Episodes

  • 295. Go Easy on Yourself, You'll Get the Writing Done

    295. Go Easy on Yourself, You'll Get the Writing Done
    Sep 30 2024
    Creating a sustainable writing practice is as much about mindset as it is about marketing and craft. Beat yourself up and you're likely to experience creative blocks and even more self-doubt. Self-compassion is actually a way through those blocks and bad feelings. In today's episode, I'll explain why it's so helpful to writers and how you can develop your own more self-compassionate approach. It won't make you soft, it will make you better. For more, join our Simply Write community at https://simplywrite.substack.com for early-bird class discounts, feedback on your work, and essays, and encouragement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • 294. Michael Hearns: Detective Fiction Author Draws From the Darkness

    294. Michael Hearns: Detective Fiction Author Draws From the Darkness
    Sep 23 2024
    Michael Hearns, an author, retired police, detective, and undercover agent who investigated drug cartels, money laundering networks, homicides, and other crimes in the shadows of sunny South Florida talks about the real-life details he writes into his detective fiction so that his novels feel authentic. He calls this genre of gritty realism Dark Tropics and says writing characters with emotional depth and getting the details accurate from street names to menu items are essential to respecting the readers and keeping them engaged. Find more about Michael at MichaelHearns.com Join our Simply Write community, at https://simplywrite.substack.com, for more on the writing craft and crafting a writer's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
  • 293. How to Write a Query Letter

    293. How to Write a Query Letter
    Sep 16 2024
    Whether you want to publish a novel or nonfiction book, essay, or article, you will need a query letter to sell your idea and yourself to agents and editors. In this episode, we cover the things that need to be in that letter as well as a couple of tips that can help you sell your work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    33 mins
  • 292. Indie Press Publisher Dianne Pearce

    292. Indie Press Publisher Dianne Pearce
    Sep 9 2024
    Dianne Pearce loves reading so much that it seems natural that she would become a writer and publisher. Now as the founder of Current Words, an indie publisher, she has some suggestions for authors to keep in mind if they truly want to publish and release their work. For more on Dianne Pearce and Current Words, https://currentwords.com For more on the writing craft and crafting a writer's life, join our Simply Write community at https://simplywrite.substack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    41 mins
  • REPLAY: Writing Through Rejection

    REPLAY: Writing Through Rejection
    Sep 2 2024
    This episode ran our first season, but writers and rejection will always be an issue. Rejection can be a painful part of the job. But, when we learn to accept and manage rejection we can use it as a motivational tool to keep writing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • 291. Romance Writer Susan Carlisle

    291. Romance Writer Susan Carlisle
    Aug 26 2024
    Award-winning romance writer Susan Carlisle dictates 1500 to 2000 a day on her phone to quickly get the first draft out. Then she spends most of her time in revisions and editing. That process helps her publish multiple books a year. What does it take to write compelling romance novels? Carlisle says there are some common tropes, and she wants to leave readers with a feel-good ending, but the "trope is the umbrella of the story, but that's not the part that makes a story work," Carlisle says. Readers must be invested in the characters, intrigued by the setting, and propelled forward by everything that happens along the way. Listen for more on Carlisle's writing process and why she says she's in the "feel-good" business. Go to https://susancarlisle.com for more on Carlisle and her books. Join the Simply Write community, https://simplywrite.substack.com, for more on the writing craft and crafting a writer's life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • 290. When Can You Call Yourself a Writer?

    290. When Can You Call Yourself a Writer?
    Aug 19 2024
    Being a writer requires more than putting words on a page. It's a whole mindset. You have to believe you can do it and then give yourself permission to go after it and write consistently. I remember the first moment I called myself a write without any other qualifiers. It was awkward, embarrassing and life-changing. In this episode, I'll explain why the declaration was so important and why I think calling yourself a writer is essential to becoming one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • 289. Author, Coach Caroline Donahue Writing Through Fear

    289. Author, Coach Caroline Donahue Writing Through Fear
    Aug 12 2024
    Book coach and author Caroline Donahue explains how we can manage our fears and even use it to build excitement and energy around our writing process. In this enlightening interview the author of three books including her newest, Writing through Fear: A Story Arcana Guide, Donahue says we can make fear an ally in our writing. For more on Caroline Donahue and her work go to https://www.carolinedonahue.com. And join our Simply Write community on Substack for plenty more on the writing craft and crafting a writer's life at https://simplywrite.substack.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    41 mins