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Today I’m going to talk about something that affects nearly all book writers—and let’s be honest, pretty much all people—at one point or another, and that’s overwhelm. 

 I’ll be giving you four tips to help you overcome these feelings when they arise so that you can feel calmer and more confident to move forward with your writing.

 To find the full transcript of this episode, go to YourWordsUnleashed.com/5.

So, onto overwhelm. You definitely know what I’m talking about. This was always a tough issue for writers, but it’s gotten a lot worse during this seemingly never-ending pandemic.

This is especially true for women who generally have to give much more of their time and energy to care for their families and their students’ emotional needs, leaving them with almost nothing at the end of the day for themselves or their own work. 

Overwhelm is not quite the same as burnout, although it’s related. But for scholarly authors, it’s that feeling like you’re drowning in too many ideas and too much data and you have no clear path forward. It can make you feel panicked and like time is running out. 

And these feelings, which are based in fear, often slow your writing way down or can even cause you to avoid it altogether. 

When you’re feeling overwhelmed, the idea of finishing your manuscript or getting a contract with a press you admire or having your book be published and read by people out in the world can seem like a distant dream. 

So, with all of this in mind, I’d like to offer four tips to help you navigate your way out of overwhelm so that you can stop spinning your wheels and start moving forward again in a way that feels good—and not like torture.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

 

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Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...