How to Use Focus Words for Goal Setting

The last six months have been a whirlwind…to say the least. Personally, I’ve battled extremely low iron, which I had to get infusions for. And I got diagnosed with Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA). It wasn’t surprising, but since both low iron and PsA come with chronic fatigue, I’d pretty much get up every day feeling like I never went to bed.

Now that I’ve started treatment, I’m feeling better slowly but surely. Throughout the struggle, I clung to my business dream like it was going out of style. I knew I didn’t want to do quite the same thing - content writing for clients - but it didn’t become clear to me what to do for a while. After all, writing pays the bills and security is important!

I remember the day everything changed. I was driving home from the library (one of my favorite local workplaces) after a particularly tough content-writing session.

This can’t be it. There has to be something better.

I thought about how I missed teaching and being around real-life people. Wondering how I could impact more people than a few clients at a time, even though I enjoyed the people I worked with.

WORKSHOPS

It was one word that appeared in my mind - around June I think. Nothing has ever been more clear in my life. One of my colleagues hopped on a strategy call with me and the ideas just kept coming and coming. We were both so excited (and still are). I finally got it about business owners saying it was “easy.” And just plain fun to think about.

So I went about my business (literally), changing pretty much everything. Don’t worry - I’ll be sharing more soon. ;)

When the new year rolled around, I didn’t have trouble choosing how I want to spend the year.

Goal Setting with Focus Words

I’m going to guess you’ve heard of the word of the year trend. It’s pretty popular, and it’s always interesting to see what others are focusing on for the year. Last year, I couldn’t narrow it down so I chose 3: Steady, Ease, and Accept.

It was difficult to narrow down because I didn’t have a clear focus. I was on the fence about my services and pricing. I knew I had to pick one or the other direction and stick with it before I could expand, but I just didn’t want to. I also knew I was burned the heck out and needed something to give. I needed to be able to let it evolve on its own and see where it went without worrying about it every single moment of the day (you’ve had those thoughts, right? I know I’m not the only one).

So, because I love lists with a passion, I made a huge list of choices.

Like, a whole page of options.

How the hell does someone pick ONE word out of a whole page to focus on for the year??

Obviously, I missed the “word” of the year mark since I picked 3. But I felt good about it. It felt like something I could look at when everything seemed overwhelming and be comforted: all I had to do was stick to those three things and it would be okay.

2023 came easier for me, and I’m okay with having two focuses that go hand-in-hand. But if you’re in the space where you’re trying to figure out if the word of the year thing is even worth your time, it might help to think about it in a different way.

Here’s what I’ve learned about having a word of the year:

1. The term word of the year freaks me out because it feels too significant for one word

2. Goals are always top of mind and it’s okay to have a way to reign them in when they seem to be taking over your life (making it so you don’t actually achieve any of them)

3. My words of the year help me focus and drown out some of the distractions that come with running a business

4. The term focus is critical because it means something different than goals - it’s a bit less constricting but still productive

5. I can use other people’s examples and ideas and adapt them to what I need

So here’s what I’m going to suggest, if you, like me, find yourself in a place where you want direction, but can’t pick a single word.

1. Think about what you love about your business right now. If you’re looking for a change, what does that look like?

2. Think about what you’d love to do next. (Even if it doesn’t necessarily “match” what you do right now).

3. Think about how you want your business to feel for other people.

4. Think about how you want to feel as you run your business.

5. If you had one opportunity this year that would put a huge smile on your face and some dance in your pants, what would it be? How do you get closer to that?

6. Write down said thoughts on paper with a pen. Or type it out, your choice. ;) Don’t lose the thoughts, though! You never know when they might come in handy.

7. Breathe in, breathe out, and listen to what your heart and instincts are saying about how to move forward. Trust said instinct and run with it.

Is this scientific? Nope. Is it woo-woo? Yep.

The question you’re wondering now, especially if you’re a skeptic of the woo-woo world: Does it work? Absolutely.

My Focus Words for 2023

Sometimes an example is just the thing to make an idea easier to understand. So I thought I’d share my focus words for 2023. They’re “fun” and “easy.”

More specifically, the phrases I’m focusing on are:

Let it be fun.

Let it be easy.

Let it be fun is about how I want to feel in my business. I love writing more than most things and I want to share that passion more widely rather than simply doing it. I also love teaching, but I don’t miss grading. How do I put those two things together in my business? Writing workshops. It’s fun, it’s meaningful, and it gets me into the community where I wanted to be the whole time.

Let it be easy is about how I approach my business. I have a tendency to overthink, overanalyze, and pick things to death. It’s stressful, and I’m sure it’s part of an anxiety reaction; however, it doesn’t have to be a thing at all. Not really. So letting it be easy, for me, is about trusting my instincts, taking opportunities that come along, and letting myself just do it already. Ironically, letting it be easy is often the challenge, not the business part.

Some of the other focus words I’ve heard about from my network this year are: growth, confidence, balance, purpose, intent, and present.

What about you? Did you set focus words? Or do you like having a word of the year? Comment below or find me on socials - let’s talk about it!

TL;DR

Try choosing a couple of focus words rather than restricting yourself to a single word of the year. Let it be fun, let it be easy, and don’t forget that you get to do what you love in your business. No matter what words/phrases you choose, always keep your passion and joy top of mind.

Accepting Change in Business

Change is scary. We, as humans, like to stay where we’re most comfortable. But sometimes, change is necessary, and we need to accept it. Capturing Your Confidence (CYC) is going through a transitional period where I’m really focusing on who I can best serve.

With transition comes new services, strategies, and processes. It’s a scary (but exciting!) time for me and my business, and that’s what inspired this blog. If you’re going through change, these are the strategies working for me, which means they could work for you, too.

Knowing it’s Time for a Change

How do you know it’s time for a change? Sometimes change is forced upon you. Entrepreneurship is a tumultuous career. You might lose clients unexpectedly, the market may impact your services, you don't have a work-life balance, or you aren't booking your ideal clients. But sometimes, if you’re lucky, change is up to you!

Here are a few things that will indicate if it’s time for a change.

You aren’t happy with your work anymore.

You know the feeling when work feels like, well, work? You should enjoy what you’re doing. If it feels like a drag or you aren’t excited about your work (even though you’re your own boss), it’s time for a change. It may involve working with new clients, creating new products or services, or updating strategies and processes to get in a better, more inspired headspace. 

You get irritated over little things.

When little things turn into a big deal, it’s time for a change. Small inconveniences, annoyances, and frustrations that cause big headaches mean you aren’t happy with your current situation. When you’re building a business you love, small irritations are much more avoidable than in a job with other people making decisions on your behalf.

You dream other dreams.

Your goals change as your skills develop and you’re exposed to new things in the world of business - and that’s totally okay! You should go after new goals and dreams as you advance in your career. When your work doesn’t align with your goals, it’s time to move on.

Your work frustrations bleed into your personal life.

Taking your work-related anger out on your family or friends is never okay. If you come home angry, exhausted, irritated, or short-tempered (or you stay that way all the time because you work from home), it should be your number one sign that you need a change in your life. 

When it comes to business, it’s good to listen to what feels right. If your current job doesn’t ignite a fire in you anymore, listen to your mind telling you it’s time to move on.

Change Management Strategy

You want to make the best of the change coming to your business. I’m working on implementing these as I navigate changes coming to CYC soon.

According to Transformation Strategies, here are a few principles to help smooth the jagged edges of change:

• Leverage the existing culture: Use the culture already established in your company to drive behavioral changes.

• Lead from the top: The leadership team (if you’re a solopreneur, that’s you) needs to have a positive influence on employees or contractors by showing commitment, alignment, and agreement to the change they are implementing.

• Evaluate and reconfigure: Assess and adapt processes, structures, or situations to improve strategies.

Take these steps to positively transition with the change. You, as the business owner, need to be 100% on board with everything happening. If something feels wrong, even just a little, trust your gut instinct and ditch the idea. Something better will come along that will align with your values and needs. 

Small Changes Make Big Differences

Here are a few changes you can make in your business that will have a big impact. If it sounds "“too simple” to be true, that’s because it is. We tend to make things much more complicated than they need to be (myself included!) - it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Clients

Serving the wrong clients is draining. Trust me, this comes from a true place of experience. When you nail down your ideal client, you feel much more fulfilled in your work. Take some time to really decide who you want to work with and how your services can help them. It’s SCARY AS HELL to narrow down your ideal client. Seriously. But when you' take the leap, it WILL feel better. There’s nothing saying you can’t expand in the future.

Hiring Help

Hiring a contractor was seriously one of the best things I did for my business. I passed off work I knew was important to growing my business but no longer had the time to do myself. Also, it wasn’t fun anymore! Realizing the need for support is a great first step. Not sure if it’s the “right” time? Check this out, it’ll help.

Setting Boundaries

Oftentimes, workplace frustrations come from people breaking boundaries. This could be partners, clients, or anyone else you interact with regularly. Set clear boundaries with yourself and your clients to ensure expectations are being met on both sides. Once they’re in place, stick to them. No one is being harmed by boundaries you set around your business. If someone says that, you don’t need to be working with them to begin with - set them free and move on.

Change is scary, but it’s a good thing! With change comes personal and professional growth that will benefit you in the long run, even when it feels messy now.

As I’m going through a period of change, I’m learning and making mistakes along the way. It’s all part of the journey. I know what’s coming will help a lot of people, and that’s what matters most to me.

What are Writing Sprints and How to Do Them

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 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!

Hope for the New Year

Friends, 

It’s the last day of 2021, and I’m both shocked and thankful that it’s finally here. 

This year has been HARD. The kind of hard that feels impossible.  

Usually this time of year I find myself reflecting on all the things from the year. Good things typically outweigh the challenges, and I almost always feel like there are some redeeming qualities that make the year a “good” one instead of the notorious so-called “bad” year. 

This year, though, I don’t feel like rehashing the events of the year is a productive exercise. Sure, I will reflect. Sure, there have undoubtedly been amazing things that have happened! And I’m entirely grateful for them. 

But for the first time, it doesn’t feel like a good year as a whole, and I’ve come to terms with that. As my good friend told me earlier this week, it’s best to ride with our emotions, whatever they may be, rather than fight against them. We can’t always control the things we’d like. Most times they’re things we shouldn’t be controlling anyway. 

So as we finish this year, I wanted to share a message of hope. 

I’m entirely joyful about the new year. I know there will be more challenges, because there always are. But after this year, I’m sure I can face anything that might dare to come my way. I hope that for you, too.

I wanted to share my hope with you today because I think it’s what we all need. The whole world has had a rough year, and we all could stand to use a little tiny slice of hope, and the warmth that brings to our heart. 

So here it is:

I hope you have amazing things to look forward to next year, even if this year has felt like a big dumpster fire (same). 

I hope you’ll continue working to be who you want to be, and not who anyone else wants - because you deserve to. 

I hope you have a dream as big as the stars and that even when you’re afraid of how big it is (as all huge dreams tend to be), you’ll keep stepping forward one step at a time. One day at a time. 

I hope that no matter how you’re feeling today, or have felt this month, or the rest of this year, that you’ll wake up tomorrow and see it as a chance to start fresh. 

Cheers to a new year, a new us, and new beginnings. 

May we be open, willing, and ready to accept new challenges and be brave enough to face each new day no matter what it holds. 

We’ve got this, together. 

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!

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

— Toni morrison

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.”

— lisa see

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

— Ray bradbury

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”

— Wally lamb

“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.”

— Charles de Lint

“If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.”

— Margaret Atwood

“The Six Golden Rules of Writing: Read, read, read, and write, write, write.”

— Ernest Gaines

“Writing—the art of communicating thoughts to the mind, through the eye—is the great invention of the world.”

— Abraham lincoln

“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”

— Jodi picoult

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

— Maya Angelou

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

— Richard Bach

“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.”

— Neil Gaiman

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

— Louis L’Amour

“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.”

— Henry David Thoreau

“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way you can do anything really good.”

— William Faulkner

“To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard.”

— Allen Ginsberg

“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.”

— Annie Dillard

“It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit brilliantly.”

— C. J. Cherryh

“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”

— Carol Burnett

“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”

— Robin Williams as John Keating in Dead Poets Society

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

— C.S. Lewis

“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.”

— Bruce Springsteen

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

— Stephen King

“I believe there is power in words, power in asserting our existence, our experience, our lives, through words.”

— Jesmyn Ward

“People are going to judge you all the time no matter what you do. . . Don’t worry about other people. Worry about you.”

— Jacqueline Woodson

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. 

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!

Spooky Cookbook Author Bridget Thoreson Talks Recipes & Writing

Our October author is Bridget Thoreson.

Bridget Thoreson is a writer and booklover based in Brooklyn, New York. Her other books include XOXO: A Cocktail Book and consulting for Are You My Wine? Clearly, Bridget is very interested in drinking, eating, and pop culture.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook, you can find it here.

Tell us a little about your writing journey. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I always knew that I wanted to work with books and for a long time I thought I wanted to be a writer. Then, I started my career in books and the desire became more focused on helping other people write books.

Then, a couple of years ago my first book project came along, XOXO, A Cocktail Book: An Unofficial Gossip Girl Fan Book and I had so much fun writing that, the bug was reawakened!

What inspired you to put together your book The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook?

The film is all the inspiration I needed! I’ve always been a huge fan. But, the timing was inspired by the exciting news that, after almost 30 years, a sequel is coming out!

How did you choose the recipes to include? And do you have a favorite?

The recipes are all either based on people or events in the movie, or are classic fall comfort foods. Hocus Pocus is a Halloween film, but I didn't want to just make it about ghoulish Halloween foods like peeled grape eyeballs. I also wanted to capture the vibe of Salem at Halloween. So there are a lot of hearty stews and seasonal flavors.

My favorite recipe to eat is the Dead Man's Chungs (crab cake balls with a delicious remoulade sauce). I'm from Maryland, so crab cakes are always high on my list! I love baking, so the Brown Butter Boooook Blondies are another favorite.

What was the process like putting together a cookbook?

It definitely required a lot of organization. Since the cookbook's theme is a movie rather than a food category, I wanted to put a wide range of things in there--breakfast through dinner, drinks, sweets, etc.--and to organize it based on the movie themes.

I needed to make sure I had enough side dishes vs. entrees and enough alcoholic beverages vs. virgin ones. I also had to make sure each section had a good mix. So organization was key.

Describe your creative process.

My creative process changes depending on the project I'm working on. In general, I definitely do best when I have some space from the project. I suffer from blank page syndrome, so often what I'll do is a mind dump on the page--half-ideas, words, random notes--so that there's something there I can pull from and get the ideas flowing.

Then, I will step away, sometimes for days, and let those ideas bake. I'll think about it when I'm watching TV, or driving, or just laying on my bed staring at the ceiling. But I take the pressure of the document off. A lot of the best things I've written I wrote in my head first before I typed the words out.

What’s your biggest hope for this cookbook?

My biggest hope is that other members of the Hocus Pocus fan club will read it and get a chuckle out of the headnotes, or see a reference to a classic line they forgot about.

Or maybe use it as an excuse to watch the movie again, and introduce someone new to it!

What was your biggest writing obstacle and how you did you overcome it?

Blank page syndrome! It's hard to start such a big project. I didn't even start writing until I had a full brainstorming document of recipe ideas, important events and references, random phrases, etc. so I had something to pull from when I got stuck or needed inspiration.

What is the part of your published work or writing process you are most proud of?

Of this book, the parts I'm most proud of are the headnotes I wrote in verse. Each recipe has an introduction that relates to the movie. There are a couple I wrote in the same rhythm as the Sanderson Sisters' spells - that was very difficult to match the rhyming scheme and also have it make sense to the recipe, so I'm very proud of those!

Do you have any plans for another book or writing project? If so, could you tell us about them?

No set plans as of yet, but I’m always open to new projects and have my eyes open for them!

What motivates you to keep writing?

Fun projects on topics I’m passionate about!

What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to aspiring writers?

You don’t have to be published to be a writer. If you’ve written anything and want to be a writer, you are one. Identity is a huge part of our behavior, so if you identify as a writer, you will act like a writer.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook, you can find it here.

Why We’re All a Little Scared of Success (But Need to Act Anyway)

We’ve all felt the fear of failure at some point. It can hang over any task no matter how small or seemingly mundane. 

But, have you ever been afraid of what might happen if you succeed? It raises bigger questions like: What would I do if I got the promotion? What would I do if I wasn’t drowning in debt? How would I feel if my book did get published?

If you’ve thought about these things (or something like them), you’re not alone. It’s okay to worry about what might come with success, or the burdens that would bring. It’s okay to want to be successful, but also be scared of success. That doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t still succeed.

Why Success is Scary as Hell

No matter what you’re doing, new things can be scary. No matter how many times you’ve succeeded in other areas of your life, each success brings about tasks and feelings you’ve never encountered before. Let’s be honest, newness and change aren’t always exciting, even when we desperately want them to be. 

And even when changes bring great new things into your life, there’s still the fear of the unknown. You don't necessarily know how success will look until you get there. It could look like opportunities beyond your wildest dreams. But it could also look like hardships and stress you don’t yet know how to handle. Sometimes it’s the not knowing that’s the scary part. 

Success also creates a new normal. You’ll probably see and feel a lot of changes as you grow (we sometimes lovingly call these growing pains). The reality is that your life will be different. That’s the goal, though, right? Leaving our current routine and comfort zone so we can get to somewhere better. Not that saying it out loud makes it less terrifying, but it’s real. 

Scary, But Important

Success brings a lot of amazing opportunities into our lives. As you work toward your goals, you gain knowledge of what leads to success and how to do it again. More specifically, you learn about yourself and what you can do. As you make leaps and bounds past your goals, you learn what works and what doesn’t, what keeps you motivated, and what brings you to a screeching halt. 

With the inevitable trial and error it takes to succeed, you’re also gaining experience. Experience helps you to feel more confident in yourself and your skills, and showcase that to others. When you’re trying to find a job or, as a writer, find someone to support your writing, people want to know about your “experience.” We’ve all had that interview question that went something like this: Tell me about yourself and what experience you would bring to the role. With each new goal you reach and success you achieve, you’re building this much sought after experience. 

Experience and knowledge are great, but what’s most important isa actually growth and personal development. Every time you learn something new, develop a new skill, fine tune an old skill, make an error, correct yourself, or reach a goal, you grow as a person. You’re becoming a better version of yourself, which, really, is the ultimate success. 

Do the Thing that Scares You, Even When You’re Terrified (You Won’t Regret It)

If you stay in your comfort zone forever, you won’t succeed. At least not as much as you dream of because you don’t grow without fear. And if you’re not growing at least a little, you’re probably not succeeding in the way you want. 

When you can take even tiny steps outside of your comfort zone, you get experience. For writers, this might look like finding a trusted friend to read a little of your writing even though the thought makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up like you’re in a scary movie. It might not seem like a big deal, and once you send the writing, it might even seem like a small step. But every step forward is progress, no matter how small. It’s one step closer toward your goals, and success. 

If you don’t take these steps, you’ll never know how far you could've gone. Would you rather spend your one and only life stuck in your comfort zone wondering what could have been? Or take small steps that scare the living bejeezus out of you and actually find out? Give yourself the chance to find out how you can become a published author or the CEO of your dream business, or whatever dream you’ve been holding onto. 

4 Ways to Conquer Your Fear

We here at Capturing Your confidence (all of us) have been afraid, especially in our writing lives. We’ve been the ones who had to close our eyes before pressing send on an email with our beloved book attached on its way to get feedback. We’ve been the ones who were afraid people wouldn’t like our writing, so we kept our most exciting projects to ourselves. We’ve even been the ones who’ve contemplated throwing drafts away or redoing them because we felt like they just weren’t good enough. 

The only difference between us and anyone else (because ultimately we’re all humans) is that we didn’t let those fears hold us back. And you don’t have to either! We’re not promising that fear will go away - it won’t. But, we are promising that you can handle it. You can move forward anyway, and that’s what it’s all about.

Write down your worries & fears.

Writing down what’s weighing you down is a great start to understanding how to overcome your fears. Writing them down is helpful to pinpointing what’s causing the fears, why they’re happening, and how to deal with it. Sometimes they’re irrational, or sometimes they’re extremely real. Either way, you have to have a space to think about it in order to work through them.  

Talk to someone. 

Getting your fears out in the open and out of your own head helps as well. Sometimes we just need a listening ear and we can solve our problems mid-talk. Sometimes we need an objective outside opinion to remind us that we’re not crazy for being scared of these big goals and dreams. Often, the act of talking to someone we trust is soothing, and even if you don’t “solve” the fear, you can figure out ways to better manage it. 

Focus on your goals.

Let your motivation drive you, not your fear. Remind yourself regularly why you want this and focus on the goal. This alone can sometimes be enough to get through momentary fears that feel paralyzing. This is probably the most difficult, and most effective way to get through your fears.

This is HARD. It’s not something you’ll want to jump out of bed and do (at least not right away - it’ll get easier as you practice). But it’s okay. It’s okay to ask for help, and it’s okay if you can only take the tiniest steps in the world. These tiny steps are still progress, and you can do this.  

Break down your goals.

Make your big goals and dreams more manageable. It’s hard as heck to publish a book or start a business! But you know what those things start with? Small steps like deciding on a main theme or idea. Deciding what you like and feel passionate about, and then putting your ass in the seat and writing it down. 100 words is more than none - it doesn’t even have to be a good 100 words.

A list of people doing what you dream of doing is one step closer to being your own boss because you can start learning what’s possible. Breaking down your goals makes them less daunting and wears down your fear of the unknown and newness. Anyone who’s worn patent leather shoes knows: those damn things are painful (but pretty) when you start, but they become more comfortable as you break them in! You can do the same with your fears and successes. 

Remind yourself of your goals & start taking control of your fears. 

If you need help, reach out. We’re here to help.

Have you ever been afraid of success? What fear is holding you back right now? What’s one way you overcome your fear of the unknown? We’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below.

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing.

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. 

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: 

• The Positive Trait Thesaurus

• The Negative Trait Thesaurus

• The Emotional Wound Thesaurus

• The Urban Setting Thesaurus

• The Rural Setting Thesaurus

• The Occupation Thesaurus

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.