When pitching and querying, we spend a lot of time waiting for an agent or publisher to say yes to us. But what if the road to that external yes isn’t just about having a killer idea, excellent writing skills, or a bucket full of perseverance. What if it’s about how we see ourselves? During this podcast interview, we explore the various internal no’s we can encounter, how they can lead to self-sabotage, procrastination, and prose that lacks the confidence needed to reach the finish line, as well as how to create the internal landscape that helps you say yes to your writing and yourself.Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, and trauma-informed writing coach with an Ed.S in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a background in mindfulness. She regularly presents on grief and resilience and teaches courses on writing about trauma, memoir, and the book proposal. A regular contributor to the Jane Friedman blog, Lisa’s essays and short stories have appeared in HuffPost, Hippocampus Literary Magazine, and Kenyon Review Online, among others. She writes weekly letters to her newsletter followers on how to write and live from a space of authenticity and resilience. To learn more and receive a free copy of her e-book Write More, Fret Less: Five Brain Hacks that Will Supercharge Your Productivity, Creativity, and Confidence, check out her website: lisacooperellison.com.