on the adventure of tackling NaNoWriMo 2024 or simply starting a new literary endeavor, we're here to help you prepare yourself to write your best novel. We will cut through the clutter and overwhelm and focus on the FEW vital things that will help you write more words this November. So grab a notebook and a cup of coffee, and let's get into it! ✨ Get 30% OFF The Writer's Wellness Journey when you purchase with full payment. USE CODE: NANO2024 at checkout. Get access here: https://kaemmons.teachable.com/p/wellness-for-writers

This week on the Primo episode, Jesse and Katie discuss a controversy at NaNoWriMo. Plus, the secret life of Nikocado Avocado. To hear more, visit www.blockedandreported.org

Jeff and Rebecca mull NaNoWriMo's AI blunder, note the passing of Len Riggio, talk about recent reading, and much more. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. For more industry news, sign up for our Today in Books daily newsletter! Check out the Book Riot Podcast Book Page on Thriftbooks! The Book Riot Podcast Patreon Discussed in this episode: Big Five Publishing & Authors Guild Sue Over New Florida Book Banning Law NaNoWriMo maybe blew itself up over AI statement? Disney pauses Graveyard Book adaptation amid sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman Follow-up: court upholds decision against Internet Archive, a win for major publishers Rebecca was on Drinks in the Library to talk about Four Thousand Weeks Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Covering a vast spectrum of items this week: AI in NaNoWriMo (blech), Israel's contributions to humanity, Kamala's new economic platform, and Iran's supposed disinformation campaign against Trump Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/trillbillyworkersparty