Coaching that Works Like Magic and Feels Like a Coffee Date

With an abundance of coaching out there, I often find myself wondering: how does it work? Especially when I see new kinds of coaches, or more open-ended kinds of coaching. For instance, life coaching. 

How do you know you need a life coach? And how would life coaching help me, if I decided I needed one? 

I was interviewing someone about mental health coaching the other day, and as she was explaining what she does, it made so much sense! But because I’d never heard of it before, I probably wouldn’t have reached out if I’d seen an ad or something. (By the way, If you’re curious, read all about what a mental health coach is here - very cool!) 

As I was reflecting, it occurred to me that the benefits of what I do as a writing coach may not be super obvious. After all, I hadn’t heard anything about writing coaches until I got into the online business world. And even then, there’s a TON of mixed messaging. 

If you’re still a little fuzzy about what writing coaching is, read this. It’s all about what I do, and what other kinds of writing coaches there are.. 

Anyway, today I wanted to share why writing coaching can help you - what you get out of the bargain! After all, it’s your work and creativity that you’re contemplating, right? It’s gotta make sense for YOU! 

9 Ways Writing Coaching Can Work for You

One of the best (and worst?) things about writing is that it’s amazingly expressive. We can pour our hearts and souls onto the page and maybe someday someone will read it and totally get us and what we’re all about. 

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. Seriously. I mean, no one really wants to get criticism on the thing that’s a little piece of them, right? It’s just something we have to do if we want to grow as writers. 

So imagine how nice it would be if an experienced writer read your writing (pretty much your baby by the time you hand it over) and gave you feedback in a way that doesn’t feel like you got chewed and spit back out. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right?

Enter: Writing Coach. 

One of the best things about getting coaching is having 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 don’t know about other coaches, but I don’t believe in the “tough love” thing. It makes me cringe even just thinking about it because let’s be real - a lot of what people say during “tough love” talks are mean, which is unnecessary. I’m so not about that.

If you’ve just handed off your writing to someone and you’re already nervous about it to begin with, the answer is NOT for me to come back with “yeah, this pretty much bites, let’s fix it.” Nuh uh. 

Also, I don’t feel like that’s good mentorship anyway. Don’t get me wrong, there will always be things to improve in your writing. I write and coach writers for a living and my stuff still isn’t perfect! (And it doesn’t need to be either.) 

But, when you have a writing coach acting as a mentor, it means you have someone actively paying attention to what you’re doing with your writing. It also means you have someone who knows a heck of a lot about writing doing their very best to help you get your writing and skills where you want to be. Coaching is one of the times in life that really is all about you.

When I work with you during writing coaching, I love starting where you’re at today! Setting goals, seeing you work at them, and improve is pretty much the best. Plus, working together means you have accountability for your writing. It’s not just you anymore, which makes it easier to keep going. 

I don't know about you, but sometimes when I say “Oh I’m going to write a new section of my novel this week” it gets kicked to the end of the priorities list. Not because I don’t want to write, or because I don’t care, but because I’m not really accountable to anyone else. It’s just me hanging out with my super cool half a book. 

Having an accountability partner has really helped me make a lot of progress, and that’s a great benefit of writing coaching: you get a built in accountability partner. (If you want to read more about why accountability partners are super helpful for writers, read this.)

Once you’re on the hook with a writing coach, and therefore being accountable, you’ll notice that you begin to get a lot more writing done. You’ll write regularly because in the back of your mind, you know someone’s waiting to hear what’s next in your novel or all the sage advice going into your non-fiction book. It’s a win-win.

Writing coaches also help you write. When you get stuck, have writer’s block, feel overwhelmed with the amount of work still to do on your project, or just plain don’t know where to start, your coach can guide you through. I like to give tasks in between coaching sessions. Activities that, based on our conversation, I know will get you writing when you’re working on your own. 

Nothing I tell clients is rocket science, and it’s not usually very complicated, because I find that the simple things usually work the best. I also know it’s hard to see what’ll work when you’ve gotten so deep into your project - so I help you! You don’t have to figure it out on your own, or work on it by yourself wondering “Is this really worth it?”

Most of all, and hands down my favorite thing about writing coaching, is encouraging writers. We’re not all confident in ourselves and our writing. And we’re not always sure if what we’re doing “works” or if we’re even “good enough” to consider calling ourselves a writer. I mean, I’ll be the first to tell you there are days I sit down to write an article or a section of my novel and I finish and I’m like WOOF that is AWFUL. 

One “bad” piece of writing doesn’t make me a bad writer, though, and it doesn’t make you a bad writer, either! But I bet not very many people have stopped to tell you that, have they? The most important part of my role as a writing coach is to support writers when they’re not confident. 

I’ve been the writer who pretty much gave up because I thought I wasn’t good enough. For a LONG time. I kept making excuses about why I couldn’t write and telling myself I didn’t really want to write that much (have you done this, too?). I was really just scared and it took a long time to build my confidence to a level where I could even consider writing creatively, let alone sharing that with someone else! 

So when I coach, confidence and making sure you feel good - and I mean, solidly good, not just “eh, maybe” good - about your writing is my #1 job. Everything else comes with it.

My challenge to you is to book a free call with me to talk about how writing coaching can help you. 

Have you worked with a writing coach before? Want to know something else about writing coaching I didn’t talk about? 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.

How to Create a Character Timeline You’ll Actually Use

When writing stories, it’s good to have an understanding of exactly who your characters are and what makes them important. Why is the main character the main character? What made the villain a villain? 

This is where a character timeline comes in handy. Timelines can also help keep track of when all events, big or small, are happening in the story so you don’t lose track of where your characters are. They help you stay organized.

What Makes Up a Character Timeline?

Like most other things in writing, there are many ways to create a timeline for your characters, and many options to include. Personally, I like to draw an actual timeline in my notebook; one for each main character, including protagonists, antagonists, and any other major players in the story. 

You can also create a digital timeline or physical timeline with sticky notes or a dry erase board. After the basic timeline is created, having a more in-depth character chart can also be useful.

In your character timelines, make sure to include these 3 key components:

Major events that shape the character, before and during the story. Major events include anything that’s important enough to greatly impact or change the character’s arc. This doesn’t necessarily mean that every single event has to be on the timeline because that might get overwhelming; however, it does mean that anything that changes the character’s life or outlook should be on the timeline. 

Character origin, or where they came from. When you think about “origins” you might be thinking specifically about location. While this can be important, the piece that’s important to the character timeline is their relationship to the other characters -where they came from and how long their relationship has been going on with the protagonist or antagonist. In some genres, location is much more important, but for timeline purposes, you want to think about each character, how they progress, and how that progression is related to the others in the book.  

Character end goal, or where they end up. Although it’s likely you won’t know the exact ending until it arrives, you should have some idea where you want each character to end up. You can include info about the actual ending, or some ideas about how you want their arc to end. Where do you want this character to be by the end of the book?

Why is a Character Timeline Important?

As exciting as it is to start thinking about and writing a new story, it can also be overwhelming. I’ve found that a good place to start is taking time to flesh out the main characters. 

Character timelines can identify plot holes so we can fill them, build in foreshadowing as we’re writing, and help us create more intriguing characters in general.  

Character timelines can identify plot holes so we can fill them, build in foreshadowing as we’re writing, and help us create more intriguing characters in general.  

For instance, in my most recent WIP, I started with 3 timelines. I knew who the main character was, who the love interest would be, and who the antagonist would be. I started their timelines to figure out where they would intersect. 

As I was creating the timelines, I was able to determine what drove my main character toward the others. This piece helps me build in foreshadowing about major events and make sure nothing big is missing from the story as a whole. I also learned exactly what happened in each character’s past made them who they are, which allows me to weave in interesting details throughout - including special interactions between characters and even humor!

How to Build a Character Timeline

When putting together a character timeline, start with where your story begins. Think about these questions: 

• Who are the characters we should care about right away? 

• How do they relate to the main character? 

• Is there a specific event the story opens on? 

For example, in my WIP, the main character starts as a 14 year old. There were obviously events that led to this point, but for now, the important things are why the story starts here and  what event marks the beginning of the story? This is the beginning of your timeline. 

Once you determine a starting point (remember, this can always change later on!), think about what brought them to this point. Pay close attention to: 

• Traumatic events

• Joyful events

• Key people they’ve met & interacted with

• Actions they took

• Anything that could be defining for them throughout the story

When you’ve determined more about where the character came from, you can start looking ahead to their future! Where do you want or see them ending up as of right now. One of the most beautiful (and sometimes frustrating) things about writing is how much it can adapt as we’re doing the writing. 

That being said, your story has to go somewhere! So it’s good to have a working idea of where each character is headed so you can help them get there. It doesn’t have to be a fairytale ending, or a gruesome ending for that matter. You might also find that, as you write, your characters decide their own fate, which is great! For now, just give it your best educated guess.

The final step in the character timeline is to fill in the steps that will get your character to their end goal. As you’re thinking about these steps, consider: 

• Major milestones

• Major and minor events that define the character’s experience

• When important relationships begin and end 

• New people they meet

• Major shifts in their mindset and/or beliefs

All of these pieces, especially other people, can be critical for the character and how they develop.

Character timelines are a great way to enhance your writing, not to mention they can be a lot of fun! I love creating timelines for my characters because it really helps me get to know each character better. Ultimately, it also helps readers love my characters, too, because I can incorporate all the pieces and details from the timeline into the story. 

When readers can see and feel back stories, strengths, and weaknesses from the characters, it helps them connect.  It makes everything more real. Connecting to readers in these ways are super important for writers!

My challenge to you is to create a character timeline for your current story. 

Have you used character timelines before? Did you find it helpful? What’s your favorite part about creating a character? 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.

What is a Writing Coach?

I read a rather upsetting article the other day. It was called “8 Ways to Defend Yourself Against Writing Coach Scams” and even as I clicked, I was slinking down in my seat. 

It was bad. 

The article itself was fine, if a little bland, but it was published in a reputable publication. 

Have you ever had one of those moments where you go from thrilled to the bone to do something to questioning all of your decisions? Spoiler alert: it SUCKS. 

My face when I have a moment of insecurity because someone else thinks my business is a scam.

As a writing coach, it’s hard to read about what I do in such a negative light. Hell, in a human way, it’s hard to read that people do that to other people! I mean, come on. Who builds their life around scamming people who are just trying to do what they love? Or make a better life for themselves? 

Gross. Seriously. 

But after I got over all of these emotions tumbling out of my mind around me, it occurred to me that maybe people don’t really know what writing coaches do. I mean, I didn’t really know until I got more involved in the online business world. And there are SO many types of coaches, even just within my little world of writing! 

So here goes: an explanation of what a writing coach can actually do for you, what I focus on specifically (it’s not scamming you - ain’t nobody got time for that!), and what it can help you accomplish as a writer. After all, you are a writer, right? Or you want to be - even if you haven’t quite called yourself one yet. (Which, by the way, completely okay! It’s a whole thing.)

What Does a Writing Coach Do?

Writing coaches tend to focus in one of two areas: development and publishing. Sometimes you’ll find a coach who does both, if they’ve had extensive experiences 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 work with you on your thoughts to organize them and start writing. It’s mostly big picture stuff like creating a system of organization, habits, and writing schedule. 

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. 

Writing coaches who focus on publishing are also called book coaches. There are a CRAZY number of book coaches, which is awesome, if a little intimidating. Book coaches help you get your manuscript 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 guys and gals are talented in the marketing and networking aspects of publishing. They can help most when you’re ideas and all shined up and ready to get sent out into the world. 

Personally, I love the development - ideas - stage of writing. It’s a super passion for me because confidence is a big deal in the beginning of a new writing project, or a writing career. It’s easy to miss the connection between confidence and writing because, since writing is a skill, it is possible to communicate clearly without being confident. However, just because you can email your boss with ease (maybe) doesn’t mean you would feel good about sitting down to write a novel. 

That takes GUTS. 

So when I work with writers during coaching, a lot of what I do is build up confidence and make you feel good about where you’re at right now. It’s hard to improve when you don’t really feel good about where you’re starting. 

Plus, I get it. I have one of those stories that people are like “Why did you stop writing for so long?” (7 years, to be exact), and it’s literally because I didn’t know how to take criticism and feedback. My confidence was super fragile and having your parents say you’re good at something doesn’t really make you feel great when a professional tells you you’re not. 

How Can a Writing Coach Help You Be a Better Writer?

So what the heck do people use a writing coach for? 

Short answer? To write better. 

Hah! 

Better answer: there are a number of things that writing coaches can help you do, depending on your goals. 

Some of the things that I work with writers on include:

Writing a Novel

Going from idea (or hazy midnight thought to an actual, working idea) through the writing itself. We plan, write, and look at your writing together, similar to a writing workshop.

Writing a Non-Fiction Book

Planning and setting goals for a non-fiction book, like an e-book or something for business, and helping you get through the writing. Similar to a novel, we plan, write, and workshop your writing - with the added consideration of your specific audience. Who exactly is it for and what do you want them to do with the info once they get it from your awesome book?

Writing Organization

Helping you get your thoughts and writing project into some kind of recognizable book-shaped thing. It’s okay if you don’t write the book from beginning to end - I sure as hell don’t! That doesn’t mean you don’t need a system to put everything into so you can actually find the pieces you’re weaving together. Also, eventually it will need to have a beginning, middle, and end, so it’s helpful to develop a way to process things and keep them for later when you're finalizing everything. 

Writing Goals

Even if you don’t want to write a whole book right now, having writing goals keeps you moving. We work together on setting both short- and long-term goals so you can take baby steps toward your writing dreams. Even if you want to be a NY Times bestseller. Even if you just want to write a few pages and see how it goes. No matter what it is, we’ll talk about it together, set goals, and check-in on them frequently. 

Accountability

Here’s the thing - people procrastinate, right? For writers, “tomorrow” can easily become a year from now because they don’t feel like their writing is as important as other things in their life. Or maybe because they’re scared. Or even because they simply just don't have anyone to keep them accountable to what they want to get done. So, as a coach, I do check-ins and create specific tasks for you so you can start doing what you want (and stop feeling bad that you pushed your writing dream back again.)

Where Do You Find a Writing Coach?

I’d like to point out the power of Google...EXCEPT that’s probably not the best thing to do in this instance. I mean, definitely do your research, but Google is a super mixed bag with articles that are informative and articles that supposedly tell “definitively” whether you need a writing coach (or not). Oh, and about the scams. RE: Scared the hell out of me the other day (and I AM a writing coach who WILL hire a book coach when I’m ready. Yikes!)

So, what I recommend is asking around your writer friend circle if anyone knows a writing coach they love (surely someone knows someone). Personally, I feel like a reference from a trusted friend is always more comforting than great copy on a website or other reviews I might find. 

I would also love to work with you! If you’re interested in what’s included in my coaching packages, you can check that out here. And, if you have any questions, we’ll hop on a call and chat. 

There will never be a point where I tell you that I’m the only person who does what I do. Or the best in the world. I mean, I’d like to think I’m pretty great (lol) but in all reality, you’re the only person who can decide whether I’m the right fit for you. If there’s anything I’ve learned about working with writers and marketers and brilliant people in all kinds of industries, it’s that “best” is subjective. There’s almost always someone with more credentials or experience or XYZ than you. It’s just a fact with so many people here on Earth.

BUT

I love what I do, and I’m a damn good writer. I do it for a living! And I’ve loved it all my life. So, I definitely could be the best writing coach for you, which is way more important than “best writing coach ever” or whatever other boxes people tell you to “make sure” they have when you work with them.

My challenge to you is to think about your writing dream and book a call about writing coaching. 

Have you read anything different about writing coaching? Had different experiences with coaches? Have questions I didn’t answer? 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.

Why I Write Morning Pages Every Day

NOTE: This blog contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is whether or not I journal. And if you would have asked me a couple of years ago, the answer would have been no! I mean, maybe occasionally, but not as a regular habit. 

These days, I’m an avid journaler. I’m hooked. 

Only I don’t call it “daily journaling,” I call it “Morning Pages.”

What are Morning Pages? 

The term morning pages comes from Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. It’s an 8 week creativity course that has a book and workbook you read and complete. I have yet to complete it, because at the time when I bought it, I was in a self-help CRAZE. 

If you’ve been around for a little while, you might have seen my end of year reflection blog for 2020, in which I listed the insane number of courses I purchased last year when I was furloughed and later laid off from my job due to the pandemic. It was also during this time that I officially registered my business and began to be fully self-employed for the first time. 

During this hectic time, I did begin The Artist’s Way, and what struck me the most was this idea of writing every morning about whatever you feel like. Whatever you’re thinking and feeling and wanting and hating. Anything and everything that comes to mind. It’s essentially another term, and in my opinion a better word, for free writing. 

So when I say I’m going to do my Morning Pages, I go into my office (or somewhere that has a table surface) and write my 3 pages for the day of whatever I think of.

The catch? I don’t stop writing. I don’t “collect” my thoughts, and I don’t stop to organize them either - they just get onto the page in whatever order they get from my brain to my hand. 

You might also be thinking that 3 pages is a lot. And, for some people it might be! I tried the recommended amount when I first started because I knew it would stretch me, although if you’ve met me you probably know that I have about that many thoughts going at any one time, so it’s really just writing them all down on a daily basis that’s the challenge. 

I’ll also point out that my 3 pages are not standard paper size 8.5 x 11”. I write them in a journal that’s about 6” x 8” give or take a quarter inch. My favorite brand is Peter Pauper journals, and I fill one up about every 6 weeks. It’s a nice incentive to keep writing when I know I get to pick a pretty new journal.

So that’s it! Those are Morning Pages.

Why I Write Morning Pages Every Day

I write Morning Pages every day because I like it. Well, that and it’s had some amazing benefits that I just can’t get enough of. 

It used to be hard for me to commit to writing every day, even as a writer - ironic, right? These days, I find that I actually can tell a difference in the entire day when I accidentally skip Morning Pages or do them later in the day. 

First and foremost, Morning Pages get me writing. It might not be a section of my novel, or a paid client article, or a blog. But they’re my words on the page! And it’s glorious when you can flip through them and see all the words you had in your head living neatly on the page in brightly colored ink. 

They also get me thinking. I don’t know if you have this trouble, but sometimes I get so far into my own head that it’s hard to think clearly about anything, let alone something that’s supposed to be “good.”

Having time to just write freely in the morning allows me space to think about whatever I want, but also gives me space to think about things I can’t get away from. 

It’s a great space for problem-solving! Just the other day I made this great discovery about my business and I was SUPER pumped about it...until I realized that it was so different from what I’ve been working on that I kind of went into panic mode. Like…a business identity crisis. 

Thankfully, when I did Morning Pages that day, I was able to take time to think through those troubling thoughts (that actually weren’t that different from what I’m doing, they just felt like it at the time). Then, because I was able to clarify my fears, I could express them to someone else who kindly talked through it with me. Problem solved! 

Clearly, doing Morning Pages offers me an unprecedented opportunity to dump all of my unwieldy emotions onto the page before they begin to affect others around me...well, usually at least. If I’m angry, it’s a safe place to rant. If I’m sad or anxious, I’m free to wallow for a little while and figure it out before I get assistance or move on with the day.

When I began doing my Pages every day last April, we were firmly ensconced in pandemic lockdown. As in, we could barely even go to the grocery store. So, finding alone time was a valuable asset to me in a small house with my husband and dog when we were together 24/7. I treasure time alone with my thoughts, and although I love my husband and my boys, there are just some things you don’t say to other people! 

Looking back now, I’m also glad to have a record of the whole year - or, most of it at least. It’s really amazing to me the changes I’ve seen and, quite honestly, the sh*t we went through. I mean, everyone’s got their stuff, right? But seeing in on the page really does give a different perspective. In my writing and business, I’ve also been able to identify key moments, almost down to the day, where huge mindset shifts happened, which is pretty neat. 

Journaling really offers the unique chance to record the “right now” in a way that most other forms of expression don’t quite match up to.

Plus, it’s a pretty sweet perk that I get to regularly pick out a pretty new journal to write in.

 I’m not sure what I’ll do when I run out of designs with my favorite journal company (which, by the way, is actually pretty affordable!), but until then, I enjoy my trips to Barnes & Noble, or a good look around Amazon. 

I’m sure the list of Morning Pages benefits could be longer, after all, I’m a lifelong devotee now, but those are my favorites.

Space to think on paper is invaluable to writers, and I highly recommend it, even if you don’t want to do 3 pages worth! 

My challenge to you is to do Morning Pages for a week (including the weekend) and see how you feel afterward. 

Have you tried Morning Pages? How did it go? Do you do another form of daily journaling that helps you as much as Morning Pages helps me? I’d love to hear about your experiences and recommendations! Find me on social media or drop a comment below.

How to Make a Table of Contents in Google Docs

I’m super into organization. It’s kind of crazy, honestly. Think Post-Its and color coding everywhere. 

The one place I wasn’t organized was my creative writing. Elsewhere, I’ve written about how I am pretty free range with my creative work because it feels better for me that way. While I’m very much still in favor of doing what feels best for my creative writing, once you actually have a good amount of writing it gets unwieldy without some sort of organization. It’s much easier to be able to click a link and have the document jump to where you want to go.

No one wants to scroll through 10K words to find the one you just saw that you wanted to fix. Especially if you don’t remember what it is, but you know you’d recognize it if you saw it again. Believe me, personal experience has shown that this method is irritating at best and highly uninspirational when you actually want to get some creative work done.

Hence the Table of Contents - lovingly called the ToC for short - was born. At least in my world. 

I’m a huge fan of the Google Suite, and I use Google Docs for just about everything. It’s not that there aren’t downfalls, but Google Docs is cloud-based, which means that it saves for me. You can also open it anywhere you can log into Google from - pretty great. 

This is why my novel lives primarily in a Google Doc. I definitely have backups (because you should ALWAYS have backups), but anytime I write digitally, it’s in that Google Doc. Today I wanted to share how to create a working Table of Contents for Google Docs, because it’s saved SO much time and energy as I’ve been working on my book. It will also work for you as you write more, you don’t have to have chapters already in place or anything!

How to Make a Table of Contents in Google Docs

Creating a ToC in Google Docs is quick and easy. There are multiple ways to go about it, and there is an option to use a pre-made table of contents in Google Docs.

I personally don’t use that because I feel like the way I’m going to show you (that I use on the daily) is easier and more flexible; however, feel free to experiment with whatever you like as you’re writing! 

To make a Google Docs Table of Contents like mine, there are just 4 steps. Watch the video for a full walkthrough, or read on below to create your own.

1. Create a Blank Table of Contents Page with the Chapter Titles Listed

Open up a brand new document. On the top, write out the title of your project (or a working title - just call it something you can easily remember). Underneath that, write out “Table of Contents.” 

You can style these however you like with fonts & colors. Personally I like to keep things plain and simple, but if you’re feeling fancy, change the font if you want!  

The last part of this first step is to type out the chapter or section titles, each on their own line. If you have working titles, you can use those. If you want to use plain numbers, that’s fine, too. The goal is to be able to easily recognize the section of writing, click on it, and have it take you to that section of writing. 

When you’re starting a brand new project, and thus a brand new document, I recommend just putting in a few filler titles like “Chapter 1” and “Chapter 2” or “Section 1” and “Section 2.” 

The beauty of this system, aside from flexibility, is that you can easily add to your ToC as you write rather than committing to a specific number of sections or chapters. So if this is brand new, add a few fillers for now to get yourself set up and familiar with how it works. 

2. Type out Titles/Text for Chapters in the Body of the Document

Once you have your Table of Contents page typed and ready to go, you can begin to add body text to the document. 

If this is a new document: Copy and paste the titles from the first page. The titles on the Table of Contents page should match the titles that are in your document, that way when you set up your links, it’s very easy for you to tell which section you just landed on. Since you don’t have any writing yet, you can leave them single spaced or put a space in between each title. Personally, I like an extra space because then I can just click it and type there immediately. 

If you have a Work in Progress: If you already have writing that you’re trying to whip into shape (good for you!), go through and give each section or chapter a title. Whether the name is permanent or not doesn’t matter. The goal, again, is to be able to easily locate each specific section of writing, so name it something you’ll be able to easily remember what happens in that section. 

3. Add a Bookmark to the Title of Each Chapter

So far, you have your Table of Contents page, with chapter/section titles, and your titles in the text of the document. The next step is to make a bookmark for each of the titles in the text of the Google Doc. 

The process is simple: highlight the text of one chapter/section title, click “Insert” in the top left corner of the menu, and select the “Bookmark” option. That’s it! Create separate bookmarks for each of your titles. DO NOT do anything with the Table of Contents page yet, just add your bookmarks to the text in the body of your document. 

4. On the Table of Contents Page, Add a Link to each Chapter Title for the Corresponding Bookmark

Once you’ve added your bookmarks to the text of your Google Doc, you get to do the fun part: link them to the Table of Contents! 

All you have to do to link to your brand new bookmarks is: Go to the ToC page, highlight the first chapter/section title (like you did when you were creating your bookmarks), and select “Insert” in the top left corner of the menu. Choose the “Link” option. From there, you have 2 choices: you can search for the name of the bookmark (remember, it should match what you see on your ToC for easy reference) OR you can choose the “In this document” option at the bottom of the pop up. 

If you search for the name, simply click it when it appears and you’re done! Your link will appear. If you open “In this document” it will present a list of bookmarks for you to choose from. Click the right one and it will appear as a link. 

So that’s it! Just 4 simple steps that will probably take you less than 10 minutes to make your project much more organized and easy to work with moving forward. 

My challenge to you is to create your very own table of contents. 

Did you set up your Google Docs Table of Contents? How did it go? 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 - and organized - writing.

5 Pieces to Include in Your Writing Notebook

Depending on your writing process, you may have a place where you keep the notes related to your books and other writing projects. 

But if you’re a new writer, or if you’re just starting to get serious about writing, you might have heard the term “writing notebook” and wondered what the heck that is. 

Good news! 

Today’s post is all about great pieces to include in your writing notebook, with simple steps about how to include them. 

What is a Writing Notebook? 

A writing notebook is simply a place to keep all of our ideas, plans, and goals for our writing projects. It can be in a binder, journal, digital format, or any other preferred format. 

The main point of a writing notebook is to keep ourselves organized while writing and to help expand upon our ideas.

The main point of a writing notebook is to keep ourselves organized while writing and to help expand upon our ideas. They can include a multitude of helpful tools and pages depending on the writing project. Here are some ideas for great pieces to include in your writing notebook.

5 Pieces to Include in Your Writing Notebook

When you’re setting up your writing notebook, these are great items to include.

General Plot Outline

A general plot outline is an overview of what will be included in your book or story. It answers the question: What are the main goals of our writing project?

A plot outline should include ideas for:

• Major events (Sometimes major events may not be large battles or huge crises. They can be smaller, internal or external, conflicts that directly impact our main character.)

• Turning points for our characters

• Setting (when & where our story takes place)

• Themes

• Lists of characters/name ideas

• Any information we already know we want to include

It’s also important to have an idea of what the beginning, middle, and end of the story will look like. This helps to keep us on track and ensure we don’t stray too far from the main purpose of our story. 

It’s okay to change our mind along the way. Sometimes we need to switch up the ending, or go back and rewrite the beginning. As long as we know what direction we’re headed, we will be in much better shape when it comes to writing our stories. 

Main Character Page/Character Profile

The main character page is dedicated to the protagonist/main character (MC) of your story. Once we decide on our main character’s traits, it’s important to stay consistent throughout the entire story. A great way to keep track of this is to create a character profile for our main characters.

A character profile should include the MC’s:

• Physical traits

• Strengths 

• Weaknesses

• Motivations

• Obstacles

• Anything that will come up multiples times in the story

• Description of the antagonist or “enemy” and the reason they’re at odds - if the MC has a notable foe

We can also include important relationships on the main character page, for instance: 

• Their parents’ names

• Significant other

• Best friend etc. 

Essentially, this page (or few pages) is meant to give you a space to include all important details about your MC so you can reference it when you need to. Creating this page will also give you valuable insight into your character and their unique qualities. 

Character Chart

A character chart is helpful to keep track of side characters. 

Important information to include on the chart is: 

• Each character’s relationship to the main character

• Physical traits

• Why they are necessary to the plot. 

Having a visual like this will help ensure we don’t have characters that aren’t adding anything to our stories. 

Character charts are also useful when we have many characters because we can go back to it and remind ourselves of who each person is. When we take a break from writing and come back, it’s easy to forget names (especially if you’ve recently changed them) and descriptions. Having the character chart makes our writing lives easier.

Book Timeline/Character Timelines

Creating timelines help us to keep perspective while we’re writing our story. A book timeline ensures that we’re staying on track and each event makes sense as it’s happening. It also serves as a reminder, as we’re writing, of what’s going on in our stories if we need to take a break.

Character timelines are useful to keep track of divergent character lines. 

For example, we can create:  

• A main character timeline 

• A villain timeline 

This ensures their actions line up with each other; a cause and effect type of relationship. Character timelines also help us see if there are any holes in the character’s life that need to be filled.

Goals Page

A goals page helps to keep us on schedule. If we don’t set goals, we may never finish the project! 

There are multiple formats we can use to create our goals page: 

• Time-Related Goals: Goals we plan to finish by a specific date. For example, a timely goal might be “I have written (#) chapters so far, I intend to write two more by (date). Then, I will write (#) chapters every (#) days.”

• Word Count Goals: Goals for how many words we want to write during each writing session. Word count goals can be something we do every time we write, or more sporadically - for instance once a week or once a month. For example, “This week I will write (#) words a day,” or “This week I will write a total of (#) words.” 

Creating a chart for these goals, or using a planner (or both!) is very useful. We can make a table for ourselves in our writing notebook, or create an Excel sheet for our goals. Whatever format best suits our needs. 

Interested in downloading some writing notebook sheets? Check out this writer’s bundle available on our Etsy Shop: The Confident Writer Shop!

My challenge to you is to try creating a writing notebook. 

Do you already use a writing notebook? What will you include in your writing notebook? Do you set writing goals for yourself? 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.

How to Use a Planner to Make Time for Writing

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Sometimes, amid the hectic day-to-day lifestyle that’s common for most of us, it can be difficult to find the time to write. Even if we write for a living, there are many other events, appointments, and tasks we need to do on an average day. 

Writing tends to be pushed to the side to make room for everything else. A great way to help combat the issue of not having time to write is to use a planner. 

3 Great Tools to Plan Your Writing

Google Calendar

Google calendar is one option to use as a planner. It’s a useful tool because it can link directly to your phone and email. If someone emails you a date you need to remember, you should automatically receive the option to add it to your Google Calendar (as long as you’re using Gmail). Once it’s added to the calendar, reminders show up on your phone when a scheduled event is happening. 

In a world where we’re all on our phones so much of the time (too much sometimes), these reminders can help us put our phones down and get back to work!

In a world where we’re all on our phones so much of the time (too much sometimes), these reminders can help us put our phones down and get back to work! We can also use Google calendar to block time and set reminders when it’s time to write, read, edit, or whatever other writerly tasks we need to get done.

Dry Erase Calendar

A dry erase calendar can be something small that sits on our desk, or it can be larger and hang on the wall. They are handy because we can use them as many times as we want without having to replace them every year. 

A bedroom or office wall is a great place to use a dry erase board because you can see it when you wake up or begin work in the morning and before you get done with work or go to sleep at night. You’ll be able to clearly see what you have going on each day. 

The best thing about dry erase boards (or dry erase anything, really) is that if we need to change up our plans, we simply erase and move around anything that needs to be changed. It’s also fun to use different colored markers to keep things organized, or just for a bit of flair.

Paper Planner

A paper planner is very useful when it comes to staying on track with our writing. You can get them pretty much anywhere, but we love Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

Whether or not you love a pretty cover, what’s inside the planner is what’s important. A day planner, rather than a monthly planner, will be the most helpful in terms of getting writing done every day. When you can see each day on a micro level, you can plan out when to do your tasks, including writing, and see that there’s enough room for it all. The Happy Planner (shown to the right) is an excellent paper planner!

The Happy Planner

Monthly planners can be helpful, too, especially for goal-setting. Many planners have both pieces, which means you can chart your goals and get there with small tasks in one handy place. 

How to Use a Planner for Writing

1. Fill out your planner with non-writing events first. It’s important to start with this because sometimes there are events or appointments we have that are necessary, but non-writing related (like going to the dentist). If only we could spend every day writing, that would be the dream! Alas, we all have “real life” stuff to do, too, so we need to make sure that when we’re filling out our planner for the week/month, we start here. 

   When we start here, we won’t accidentally schedule writing or reading time for a day when we already have many back-to-back appointments or meetings. It’s better to set ourselves up for success and plan our writing times for when we know we will be able to dedicate our full attention to it, even if it’s only for half an hour. 

2. Plan time to read. As writers, it’s critical that we read. It helps us to continually learn and grow as writers. Reading in the genre that we write is also a great way to learn about our own preferences and figure out which writing styles we want to use. It can be a great way to unwind and destress from a crazy day, too,

   Personally, if I don’t put reading on my schedule, I hardly ever get to it, so I made it a goal to read at least three chapters a day. It’s the perfect amount for me, not too much, but not so little that it takes me months to read a single book. We each have to find whatever pace works best for our schedules and our goals.

3. Plan time to write. The main goal in using our planner for writing is to make sure we plan time to write! Once we’ve filled in all the major events, appointments, and meetings, then we can get to the good stuff - writing. 

   Some of us want to write every day, which can seem like a lofty goal. If we break it down, it doesn’t seem so out of reach. I try to allot one hour a day in my schedule for writing. This is another flexible idea that depends on each person. There are some days when we may have a couple hours to write, or maybe just a few minutes. Either way, I try to write at least a little bit every day.

4. Plan time to edit. Editing is an important piece to start scheduling once we have a complete draft to edit. Some writers may edit as they go, but others, like me, edit at the end of a project/book. To avoid the trap of over-editing (because our inner critic feeds on that), we find that it’s generally best to get through most of a draft before doing major editing. 

   When I schedule editing, I still like to work on writing too, since I have a few projects going at once. I’ll schedule times for writing, and separate times for editing. 

   Not everyone works this way! It’s absolutely fine if you remove writing from your planner to make room for editing a project. The reason it’s important to add editing to our planners is because it’s another thing that may fall quite far on our list of priorities if we’re not proactive.

5. If there’s time…In some planners, there are sections each week for extra tasks. In my planner it’s called “If there’s time…” which is a great addition when you can find a planner that has one.

   This area is where we can put the tasks that aren’t as important, but we’d still like to if we have spare time. Like most people, I find that I often forget even the simple things if I don’t write them down, so it’s nice to have a space in my planner that helps me remember the tasks I wanted to do if I have time.

6. Use color coding. Color coding can help with organization, as well as add a bit of fun to planning. For example, we can choose a color to go with each type of task. 

   For me, anything I need to do with writing is written in pink, anything about reading is written in green, and any appointments are written in orange. But you can create whatever kind of color code you want!

   Stickers and tabs are also helpful and fun because they can be a cute reminder or pick-me-up that also helps you separate out tasks that need to be done. We find that making our planners fun and colorful makes our to-do lists both more functional and less imposing (especially when it’s a long list!).

7. Give yourself small, bite-sized tasks. When we put too large of tasks on our lists and don’t finish them, it can put a damper on our spirits. Breaking larger tasks up into a couple of smaller ones makes finishing much easier. We get to check off multiple tasks on our list, and we feel accomplished because we at least started our project, or maybe even finished it. 

   For those of us who lack motivation or just need a little extra push, it’s also okay to include day-to-day tasks like brushing our teeth and eating breakfast in our planners. Even if it seems trivial, we need to make sure that we can get through our day as best we can - sometimes that means crossing things off of our list! 

8. Give yourself small rewards for completing tasks. Small rewards are a great way to make completing our tasks more fun & exciting. Rewards can be anything from a ten minute break to a special snack to using a fun pen to check the task off the list. 

   Personally, I use a fancy gel pen to check off my completed tasks and it creates a feeling of satisfaction and I don’t need much else to keep me moving. If a task seems more daunting or cumbersome, Sometimes I need a bigger reward for completing it like buying a new pen or notebook. It all comes down to staying motivated. After all, you know yourself best - what will keep you going?

My challenge to you is to start using a planner - any kind of planner. 

Do you already use a planner? What type of planner works for you? How do you stay motivated? 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.

How to Write Valentine’s Day Poems for the Hopeless Romantic

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, most of us are trying to decide what to give those special people in our lives. Whether friends, family, or significant others, they all deserve to receive something heartfelt. What better gift to give than a poem written by you? 

Here are some great tips on how to write a poem for the hopeless romantic in your life!

8 Tips for Writing Valentine’s Day Poems

1. Think about the person’s likes and dislikes. Start by making a list of everything we know our loved one likes and dislikes. Think about favorite movies, shows, books, foods, games, etc. The more information you have, the easier it will be to write a poem for them. 

2. Think about their personality & the things you like about them. This one goes a little deeper. What do you like about the person? Are they kind, caring, funny, easygoing, honest, exciting, outgoing, or sarcastic? It’s time to add all of the personality traits that you like about your loved one to the list. This will also help you decide which type of poem they will enjoy the most!

3. Think about both of your personalities & your relationship. Why is it that your relationship with your loved one just works? Is it the witty banter, free flowing conversations, or time spent just enjoying each other’s company? Whatever it is, write it down. Think about how you interact with one another and what your relationship is like. How are you together? 

4. Decide what type of poem to write. There are many types of poems. People spend their whole lives working on these things! BUT, for Valentine’s Day, you have a few simpler options. 

Haiku

A haiku is a three line poem that originated in Japan. The first line is made up of 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables and the third 5 syllables.

Here’s an example of a haiku:

Love makes me feel high

Like I’m flying in the sky

Would you like to try?

- Holly -

Limerick

A limerick is a poem containing 5 lines. The rhyming scheme for these poems is AA/BB/A. Limericks are meant to be crude, funny, or whimsical. Here is an example. It incorporates a tiny bit of that crudeness factor and whimsy, without getting really inappropriate. 

Here’s an example of a limerick:

I once met a boy in blue,

handsome and very sweet too.

I thought in my head,

please jump in my bed,

and wouldn’t you know, it was you!

- Holly -

Sonnet

There are different types of sonnets, but Shakespearean sonnets are well known for being love poems. A Shakespearean sonnet follows this rhyme scheme: ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG. The first 3 sections are called quatrains because of the 4 lines and the final section is a couplet because there are only 2 lines. 

Here’s one of Shakespeare’s most famous sonnets: 

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade

Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;

Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

- William Shakespeare -

Acrostic

An acrostic poem spells a word or name with the first letter of each line. It doesn’t have to rhyme or have any certain number of lines - just as many as there are letters in the word or name you choose! Each line should describe the word or name in some way. 

Here’s an example acrostic poem by famous writer Edgar Allen Poe:

Elizabeth it is in vain you say

"Love not" — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:

In vain those words from thee or L. E. L.

Zantippe's talents had enforced so well:

Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,

Breathe it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.

Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried

To cure his love — was cured of all beside —

His folly — pride — and passion — for he died.

- Edgar Allen Poe -

Free Verse

Free verse poetry can be the easiest, but it can also be the hardest. If you choose this style, you can follow whatever rhyme scheme you want, or you don’t have to rhyme at all. Free verse is my usual go-to when writing poems, but sometimes it’s easier if you have a guideline to follow like you do with the other types of poetry.

Here’s an example of free verse poetry from famed author e.e. cummings:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

my heart)i am never without it(anywhere

i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

                                                      i fear

no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

- e.e. cummings -

5. Decide how much information you need & what to use. The type of poem you decide to write, will determine how much information you want/need to include. For example, a haiku could only use three of your brainstormed ideas at most. But any of the others would need more. If you choose a limerick, it may be more appropriate to tie in some of the dislikes you thought of and turn them into jokes (as long as you know the receiver will find them funny, too!)

6. Start drafting. Most poems take a few drafts to get right. If you’re writing a rhyming poem, it may be useful to pull up both dictionary and thesaurus websites. Not all poems have to rhyme, though! If you don’t want to worry about rhyming, you can choose to write a haiku, acrostic, or free verse poem. Sonnets and limericks typically must include rhymes.

7. Read it out loud. A poem can look great on paper, but you don’t truly know whether it flows until you read it aloud. Pick out any words or lines that could be changed to better the poem as a whole. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to make it perfect - as long as you’re happy with the outcome, and you think your loved one will enjoy it, then it’s ready!

8. Finalize the details. It’s time to make the changes we picked out in step 7 and finalize your poem! Finalizing your poem includes choosing whether you will print it out on fancy paper, with pictures, handwriting, and of course - what you want your title to be! I like to use the first line of the poem as the title, but you can be more creative if you want. Poems don’t necessarily need a title. You can always just use the name of who the poem is for, too. These little details are up to you!

Writing poems can be a great way to show we care for someone, but it can also be a lot of fun! Sometimes we surprise ourselves with what we’re able to create. Though there are many different types of poems, and certain “rules” to follow, in the end, we can write poems however we like. They are a way to express our creativity and have a little fun.

A Free Verse Poem for You, Reader

This blog is for you

those who love to write too,

reading and supporting, 

our work as you do,

means so much and more

than can be expressed,

thank you to all

and Happy Valentine’s Day to the best!

I challenge you to write a poem for a loved one or significant other.

Have you written poetry before? What type have you tried? How did it go? 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 (and possibly great romance, if your poem goes well!).

Why the Starving Artist Stigma is Wrong

As writers, most of us have heard: 

How are you planning to make a living writing?

Writers can’t make money unless they publish a book

Shouldn’t you have a backup...you know, just in case?

Even if yours were a little different, you’ve heard something along those lines, right? 

We’ve all felt the disbelieving stares when we mention we’re writers, too. There have probably even been times we’ve omitted mentioning we’re writers just to avoid the inevitable negative or doubtful comments and questions. 

There’s this annoying and persistent stigma - the “starving artist” concept - that’s been attached to writers for too long. It’s time to set the record straight. 

What’s the Stigma?

The stigma surrounding authors and writers is that they struggle to make money, or can’t make money at all unless formally published. Sometimes both in conjunction. 

Even when writers do get books published, people often believe writers are still “starving artists” unless they become mega bestsellers. Let’s break the stigma down a little more, though, because there’s much more than money behind these assumptions.

What the Heck is a “Starving Artist”?

A starving artist is someone who forgoes material items and a steady income in order to do what they love, or what they are passionate about. It’s most commonly associated with artists, actors, and musicians, but really extends to any artform, such as writing. After all, creating worlds with words is an art.

Creating worlds with words is an art.

We’re not the only ones who think the starving artist stigma needs to go either.  If you’re interested, you can check out well-known author Jeff Goins’ take - this piece is a powerful statement about why we don’t need to starve as artists. He even wrote a book about it! 

When You do Anything Creative, People Assume You’re Going to Fail

Most people conclude that trying to make a living through creative means, like writing, is a long shot, or even impossible. When we try to be bold with our writing, people often ask how we plan to make money that way, or maybe just give us the side eye, saying “as if.” 

Sometimes it’s hard to push past the doubt and see our path clearly, but there are numerous ways to be successful as a writer. It’s even harder when the people who question us are those who are otherwise supportive. They don’t necessarily doubt us, just this “unstable” career path.

People Don’t Understand How Writers Makes Money

The only way people really know that writers can make money is either by publishing a book or being a journalist for a magazine or newspaper. 

Although this used to be the case, many people don’t realize there are many new and emerging routes for writers that are actually way more profitable than publishing a book or being a journalist. (Spoiler alert: most writers who have a published book don’t make a lot of money from it. There are other ways to make money from a book, though.)

In the digital age we live in, the opportunities to write for a good profit are bountiful and diverse - after all, who do you think writes all that website copy you read every day? Or those sales emails you get every waking second? Writers.

Why is Writing Stigmatized? 

All Movies & TV...Like Ever

When we see writers on screen, they are journalists or have a backstory about a “classic” or bestselling author. In every scenario, the main character starts with major struggles to make ends meet. They just need this one big break and they will be set for life! 

Unfortunately, that’s not the case for most of us who are practicing writers. We may start out a little worse for the wear, but a lot of us aren’t depending on that one big project to make or break our entire lives. Most writers have found other ways to support themselves and are doing just fine. 

People Assume that if We’re Writing, We’re Writing Books 

We don’t need to be writing books to be writers. Not all writers write books, and that’s okay! There are many other ways to be a professional writer. Copywriting, content writing, email writing, blog writing, song writing, and technical writing are all profitable forms of writing. The concept of writing itself has evolved a lot because of the constant growth in technology in the modern world. 

We don’t need to be writing books to be writers.

Even if you are simply writing for yourself, you can still call yourself a writer! There’s no reason we shouldn’t consider someone a writer just because they haven’t published, or publicly shared their writing with others.

People Assume We have to Publish a Book to be Successful

Publishing a book can certainly be helpful, but it’s not necessary. Writers can find success in many different fields. If you’re writing stories, you can use websites like Patreon, Wattpad, and Medium to post content and earn money. You can also make your content free if you want - money does not always equal success. 

Blogging and social media are great ways for us to share our writing with others if we don’t want to publish a book, but still want to find success. There are great opportunities to collaborate with others, or to create your own website, if you’re willing to do a little research. 

What’s Wrong with the “Starving Artist” Picture?

First of all, it’s untrue.

There are so many ways to make money and be successful as a writer. If you want to write, do it. Don’t let the fear or stigma of writers not being able to make money hold you back. Find the right niche and make a plan to follow your dreams. There’s nothing wrong with not making money from your writing, but there’s also nothing wrong with making a good living from it!

People do it every day. You’re not alone - none of us who call ourselves writers are. We are not alone as writers! There are writing communities to back you up no matter which branch of writing you decide to try. Connect with fellow writers, ask questions, and remember, you CAN be a successful writer!

Second, it’s time to write a new narrative about writers.

We can forge new paths for ourselves and find success down any avenue we choose. 

When someone tries to tell you writers don’t make money, or aren’t successful unless they’re published - don’t take it sitting down. Remind them that the starving artist is a thing of the past, or an idea for the movies. We can forge new paths for ourselves and find success down any avenue we choose. 

Shake off the fears and doubts of others. Anyone who’s not a writer doesn’t really know how fulfilling and inspiring writing can be. We need to allow ourselves to find success doing what we love and remember to surround ourselves with people who lift us up and cheer us on!

I challenge you to try out a new writing medium this week - a poem, a short story, a blog, a new kind of email, or even a new type of social media post! Pick something that intrigues you and go for it.

What type of writing do you do? Have you faced doubt from others? How did you deal with the naysayers? 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.

6 Ways Napping Helps Me Write

I have all the content planned for the next couple of months - outlined and waiting to be written. Today was supposed to be about goals. While I love talking about goals, I wasn’t feeling it.

Not today. 

No, today I sat down to write and decided to nap instead.

What can I say? I love naps. 

It could be because I stayed up a little too late last night finishing a book, which I haven’t done in what feels like years. It could be because for several days I’ve felt off - cold-like, but nothing dire. It could be because I like to take it easier on the weekend and get back to it on Monday. I’ve earned the time off! But I just could not get back into the groove today.  

Mostly I’m writing about naps because I like them and I enjoy being snuggled up in blankets. 

And you know what? That actually helps my writing. 

Here’s why: 

When I’m tired, I’m not thinking about writing, or the subject matter.

I’m thinking about how tired I am, or how heavy my eyelids are, or whether it’s worth making another cup of tea with more caffeine so I can push out some extra words. None of this is productive.

When I’m thinking about napping, I’m already distracted.

Sometimes it’s about my anxiety flaring up. Sometimes it’s about not having slept well. Sometimes I just need a quiet break during the day! So if I sit down at the keyboard, or even my journal (which is a sacred, judgement-free zone), I’m going to get distracted by the tumbleweed of dog hair in the corner of the room.

I’m going to be thinking about all the sticky notes that have come unstuck from their respective homes and floated perilously near the edge of the desk where the puppy is sure to grab them as soon as he sees an opportunity. I’m not really showing up to my writing at this point, even though my body is in the chair waiting for further instructions from my glazed over brain.

It cleanses my mind.

Several times a week I use a brief 15 minute nap to meditate and clear all the junk out of my mind. You know the kind that really gets in the way of creativity: financial concerns, household chores, irritation at your dog eating yet another tissue out of the bathroom trash when you weren’t looking. It bogs me down! So I do a short meditation and rest my eyes for just a few minutes after, and voila! Brand new me who’s ready to kick ass again. 

It’s alone time.

Those of you who live with a partner or spouse or roommate will feel me on this: when we’re at home virtually all the time, there’s not a lot of space. Our house is approximately 1100 square feet, and while I do have an office with a door, I can’t always shut it for one reason or another. Many times I’m napping for more than one reason. Having a little slice of alone time in a very together kind of lifestyle is almost always one of those reasons. 

It calms anxiety.

Before I figured out how to deal with my anxiety, the only thing I knew that worked to shut everything down quickly was to nap. Even when everything was flying by at a mile a minute (like due dates for term papers and such) napping could always set me at ease.

Later on, I learned some other methods, but napping is always a sure way to contain my anxiety when it’s crept up without me realizing it. I always wake up from a nap refreshed, so it’s natural for me to take that time regularly. I mean, why wouldn’t I use a tried and true method to contain the panic monster when she’s trying to escape? 

When I’m at ease, I write better. Like, a lot better.

I write a lot. I journal, I write for clients, I write my own blog content, I’m working on a novel. It’s safe to say that even for someone who loves words more than most other things, I write A LOT. It’s not always an easy transition between ideas either. If I’m writing a mental health article for a client, or an article about addiction recovery, I can’t just finish that and turn around and write about how much I’m inspired by my dogs (which I am). I have to have some time to shift my mindset and style.

Napping is the perfect way to ease this tension, especially when I’m on a tight schedule. The reality is I could just jump right into the next piece of writing, but it’s not going to be as good as it could be. And not as coherent as it needs to be. You can edit most things, but I’m typically a pretty clean first draft writer, so when I find something atrocious, I know I felt rushed or didn’t have my head in the right place. It takes me way longer to edit something really bad than to close my eyes for 15 minutes and come back and write a solid first draft. 

Napping works incredibly well for me as a tool for productivity and writing success, and it has great potential to work for you, too!

My challenge for you is to try it: the next time you’re overwhelmed, try setting a 15 minute timer and forcing your brain to shut down.

Do you nap regularly? How does it work for you? I’d love to hear! 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 - and napping.