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The Complete Guide to Writing Coaching
Everything you need to know about writing coaching, all in one place.
This guide will help you learn all about writing coaching so you can decide if it’s right for you - and if it is, how to go about finding a coach that fits your needs.
Table of Contents
Benefits Writers Get from Working with a Writing Coach
Practical Ways Writing Coaching Can Work for You
Where Do You Find a Writing Coach?
Who is Writing Coaching For?
Writing coaching is a great option for people who want to:
Improve their overall communication
Start a new writing project
Get creatively unstuck or out of a writing rut
Finish a writing project
Feel more confident in what they say and how they say it
Who it’s not for people who:
Think they already know everything about writing and want confirmation of that
Believe you can’t improve at things by practicing
Aren’t willing to show up to sessions and try new exercises and tasks
As a coach, I tend to work with women who:
Like to help other people, maybe even as their career
Want to write a nonfiction book
Have an idea but don’t know where to start
Have some writing done but don’t know how to organize it
Want my help - of course I have specialties, but my biggest goal is to help everyday people tell their stories
What Does a Writing Coach Do?
Writing coaches are professionals who can help you improve your writing. Similar to a teacher, coaches can give you advice, action steps, and encouragement as you work through a writing project. Unlike a teacher, coaches take on a limited number of clients, which allows them to provide better feedback and more support to each person.
Writing coaching tends to happen in two primary ways: in a group or 1-on-1.
Group coaching consists of getting together with a coach and other individuals to work on a project over a period of time. Many coaches do group coaching for a set number of months with live sessions, Q & As, and periods of time where they’ll give feedback to each member of the group. Having peers to work with over time can be great for getting and receiving feedback, as well as having other like-minded writers to support you on your journey. It’s almost like coaching plus peers.
1-on-1 or private coaching means that it’s just you and your coach during coaching sessions. 1:1 coaching tends to be pricier than groups because of the dedicated time you get with your coach. Usually private coaching comes with customized tasks to work on between sessions, check-ins with your coach, and other ways they let you know that they’re there for you. For many people, this is what they think of as “coaching” more so than a group.
Writing coaches tend to focus on one of three areas: development, skills, and publishing.
Sometimes you’ll find a coach who does more than one if they’ve had extensive experience in more than one part of the writing process, but mostly, we pick one area that we like to work with writers on the most.
Developmental writing coaches, which is what I am, work with the ideas. We love helping you begin a project and figure out where it’s going and what it can be when it’s done. We work with you on organizing your thoughts and beginning to write.
We love hearing about all of your wild ideas and we can help you begin to put them on the page with some kind of coherence - because let’s be honest, our brain is great at thinking about things about a mile a minute and not always great when it comes to actually writing said ideas down.
Some of the major things I work with clients on are creating habits, writing schedules, and organizing their thoughts so the writing process works for them. I also love working with clients who have some writing but aren’t sure where to go next. Above all, I work on confidence - you can do anything you like after the writing is on the page, but you have to be able to get it there first!
Writing coaches who focus on skills are probably the most prevalent. These coaches can work with you to hone your message through the more technical aspects of writing.
They enjoy working with you on identifying plot holes, developing characters, and figuring out the language of the story (i.e. tone, voice, etc.). They can help you identify patterns to improve your writing, such as words or phrases you overuse or the difference between passive and active voice. For nonfiction, they can help identify areas that might be confusing or where readers might get stuck.
Sometimes these coaches offer editing services, which is great if you want to eventually share your writing with other people. This also means they can show you how to do an effective edit on your own writing.
Writing coaches who focus on publishing are also called book coaches. There seem to be a large number of book coaches, which is awesome, if a little intimidating. Book coaches help you get your manuscript and proposal ready to query with the hope of getting published by a traditional publishing house.
They can also help you get a book ready to self-publish if you’re interested in going that route. These coaches are talented in the marketing and networking aspects of publishing. They can help most when your ideas are all shined up and ready to get sent out into the world, as they don’t focus on writing skills or development.
Benefits Writers Get from Working with a Writing Coach
It’s one thing to understand what coaching is all about, but why do people want it? What’s the point?
The short answer? To write better. (Hah!)
The realistic answer: there are a number of things writing coaches can help you do, depending on your goals. Everyone has a different mindset when they come to coaching, whether it’s a project they’ve been thinking about for years (more common than you might guess) or they want to write a book to get more clients.
It all begins with the confidence to start somewhere, which you can get from working with a coach.
Some of the other awesome benefits of working with a writing coach:
Workshop your Writing
Any writing coach should be looking at your writing with you, no matter which stage you’re at. Actively working on your writing with a coach can help you navigate new ideas, ask questions in real time, and grow as a writer. Writing is a skill, not a talent, so practice really does make perfect, or rather, practice makes a pretty good finished project.
Writing Organization
One of the most difficult things about writing is organizing it so that it makes sense to others. That’s where a writing coach can be extremely helpful. It’s completely okay if you don’t write a project or book from beginning to end (I definitely don’t). That doesn’t mean you don’t need a system for filing your writing so you can find the pieces you’re weaving together. You’ll also eventually need to put it in beginning, middle, and end order, so it’s helpful to develop a way to store things for when you’re finalizing everything at the end of the project.
Writing Goals
Even if you don’t want to write a whole book right now, having writing goals keeps you moving. Writing coaches work with you on setting short- and long-term goals, whether that’s sharing your wisdom with your inner circle or becoming a NY Times bestseller. Your writing goals are unique to you, and your coach should meet you where you’re at, even if you want to write a few pages and see how it goes. Talking through it, setting achievable goals, and checking in on them can do a world of good for your writing.
Accountability
Here’s the thing - people procrastinate. For writers, “tomorrow” can easily become a year from now because they don’t feel their writing is as important as other things in their life. Or maybe because they’re scared. Or they simply don't have anyone to keep them accountable for what they want to get done. Coaches are the ideal people to keep you accountable because they’re there for you. Most coaches check in between sessions and create tasks for between sessions, particularly with 1:1. Having an accountability partner can really help confidence, too, because if you’re working on the tasks, you can stop feeling bad that you pushed your writing goals back again. (Not that I have experience with that at all….haha)
Practical Ways Writing Coaching Can Work for You
One of the best (and worst?) things about writing is that it’s incredibly expressive. This is awesome because we get a release of everything that builds up and all of our amazing ideas. It’s also the worst because it can make sharing our work scary as hell. No one really wants to get criticism on such a vulnerable and personal thing. Alas, it’s something we have to do if we want to grow as writers.
So imagine how nice it would be if an experienced writer read what you’ve written and gave you feedback in a way that doesn’t feel like you got chewed and spit back out. This is where a writing coach comes into play.
Here are some ways writing coaching can work for you:
You’ll have a dedicated person to look at your writing and give you feedback that won’t make you want to cry ugly tears the rest of the day. I can’t speak for other coaches, but I don’t do the “tough love” thing because I’ve never seen any evidence that it actually works. There will always be things to improve, but it doesn’t have to be a painful process to work on them.
You’ll have a mentor to guide you. Someone who knows a heck of a lot about writing is there to help you get to your goals in a way that’s doable for you. Coaching is one part of your life that’s all about you, and having a mentor can open up a lot of opportunities for growth learning.
You’ll be accountable for your writing. It’s easy for writing to get moved to the bottom of your priorities list because it doesn’t always feel important. Even if it does, who’s really going to be keeping tabs on your progress besides you? Having an accountability partner (like your coach), helps you prioritize your writing.
You’ll begin to actually get writing done. Having a writing coach is really great for getting writing done on a regular basis because in the back of your mind, you know someone’s waiting to hear what’s next. Someone is excited to help you move forward.
You won’t have to face the emotions of writing alone. Writing can be lonely, there’s no avoiding that. Sometimes you might feel stuck or overwhelmed. Sometimes you just don’t know what’s next or where to start. A coach can help you work through these emotions and give you a place to start.
You’ll have achievable tasks to work on between sessions. Whether you want to do one coaching session or get coaching on an ongoing basis, a good coach should help you figure out what to work on to keep moving forward. That might be specific tasks between sessions or a next steps list after a single session. You shouldn’t be walking away wondering what to do next.
You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Will something “work” in a book? How do you do XYZ without the reader getting confused? Having a sounding board is one of the best parts of coaching because it’s a way to distinguish the good ideas from the ones that aren’t really working. Plus, it’s hard to see what will work. Usually simple is best, but sometimes talking through it is just what you need to get to the next step.
You’ll get a built-in hype person. No one needs a “yes person” but we all need a “hype person” - someone who believes in you and keeps cheering you on whether or not you feel like what you’re doing is good enough. Your coach should believe in you and encourage you regularly, not just to make you feel good but because it’s actually true.
You’ll have support when you’re not feeling confident. I’ve been the writer who pretty much gave up because I thought I wasn’t good enough…for a LONG time. So when I say that I understand my client’s hesitations, I really do get it. A coach is there to build that confidence and make sure you feel good about your writing. Yes, there are other factors, too - skills, plots, etc. But it really all starts with being sure enough in your voice to put something on the page. Everything else comes with it.
Where Do You Find a Writing Coach?
Typically I would probably say doing a Google search, and that might still be a good idea. After all, you do want to know who’s out there and what they have to offer! Looking on LinkedIn can also be a good place to start your research.
With that being said, there are a lot of conflicting messages out there and it can be overwhelming. It can also be hard to tell if someone would actually be good to work with when you’re reading website copy designed to get you to buy.
So, what I recommend is, after you’ve looked around and seen what’s available, ask your friends if anyone knows anyone (usually someone knows someone, especially if they’ve been working on writing, too. Personally, I feel like a reference from a trusted friend is always more comforting than copy on a website or even other reviews.
If you don’t have a reference, or you found someone who’s really promising, reach out to them! A few emails back and forth or even a quick Zoom call for a question-and-answer session can go a long way in helping you feel comfortable.
One other thing to note - watch out for the term “best.” It’s subjective, and honestly, what’s best for you may not be what’s best for others. If there’s anything I’ve learned since I’ve been writing professionally and coaching it’s that there’s always someone who’s been working longer or has more extensive experience than you. There are always people who offer services at low prices and luxury prices - neither of which is necessarily bad if they’re providing you with what you need. Coaching isn’t about finding the best coach, but finding the right coach for you.
How to Choose the Right Coach in 4 Simple Steps
Before you look for a coach:
Decide your main goal/purpose for getting a coach
When you’ve identified a possible coach:
Step 1: Read some of their recent content to see if it resonates with you.
Step 2: Find them on social media and see what they’re saying. Look at what others are saying about them & how they interact with their audience. Watch videos if they have any to see what they’re passionate about and how they speak to people.
Step 3: On their website, look further into their personality, experience, and prices. What are they promising? How long will you work with them to see these results?
Step 4: If available, book a complimentary session with them to see how the conversation goes. If they don’t have a free call, reach out to them or apply to coaching. Only take this step when you’re ready to get started - you probably don’t want to get on a ton of calls with people if you already know they’re not a good fit.
Notes on Choosing the Right Coach
Choosing a coach doesn’t have to be that complicated, but make sure you do your due diligence to know as much as you can about who you’d be working with.
It’s okay to “pick” someone and wait to work with them. Get involved with their content & community! Use it as an opportunity to learn from them before you work with them.
If you get any vibes that something isn’t right, whether that’s from copy, content, video, etc., choose another coach.
If you’re not sure about your first impression, read more about them. Interact with their content, wherever that is (blog, podcast, etc.)
Budget is important (obviously), but it shouldn’t be your only consideration.
More experience doesn’t always mean “better.” You need to be comfortable with their experience, whether that means education, years of experience coaching, or a specific kind of knowledge that you don’t have yet. Figure out what you will be comfortable with and remember that as you’re learning about them.
What Happens During a Writing Coaching Session?
Writing coaching can vary based on what you want and/or need for each session. By and large, though, what we do is have conversations. These are the things that typically happen in my coaching sessions, and I would imagine them to be quite similar for other coaches.
Before we dive into strategy and working together on your writing, we first set goals. These goals are what help your coach create the best and most helpful sessions for YOU, because you’re what it’s all about.
Knowing that everything is centered around your personalized goals, there are several things we’ll talk about each time we meet. They vary in proportions depending on the day and what you need or ask to focus on.
We’ll talk about your project & your writing. I’ll ask how it’s going, what progress you’ve made, what questions you have - all the stuff that’s going on with you right now (even if you didn’t quite live up to your own high expectations - don’t worry, we’ve all been there). This sets a conversational tone for the session, which is how it works best so our time together stays relaxed and productive.
We’ll talk about if or where you’re stuck, what your blocks are, and how to get unstuck. We all get stuck sometimes. It’s a when, not an if. Part of what makes this frustrating is that many times the reason is different each time! It’s not always easy to figure out why you were feeling extra creative on Thursday and completely blocked on Friday.
So we’ll talk about it. Whatever it is, we’ll find it and figure it out. I’m here to help you bust through your blocks like a writing ninja. Well, I’m really more of a Bob Ross: paint your way out of your writing blocks with a happy little cloud (because let’s be honest, I’m definitely not a ninja).
We’ll talk about your goals & work on them. We’ll check in and see how your goals feel and your progress toward them. We don’t want goals that don’t feel good or don’t feel aligned with what you want to do. We’ll check in on your tasks between sessions and anything good, bad, or ugly that came up while you were working on them. And, we’ll choose a piece to work on during our time together.
If we need to adjust your overall goals, we will. If you’re still feeling good about them (woohoo!), we’ll talk about the next steps you can take to achieve them - always keeping things doable, of course. For my clients who like to do single sessions, we set up the next three steps they can take to keep moving forward.
I’ll give you tasks to work on between sessions. Some people call this “homework.” As a teacher, I can tell you from experience that giving homework to an adult, especially a professional, doesn’t always sit well. After all, coaching isn’t school. I’m not there to grade you on how thoroughly you completed an assignment. During coaching, I’ll guide & mentor you (hopefully inspiring you to keep going!), but it’s collaborative, not a teacher/student relationship.
Everything we do is designed to help you based on your goals and what you’ve shared with me. I do give tasks between sessions to remind you of what you’re working toward when we’re not together, and to help you make progress. If you decide not to do them, that’s your choice; but, I think you’ll be intrigued enough to try them out (and you’ll be amazed when the weird stuff works).
No matter what we do, or where the conversation leads, the 3 most important things that will happen in each session are that:
You’ll feel good about your project.
You’ll have action steps to take to move forward.
You’ll be more confident than when we started (even if it’s just a little).
Strategy does matter. Logistics and goals and all the things that you do to write your book are important. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: you can already do those things. Sure, they might be a little less targeted or take longer. But you don’t need me to write your book - your brilliant ideas and your words will do that for you.
What you do need is to feel confident about being able to write that book. You need to believe in yourself enough to start even when you’re hesitant and work through it when you’re stuck. You need the best you to write your book, and that’s what I’m here to help show you.
Yes, I give you strategies because there are plenty of things you learn as a professional writer & writing teacher that might not occur to you to try if you're working in a different industry. But the best thing I can do for you is encourage you and show you how awesome you are so you can continue on your way. That’s what coaching sessions are really all about.
Want to talk more about coaching? Reach out today - let’s have a chat.
There’s No “Easy Button” for Writing: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way
There’s no “easy button” and other writing lessons I’ve learned the hard way (you probably won’t see them coming!)
I was on a Teams call with a colleague the other day and we were working on copy for a new web page. It’s going to be a great resource (if you’re in the healthcare provider world, it might even be for you!).
As we were chatting about the brand style, I mentioned that it irritates me to no end that our brand at work doesn’t use the Oxford comma. Also called the serial comma, it’s the one that separates lists. For instance, it makes me sad, annoyed, and huffy when I have to take them out of all the writing I’m editing. It’s that comma before the and.
Anyway, so we were talking about it and laughing about how many nuances there are, but also he thought it was a funny writer’s rant. After all, no one really cares that much about commas besides writers, right? It is kind of a funny thing to get annoyed about. The funnier thing is that I have this conversation a lot. Like, every time I write for a new client or edit someone’s work. IT’S A CLARITY THING.
Later that evening I was thinking about the conversation because even though I’ve been writing most of my life, there are still things that get me. For instance, I almost always spell the word “professor” wrong the first time, and “restaurant.”
You probably have some of those, too, don’t you?
It’s kind of assumed that the more skilled you become and the more you practice writing, it’ll just somehow get easier. Sure, some things do. Your voice feels more natural, and you can start self-correcting small errors or noticing patterns you don’t like faster. But the truth of it is that writing is actually pretty damn hard, even for those of us who love it and practice it all the time.
Because it’s hard, a lot of people are intimidated by it. Like, who wants to have an intentionally difficult hobby or set themselves up for a career where they literally won’t ever know everything about it?
There’s quite a bit of nuance in writing, though. It’s creative, ambitious, and completely wide open. On the same day you can write about healthcare eligibility and benefits AND cool things the practice of writing has taught you. I mean, that’s pretty neat, right?
All of this is to say that, if you’re looking for an “easy button” for your writing, it doesn’t exist. Part of writing is the process of doing it (sometimes badly), learning, and improving. (And no, ChatGPT does NOT count as an easy button because it’s not you doing the writing.)
When you approach it that way, it becomes a lot more palatable because learning about something you like is fun. Doing something you love, even if you’re not the best at it, is enjoyable and freeing.
If you’re on the fence about whether you want to start writing, here are a few lessons I’ve learned that will help. From one writer to another (even if you haven’t quite named yourself that yet), you can do whatever you want with your writing! But please, for the sake of everyone involved, use the Oxford comma. ;)
Writing is Different for Everyone
There are many writing conventions available to help guide the technical aspects of your writing. I’m sure there are a million videos on YouTube about how to write this or that, too. I’d caution you to be careful with the ones that say you’re going to write a full book in a weekend that will be publishable - that’s likely to end in disappointment.
No matter how you want the writing to look once it’s done, everyone has a different process and habits that work best for them. Some considerations to keep in mind to help you find your groove:
Do you want to write by hand or type on a computer/laptop/tablet?
Do you want to be alone when you’re writing? Or does a communal place like a coffee shop inspire you to get creative?
What kind of mindset do you need to have to feel good about your work? Do you want to accomplish a certain task or write a certain part of the story?
How often do you want to work on your project(s)?
Will you be sharing your writing? Or do you want to keep it private and enjoy the feeling it gives you to express yourself on the page?
By the way, there’s not a right or wrong answer to these questions! All are valid. You get to decide how you approach your writing.
There’s More Than One Reason to Write
When we’re in school, it feels like all we do is write essays and research what other people tell us to. Even if we pick a topic, there’s still an element of worry because someone will be grading it. Having been on both sides of the classroom, I can tell you it’s a little nerve-wracking on both sides! Teachers have to figure out how to give kind, but useful feedback on the writing no matter what’s there.
Writing out in the big wide adult world doesn’t have to feel like this at all. People write for any number of reasons, and most of them aren’t tied to school at all! For instance, people write:
Memos and emails to their colleagues
Articles that other people will read
Social media posts (+ videos! There’s quite a bit of wordsmithing done in those, even if you can’t see it in the finished product)
Poems & Short stories
Books - for fun and for business
Journals
Love notes
Lists of all kinds
No matter what kind of writing you want to do, there’s a place for it. And you know what? Your nightstand or desk drawer is a perfectly fine place if you want to write just for you. It’s not all about other people.
There’s Not a Right Way to Write
This might be a little contentious, but writing doesn’t always have to be “right” by Western English standards. First of all, that doesn’t take into consideration any regional dialects or accents. But also, people don’t actually sound like that when they talk, so why would all of our writing need to follow those rules?
Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some places where following the rules is necessary. But if you’re just starting out or writing for fun, they’re not really that big of a deal. If it comes up when you’re finished drafting, you can always edit it.
Some fun rules to play around with in writing:
Dialogue - how people talk and how you can show the way they really speak with words (Alice Walker does an awesome job with this in The Color Purple)
Capitalization and form (if you want to know how that might look, check out e.e. cummings and bell hooks)
Ending sentences however you feel like it (not ending a sentence in a preposition isn’t a real rule anyhow)
My advice is to figure out how you want to sound and what sounds like you, then worry about rules that might apply - or not.
Writing is Hard
The act of writing itself is hard. It’s difficult to build worlds and express feelings and explain the world. There aren’t a whole lot of other activities that require so much of us as writing. Plus, a lot of times it’s lonely because we’re working on our own project or story.
Putting words on the page that literally didn’t exist before you put them there
Finding the “right” words
Saying what you want to say and having others understand it (i.e. “It sounded good in my head but not on paper)
Our words are powerful, so we have to be aware of that if we choose to share it
Words can be shared faster than you can blink and say, “Wait, what?”
You can’t control how others might interpret what you’re saying
Creating with your emotions can be draining
I think creatives, and especially writers, don’t give themselves enough credit for the amazing things they do. Not everyone is willing to give so much of their time and talents to bring new things into the world. We sometimes take it for granted that we’re drawn to writing as a habit, a lifestyle, or a calling even. Words and stories are what connects us all as people - to be able to figure out what that means and looks like in your own life is incredible.
Writing is a Skill, Not a Talent
This is one of the first things I tell any class or workshop I’m leading. Writing is a learnable skill. You’re not born with it (we’re not Maybelline over here), even if you discover you like it as a young person.
The people who are really good at writing practice…and practice…and practice again. A few other things that can help you grow your writing skills:
Reading and looking up words you see that you don’t know
Listening to/watching interviews with authors you admire
Talking through your ideas out loud either on a recording or with a friend
Do word puzzles/play word games
Work on how you think about writing
You can learn to write. If you want to be a “good” writer, you totally can. Or, if you just want to enjoy it without having to go through the annoying “why should I even bother, I’m no good at this” thought process.
Just because there’s no “easy button” for writing doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and enjoy it. I’m constantly surprised and delighted by what I learn through words and I’ve been at it for almost 30 years! Take a deep breath and give yourself a chance - who knows what you’ll be able to create.
If you find you’re stuck, this book for anxious writers might help. :)
Inside a Community Writing Workshop
Read about my most recent community writing workshops at Pendleton Public Library and find out how you can get involved in a workshop near you.
It’s been a while since I’ve been in the classroom, so when I went into the Pendleton Public Library the first week of March, I was nervous and excited - like the first day of a new semester.
While I wasn’t teaching a class, I was leading workshops, for teens no less! Would they engage with the material? Would I be able to talk to them on their level? Would they…like it? Or find it helpful?
The first group was middle schoolers, grades 6-8, and the second group was high schoolers grades 9-12. I don’t typically work with teens, but I figured if they were interested in creative writing at the library, they would probably be students like I was at that age.
They didn’t disappoint!
Both workshops were about stories in movies. For the middle schoolers (which I call the “youngers” in my head), we analyzed the Shrek trailer and looked at how much you could tell about a story just from the 2 1/2 minutes. To my great surprise, Shrek is still popular with middle schoolers!
The girls who attended were cheerful and ready to get into it. They were so fun and more confident than many adults I work with. It very much reminded me of a time when I was handwriting my first novels on lined notebook paper. They really dug into the exercises and were ready to learn and participate. A far cry from the trepidation I had when I first arrived.
Two short days later, I was back in the library with the high schoolers. We did similar activities but focused on more of the nuances of writing using the original Ghostbusters trailer from 1984 and the newer remake with a female cast from 2016.
What I think I look like during writing workshops.
Photo credits: Chaz T Photography
Personally, I enjoy both so I was excited to hear what they thought. My main participant hadn’t seen either version, so it was kind of perfect - a way to see how much you can really tell from a trailer.
After all, movie trailers are just summaries of movies just like you read a summary of a book.
She, too, caught on quickly and remained engaged. I wondered if I was talking too much, but she asked if I would keep going and sharing more information. I don’t think I’ve ever been asked to talk MORE outside of clarifying questions.
What I actually look like - we have fun!
It was pretty cool, and I can’t wait to do the second round of workshops at the end of March. We’re going to be talking about fan fiction, which should be fun. I’ll have to brush up on what’s popular, as I’m sure it’s changed since I was young, and writing fan fiction myself!
A Few Logistics
This is my first foray into community workshops, and thus far it has been a great experience. I’m a big fan of the library, always have been, and always will be, so this opportunity immediately jumped out as something I had to take.
My librarian contact has made the process easy!
I created the flyer, the workbooks for each age group (same foundation, different activities), and a super simple PowerPoint for the workshop itself. If you’ve been around for a bit, you probably know that I love cute and visually engaging materials because I get so jazzed about writing.
I’m working on figuring out how to repurpose them because truly, the basics are the same no matter what level of writing you’re starting with. You can see a preview of some of the pages below - what do you think?
The workshops lasted about an hour each, and although they were small groups, both were fun and engaging for all of us. Although my passion is working with adults, it’s safe to say the kids are a-okay in my book.
Interested in Hosting or Attending a Workshop?
One of my goals for 2023 is to get out in the community and interact with writers from all walks of life. It’s okay if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, too! I’d be happy to talk about setting up a workshop even if you just want to see what it’s all about.
If you want to learn more about my philosophy of writing first, you can grab a copy of my book Storytelling for Everyday People: A feel-good, no bullsh*t guide to telling the story in your heart.
If you want to get to know me a little before we connect, I totally get it - there are many great successful writers I don’t vibe with. Happy to connect and just have a chat, too. The best place to find me is on LinkedIn, Instagram, or through the Contact form.
How Writing Habits Help Business Owners
Habits aren’t easy to create, but they’re important. Writing habits can be trickier than others, too, because we all come from different places with experience and skills... Here's how writing habits can help business owners.
Habits aren’t easy to create, but they’re important. Writing habits can be trickier than others, too, because we all come from different places with experience and skills.
Developing your voice and feeling confident about it takes time and effort. You have to show up and work on it, and it doesn’t always feel like a fun creative whirlwind. Similar to running your business, sometimes writing feels exhilarating and sometimes it kicks your butt. I totally get that because it happens to me, too, even as a seasoned writer.
What I’ve experienced, and what I’ve seen when I work with students and coaching clients, is that you need a writing habit. When you create a habit of showing up for yourself to regularly practice your writing, it not only feels better, but you tend to have fewer “this is all terrible” days, too. You learn what’s comfortable and what feels good, and it becomes easier to live with days that aren’t great because you don’t feel like every single time will be bad.
I feel it coming, it always does: “But…”
Some of the most common obstacles and challenges - what I often call the “buts” - I hear from storytellers from all walks of life are:
I’m too busy
Taking time for writing feels like a luxury
Writing isn’t as urgent as other pressing matters in my life
There’s always tomorrow, so why do I need to start today?
These are all completely legitimate concerns. We are busy, and sometimes emergencies do pop up that we have to take care of immediately, such as taking your beloved pet to the emergency room because they got into something and won’t stop throwing up. Obviously, you wouldn’t just not take care of them because you’ve scheduled writing time (even if they’ve done it more than once and you don’t feel as bad for them as you used to). But, in general, writing on a regular basis and practicing telling your story doesn’t usually present those types of high-stakes scenarios.
People have these preconceived notions about what writing “has to” look like, and most of them aren’t very good.
Things like writing for hours at a time and having to have the exact right words at every turn put so much pressure on you as a storyteller. They work totally in concert with the challenges above because the challenges present an out.
You can’t do an hour-long writing session three times this week because your brother needs you to watch your nephew. You can’t journal every day because you have to be at work all day and you’ll be too tired - you’ll get at it on the weekend.
These unfortunate notions, some that have been programmed into our minds since we were kids learning what a “real writer” is, can create barriers to even starting. Who wants to do something thinking it will be a completely uphill battle they won’t be very good at?
This is why creating a writing habit is important. I believe, and I’ve seen it with my own two eyes, that when you make a little time for writing each week, it can change your life.
It’s worth sticking with the first couple of months to build a strong, healthy habit. Here’s why.
Get Comfortable
Writing isn’t natural for a lot of people. In fact, it has a tendency to feel extremely vulnerable, especially if you’ve been in situations where you felt you didn’t have privacy to express yourself.
As you create a writing habit and write regularly, it’ll get more relaxed. You’ll get more comfortable, and it’s highly likely you’ll begin to feel more creative and excited to continue on.
Get Creative
If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they’re “just not that creative”...but seriously, it’s super common. People don’t think they can think beyond reality. Really, it just takes a desire and a little bit of practice. When you get more comfortable telling your story and it becomes a habit, the outcome can evolve into something bigger than you started with.
If the first thing you want to do is tell your story from beginning to end, and you practice doing that, it makes sense you’ll add to that goal moving forward. Maybe the next outcome is that you want to feel comfortable telling your story, or learn how to tell it in a way that makes sense for you to share it.
No matter what you do, when you have a writing habit you show up for, you’ll see progress. You’ll come up with new ways to say things and perhaps figure out how to explain the context of your story without feeling like you have to give your whole life story as background information.
Get Confident
My favorite part about writing habits is the confidence they create. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone write a story know they did that. It’s the same look of wonderment from community college and university classrooms to community centers and library group sessions to addiction treatment facilities. It’s the “I can” look, at least that’s what I call it.
Getting comfortable with your words and ideas and being able to be creative, sometimes for the first time, is an incredible feeling. It builds your confidence, which is essentially the entire goal of this book. It builds to the moment where you think to yourself: I did this and it’s good enough. I did this and it matters. I did this and I matter to the world.
What Does This Have to Do with Business Owners?
Everyone can benefit from a solid writing habit, but business owners can get a few extra kickbacks from them.
As you grow more comfortable, creative, and confident in your writing, you’ll grow in similar ways in your personal life a business.
Because most people have a complicated relationship with writing and writing habits, forming one means that you’ve already proven to yourself that you can do hard things (like Glennon Doyle says). When you face obstacles in business, you’ll be more confident that you can work through it - maybe even in writing!
Business owners are people first. Sure, we do badass things and create and manage. But at the heart of it all, we’re people who have emotions, feelings, stress, love, relationships, and everything in between. Writing gives you a safe place to be human first before anything else. Everyone needs a space like this.
This is your time to shine, business owner. I believe in you, and I hope that you believe in you, too.
What are Writing Sprints and How to Do Them
If you’re struggling with writer’s block, or just want to get some writing done, this is for you.
Being a writer comes with many challenges, one of which is the dreaded writer’s block. There are some lucky writers out there who never experience writer’s block, but for most of us, they’re simply part of the experience.
If you’re struggling with writer’s block, or just want to get some writing done (but can’t seem to find time), a writing sprint may be the perfect solution.
What is a Writing Sprint?
A writing sprint is a form of timed writing. You set a timer for however long you want to write and go. Some common time limits for a writing sprint are 20 minutes, 40 minutes, or an hour. You can do more or less depending on what you want to get accomplished and how long you’ll stay focused.
If you’re doing a longer sprint, it can be helpful to break it up into smaller portions with a short break in between. The Pomodoro Technique can be incredibly helpful for writing, too.
Once you choose the length of time and set your timer, all you have to do is write. The most important thing to remember for sprints is that anything goes. Don’t worry about making sense, correcting or using great grammar, or whether what you’ve written is “good.” The main goal is to get words onto the page. Sometimes you’ll find you’ve written a masterpiece in this time. Other times, you want to delete the whole block when you’re done. What matters is that you wrote.
Why Use Writing Sprints?
Writing sprints can help you to make progress on your writing project and defeat writer’s block. Whether you’re writing a novel, short story, or an article, sometimes we need help to get back into the swing of writing.
Writing sprints help you get into writing faster. It forces you to think fast and dump your thoughts onto the page without a filter. This is a great way to test out new ideas and storylines. If you don’t like what you wrote in the end, you’ve spent less than an hour instead of days.
By breaking writing into smaller chunks of timed writing, it makes the whole task less overwhelming. Writing anything can be a daunting task, which is how writer’s block can set in. The feeling of not knowing where or how to start is something writers have been navigating for hundreds of years.
With writing sprints, you don’t have to worry about it. You’re just putting words on the page during the time on your timer. You don’t have to try to write the next American epic. All you have to do is put some thoughts onto paper (digital or otherwise). If it’s not a good fit for your work in progress, you can always edit it later.
When you’re writing with a timer, it gives you less time to dwell on the minute details. Knowing you’re on a time frame pushes you to keep writing rather than look back over what you wrote. You can lose so much writing time by worrying about what you’ve already written. When you get obsessive with editing as you write (it’s happened to us all), you won’t get very much done.
There’s less pressure to be perfect when you do writing sprints. If you make a mistake, you have it in the back of your mind that you can or will have to fix it later. If you realize what you wrote is a tangent and has nothing to do with the overall story, you can take it out later. You never know when you may write a few great sentences that will take your story to the next level. You might also write garbage you’d never share with anyone. Anything can happen.
Even if you realize you need to delete the whole block you just wrote, at least you know that’s not the direction you want to go and you can try something else. There’s always a benefit when you’re writing - whether it’s progress in your project, or experience to learn from.
5 Easy Steps to Do Effective Writing Sprints
1. Choose an amount of time - we recommend starting with 20 minutes first to see how that goes. If it works well, then try more.
2. Set a timer - You can use an app that makes it more fun, like the Forest app (which grows trees while you stay off your phone!), or a regular timer.
3. Do the sprint - Write words and have fun!
4. Take a break - If you’re doing a longer sprint, try to take a break mid-way through. If you want to keep writing, go for it, but breaks can help rejuvenate your brain and body and increase creativity.
5. Do another sprint if you feel like it - Sometimes we reach the end of our sprint and want to keep writing. If this happens to you, that’s awesome and you should definitely keep going. If it’s not, that’s okay, too. Schedule your next sprint session and congratulate yourself for making some progress.
BONUS: Find an accountability partner & sprint with them. This can be a friend, someone you met on social media, or just someone else who likes to write. If you can’t find a partner, you can also text someone you trust and let them know you need an accountability friend. Let them know when you are sprinting and when you’re done. Make sure to choose someone supportive and who will cheer you on.
Happy sprinting!
4 Creative & Productive Ways to Use Post It Notes
Do you use post it notes? In school we used them for ... As an adult, I’ve found many more uses that help ... There are many ways to help yourself be more productive. If you haven’t tried to use post its in these creative ways, you should.
Do you use post it notes? In school we used them for taking notes in lieu of highlighting in books, or as bookmarks. As an adult, I’ve found many more uses that help to keep me productive as a writer. Not only do they help me stay organized, but I use them to keep me on track and keep me motivated.
There are many ways to help yourself be more productive. If you haven’t tried to use post its in these creative ways, you should.
4 Creative Ways to Use Post-Its
As a writer, all the thoughts and ideas that swirl around in your mind can be overwhelming. Sometimes you need new techniques or tools to help you organize them and keep you moving forward towards your goals.
Here are four of the best ways I’ve found to use post its for my productivity.
Making Notes when You’re Reading
Whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction, taking notes as you read can help when you find something you want to take with you into your own writing. What better to make a quick note than a post it?
Anytime I come across a certain technique, trope, or tip I like in a book, I stick a post it on the page, noting what I want to remember. This allows me to move on without too much distraction. It’s also helpful when I’m working on my own writing and want to try out some of the same techniques. I can go back to my post it notes instead of wasting precious writing time skimming that part of the book.
There are so many ways you can use post its as you read. It might mean noting the way a certain author uses dialogue, or the way they describe a character. It can even be as simple as liking a word and not wanting to forget it. Writing is a process and you can use sticky notes to fit your style. Have fun with it!
You can color code, like using yellow for dialogue and orange for descriptions. Whatever helps you remember the best, try it out! No harm in testing new strategies, right?
Organize Writing Notebook
If you have a writing notebook, you can use post its to organize it. Writing notebooks are a great resource for anyone working on creative projects, especially long ones. Curious about what goes in one? Read this.
Post its can differentiate the sections of your writing notebook. If you already have tabs, you’re ahead of the game! Post its can still be useful to flag information you’ll reference a lot or that you know will be important later in the writing process.
Sticky notes can also keep your scenes in order. You can mark each section within your notebook with a different colored post it, or label them if you don’t like to use color coding.
Everyday Reminders & To Do Lists
Whether you’re a full time writer, or simply write for the love of it, most of us are busy. Planners are useful, but sometimes you may need a little extra reminder. When there’s something pressing that I have to get done in a day, I use post its to remind myself.
I’ll make a to-do list and stick it on my computer or put the most pressing task on my bedroom door so that when I inevitably exit, I’m reminded of that task. We can’t remember everything, and we don’t need to with helpful reminders like this around!
Motivation
Just as you can stick to-do lists around the house where you’ll be sure to see them, you can (and should!) stick motivational quotes or sayings around the house, too. Even if you aren’t someone who believes in manifestation or the power of positive thinking, having words you love around you will put you in a good mood.
For example, try writing “You can do this!” on a post-it. Stick it to your mirror and every time you look at yourself in the mirror, you’ll get a little happy reminder. Being your own cheerleader is a great way to keep yourself motivated. It’s nice to have others cheering us on too, but we spend the most time with ourselves. We need to be able to boost ourselves up when we need it.
When you’re feeling down, look at your quotes and let them remind you why you’re doing this. You are strong. You are brave. You can do this. Don’t let negative thoughts or imposter syndrome get the best of you. Use your post it notes as an easy way to surround yourself with positivity.
Keeping inspirational quotes handy can also help when you encounter writer's block. You never know when you’ll need a little extra spark of inspiration to get the writing juices flowing again. Have a few of your favorite inspirational quotes written on post it notes in your writing area and look at them whenever you get stuck.
Find your favorite post its, try out some new strategies, and see what works best for you. Incorporate that into your daily life! Sometimes we forget that there are ways to make our lives easier, and need a reminder that we don’t have to do this (or figure it all out) on our own. If there’s something else you use that helps you stay productive, let us know so we can share it with our writing community!
25 Inspirational Quotes for Writing
Finding the motivation to write can be difficult some days. You probably don’t want to force yourself to write, but if you need to get some writing done, an extra push can help get you going. Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration before we dive into writing. Here are 25 inspirational quotes to spark your inspiration!
Finding the motivation to write can be difficult some days. You probably don’t want to force yourself to write, but if you need to get some writing done, an extra push can help get you going. Sometimes all we need is a little inspiration before we dive into writing.
Here are 25 inspirational quotes to spark your inspiration!
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.”
“You fail only if you stop writing.”
“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”
“Don’t forget-no one else sees the world the way you do, so no one else can tell the stories that you have to tell.”
“If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.”
“The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.”
“Writing—the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye—is the great invention of the world.”
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”
“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of his thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with.”
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”
“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”
“Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now.”
“It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly.”
“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”
“First, you write for yourself... always, to make sense of experience and the world around you. It’s one of the ways I stay sane. Our stories, our books, our films are how we cope with the random trauma-inducing chaos of life as it plays.”
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
“I believe there is power in words, power in asserting our existence, our experience, our lives, through words.”
“People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do. . . Don’t worry about other people. Worry about you.”
There are so many great quotes that can help inspire you to write. Hopefully some of these will spark your creativity and get the words flowing.
Do you already have a favorite quote that inspires you to write?
Let us know in the comments!
6 Simple Ways to Build Creative Confidence
Doing creative work requires some semblance of confidence, whether to help get you started, or to keep you going. Without confidence, you can run into problems like writer's block, imposter syndrome, and overall fear and anxiety about your work... When you feel confident in your own work, other people will feel more confident about it, too.
Doing creative work requires some semblance of confidence, whether to help get you started, or to keep you going. Without confidence, you can run into problems like writer's block, imposter syndrome, and overall fear and anxiety about your work.
Having confidence in your own writing takes it to a whole new level. When you feel confident in your own work, other people will feel more confident about it, too.
What is Confidence?
In the most basic sense, confidence is the “quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future.”
Confidence has everything to do with how we feel about the actions we take (or could take) to be successful. When we’re confident, we feel sure we can accomplish what we need to serve others and ourselves, as well as succeed in the future.
In other words, confidence helps you on your road to success. (If you want to read more about confidence, we did a mini-series about it.)
Why Do Some Writers Lack Confidence?
It feels like it should be easy to stay confident in yourself, but it’s often hard to do. You’ve probably wondered whether your writing is “good enough” - and so it is with many writers. We’ve all been there. It’s a human thing to question yourself - and completely normal.
When you tell other people you're a writer, they ask questions, too. Some questions seem harmless, like “What do you write?” Other questions, such as “When are you going to get published?” can create a sneaking doubt in your mind and make you wonder if you’re good enough to get published. And if so, what will people think? Will people want to read it? And what if they do and they don’t like it?
Then there’s the ever-famous bad experience that seems to happen to all writers at one point or another. For those of us who love writing and have been doing it since we were young, we often started out full of confidence - of course our ideas were good! Then, we have a moment or an encounter where someone gives us negative criticism we don’t know what to do with that alters the course of our writing lives. It sometimes takes years for confidence to grow (and for some it never quite comes back in the same gleeful way).
So what do you do about these doubts? And how the heck do you gain confidence in yourself and your writing when it feels impossible?
6 Ways to Build Creative Confidence
These are some of the ways we (and our clients!), here at Capturing Your Confidence that work - writer to writer.
Journaling
Journaling is great because you never have to show it to anyone, so you never have to worry about whether people will enjoy it. Journaling is all for you. It’s a safe space where you can write about anything you want.
It can be a daily routine (like Rachel’s morning pages practice); a place to write out all your story ideas; a place to vent all your fears, successes, or memories you want to remember; or, you can use it for all of the above.
If you need multiple journals, that’s okay! Journaling is meant to help you, whatever that might look like.
Start Small
If you want to write, but it seems too daunting, start small. You can always work your way up to your longer term goal. For instance, say you want to write a book, but you’re not sure if you can (because it is a lot), you can start with a short story or essay.
It doesn’t have to have anything to do with what you want to write your book about. The process of writing that shorter piece will help you figure out things like how quickly or slowly you write, what style and genres you prefer, and whether or not you actually want to write something longer.
If you’re thinking about writing professionally for readers online, you can start small by writing guest posts on someone else’s blog. Doing this helps you test the waters before you make the commitment to building your own blog. You can also publish on sites like Medium, where you don’t have to pay to post, but you can see if what you’re writing about is something people are looking for.
No matter what you want to write, there are ways to work your way up to that end goal.
Read Your Writing & Find Things You Like (On Purpose)
One of the best things you can do for your writing confidence is to read your writing. Be intentional about it - find your favorite parts and best lines. Ignore the pieces that you feel aren’t up to par (let’s be honest, it can’t all be gold), and really feel the pieces you’re proud of.
Whenever you’re feeling self-doubt or just need some inspiration to keep writing, go back and read those pieces you picked out. Remind yourself that you are good enough, no matter what anyone else says. It’s easy to forget your own capabilities when you aren’t looking back at your work.
Writing is a constant growth & learning process and it’s important to look back to see how far you’ve come.
Share Your Writing with One Person
When you’re ready to share your writing with someone, choose one person you trust to start with. Tell them exactly what you want from them, whether it’s honesty, or simply to hype you up. It’s okay to want someone who will point out the good pieces of your writing for your first outside perspective.
Eventually you’ll need them to tell you what needs work, but if you’re not ready for that, don’t feel pressure to ask for that on your first share. The worst feeling is giving someone your work and having them tear it apart when it wasn’t ready for that type of criticism yet. Don’t ask for the brutal honesty until you you’ve edited and worked to make your draft as strong as it can be without an outside eye.
DO NOT CHOOSE SOCIAL MEDIA AS YOUR ONE PERSON.
Let me repeat that: when you select the first person to read your work, DO NOT share it publicly on any type of social media platform. This is a recipe for a shitstorm of criticism, which is not what this first person share is about.
Take a Break from Social Media
First, a note: we’re not anti-social media here. You can make connections with fellow writers, and run effective marketing for your book on social media. It’s a great opportunity to meet people you probably wouldn’t in real life!
But it’s a double-edged sword. If you’re scrolling through Insta or TikTok for hours on end, you have less time for your own creative work. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others, which saps creativity, sometimes without you even knowing it’s happening. Imposter syndrome anyone?
Much of what you see on social media isn’t real anyway.
Someone may say they write for five hours everyday, or read twenty books every month, but you don’t know that’s actually the case. Even if it is, they’re not you. Everyone is different. Everyone writes and reads at a different pace, and everyone experiences self-doubt sometimes (even the loudest people).
So, make sure to take a break from social media every once in a while. Even if it’s only for a day, take a step back and remind yourself of who you are and why you’re writing. Take a day to explore and inspire yourself, or to rest and relax. Whatever you need to do, allow yourself those moments to rejuvenate yourself.
Keep Practicing, Even When You’re Not Feeling Confident
Even when you’re not feeling confident, write anyway. It doesn’t have to be your best work. In fact, if it’s something that feels like garbage, that’s okay, too. We all do it, words don’t come out perfect, even for the best of us. That’s what editing is for.
You don’t even have to do anything with it. All the time you spend writing is making you a better writer. Practicing even when you’re not confident can sometimes (inadvertently) lead to some of the best work, which is sure to restore at least a little confidence. Remember - all you have to do is write. Everything else is peripheral.
My challenge to you is to try these tips when you need a confidence boost and let us know what works best for you!
Start Showing - Not Telling - with this Unique Writing Tool
As a writer, there are many responsibilities to think about to make sure that my work is the best it can be, so it’s nice to be able to use tools to make them a little less intimidating...One tool I’ve recently discovered that’s extremely useful for editing is The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi.
As a writer, there are many responsibilities to think about to make sure that my work is the best it can be, so it’s nice to be able to use tools to make them a little less intimidating.
I need to be able to write, first and foremost, but I also need to know a bit about editing, formatting, social media, marketing, and networking. Utilizing tools that make these tasks easier isn’t just helpful, but essential to getting everything done.
One tool I’ve recently discovered that’s extremely useful for editing is The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi.
What is the Emotion Thesaurus?
First things first (in case it’s been a little while since you’ve used one), a thesaurus is a tool that tells you synonyms of another word. I always have a tab open on my computer with a thesaurus handy when I’m writing.
The Emotion Thesaurus (TET) is a little more in depth than your average thesaurus. You use it the same way as you would any other reference book, by looking up the emotion in question. In TET, you get a ton of other information about the emotion, too:
The definition
The physical signs/behaviors associated with it
Internal sensations that occur when you experience the emotion
Mental reactions to it
Acute or long term responses for it
Signs that it’s being suppressed
What it may escalate to
What it may de-escalate to
Associated power verbs
Each word has a full two pages allotted to it so you fully understand what the emotion is and what it looks like.
There are other thesauruses by the same authors for other kinds of references:
2 Ways to Use The Emotion Thesaurus
There are multiple ways to use The Emotion Thesaurus. First, you can use it as a dictionary. If you think you have an understanding of a word, but you’re not sure, look it up in the thesaurus! There’s a definition listed, and reading through the rest of the information will familiarize you with the word and its exact usage.
You can also use it as an editing tool, which is what I use it for. You can look up emotions as you write, especially when you’re unsure how to show what they look like. You can also use it when you’re rereading and making edits.
I find it easier to use during the editing process so I don’t have to keep stopping to look up each feeling I want to describe while I write, but either way, it really helps you show the emotion instead of telling your reader about it.
A good way to know when you should be showing vs. telling is whenever you see the words “seem,” “appear,” or “felt.” Try to replace those words with descriptions of what’s happening in the moment.
It’s not that you can’t ever use those words - sometimes they’re necessary - but if you use them a lot, consider swapping them out for descriptions instead.
Why The Emotion Thesaurus is a Helpful Editing Tool
If you have trouble showing vs. telling, this tool is for you. When I’m in the moment, sometimes it’s easier to say how a character is feeling instead of showing it with their actions or expressions. If you write fiction, you’ve probably felt the struggle!
This thesaurus has helped me so much in learning what different emotions actually look like (it’s not always like you see on TV!) so I’m able to properly show them in my writing.
For instance, instead of saying, “they were disgusted” you can say “their lip curled and they wrinkled their nose.” They both convey the same message, but you can visualize disgust with the description much more clearly.
If you don’t know what an emotion feels like, this tool is a must. The internal sensations and mental responses are super helpful in figuring out how the character who’s experiencing the emotion should be reacting on the inside & how they behave on the outside.
For example: A character is feeling impatient. On the inside, they may be experiencing a headache, or becoming tired, but they’re trying to avoid lashing out at whatever is causing the impatience.
Need words that relate to a specific emotion or word you’re looking up (like when something is on the tip of your tongue but you just can’t think of it)? This will help. TET gives you options for words that are more or less intense than the feeling you’re looking up (in the may escalate to/may de-escalate to sections).
For instance: You want to find words related to insecurity. In TET, you’ll find words associated with this feeling include unease, wariness, uncertainty, and nervousness. Although they all have similar meanings, the first two are a little more intense than the second two.
Even if you have showing vs. telling down, I still recommend checking out The Emotion Thesaurus. It’s easy to overuse the same descriptions for emotions, especially when you find a way that feels really clear. When you’re in the zone, you don’t necessarily notice these occurrences, but you do when you start editing. At least I do!
This thesaurus gives great alternatives for showing emotions that aren’t overused or obvious. It helps to keep your writing fresh and keep your readers on the edge of their seats.
My challenge to you is to try out one of the writing thesauruses.
Do you use a thesaurus when writing? Have you used any of the writing thesauruses before? What’s your favorite writing tool? I’d love to hear about your experiences and recommendations! Find me on social media or drop a comment below.
Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.
Overcome Your Writing Fears with These 9 Simple Strategies
Beginning, or even continuing, a writing project can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider before you dive in - and many fears that may arise. Today we wanted to share some fears that we see often, and how to overcome them so you can keep working on your next masterpiece!
Beginning, or even continuing, a writing project can be a daunting task. There are many factors to consider before you dive in - and many fears that may arise.
Today we wanted to share some fears that we see often, and how to overcome them so you can keep working on your next masterpiece!
All the Writing Fears (or at Least a Lot of Them)
Picture this: you’ve got a brilliant idea (or at least an idea) and you’re ready to write. BUT, and this is a big one, you haven’t really planned anything out. You may not even know much about the characters or the world, but dang it! You want to write the thing. Worrying about fully developing an idea can hold you back, especially if/when you feel like if you don’t plan more it may not be any good.
The good news is that as long as you have an idea, you can start writing. Maybe you just have a couple of characters who keep coming to mind, or you’re picturing one certain scene. If that’s what you’ve got, go for it! Focus on writing and developing those bits first - then you can work on planning and writing more when you have a better feel for where you see the story going.
Amidst your thoughts about developing your idea enough, you may worry if people will even “get it.” What if they don’t understand? What if you can’t find the right words to express the image in your mind? Unfortunately, you can’t control what other people understand of your work. You can do your best to make sure your writing is as clear and precise as possible, and get feedback as you go along, but that’s about it. There’s no way to connect with everyone, and that’s okay! You don’t need to.
Along these same lines, writers often fear that people won’t “buy in” or be interested in what you have to say. For non-fiction writers, it may be about not being persuasive enough. For fiction writers, it may be about readers not relating enough to your characters and story. Either way, the only thing you need to worry about is reaching your ideal audience - the readers you know will love your book.
Audience is a funny thing: it can both thrill and terrify you, especially when it comes to your writing! Many writers, especially new writers, are especially worried about not having a big enough following or a wide enough audience. It’s a lot of work to build a social media following, and an audience of loyal readers. And actually, having an audience is a big part of being successful as a writer because that’s the way you reach “your” people! The key is that it takes time - the more effort you put in interacting with people and sharing your ideas, the easier (and more natural) it will feel to grow your following.
Probably the most common, and sometimes the most debilitating, fear is being compared to others. While it’s not always a bad thing to be compared to other writers (hello, who doesn’t want to be compared to someone great?!), it doesn’t feel good when the comments are about you not being as “good” as other writers. This is especially true if you’ve been inspired by someone you love and are trying to write something similar.
Then the worry becomes a fear that your idea isn’t original. While we hate to be the bearer of bad news, you probably aren’t going to have a ground-breaking, never-been-done-before idea. It’s natural to get ideas from what you read and see in the world! You just need to make sure that whatever you’re working on doesn’t copy anyone directly (that’s plagiarism). Sometimes we take ideas from what we’ve read and it morphs into our own unique thing, and that’s great - just make sure you’re not copying from someone else directly. Put your spin on it. After all, that’s what will excite people!
9 Ways to Overcome Writing Fear
While there may be quite a few fears, there are some pretty simple and effective ways to fight back.
Figure out the ultimate outcome. If you figure out what you want to happen in the big picture, it will help dispel the fear that your idea won’t be developed enough.
Think about yourself. What do you enjoy reading and writing about? What are your favorite genres, tropes, archetypes, etc.? What are you writing: a novel, poem, short story, something else? All of this info factors into how your idea will play out. If you know where your story is headed, it’s easier to see the bigger picture and work your way towards that outcome.
Take the free 10 Day Organize Your Book course. During these 10 days, you’ll plot your book (or whip your Work in Progress back into shape), organize your ideas, technology, and space and just feel good about your writing.
Imagine your ideal audience. Who are you writing for? Consider age groups, genre types, niche groups, or whomever you think would enjoy your writing the most. Once you have an ideal audience, you can write with them in mind. If you’re stuck on audience (it happens to all of us sometimes!), read this, it will help.
Find other authors in the same genre on social media and follow them. It helps to know that you’re not alone no matter what type of writing you do. There’s an audience for all topics, you just need to make sure you’re a part of that community so when you share your work, it’ll be found by people who’ll be excited to read it.
Set a timer for your writing sessions. Also called writing sprints, having a timer can be helpful to push past fear of writer's block. Read the older part of your writing first if you’ve already started, then set a timer and focus on a tiny section. Give yourself the freedom to be as sloppy as you want (& DO NOT edit as you’re writing). If, in the end, it doesn’t make the cut, at least you’ll make progress and get next part in your writing.
Get the failure workbook. It’s called “How to Stop Feeling Like a Failure in 5 Simple Steps” - we clearly like keeping things simple around here! The workbook walks you through widespread myths about writing (that are totally not true), the mindset you’ll need to be successful, and exercises about how to get there. Super helpful. You’ll be writing with confidence in no time!
Practice. Write as much as you can and as often as you can. This will help you improve your writing and help to dispel the fear of not being good enough.
Don’t show anyone, at least at first. One of our favorite strategies is to keep your writing to yourself until you decide it’s ready enough to share. A first draft is never perfect, and will need a lot of edits before it’s ready for readers. You don’t want your unfinished, unpolished work being compared to other writer’s final drafts, it's not fair to yourself or your writing! While we always encourage feedback, don’t feel pressured to show your writing to anyone while it’s still brand new, even if they mean well.
My challenge to you is to push past your fears and write!
What fears have been holding you back? Do you have an idea that you need help developing? Have you had success overcoming similar fears? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media or drop a comment below
Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.