How Women Write

Mercury, the planet that rules communication, is retrograde for the first time in 2025 from March 15 through April 7. As a writer and coach, I love this time of year to slow down, take a look at my past writing projects, and use the energy to freshen some pieces up and open up to new inspiration.

• March 15 to April 7, 2025, in Aries & Pisces

  • March 15 -29 in Aries

  • March 29 -April 7 in Pisces

• July 18 -August 11, 2025, in Leo

• November 9 to 29, 2025, in Sagittarius & Scorpio

  • November 9-18 in Sagittarius

  • November 18-29 in Scorpio

In this episode of the How Women Write Podcast, I explore the magic of using Mercury retrograde to improve my business and all my writing — blogs, book content, and website copy.

Since Mercury is the planet that affects communication, we can use this to our advantage and polish our most important writing projects. And because Mercury Retrograde happens a few times a year, we've got multiple opportunities to use it to our benefit.

Generally, Mercury retrograde isn't usually the best time to start something brand new, like launching a book or a major writing project, unless you know you're going to revisit it later. Many writing projects take time to complete, so you can absolutely start a book project or website project.

Here's what you'll get from this episode:

• What Mercury retrograde is and how to apply it to your writing life — starting today

• How I'm using this Mercury Retrograde in Aries and Pisces to revisit my blogs and pause and review my spiritual practices

• Dozens of specific ideas to review, repurpose, and refresh your writing

• Practical ways to stretch everything you write even further to attract new readers

• Fun ways to repurpose and freshen up just about any piece of writing, from blogs to books to nurture sequences to newsletters and even your website copy

I hope that after listening, you're as excited about Mercury retrograde as I am :) It's such a great time for reflection and growth and for making your writing shine!

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and a Mercury Retrograde Mishap

00:50 Understanding Mercury Retrograde & Debunking Some Myths

01:16 How to Flow with Mercury Retrograde

04:24 Mercury Retrograde and Writing Projects

05:36 Review and Reevaluate During Mercury Retrograde

21:51 Repurposing Content and Exploring Writing Habits

36:17 Writing Prompts for Going Deeper This Mercury Retrograde

39:10 Conclusion and Upcoming Events In The Intuitive Writing Collective

Links & Mentions:

• Join The Intuitive Writing Collective to participate in the Aries season planning party, blogging workshop, and co-writing sessions.

• Books: Unfussy Life, Intuitive Writing

• SFD — The Surrendered First Draft

• If you have questions or challenges you'd like me to discuss in an upcoming episode about editing, get in touch - [email protected]

Busting the Myth of Writer's Block: Practical Strategies for Writing Flow

Oh, writer's block.

The one thing that so many writers point to when they're not writing. The elusive and vague "writer's block," that gives creatives an out to put the pen down and commisserate.

In this episode of How Women Write, I'm busting the myth of writer's block. In short — writer's block is bullshit. Writer's block is actually a symptom of a deeper underlying issue — maybe more than one.

The feeling of not writing when you want to be writing can be frustrating. All you want is to put words on the page.

I've never had writer's block and I don't believe you need to either.

I've identified seven reasons that can lead to this frustrating feeling of being blocked:

1. Fear
2. Waiting to feel ready
3. Indecision
4. Lack of lived experience
5. Distractions
6. An unclear WHY
7. Not knowing what you think about something.

It's important to understand the root causes of these feelings, as they can really hinder our writing progress.

In this episode:

• You'll hear about seven reasons why you might be blaming writer's block
• You'll get several writing prompts to help get you writing about your lived experiences
• You'll find journal prompts for stream of consciousness writing to help you uncover why you're writing and what's behind any fears
• You'll get my practical advice on how to overcome any perceived blocks.
• I'll invite you to remove the term "writer's block" from your vocabulary altogether and instead focus on simple practices to help you tap into the writing flow.

Links:

• 03. The Surrendered First Draft Is the Key to Your Authentic Writing Voice
• Unfussy Life

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Writer's Block

00:39 Debunking the Myth of Writer's Block

01:22 Common Excuses for Writer's Block

03:33 The Seven Reasons Behind Writer's Block

03:53 Reason 1: Fear

06:36 Reason 2: Waiting to Feel Ready

08:47 Reason 3: Indecision and Expectations

12:59 Reason 4: Lack of Lived Experience

18:27 Reason 5: Distraction

20:02 Reason 6: Unclear Purpose

22:05 Reason 7: Unformed Thoughts

25:54 Practical Tips to Overcome Writer's Block

27:02 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

That book you just put down.

The blog post you reshared on Facebook.

The social post that inspired you to leave a thoughtful comment.

All those words have one thing in common.

In this third episode of How Women Write, I explore the idea of surrendered first drafts — how they're ESSENTIAL to helping you create your unique writing voice.

I've realized the importance of avoiding labeling initial drafts with negative words — think about what this does to your brain! Instead, I invite you to see your first drafts as a natural and necessary part of your writing process.

It's time to let go of these old ideas that hold you back and play with drafting your writing as quickly as possible without overthinking. It's writing without a backspace button.

Here's what you'll learn in this week's episode:

• Why I'll never refer to the first draft of anything as anything other than that — a draft
• How to establish a writing practice that feels natural and effortless
• The difference between authentic writing and constrictive and contrived writing and how to know you're being real in your words
• Practical ways to sync your writing process with your natural rhythm
• Last, I share specific and valuable tips to help you write fast drafts every day this week to help you uncover your own writing flow

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction to How Women Write

01:58 The Concept of First Drafts

02:53 Reframing the Shitty First Draft

04:17 The Process of Surrendered Writing

06:12 Overcoming Perfectionism in Writing

10:44 Practical Tips for Surrendered Drafts

25:34 Embracing Your Authentic Writing Voice

33:08 Writing Tips for Finding Flow With the Moon the Week of March 2

37:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

When it feels like you're pulling the words out of mud, and you're procrastinating, or worse — forcing yourself to find some prose, it could simply mean that the weather's not quite aligned with the writing or editing you're trying to do.

Instead, try aligning your writing project with the moon (and/or a menstrual cycle if you have one). No worries if you don't have a menstrual cycle or never did — simply follow the moon. It's a reliable and consistent energy.

Writing with nature's rhythms for the past handful of years, I've written and published my second book, drafted and edited a third, sent weekly email newsletters, and blogged consistently.

If you're looking for a fun way to write WITH the energy of the day instead of trying to fight it, you'll love today's episode.

You'll discover:

• The fascinating connection between a woman's menstrual cycle, the moon's cycle, and the seasons.
• How to align your writing and editing activities for more productivity and flow.
• The best times of the month for writing, editing, and even publishing.
• Practical ways to start your next writing project TODAY.
• Writing prompts designed to help you integrate these ideas into your writing process right away — because knowledge without action is just taking up space in your head.

Writing with nature's rhythms is a transformative way to connect our creativity with the natural world and co-create with the Divine.

Get in touch at The Intuitive Writing School.com or JacquelineFisch.com.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Cycical Writing with Nature's Rhythms

00:11 Connecting Women's Menstrual Cycles with the Moon

02:02 Practical Writing Tips for the Four Moon Phases

05:25 New Moon: Setting Intentions and Planting Seeds

09:55 Waxing Moon: Exploring New Ideas and Fast Drafting

21:23 Full Moon: Visibility, Focused Writing, Gratitude, and Letting Go

26:08 Focusing During the Waning Moon: Editing and Finalizing

30:31 Aligning Writing with Differing Menstrual and Moon Cycles

33:03 Practical Tips for Book Writing with the Moon Phases

38:39 Blog Writing with the Moon Phases

42:02 Reflective Writing Prompts and Final Thoughts

Welcome to the debut episode of 'How Women Write.' I'm Jacqueline Fisch, and I'm excited to introduce you to writing flow. I've never bought into the lie that writing needed to be a struggle. Writer's block is complete BS, and I believe that everyone can write.

In this episode, you'll hear about my road to thriving in the writing life, from reading books on writing to forcing myself into masculine writing challenges to finding flow with writing based on nature's rhythms.

You'll also hear about:

• The approach I took to write my first two books
• Why writing looks different for women depending on the day
• The real reason women burn out in the middle of their writing projects
• The number one way to write faster

A sneak peek into some future podcast topics, such as writing rituals, the rejection of writer's block, and inspiring conversations with other women writers.

Get in touch at TheIntuitiveWritingSchool.com and JacquelineFisch.com

Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction to How Women Write

01:23 Meet Jacqueline Fisch: Host and Author

01:59 Journey to Becoming a Writer

03:17 From Corporate to Freelance Writing

03:57 The Birth of a Food Blog

05:06 Transition to Lifestyle and Personal Writing

06:59 Embracing the Writer's Identity

08:06 Writing Challenges and Discoveries

09:43 The First Book: A Journey of Change

12:53 Intuitive Writing: A New Approach

16:23 Writing in Flow: Understanding the Process

17:15 The Role of Hormones and Moon Cycles in Writing

23:35 Writing and Editing: Separate but Equal

24:19 Conclusion and Next Steps