Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how and when to apply the story point.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Using story point as a tool at different points in your process
• Using the story point as the guidepost 
• Incorporating themes before the story point

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about overthinking vs thinking something through.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• When are you overthinking? 
• What does it feel like? 
• What should you do about it? 

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about Want vs Need in character arcs.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What’s a character want?
• What’s a character need? 
• How do these compare to the internal goal and external goal? 
• How do these mesh with the story point?

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the risk of plagiarism in the writing community.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What feedback relationships should really be like
• The benefit vs the risk
• Keeping your receipts
• Finding a community that you deserve

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!


Follow us on social media!
Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/
Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about lowering your writing expectations with guest Rachael Herron.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Why lowering your expectations can actually make you more prolific
• Adjusting to the discomfort of failure
• Finding emotional regulation in your writing process
• Shifting your mindset to build self-trust

Rachael's website: https://rachaelherron.com/

Check out Rachael's first draft process: http://rachaelherron.com/sfd

Get on Rachael's email list: https://rachaelherron.com/write/

Listen to Ink In Your Veins: https://rachaelherron.com/category/podcast/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the querying process with guest Abigail K. Perry!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Exactly what a query letter is and how to structure it for your best chance at snagging an agent's attention
• How to know when you're ready to query and where to get started when you make that choice
• Why people keeping saying 'querying is hard than ever right now', and whether or not it's true
• Pitfalls authors make in querying and how to avoid them

Connect with Abby: https://www.abigailkperry.com/

Resources Mentioned: 

• Story Grid - https://storygrid.com/
• Author Accelerator - https://www.authoraccelerator.com/
• Daniel David Wallace - https://danieldavidwallace.com/
• Savannah Gilbo - https://www.savannahgilbo.com/
• The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast - https://www.theshitaboutwriting.com/
• LitMatch podcast https://www.abigailkperry.com/podcasts/lit-match
• Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast - https://www.savannahgilbo.com/podcast
• Publisher’s Marketplace - https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about all things plot, character, process, and crime/thriller with guest Marybeth Whalen.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• How to use character to drive the plot of crime/thriller novels
• The individuality of every writer's process
• Developing characters through interviews
• How process changes over time, from book to book and season to season

Read Every Moment Since now: https://marybethwhalen.com/books/every-moment-since/

Get on Marybeth's newsletter: https://marybethwhalen.substack.com/

Marybeth's website: https://marybethwhalen.com/

Learn more about The Book Tide: https://thebooktide.substack.com/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about negative arcs.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The differences between positive and negative arcs
• How to shape effective negative arcs
• Considering character choices and consequences
• Giving characters the opportunity for change

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about book marketing with guest Erica Birtles.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The right time to start marketing your book
• What it means to bring value to your reader
• How to foster connection and engagement
• Specific marketing practices for selling your book

CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRIBE: https://thebooktribe.co.uk/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about getting reader reviews!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Mindset around getting reviews
• Reviews are for readers (not for us) 
• Knowing your ideal reader
• Relying on your community

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/