The Purposeful Pen - Clarity for Christian Writers

Have you considered Substack as a writing platform? Do you want to get your writing out into the world but the thought of setting up your own website is daunting?

Listen in to see if Substack might be a good platform for you. Learn about the pros and cons of Substack and the different features that are available to you - for free!!

I also mention SEO in this episode. To learn more about simple ways to using SEO in your writing, check out episode #44.

Looking for someone to talk through these decisions with? I would love to work with you! Schedule a free coaching discovery call to see if coaching with me is your next step.

This is our last week talking about writing without being on social media. Today I talk with Jana Carlson about SEO - Search Engine Optimization. Jana teaches some basic methods of making our websites and blog posts easier for our readers to find using Google or other search engines.

Jana taught more in depth on this topic in the Writers’ Bloc online community. If you’d like to become a member, you’ll have access to this teaching and many more valuable resources. Check it out at www.mywritersbloc.com. You can try out the community for a week free here.

Jana Carlson is a writer, Bible teacher, and mentor. She creates resources and offers workshops to inspire women and writers to love the Bible, experience its transforming power for every season of life, and wield the Word for God’s glory. Connect with her at janacarlson.com.

Need some help nailing down who you’re writing for? Book a free discovery call to see if coaching with me is a good fit.

This episode is week 2 of talking about ways to be a writer and either not be on social media at all, or limit your use of it. I continue the conversation with Jana Carlson and Rachel Baker about ways to use in person events and teaching as ways to grow our audience.

We talk about…

* The myth that we need to be extroverts in order to be effective teachers or speakers

* Ways to use teaching and speaking to grow our audience (even if it’s a small group!)

* How even online video teaching and events can be effective in this.

Jana Carlson is a writer, Bible teacher, and mentor. She creates resources and offers workshops to inspire women and writers to love the Bible, experience its transforming power for every season of life, and wield the Word for God’s glory. Connect with her at janacarlson.com.

Rachel Baker is a certified life coach, author, and speaker. She is passionate about coaching & mentoring service-minded, sacrificial women who are overwhelmed by All The Things they're juggling. Her goal is to help them feel empowered to create some breathing room with healthy priorities and live an intentional life. She is the host of Create Some Breathing Room - a podcast designed to provide encouragement, support, and resources for these amazing women. You can find her at https://racheldbaker.com/

Looking for a Christian writing community? Check out the Writers’ Bloc! Try it for one week free.

Do you feel as a writer that you MUST be active on social media, but you’d really rather not be? Are you hoping that there is another way to get your message out into the world?

The truth (thankfully!) is that you do NOT have to be active on social media in order to be a writer. You don’t even have to be on there at all. This is the first of a three part series on some different ways to build your writing platform apart from social media. In these episodes, I talk with Jana Carlson and Rachel Baker about how they build their writing platform either completely or partially without social media.

This week, we talk about

* the pros and cons of social media

* some of the myths about writers and social media

* using different types of collaborations to get your message to your readers

Next week, we’ll talk about different types of in person events (both geographically in person and over video) and how you don’t need to be an extrovert to make it happen.

The third week we will talk about some basic, easy to apply principles of SEO (search engine optimization) that will bring more readers right to your website.

Need a Christian writing community to collaborate with? Check out the Writers’ Bloc at www.mywritersbloc.com Try it for one week free by using this link.

Jana Carlson is a writer, Bible teacher, and mentor. She creates resources and offers workshops to inspire women and writers to love the Bible, experience its transforming power for every season of life, and wield the Word for God’s glory. Connect with her at janacarlson.com.

Rachel Baker is a certified life coach, author, and speaker. She is passionate about coaching & mentoring service-minded, sacrificial women who are overwhelmed by All The Things they're juggling. Her goal is to help them feel empowered to create some breathing room with healthy priorities and live an intentional life. She is the host of Create Some Breathing Room - a podcast designed to provide encouragement, support, and resources for these amazing women. You can find her at https://racheldbaker.com/

This week, I talk again with Cara Ray, writer and marketer, about author websites.

* Do we need one?

* If so, what goes on it?

* What’s the difference between a website and a blog?

* Which mistakes do writers make on their websites?

* Are there alternatives to an author website?

Cara is a Christian writer, entrepreneur, and community builder. She writes to encourage men and women to enjoy God through Gospel-centered devotionals. When she’s not facilitating community within the Writers’ Bloc, she’s wielding words as a full-time copywriter, marketer, and web designer.

If you’d like her help creating your website, you can find her at Www.avocadotoastmarketing.com

If you’re not sure who your reader is and what you offer them, I would love to help you find clarity in that. Book a free discovery call today. https://tidycal.com/amysimon/30min20231226155410

If you’re looking for a Christian writing community, check out www.mywritersbloc.com.

“I’m a human, not a company. Why would I need a brand?”

That’s the question I answer in this episode as I talk with Cara Ray who is a writer, copywriter, and marketer.

We talk about:

* What an author brand is

* Why a brand is more than logos, fonts, and colors

* How an author brand can help you serve your reader more effectively

* How to get started creating your own author brand

* The questions you need to ask yourself before you create your brand

Cara is a Christian writer, entrepreneur, and community builder. She writes to encourage men and women to enjoy God through Gospel-centered devotionals. When she’s not facilitating community within the Writers’ Bloc, she’s wielding words as a full-time copywriter, marketer, and web designer.

If you’d like her help creating your author brand, visit her website.

If you’re not sure who your reader is and what you offer them, I would love to help you find clarity in that. Book a free discovery call today.

If you’re looking for a Christian writing community, check out www.mywritersbloc.com.

Welcome to 2024! In this episode, we take a look back at our writing over the past year and look at making goals for the coming year. What can you celebrate? What worked and what didn’t?

The free planning pages I mentioned in the episode are here:

Get 2024 off to a good start! Schedule a free 30 minute discovery call to see if coaching with me is right for you.

Single sessions and multi-session packages at www.amylynnsimon.com/coaching

Are you looking for a Christian writing community in 2024? The Writers’ Bloc is offering a free 1 month trial. Check it out here. You can only sign up for the free trial until January 7.

Welcome to 2024! In this episode, we take a look back at our writing over the past year and look at making goals for the coming year. What can you celebrate? What worked and what didn’t?

The free planning pages I mentioned in the episode are here.

Start the year off strong! Schedule a free 30 minute discovery call to see if coaching with me is right for you.

Single sessions and multi-session packages at www.amylynnsimon.com/coaching

Have you considered self-publishing but don’t know where to start? This week, I talk with Abigail Wallace about the process of self-publishing her book, Meek, Not Weak.

Abigail is a Scripture-soaked speaker, writer and joy stalker who stands by grace. She delights to help her friends strengthen their hands in God by looking through the hard to his loving hand. Abigail lives with her husband and two teen-aged sons in rural Wisconsin. She enjoys fast walks, deep talks, chasing sunsets, and challenging the soul’s status quo as she guides others to the source of lasting joy.

Abigail’s book, Meek Not Weak: A 12-Week Guide to the Gentle Strength of Meekness is available at Amazon.

Find soul-strengthening resources and her gritty-grace blog at AbigailWallace.com.

She mentioned working with the Typewriter Creative. You can find them at https://www.typewritercreative.co/

Do you want to publish a book, but self-publishing feels too overwhelming and traditional publishing feels out of reach? Hybrid publishing might be a great option for you.

In this episode, I interview Carlee Ragains who just released her children’s book with a hybrid publisher. Listen in to hear what that looked like for her and why hybrid publishing might be the right fit for you.

More about Carlee:

Carlee Ragains writes to bring understanding about the inherent value of people of all abilities, and to encourage conversations that make a difference. Carlee’s new children’s book, “Eleanor’s eXtraordinary Dreams!”, was inspired by her daughter. It is a story about Down syndrome, self-advocacy, and how courage creates connection. Carlee’s experience as a special needs mom motivates her to tell relatable stories that engage, encourage and educate.

Carlee has the joy of being a step-mom, mother-in-law, and “Mimi” to her beautiful grandchildren. On a typical day, you can find her writing or creating, with Tonka the boxer nearby. She delights in painting, playing piano, savoring a cup of coffee over conversation, and celebrating her daughter’s victories along the way.

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