Join Monica and Gala for a low-key chaotic discussion about the writing life.

Gala Russ helps creatives understand how they work and build sustainable creative lives and businesses that fit them. After writing and publishing nine romance novels under the pen name Willa Drew, she developed a practical path to help writers start their novels and bring them into the world. Through workshops, small groups, and one-on-one coaching, she teaches writing craft, storytelling fundamentals, and creative systems so creativity becomes part of everyday life—not something squeezed into the margins.

The conversation covers the journey of a writer and the impact of life transitions on the writing process. It explores the concept of making peace with one's writing practice and the influence of emotional bandwidth on writing pace. The conversation covers the themes of self-compassion, creativity, writing process, and originality in writing. It delves into the importance of self-compassion in creative pursuits, the challenges of finding time for creativity, and the process of discovering one's unique writing voice and niche in the market.

Takeaways

• Writing pace varies based on individual factors such as writing speed, book length, and writing frequency.
• Life transitions and emotional bandwidth can significantly impact a writer's pace and writing process. Self-compassion is essential for making space for creativity in times of uncertainty.
• Discovering and embracing one's unique writing voice and niche is crucial for successful and fulfilling writing endeavors.

Chapters

• 00:00 Journey as a Writer and Writing Practice
• 08:31 Making Peace with Writing Practice
• 24:41 Impact of Life Transitions on Writing Pace
• 32:07 Self-Compassion and Creativity

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Today we have guest Dani Fankhauser!

Dani is a writer and energy healer. Her fiction has been published by NonBinary Review, HAD, Sheepshead Review, and Nightshade Publishing, and long listed by Uncharted Magazine. Sister Earth is her first novel.

Learn about Dani and find her book here.

Want to learn about working with Dani? Click here.

The conversation explores the spiritual side of writing and channeling, discussing the impact of social media on writers' ability to connect with themselves and their intuition. It delves into the struggle to write, the path to channeling, energy healing, meditation, and the process of channeling in writing. Additionally, it addresses the learning process of channeling and overcoming the inner critic, as well as creating inner and outer changes for channeling. The conversation delves into the healing process of creativity, the distinction between intuition and fear, the recognition of channeling in writing, and the spiritual practice of writing. It explores the frustration and clearing of the subconscious in creativity, as well as the surprise and recognition of channeling in the writing process. The discussion also highlights the role of writing as a spiritual practice and the importance of honesty as a high vibration in creativity.

Takeaways

• Channeling and writing are interconnected
• The impact of social media on writers' ability to connect with themselves and their intuition Honesty as High Vibration
• Channeling and Writing as a Healing Process

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Spiritual Writing
• 06:30 Social Media and Distraction
• 13:01 Understanding Channeling in Writing
• 19:00 Learning to Channel and Overcoming Inner Critic
• 24:30 The Healing Process of Creativity
• 30:25 Distinguishing Intuition from Fear and Anxiety
• 35:29 Recognizing Channeling in Writing

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New here? Hi, I'm Monica! I'm a writing coach who specializes in helping writers overcome resistance.

I help writers finish drafts even when their brains are screaming “maybe reorganizing the spice cabinet would be better right now.”

Because here's my take:

Writing isn’t hard because you don’t know enough craft or because you're not skilled yet.

Writing is hard because:

• it’s vulnerable
• it’s uncertain
• your brain wants to protect you from failure

  So I help writers build systems, friendships, and practices that let them keep writing anyway.

Mess and all.

Today, we’re covering the 9 unsexy truths I’ve learned from being a writer the last 10+ years. And I introduce myself and what this podcast is all about!