Mom Writes Podcast

In this episode:

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit.

Characteristic number six is knowing the marketplace, and just like project management, this is a learnable skill! Today Jennie talks about what this phrase "knowing the marketplace" means. It's something she taught herself, and it's something you can learn, too.

If this sounds interesting to you, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #7!

In this episode:

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit.

Characteristic number five is all about being able to see the big picture while at the same time focusing on the details. Listen in while Jennie talks about how this works. (And surprise, it has nothing to do with proofreading!)

If you're the kind of person who (like Jennie says) can spot holes in movie plots, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #6!

In this episode:

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit.

Project management is crucial when writing (or helping someone else) write a book. How good are you at project management? Is your answer, "Gee, well, I don't know?" If so, no fear. This is one of the learnable skills that you don't have to come to this profession already possessing. (You can learn it if you do our advanced training program!)

In this episode, Jennie talks about what is involved in managing a writer who is creating a book. If you aren't intimidated by the idea, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #5!

In this episode:

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit. 

The third characteristic of a good book coach is that they are comfortable with the creative process. This is crucial, but what does the creative process look like? Today Jennie gives you a glimpse into what it’s like to write a book.

If creative chaos doesn’t intimidate you, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #4!

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit. 

The second characteristic of a good book coach is that they are someone who loves writers-- not the act of writing, but the actual writers themselves. Writers are a weird breed, and you gotta dig who they are. Not the pretend version of what a writer is, but the real, raw version. If you’re a writer yourself (which remember, isn’t a prerequisite!), you know exactly what we’re talking about. And if not, listen in on today’s episode to hear Jennie talk more about what working with a writer means.

If this appeals to you, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #3!

Jennie Nash is back! And she's bringing you ten mini-episodes all about what characteristics make a good book coach. Each episode is short, so in less than 5 minutes, Jennie will give you a little food for thought about the kind of person for whom this work is a perfect fit.

The first one might seem like a no-brainer. You gotta love books! Listen in and see if you identify with the kind of book-loving person Jennie is describing.

And if you do, why not sign up for the FREE business of book coaching summit that Jennie is hosting January 20-24, 2020. You can find the schedule, who's going to be speaking, and how to register here: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/summit

Tune in tomorrow for characteristic #2!

Happiest of holidays from all of us here at Mom Writes! We hope you celebrate your butts off with the people you love!

And if you find yourself in need of a little Me Time, feel free to pop in your earbuds, curl into the fetal position and hide under that giant mound of crumpled wrapping paper, and listen to our latest episode.

Kemlo challenges Melanie to dig deeper into her writing by asking herself a question. Surprise! It's not WHY, but SO WHAT. And it's funny how this little twist on the classic WHY can put a fresh spin on how you think.

Mel also laments that she finds herself struggling with the same things over and over. Kemlo assures us that most writers she works with seem to struggle with the same problems again and again. She assures us, it's normal!

In this episode:

This one needs very little by way of explanation.

This week on Mom Writes, Abby and Mel go through the archives and dig up the very first drafts of their novels.

We’re talking B.C.

Before. Coaching.

It’s cringeworthy and giggle-inducing.

Then they read the current drafts of their novels. We think you’ll be able to tell the difference!

In this episode:

Abby’s been doing a new thing that helps her put on her writer’s hat and get into the groove when she sits down to write: when she’s wrapping up a writing session, she puts the caps lock on and writes down what she thinks needs to happen next, where the story’s going, what her protagonist is thinking, etc. When she sits back down, she reads it, highlights it, erases it – and keeps going. Prime the ol’ brain pump!

This week, Abby’s been working on Chapter 15 – working from the ground up, putting the scaffolding in place for her story. Her protagonist finds her friend Logan taking down mean posters (about her!). She didn’t want her protagonist to be in a world where everyone is literally making fun of you. In middle school, it only feels that way. What she was trying to do in this chapter is point out (without pointing out) that our perceptions of things are usually worse than the reality. 

“I felt like my first draft was working out the big picture thing that was happening. It wasn’t about the words on the page – it was figuring out what the hell the story was about.” – Abby

Craft/planning question: can you have a really minor character play a minor part in one book, and play a more substantial role in a later book? Kemlo says yes, absolutely, but you can’t have it come off as too convenient. They need to serve some sort of purpose in the story and not just hang around chewing the scenery. 

Kemlo asks Abby the same question she asked Mel last week: When you went to revise this chapter, based on your manuscript audit, what were the big issues you were working on? Abby says that 1) the first half of the book didn’t match the second half of the book, and 2) the protagonist’s school world and book world never intersected. Abby brought in Ralph the Mouse, and he made an appearance at school, and he’s going to play a bigger part in this revision. 

Abby’s wondering if she can work on Chapter 15 a little more. As much as she loves moving forward, she feels like she wants to polish it a bit so she can move on without it hanging over her head.

This week, Mel reviews chapter 12, and she’s horrified – and not in a good way (that you might want to feel while writing something thriller-ish). She wasn’t happy with it at all.

“Damn, that sucks!” – Mel, reading the rough draft of her Chapter 12

Kemlo advised her not to think about it being “objectively good”, but about what she wants her readers to get out of this.

Abby quoted Jennie, who was quoting KJ Dell Antonia, in regards to sending your manuscript to agents: “It’s got to be good enough to send out, but not so good I don’t want to change it.” It’s a good mindset to be in if you’re preparing for traditional publishing because it’s going to go through a lot of hands before it sees a bookstore, and changes will happen.

Kemlo cited a writer who said recently that she never reads a book once it’s in print because she sees too many things she’d change, even after all the work of getting it published. You may never be happy with the final product, but that’s okay – focus on your personal best, your personal goals, and aim for that.

Mel’s goals for this chapter were to shore up the internal workings of her protagonist. She thinks she’s improving incrementally overall both in this chapter and the revision, but she still misses stuff all the time. The scenes she’s working on in this chapter are very physical, and making sure everything flows is important – and that level is worked out. Now, she needs to go back and figure out what it means and why it matters to her protagonist.

“There were a lot of places where you were showing her fear and agitation, but it’s how anyone would react. Of course, you’d be shocked and terrified, …but why does that matter to her, given her agenda?” – Kemlo Aki

It’s the magical, making-us-care quality that makes a book hard to put down, which makes it relatable, even if the characters’ lives are vastly different from our own. It’s a skill that takes a lot of trial and error to get right, and that’s revision in a nutshell.