How willing are you to start over if your story’s not working? How willing are you to say, “I didn’t quite nail this outline or this story or this scene… And to make it work, I will have to start over and rebuild it from the ground up. Am I willing to put my ego aside and start from ground zero,...

Mastering your mindset is just as important as learning the technical aspects of writing a novel. In today’s post, I’m sharing a round-up of mindset tips that will help you master your mindset and unlock your writing potential. I asked a handful of my peers to send in their favorite mindset tips...

In the age of interstellar travel and mythical creatures, the worlds of science fiction and fantasy hold an irresistible allure. From spaceships traversing distance galaxies to knights battling fire-breathing dragons, these genres help us to escape the confines of reality and let our imaginations...

I recently sat down for a conversation with one of the most inspirational people I know, Jamie Varon. And in our conversation, Jamie shares so many nuggets of wisdom about things like how she handles feedback (especially critical feedback), how she looks at writing (and especially the querying pr...

I recently sat down for a conversation with a writer named Pauline Yates to talk about her writing, editing, and publishing journey. Pauline has just released her debut novel, Memories Don’t Lie, and in our conversation, we talk about how she went from dreaming up her idea (literally) to landing ...

Do you ever feel like if you just think and plan a little more, you’ll have your whole story figured out? Or if you just research a little bit longer, maybe you’ll unlock that one last worldbuilding element that’s been giving you trouble? Me too. I’m a recovering perfectionist—meaning that I kno...

In today’s episode, I’m going something a little different than normal. I’m going to take you behind-the-scenes with me throughout my entire week, and I’m going to share with you what I’m working on, what big projects I’m focused on right now, and basically, anything that happens during the week....

I recently sat down for a conversation with Jennifer Lauer—one of the writers I have had the privilege of working with over the last few years—to talk about her writing, editing, and publishing journey.  And I’m so excited to share this episode with you today because it’s a very special day for ...

Do you want to write a story about a character who wants to improve their social or economic position?  In this post, I’m going to cover the six key scenes your status story needs to satisfy readers. I’m also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Devil Wears Prada.  B...

Do you ever wish you could see a behind-the-scenes look at how other people write? Or that you could hear from other writers who have gone before you? Well, I have something super special for you today. I reached out to some of my Notes to Novel students and asked them to share the number one th...

In today’s episode, we’re going to do something fun and a little different. Since we’re nearing the end of 2022, I thought it would be fun to continue with last week’s theme of lessons learned over the last twelve months. I hope some of the lessons you’ve learned this year came from this podcast,...

Do you ever wonder what the writing process is like for other writers? Or if they run into some of the same challenges or traps as you do? In this post, I'm giving you a glimpse behind the scenes and sharing some of the key takeaways I learned from coaching writers this year. And although there'...