Author Diary Entries

Stuck with what to write for National Novel Writing Month this year? Struggling to get your creative juices flowing? Need to meet your daily word count goal, but not sure how to get there? Never fear—these writing prompts are here to help!   

With 20 different writing prompt ideas to use during NaNoWriMo, you'll have no problem reaching your word count goals! Put pen to paper, explore your creativity, and stretch your writing muscles when you use these writing prompt ideas.  

Tune into this episode of Indie Author Weekly for the 20 NaNoWriMo writing prompt ideas...  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books   
• Episode 28 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to prepare for writing your next book (NaNoWriMo prep tips) .  
• Episode 5 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to write a book in 10 days during Camp NaNoWriMo    
• Get the writing prompts cheatsheet at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast   
• Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  
• Submit your questions for future episode topics at SaganMorrow.com/question   

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

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Learn how to get through the messy middle with these 5 tips! These actionable strategies will empower you to keep ploughing through, even when you’re feeling bogged down. (Plus, you’ll get an additional 5 questions you need to ask yourself when you’re analyzing the issue of your personal experience of going through the messy middle.)  

The “messy middle” is a common occurrence for probably just about every single author out there—it’s that experience of starting off strong with your book, and then partway through, you might feel kind of stuck. The plot fizzles out or your characters don’t do what you want them to do or you forget how to string a sentence together.   

So, how do you keep ploughing through when that happens? Tune into this episode of Indie Author Weekly for 5 tips to help you out with that exact issue...   

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books   
• Get the character writing prompts worksheet at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast    
• Episode 25 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to get back into book writing after taking a break    
• Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  
• Submit your questions for future episode topics at SaganMorrow.com/question   

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn why setting is so important for your book, and 4 important questions to ask yourself when you are making the decision around the setting and backdrop for your book, in this episode of Indie Author Weekly.   

Today’s episode topic is another listener-submitted question from Alana, who wants to know, “How do you do setting? Do you see setting as an additional character, or does it not matter? Is it important for you to represent certain places with your setting?”   

Before we can get into answering these questions about setting, we first need to look at what exactly setting is. Setting is about the time, place, and society in which a story is told.   

You want to make sure that the setting you’ve chosen is one which highlights the main themes of your story, and really showcases them. If you choose a setting that detracts from the themes of your story, then that can really take away from the emotional effect. A setting that bolsters your story’s themes will resonate more strongly with your readers, so that whatever messages you might be trying to convey are really driven home.   

Tune into this episode of Indie Author Weekly now to get the inside scoop and behind-the-scenes peek at how your host Sagan Morrow writes setting into her books, plus why setting matters so much and how you can apply these tips to your own writing…   

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books   
• Winnipeg locations: Forth, Langside Grocery, Goodwill Social Club, Peasant Cookery   
• Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast  
• Submit your questions for future episode topics at SaganMorrow.com/question   

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn how to support your author friends—besides buying and reading their books—with these 5 tips! Plus, a special announcement... today is book release day for Being Good (Book 5 in the Polyamorous Passions series!).   

Being an author takes a huge amount of time and energy. But let’s take it a step further, to break it down and consider the numbers...   

For indie authors, when you take into account that a typical e-book retails at $2.99, but that there could easily be upwards of 40 hours of work put into the book (not to mention at least a couple hundred dollars per book for cover design, book editing, etc.—which doesn’t even take into account marketing efforts), and when you consider that all e-book platforms take 30—70% royalties of each book sold, then you’ll see that it takes a whole lot of book sales in order to get close to breaking even, let alone earn a liveable wage.   

That’s why every copy an author can sell truly does matter to them! If an author wants to make a living from their books, then they’re really committed to it for the long haul. 

One of the beautiful things about how easy self-publishing can be, is that anyone can do it. Of course, this also makes it challenging to cut through the noise and for an author to make a name for themselves, and get noticed.   

As a result, anything that you can do to support your author friends means the absolute world to them. When you do any of the tips in this episode, you are supporting your friend’s dream. You are showing them that you care about their dreams, and that you want them to succeed.   

And the best part is that each of these ideas will only take you a few minutes or a couple of bucks. Yes, that’s right: you can support your author friend’s dream for the grand cost to you of $3 or 3 minutes. 

So, with that in mind… what can you do to support your author friends? 

First and foremost, buying their books is awesome! Buy—and, ideally also read—their books, whether those consist of e-versions or paperbacks. 

But besides that, what are other ways you can support your author friends? Tune into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast to get 5 suggestions for how to support your author friends...   

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Read Being Good (Book 5 in the Polyamorous Passions series) at SaganMorrow.com/books   
• Episode 24 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: excerpt of Being Good   
• Episode 12 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to write (quick and painless) book reviews      
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast to access the (free!) sample chapter of Being Good at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast   
• Check out the Polyamorous Passions book merch and Indie Author Weekly podcast merch (mini notebooks, pens, shirts, and tote bags!) at SaganMorrow.com/shop   
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question   

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to c

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn the top 10 tips for how to prepare for National Novel Writing Month in this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast! These NaNoWriMo prep tips are a great resource for preparing in advance for writing your next book, regardless of whether you plan to participate in National Novel Writing Month this November, or if you are writing a book at any time of the year.   

National Novel Writing Month takes place every November, and the idea behind it is to challenge yourself to write a 50,000-word novel during those 30 days. It’s a fantastic organization with lots of great writing resources and an easy way to track and graph your book. Your podcast host Sagan Morrow has participated quite a few times over the years!  

The best trick to succeed with NaNoWriMo is to prepare in advance for your month of book writing. How much strategic prep work you do ahead of time can directly correlate to your success with actually completing the 50,000-word goal by the end of the month. So that’s why this podcast episode is a must-listen to help really set you up for success if you are planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month this year.   

(Keep in mind that you can really apply these tips any time you’re gearing up to begin a new writing project. So whether or not you choose to participate in NaNoWriMo, you can absolutely still benefit from these strategies for how to prepare to write your next book!)  

Tune into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast to get your writing prep tips now...   

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• National Novel Writing Month  
• Episode 5 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to write a book in 10 days with Camp NaNoWriMo   
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast to access the (free!) character writing prompts worksheet at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast   
• Episode 3 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Getting started with outlining & writing a new book   
• Episode 27 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Top 10 tips for how to build a story for your book   
• Check out the Indie Author Weekly merch (mini notebooks, pens, and tote bags!) at SaganMorrow.com/shop   
• Episode 13 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: How to deal with writer's block   
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question   

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn the top 10 tips for how to build a story for your book, whether you write fiction or non-fiction content, in this episode of Indie Author Weekly! 

In this episode, you'll find out practical strategies for crafting a story from the beginning of your initial idea to the end of your work. This episode includes examples of both fiction and non-fiction, so regardless of the type of content you write as an author, you'll be able to apply these tips to your own work. 

A great story includes some kind of an angle, or approach, that resonates with readers. Your job as an author is to give your readers a reason to pick up the book and start reading... and then keep them engaged throughout the book right until the end (and hopefully afterward, so that they keep reading your work every time you publish a new book!). 

What are you doing to give your reader a reason to care? How are you capturing their attention throughout the story? This episode of Indie Author Weekly delves into these topics and more to ensure you build an awesome story for your book. Tune in to get the details now... 

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast to access the (free!) character writing prompts worksheet at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast  
• Read "A Choice Between Two" for free at Books2Read.com/b/polypassions1  
• Read "Being Good" at Books2Read.com/b/polypassions5  
• Read "The Business of Writing & Editing: Practical Tips & Templates for New Freelancers" at SaganMorrow.com/the-business-of-writing-editing-book  
• Cassandra Clare's "Mortal Instruments" series as an example of great fast-paced YA writing  
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question  

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn what do when you decide to change your original book writing and publishing plans in this episode of Indie Author Weekly. You'll find out the top 5 questions you MUST ask yourself if you're changing your plans (and yes, your writing plans will inevitably change at some point!), plus get some insight into your host Sagan Morrow's experience with changing her writing and publishing plans this year.

Plus, this episode features a special cover reveal of Sagan's upcoming book release, Being Good (Book 5 in the Polyamorous Passions series), and you can access a sample chapter of the book at the "secret" version of this podcast!  

Tune into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast now to get the scoop... 

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast to access the (free!) sample chapter of the next installment in the Polyamorous Passions series, Being Good (Book 5), at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast  
• Check out the Book 5 cover reveal (and pre-order it for just $0.99!) at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Episode 0 of Indie Author Weekly: Sagan's initial 2019 book writing & publishing plans  
• Behind-the-scenes of solopreneurship, delivered to your inbox every Saturday: SaganMorrow.com/newsletter  
• National Novel Writing Month   
• Check out the "as seen in Polyamorous Passions" t-shirts at SaganMorrow.com/shop   
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question  

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn 4 tips for how to get back into book writing after taking a break. This step-by-step guide will help you out if you've taken a break from writing and are ready to return to a book project!  

After all, who hasn't taken a break from writing their book? Whether you took a week, a month, or a year—or longer!—away from your book project, the tips shared in this author podcast will give you the tips and tools you need to get back into the swing of things with confidence.  

You'll learn why you shouldn't put a lot of pressure on yourself, how getting back into a book writing project is like dating a new person, why you should reread and review your previous work before you write a single new word, what your host Sagan Morrow does to create goals and set concrete, realistic timeframes for her own books, and more.  

Plus, you can get access—for free!—to the word count tracker spreadsheet and the character writing prompts mentioned in this episode over at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Tune into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast now to get the scoop...  

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast to access the (free!) character development writing prompts AND the word count tracker spreadsheet at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast  
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question  
• Episode 17 of Indie Author Weekly: An exercise to improve character development  
• Episode 4 of Indie Author Weekly: How to stay disciplined to write & publish books  
• Episode 8 of Indie Author Weekly: Time management tips  

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Get a sneak peek of the next installment in the Polyamorous Passions series, "Being Good" (Book 5), in this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast! This teaser is from Chapter 3: Helen and her fiance Ben, together with Emma and one of her boyfriends Carlos, just arrived at a bar. They are all here tonight because Scarlett is performing a burlesque show at this bar, so right now they are waiting for the show to begin. 

...And they are just about to be interrupted by Grant, who Helen is secretly crushing on, and who also happens to be the photographer that she and Ben hired for their upcoming wedding. Drama!  

Tune in to this episode to get the full excerpt and find out what happens next...   

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast  
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question  
• Preorder your copy of "Being Good" on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble: Books2Read.com/polypassions5  
• Rae's Reading Lounge (book blog)  

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Learn a step-by-step method for how to create a playlist for the next book you write in this episode of the indie author podcast. Although creating playlists can be time-consuming, it’s also a straightforward process that everyone (author and readers alike) can benefit from! 

Plus, find out a few of the songs your host Sagan Morrow chose to feature as the “soundtrack” for her books, and why you might want to choose more emotional songs vs. high-energy songs based on the character and mood and scenes in the books. Explore tension between characters through music when you have special book-specific playlists. 

This episode also shares why you need to think about how quickly the average reader goes through a book, so that your song choices match up with the chapters inside your book. 

Access sample chapters of Sagan's novels, transcripts of each episode, cheatsheets and spreadsheets relevant to the episode topics, and additional resources, at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast.  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about Sagan’s books at SaganMorrow.com/books  
• Tune into the “secret” version of this podcast at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast 
• Submit your questions at SaganMorrow.com/question  
• Playlist for Book 1 (A Choice Between Two): SaganMorrow.com/playlist1 
• Playlist for Book 2 (Gaming the System): SaganMorrow.com/playlist2  
• Playlist for Book 3 (Make Me Forget): SaganMorrow.com/playlist3  
• Playlist for Book 4 (She Wants More): SaganMorrow.com/playlist4  
• Playlist for Book 5 (Being Good): SaganMorrow.com/playlist5  
• Master soundtrack for the entire Polyamorous Passions series: SaganMorrow.com/polypassionsplaylist  

Connect with Sagan (@Saganlives) on Twitter and Instagram. Feel free to use the hashtag #IndieAuthorWeekly to chat about this episode.  

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show